Sean Michaels (actor)

Sean Michaels (born February 20, 1958) is an American pornographic actor, model, director and former trade union leader. In 2002, AVN ranked him 14th on their list of The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time.^[1] Michaels has won several prominent adult industry awards, including the NightMoves Award for Best Actor. He has also been inducted into the AVN, NightMoves, Urban X, and XRCO Halls of Fame.

Sean Michaels
Michaels in Los Angeles in 2011
Born	(1958-02-20) February 20, 1958 (age 67) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Years active	1989–present

Early life

Michaels was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.^[2] He attended Boys and Girls High School, the oldest public high school in Brooklyn.^[2][3] After moving to the West Coast, he worked as a nurse for an urgent care facility in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]} He also did runway and print modeling prior to entering the porn industry.

Career

Michaels started out working in the adult entertainment industry as a model for skin magazines. Dissatisfied with the portrayal of black men in pornography, which he saw as "very demeaning and stereotypical", Michaels began performing in adult films in 1989. Michaels chose his stage name by combining the first names of two male celebrities he admired: Sean Connery, whom he described as a "man's man, on and off camera", and Michael Jordan.^{[citation needed]}

Michaels gained recognition in the industry after appearing in his mentor John Leslie's 1990 film Oh What A Night.^[4] Micheals received the XBIZ Award for Woodsman of the Year in 1994. The following year, he was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.^[5] In 1996, he started his own film studio, Sean Michaels Productions, which was later changed to Sean Michaels International the following year when Anabolic Video began handling its distribution.

Along with Lisa Ann and Nikki Benz, Michaels hosted the XRCO Awards in April 2010.^[6] In 2018, he performed in his first bisexual scene for Kick Ass Pictures.^[7] In regards to the scene, Michaels commented, "I feel strongly about doing the things you want to do in life. Cuckold fans have been asking me for years to do bi scenes, and I'm happy to be making this move. I believe it's important for people to grow sexually in any way they choose."^[7]

Legal dispute

In 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) issued Michaels a cease and desist letter, asking him to stop using his name due to the similarity it had to wrestler Shawn Michaels.^[8] Sean Michaels' name was already registered as a trademark, while Shawn Michaels had not registered his moniker.^[9] Michaels later announced he planned to countersue the WWE.^[8] As of April 1, 2011, the trademark of "Sean Michaels" is no longer active.^{[citation needed]}

Advocacy and impact

In 2016, Michaels was elected President of the Adult Performance Artists Guild, then the Adult Performers Actors Guild (APAG).^[10][11] As President, he announced the APAG would push to raise the legal age to perform in adult films from 18 to 21, commenting that "it's 21 years old to drink, so you should have to be 21 to do porn."^[11] Amidst criticism from APAG members who saw him as reducing his union participation,^[12] Michaels officially resigned from his role.^[13] He was replaced in the role by actress Alana Evans, who had served as vice president under him. Evans revealed that Michaels was being "blackballed" in the pornographic industry due to his guild participation.^[12]

In the May 1997 issue of Vibe, he was labeled "the preeminent force in interracial erotic entertainment."^[14] In her book A Taste for Brown Sugar: Black Women in Pornography, women's studies scholar Mireille Miller-Young notes how Michaels' portrayal of "suave and professional" characters in his films has challenged the stereotyping of black men as "sexual beasts" in pornography and expanded opportunities for black performers.^[15] Violet Blue shares a similar sentiment in The Ultimate Guide to Adult Videos, calling Michaels a "major force in changing the face and attitudes of the adult industry towards black performers."^[3] Blue concluded by dubbing him "the most famous black man to ever appear in porn."^[3]

Select appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1990	Oh, What a Night!	Richard Parker	Breakthrough role	[4]
2004	Thinking XXX	Himself	Documentary	[16]
2012	Dave's Old Porn		Episode: "Retro Orgy Night"	[17]
2018	Black Bi Cuckolding		First performance in bisexual pornography	[7]
	Hot For Transsexuals 6		First appearance in transgender pornography	[18]
2022	Sex Before the Internet		Episode: "Porn Awards"	[19]

Awards and nominations

Michaels in 2005

AVN Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
1991	Nasty Girls	Best Video Group Sex Scene	Nominated	[20]
1994	Anus and Andy	Best Sex Scene, Video (Group)	Nominated	[21]
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
1995	In the Bush	Best Actor—Video	Nominated	[22]
	Sean Michaels	Hall of Fame	Won	[5]
		Male Performer of the Year	Nominated	[22]
1996	Visions	Best Couples Sex Scene—Video	Nominated	[23]
	World Sex Tour, Vol. 1	Best Group Sex Scene—Video	Won	[24]
	The Passion	Most Outrageous Sex Scene	Nominated	[23]
1997	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
1998	Butt Banged Naughty Nurses	Best Anal Sex Scene—Video	Won	[25]
	Dinner Party 2	Best Couples Sex Scene—Film	Nominated	[26]
	Face Jam	Best Supporting Actor—Video	Nominated
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
1999	Sean Michaels' Up Your Ass 7	Best Anal Sex Scene—Video	Nominated	[27]
	Tushy Heaven		Won	[28]
	Fresh Meat 5	Best Group Sex Scene—Video	Nominated	[27]
	Tushy Heaven		Won	[28]
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated	[27]
2000	We Go Deep	Best Couples Sex Scene—Video	Nominated	[29]
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
2006	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated	[30]
2007	Fuck	Best Anal Sex Scene – Film	Nominated	[31]
	Elastic Assholes 4	Best Anal Sex Scene – Video	Nominated
	Fuck	Best Group Sex Scene – Film	Nominated
	Janine's Been Blackmaled		Nominated
	Racial Tension	Best Sex Scene Coupling – Video	Nominated
2008	Orgy World: The Next Level 11	Best Group Sex Scene – Video	Nominated	[32]
2009	Succubus of the Rouge	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[33]
2010	Semen Sippers 7	Best Threeway Sex Scene	Nominated	[34]
	Bobbi Starr & Dana DeArmond's Insatiable Voyage	Best Double Penetration Sex Scene	Won	[35]
	LA Pink: A XXX Porn Parody	Best Actor	Nominated	[34]
		Best Double Penetration Sex Scene	Nominated
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
2011	Interracial Fuck Sluts	Best Three-Way Sex Scene (B/B/G)	Nominated	[36]
2012	Orgy: The XXX Championship	Best Group Sex Scene	Nominated	[37]
2013	School of Black Cock	Best Double Penetration Sex Scene	Nominated	[38]
	Elastic Assholes 10	Best Three-Way Sex Scene (B/B/G)	Nominated
2014	Double Black Penetration	Best Double Penetration Sex Scene	Nominated	[39]
2016	True Lust	Best Three-Way Sex Scene - (B/B/G)	Nominated	[40]
	Adriana's a Slut	Best Group Sex Scene	Nominated
2017	This Ain't American Horror Story XXX	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[41]
	The Booty Queen 2	Best Double Penetration Sex Scene	Nominated
2018	Anal Warriors 3	Best Anal Sex Scene	Nominated
2020	Hot for Transexuals 9	Best Transgender Group Sex Scene	Nominated	[42]

F.O.X.E. Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
1996	Sean Michaels	Male Fan Favorite	Won	[43]
1997			Won
1998			Won

NightMoves Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
2002	Sean Michaels	Best Actor (Fan's Choice)	Won	[44]
2003		Best Director (Fan's Choice)	Won	[45]
2007		NightMoves Hall of Fame	Won	[46]

Transgender Erotica Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
2020	Sean Michaels	Best Non-TS Male Performer	Won	[47]
2021			Nominated	[48]

Urban X Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
2008	Sean Michaels	Best Male Performer	Nominated	[49]
		Urban X Hall of Fame	Won	[50]
2011	Cougar on the Prowl	Best 3 Way Sex Scene	Nominated	[51]
2012	Anal Buffet 7	Best 3-Way Sex Scene	Nominated	[52]
		Best Anal Sex Scene	Nominated
	Black Diamonds	Best Couples Sex Scene	Nominated
	Daddy Knows Best		Nominated

XBIZ Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
2010	L.A. Pink	Acting Performance of the Year — Male	Nominated	[53]
	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated
2014	Diesel Dongs 28	Best Scene — Non-Feature Release	Nominated	[54]
2017	This Ain't American Horror Story XXX	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[55]
2018	Anal Warriors 3	Best Sex Scene — Gonzo Release	Nominated	[56]
	Sun-Lit	Best Sex Scene — Vignette Release	Nominated
2019	Carnal	Best Sex Scene — All-Sex Release	Nominated	[57]
2021	The TransAngels Motorcycle Club	Best Sex Scene — Trans	Nominated	[58]

XRCO Awards

Year	Nominated work and artist	Category	Result	Ref.
1994	Arabian Nights	Best Anal Sex Scene	Won
	Slave to Love	Group Sex Scene	Won
	Sean Michaels	Woodsman of the Year	Won
1999	Tushy Heaven	Best Anal or D.P. Scene	Won	[59]
2000	Sean Michaels	Male Performer of the Year	Nominated	[60]
		XRCO Hall of Fame	Won	[61]