Debuting at 18, she became the youngest performer in history to win the AVN Female Performer of the Year award. After retiring from adult film, she starred in a Steven Soderbergh feature and has since built a career as an author, DJ, and musician.
Basic Information
- Real Name: Marina Ann Hantzis
- Date of Birth: March 14, 1988
- Birthplace: Sacramento, California, USA
- Ethnicity: English, Irish, Polish, and Greek descent
- Height: 168 cm
- Weight: 50 kg
- Measurements: 32B-26-31
- Eye Color: Hazel
- Hair Color: Black / Brown
- Tattoos: None
- Piercings: Navel
- Years Active: 2006–2014 (Director: 2009)
- Also Known As: Sacha Grey, Sascha Grey, Sasha Gray
Career
Pre-Debut
Raised in North Highlands, California, she grew up with her mother and stepfather after her parents divorced before she reached middle school. She attended four different high schools, graduating a year early at 17. She then enrolled at Sacramento City College, studying film, dance, and acting while working as a waitress to save money for her eventual move to Los Angeles.
Career as an Actress
In 2006, at the age of 18, she relocated to Los Angeles and entered the adult film industry. She initially performed under the name “Anna Karina” — a nod to the French actress — before adopting the name Sasha Grey. Her debut film was John Stagliano’s “The Fashionistas 2.”
At the 2007 AVN Awards, she took home Best Three Way Sex Scene and Best Group Sex Scene in her first year. In 2008, she swept both the AVN and XRCO Female Performer of the Year awards; at 19, she remains the youngest recipient of the AVN honor in the award’s history. She was also named Penthouse Pet of the Month for July 2007, photographed by Terry Richardson.
Over roughly three years, she appeared in approximately 300 films. Her final adult scene was filmed in 2009, and she formally announced her retirement on April 8, 2011, stating she had no regrets and was leaving to pursue new creative endeavors.
Following her retirement, she starred as the lead in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” (2009), marking a credible crossover into mainstream cinema. She went on to appear in “Would You Rather” (2012), “Open Windows” (2014), and played a fictionalized version of herself in the HBO series “Entourage” (2010). She co-founded the industrial music band aTelecine, releasing albums and EPs, and has performed as a DJ. She has also appeared in music videos for Eminem, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Roots.
As an author, she published the photo book “Neü Sex” (2011) and the erotic novel trilogy “The Juliette Society” (2013–2018). She has also built a presence as a digital creator through Twitch game streaming and YouTube content.
Main Studios
- Evil Angel
- Wicked Pictures
- Hustler
- Penthouse
- Jules Jordan Video
Awards & Nominations
Awards
- 2007 XRCO Award — Best New Starlet
- 2007 AVN Awards — Best Three Way Sex Scene
- 2007 AVN Awards — Best Group Sex Scene
- 2008 AVN Award — Female Performer of the Year (youngest recipient in history)
- 2008 AVN Award — Best Oral Sex Scene: “Babysitters”
- 2008 XRCO Award — Female Performer of the Year
- 2009 XRCO Award — Mainstream Adult Media Favorite
- 2009 Genesis Magazine — Porn’s Hot 100 #1
- 2010 AVN Award — Best Anal Sex Scene: “Anal Cavity Search 6”
- 2010 AVN Award — Best Oral Sex Scene: “Throat: A Cautionary Tale”
- 2010 AVN Award — The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year
- 2010 XBIZ Award — Crossover Star of the Year
- 2010 XRCO Award — Mainstream Adult Media Favorite
- 2010 F.A.M.E. Award — Favorite Oral Starlet
- 2023 AVN Hall of Fame — Inducted
- 2023 XRCO Hall of Fame — Inducted
Nominations
- 2007 AVN Awards — Best New Starlet (lost to Naomi)
Industry Recognition
She won more than 15 awards between 2007 and 2010, a remarkable achievement compressed into just a few years of performing. Her record as the youngest-ever AVN Female Performer of the Year — at 19 — remains unbroken. Her simultaneous induction into both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame in 2023 cemented her legacy as one of the most influential performers of her era.
Trending Video of Sasha Grey
Hardcore havoc
Extremley Throated! Borderline Mouthfuck – the Hardest Oral Ever Recorded
Want to see more of her?
SNS & Streaming
- X (formerly Twitter): @sashagrey
- Instagram: @sashagrey
- YouTube: youtube.com/c/SashaGrey
- Facebook: SashaGrey
- Official Website: sashagrey.com
Her post from Fuji Speed way in Japan
Notes🗒️
- Her real name is Marina Ann Hantzis. She chose the stage name “Sasha Grey” herself, drawn to the Russian-sounding first name.
- She founded her own talent agency, L.A. Factory Girls, taking an unusually hands-on approach to managing her career within the industry.
- In 2011, she volunteered to read to first-graders at a school in Compton, California. The visit sparked a nationwide media debate and made headlines across the US.
- She publicly identifies as bisexual, an existentialist, and an atheist.
- An avid gamer, she has built a dedicated following through Twitch live streams and gaming content.
- She provided voice work for the video game “Saints Row: The Third” (2011).
