Tom Byron (born Thomas Bryan Taliaferro Jr.; April 4, 1961) is an American former pornographic actor, director, and producer. A member of the XRCO and the AVN Halls of Fame, he was voted #20 in AVN's list of top 50 pornstars of all time. Byron is also co-founder of Xtreme Professional Wrestling, a wrestling promotion that began in Los Angeles in 1999 and was resurrected in 2019 in Rochester, New York. He continues to work as an editor for XPW TV.
Early life Byron is of Italian descent and was raised in Orange, Texas. He attended Stark High School and later West Orange-Stark high school where he graduated in 1979. He attended Houston Baptist University on a full scholarship, but dropped out after a semester and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of appearing in adult films.
Acting Byron first started acting in hardcore films in May 1982, and continued to perform mostly in roles portraying doctors or "coming of age" scenarios, as he resembled a teenager even though he was in his early to mid-20s. He starred alongside the underage Traci Lords in many films including her porn debut in early 1984, What Gets Me Hot!. He performed with Ginger Lynn in her second-ever scene, and claims that experience convinced the actress to remain in porn after her first scene with Ron Jeremy had her contemplating quitting the business. "America, you have me to thank for Ginger Lynn", Byron has said.
In porn's 1980s heyday, Byron says that pills such as Viagra did not yet exist to help male performers, and many including himself regularly smoked cannabis before filming as a means of getting in the mood. Byron did, however, begin to turn to pills for help later in his career. "Viagra kept me in the game for at least ten years after my due date", he says.
He was rumored to have had an ongoing off-screen relationship with Lords in the mid-80s, though in the years since he has alternately downplayed their relationship and admitted that he had been in love with her. He says he "fell hard" in love with porn actress Jill Kelly in the early 90s after the suicide of her estranged husband Cal Jammer. Byron also dated porn actress Tera Patrick early in her career.
He has changed his image several times throughout his career, frequently portraying a clean-shaven, adolescent virgin in his early years in porn. In 1986, he released a music video for his song "Cat Alley". By the early 1990s, Byron again changed his persona and appearance to that of a clean-cut "businessman" type.
In a 2020 interview, Byron said Jamie Summers was his all-time favorite co-star, citing her "amazing pussy". He named Jada Stevens and Gia Derza as his favorite then-current performers, though he retired before he had an opportunity to work with either of them.
In August 2003, Byron announced his retirement from performing to focus on his directing career. However, in 2006 he returned to performing in some scenes.
Post-retirement Byron currently resides in upstate New York. He says that a return to performing in porn is extremely unlikely, as age has caught up with him and he currently has problems maintaining an erection. "What am I... 59 now? I'm done! It's all over with," he said.
In 2020, Byron revealed that he is busy writing his autobiography with the help of author Mike Sager, whose work inspired the award-winning 1997 motion picture Boogie Nights. Byron has said there is already interest in turning his story into a major motion picture.
Filmography Byron appeared in about 3,200 videos in his pornographic career, making him the most credited actor in the Internet Adult Film Database as of January 2013.
His earliest video that can be dated with certainty is Anything Goes from 1982.
Awards
+ List of accolades received by Tom ByronAwardsAwardWon AVN Awards CAFA Awards AFAA Awards XBIZ Awards XRCO Awards FSCLA Awards F.O.X.E. Awards Total number of wins + AVN Awards Year Category Nominated work1985Best Couples Sex Scene - FilmKinky Business 1990 The ChameleonBest Couples Sex Scene - Video1992Best Actor - Video Sizzle 1998Indigo Delta Best Gonzo Series Cumback Pussy Male Performer of the Yearrowspan="2" 1999 Best Gonzo ReleaseWhack Attack 2 2000Best Supporting Actor - VideoLA 399 2008Best Actor LayoutBest Couples Sex Scene - Film 2010Best Supporting Actor - Video Throat: A Cautionary Tale2011 Best Actor The Big Lebowski: A XXX ParodyBest Big Butt Series Big Ass Fixation 2013 Best Supporting Actor Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody + CAFA Awards Year Category Nominated work1984Best Actor Private TeacherBest Couples Sex Scene Best Supporting ActorSister Dearest + XBIZ Awards Year Category Nominated work2010Male Porn Star of the Year (People's Choice)2017XBIZ Award Winners, XBIZ, January, 2016Best Non-Sex Performance Not Traci Lords XXX: '80s Superstars Reborn + AFAA Awards Year Category Nominated work1986"10th Annual Erotic Awards," Adam Film World, January 1987, p. 7Best Erotic Scene New Wave Hookers + F.O.X.E. Awards"Adult Video Awards", CanBest.com. Retrieved 27 December 2007. Year Category1991Male Fan Favorite 199219992012 + FSCLA Awards Year Category2002Lifetime Achievement Award - Actor + XRCO Awards Year Category Nominated work1985Stud of the Year rowspan="2" XRCO Video Stallion 1986XRCO Best Group Grope Scene New Wave Hookers 1989XRCO Best Male-Female Sex SceneNaked Stranger Male Performer Of The Year 1990XRCO Best Couples Sex Scene - Video The Chameleon 1992Best Anal Scene Bend Over Babes II1993"The XRCO Hall of Fame", Adam Film World Guide 1994 Directory of Adult Films, p. 57XRCO Hall of Fame inductee 1996Best Actor (Single Performance) Flesh Best Anal or DP SceneCar Wash Angels 1997Best Actor Indigo DeltaBest Anal Scene Behind the Sphinc Door Male Performer of the Year 1998Best Gonzo SeriesWhack Attack
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