Mini Bio (1)
Born in Ontario, Canada, Sunny Leone grew up in idyllic surroundings, loving the cold Canadian winters and the snow that came with them. Building snowmen and ice skating were regular activities outside the Leone household every November through March. With a love for sports, singing and dancing, young Sunny was a consummate performer, basking in the attention it brought her and eating up every word of praise that came her way. Everything changed in 1996, when her family packed up and moved to Southern California. It was a difficult adjustment for the little Canadian girl, whose innocence and naiveté were less than fully appreciated by her new high school classmates. In addition, her adopted hometown lacked the change of seasons she so loved in the Old Country. Sunny persevered, however, and after graduating in 1999, enrolled in a local junior college. After a friend told her she should try modeling - a natural choice for a young beauty - she found a contact who specialized in adult entertainment and decided to give it a try.
Though initially wary of taking her clothes off and striking suggestive poses for the camera, curiosity got the better of her and she dived in full force, quickly becoming one of the most sought-after adult models. In 2001 Sunny was named Penthouse Pet of the Month for the March issue, and numerous layouts in other magazines soon followed, including "Cheri", "High Society", "Swank", "Leg World", "Hustler" and "Club International".
In 2005, Sunny Leone entered the adult film industry and worked her way to the top, becoming one of the most successful pornstars in the world. In addition to acting in adult films, Leone produced and directed over 60 films under her production company, Sun Lust Pictures. In 2011, Sunny set off to India to appear in the reality TV show Bigg Boss, it was here where her fortune changed and she was offered the lead role in an upcoming erotic thriller, Jism 2 by Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Following on from the success of Jism 2, Sunny dedicated herself to Indian cinema making appearances not just in Bollywood films but regional cinema with special appearances in song and dance numbers . Her third feature role in Ragini MMS 2 garnered her more praise and box office success. As of 2016 she has appeared in over 20 Indian films and will be seen in some big projects in 2017, most notably Raees (2017) starring Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. A documentary titled Mostly Sunny (2016) released at the Toronto International Film Festival and charted her meteoric rise from pornstar to Bollywood star.
Personal Quotes (5)
My family loves me and accepts me for who I am. No parent can stop loving his child. I am daddy's little girl in his eyes. Of course, they don't want me to continue [in pornography], but I tell them my plans, what I am doing and, most importantly, I tell them I am happy and that's what they want most.
What gets me in the mood is a man who knows what he's doing. There's nothing like someone who knows how to treat you, touch you and make you feel good.
Yes, I do feel like an outsider in the film fraternity. But I feel I've been accepted by my fans. (Nov 2015)
Right now my whole focus is in Bollywood and nothing else. I believe I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime and I plan to keep my focus and energy here till the fans want me. If it wasn't for my past I would not be who I am. I am not ashamed of it because it has brought me here to India. If I came here as regular me with no entertainment experience then I would not be as popular as I am today with the public. (Nov 2015)
I actually dislike the word reinvent. I never want to reinvent me, I love who I am. But what does happen very organically is I grow and evolve as human being, actress and professional. So over the months, yes things will change but it's not something that is planned. (Nov 2015)
