vanessa blue

Vanessa Blue, born Tanya M. Faulkner in 1974, is an African-American actress known for her roles in porn movies and television shows. She began her career as a nude dancer and later became a fetish model, performing in porn movies at the suggestion of a different model. After a three-year hiatus, she returned to the adult entertainment industry in 2000 and worked for Mercenary Pictures for several years, directing several series, including Black Reign, which won the 2005 AVN Award for Best Ethnic-Themed Series.

In 2008, Steele and Blue filed federal lawsuits over the ownership of numerous videos under the Mercenary Pictures label. The suits were settled in 2009 after meeting with an alternative dispute resolution jurist. Vanessa then distributed her movies through Justin Slayer International, signing with them in April 2010.

Blue starred on Playboy TV and hosted Private Calls and Night Calls on Playboy Radio until 2008. In 2011, she briefly returned to doing scenes and did a series of hardcore scenes for Brazzers. She is the only African-American to hold contracts with both Playboy and Hustler, and has directed female dominance pictures under the pseudonym "Domina X." She has also worked as a contract director for DVSX and Adam & Eve.

Blue won the Urban X Award for Videography in 2008 and was inducted into the Urban X Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2010, she was nominated for an X Fanz Award for Ebony Performer of the Year and signed a distribution deal with Justin Slayer International.