Lois Ayres – Inducted – 1998
Sondra Stillman was born on May 24, 1963 in Los Angeles. Most of her growing up years took place in Boston, a far cry from the California sun, sand and surf. After graduating from school, the 5’6”, 36B-26-35 beauty began her career by modeling for men’s magazines. Strange as it may seem, it was her mother who actually wrote the letter pitching her daughter to model for the magazines. (Imagine the flack if a mother did that today!) Obviously the letters worked because Lois started to get calls for a lot of photo shoots appearing in a number of men’s magazines, and gaining a name for herself. But that was just the beginning.
From modeling Sondra went ahead made a couple of adult films appearing in a couple of Svetlana’s Hawaiian Beach films. She was just one of the many horny babes rolling around in the sun getting a tan between getting laid by some stud. But in her first film after that titled “Surrender in Paradise” she only did a girl/girl scene. She changed her name to Lois Ayres and began to gain some very good notices as the lead in the first Dark Bros. film, “Let Me Tell Ya ‘Bout White Chicks”.
However, she created a small problem when she failed to show up on day two of the shoot so the script was changed from a narrative story to an episodic video. Still, as Lois Ayres she would go on to star in “The Devil In Miss Jones 3 & 4”, a couple of Dark Bros. classics, as well as “Every Woman Has a Fantasy 2”. Because she would appear in many films that had follow up volumes, she became known in the business as the “queen of the sequels”.
Her first boy-girl scene was with the legendary Ron Jeremy, who got most of the new girls back then. A big plus for Ms. Ayres was her penchant to specialize in interracial sex scenes in films like “The Queen of Spades” when other girls wouldn’t do them. She readily admitted her first sex scenes weren’t good because her mind was on other things, mainly the money she was making. Once she learned to relax in front of the camera she became as explosive a female on screen as there was in porn. It was all totally real for her as well, nothing faked, as she gave and took with raw, full enthusiasm that would make her partners give even more and making their scenes something special.
Between 1983 and 1996 Ms. Ayres did about 270 films establishing a solid name for herself as either the star or co star. Her acting skills were average, but it was her so called white-trash appearance that was more than just a screen persona. She was a total street nymph who delighted in having sex with the big rockers of the day. It is safe to say that Ms. Ayres was living the good life in many ways and making the most of it with those she partied with. But it all had its price.
With the business, sex and rock and roll Lois found herself immersed with a drug problem and in 1989 called it quits so she could get help and recover. She returned a couple of years later but by now things had changed drastically in adult films and she just didn’t fit. So she left films for good and in 1996 became a stripper. Ms. Ayres would go on to make a name for herself in Japan and other foreign destinations as a much sought after feature dance/strip act in a variety of top shelf clubs in Japan and European locations.
The last anyone knew several years back was that Ms. Ayres, who would be 56 now, was living in Athens, Greece as well having a home in Los Angeles and is sober and clean. Her contributions to the industry were well noted and recognized when she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 1998. What she is doing now isn’t known, but some years back she reportedly was studying to get her certificate to teach English and work at casting women who wanted to do movies for a company in Italy and also learn the art of the strip tease.
To those who remember her she will remain one of the ’80’s bright lights and many of her films can now be enjoyed on DVD. In addition Lois Ayres can also be seen in a number of Swedish Erotica compilations that are available. You are in for quite a treat when you watch this platinum blonde cutie doing her thing that helped make her a major adult star in the 1980’s.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
