Taija Rae

Throughout most of the 1980s this luscious, New York-accented, sexy "girl next door" was a porn fan favorite. Unlike the typical porn queen, Taija was neither svelte nor surgically enhanced; she had a "this is pretty much the way I am" look that appealed to men and didn't threaten women. She seemed approachable, the kind of girl you could meet in a club and offer to buy a drink without getting laughed out of the place. She was a very good actress and an exceptional performer. About halfway through her career, however, she changed her look. She went from being a brunette who carried a few extra pounds to being a thin blonde, but she always gave energetic, enthusiastic performances no matter what her look. She left the business unexpectedly, and although there were rumors of a comeback in the mid-'90s, it never happened--definitely a loss for porn fans.