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.
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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.
