Ron Hightower
Encyclopedia
Ronald "Ron" Hightower is an African American
adult-mainstream director
who began his career as a pornographic actor
. He has also directed music videos for various hip-hop recording artists, particularly rappers.
, Hightower entered the adult entertainment world in New York City
after working as an exotic dancer
in the early 1990s. His good looks and muscular physique soon caught the eye of West Coast
studio executives who recognized his potential as a top sex
star, and they wasted no time in tempting him with better and more prominent roles.
-based porn scene at a time when there were very few black men in the business who were actual celebrities (and when most interracial movies consisted of showing Caucasian
men having sex with African American
women), Hightower rapidly gained popularity as a natural born performer who always pleased his female co-stars, and his early appearances in productions like White Men Can't Hump and the Dark Alleys series (both 1992) were well received by many fans of black themed and interracial erotica
. He also displayed much talent as a hard-working director early on in his career and began directing his first of many movies almost immediately after he had begun performing, starting with Dark Alleys 8 (also 1992).
Hightower had often made public his frustration with what he felt were stereotypical depictions of black men in pornography
, and at the risk of jeopardizing his career he would take the opportunity during interviews to expose the restrictions that were placed by studio heads at the time on black actors whose female partners were white. Like his contemporary and friendly rival, Sean Michaels
, he worked hard to eliminate negative stereotypes of African Americans in the business and also to break new ground for them.
videos for such recording artists such as Gang Starr
, New Child, and the late Tupac Shakur
, for whom he directed the music video 'How Do U Want It'.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
adult-mainstream director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who began his career as a pornographic actor
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
. He has also directed music videos for various hip-hop recording artists, particularly rappers.
Early life and career
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Hightower entered the adult entertainment world in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after working as an exotic dancer
Exotic dancer
The terms exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context. In the erotic sense, "exotic dance" is a often used to refer to practitioners of striptease...
in the early 1990s. His good looks and muscular physique soon caught the eye of West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
studio executives who recognized his potential as a top sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
star, and they wasted no time in tempting him with better and more prominent roles.
Career in adult films
Arriving at the San Fernando ValleySan Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
-based porn scene at a time when there were very few black men in the business who were actual celebrities (and when most interracial movies consisted of showing Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
men having sex with African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
women), Hightower rapidly gained popularity as a natural born performer who always pleased his female co-stars, and his early appearances in productions like White Men Can't Hump and the Dark Alleys series (both 1992) were well received by many fans of black themed and interracial erotica
Erotica
Erotica are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions...
. He also displayed much talent as a hard-working director early on in his career and began directing his first of many movies almost immediately after he had begun performing, starting with Dark Alleys 8 (also 1992).
Hightower had often made public his frustration with what he felt were stereotypical depictions of black men in pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, and at the risk of jeopardizing his career he would take the opportunity during interviews to expose the restrictions that were placed by studio heads at the time on black actors whose female partners were white. Like his contemporary and friendly rival, Sean Michaels
Sean Michaels
Sean Michaels is a pornographic actor and director. He moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in order to begin his career in the porn industry, in which he has worked since 1985...
, he worked hard to eliminate negative stereotypes of African Americans in the business and also to break new ground for them.
Directorial career
In 1996 Hightower retired from performing sex in front of the cameras to became a full-time adult film director, later to pursue work for mainstream productions. By 1997, he was dubbed by one book as the "king of the black porno market".Music Videos
As a mainstream director, Hightower has produced and directed musicvideos for such recording artists such as Gang Starr
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
, New Child, and the late Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, for whom he directed the music video 'How Do U Want It'.