Nikki Benz was born on December 11, 1981, in Mariupol, Ukraine, and moved to Toronto, Canada, at age seven with her family. Before entering the adult industry, she worked as a swimsuit model and exotic dancer. She began her porn career in 2003 with Pleasure Productions, later signing with Jill Kelly Productions and TeraVision. Nikki gained widespread recognition as the 2011 Penthouse Pet of the Year and has since become an AVN Hall of Fame inductee. Beyond adult films, she briefly ran for mayor of Toronto in 2014 and has appeared in mainstream media, including the video game Saints Row: The Third.