About
Emily Willis—born Litzy Lara Banuelos on December 29, 1998, in Mendoza, Argentina—is an Argentine‑American adult‑film performer whose meteoric rise turned her into one of the industry’s brightest names in just a few short years. After debuting in 2017, she amassed more than 700 screen credits, became Penthouse Pet of the Month in 2019, and swept the 2021 award season with both AVN and XBIZ Female Performer of the Year honors. Her energetic style on camera and fluency in both English and Spanish helped her build a global fan base and cross into mainstream projects such as Eddie Alcázar’s 2023 sci‑fi thriller Divinity and a 2023 Slipknot music video. In early 2024 she suffered a cardiac arrest, spent two months in a coma, and now lives with partial disability, yet she remains a widely discussed figure whose earlier work continues to trend on streaming platforms.
Before Fame
Willis spent her first seven years in Argentina before relocating with her mother to the desert town of St. George, Utah. Growing up in a conservative Mormon household, she balanced school with weekend fishing and hunting trips and her first part‑time job flipping burgers at a local fast‑food outlet. A driven student, she graduated high school a year early and briefly tried college before deciding traditional classrooms weren’t for her. To cover bills, she sold DirecTV satellite packages door‑to‑door, an experience that sharpened her sales skills and boosted her confidence talking to strangers. Shortly after moving to Las Vegas in 2017, she answered a modeling ad, did several still shoots, and—intrigued by the creative freedom—filmed her first adult scenes the following year.
Trivia
- Awards haul: Willis is one of the few performers to win AVN, XBIZ, and XRCO Female Performer of the Year in the same 12‑month span (2021). She also holds multiple scene trophies, including Best Star Showcase for Influence and Best Gangbang Scene for the same title.
- Record output: In her busiest stretch she averaged three shoots a week, ultimately appearing in more than 700 credited scenes—an output that places her in the top tier of 2020s performers.
- Mainstream cameos: Beyond Divinity, she provided motion‑capture work for an indie video‑game demo and appeared in Slipknot’s avant‑garde “Hive Mind” video, broadening her audience far beyond typical adult‑content consumers.
- Languages & hobbies: Fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Willis chats with fans in both languages on social media. Off‑set she enjoys trail hiking around Red Rock Canyon and binge‑watching American Horror Story and Riverdale.
Family Life
Emily keeps most personal relationships private, but public records note a younger brother, Michael, and a step‑father, Michael Willis, who helped raise her in Utah. In 2024 her family revealed details of her medical crisis, explaining that lack of oxygen during the cardiac event left her with lasting mobility challenges. They have since filed a negligence suit against a California rehabilitation center, arguing that delayed response time worsened the outcome. Despite the setback, relatives share periodic health updates and have thanked fans for their continued support and well‑wishes.
Associated With
Throughout her career Willis has collaborated with nearly every major U.S. and European studio, including Vixen Media Group, Tushy, Evil Angel, and Jules Jordan Video. Directors such as Greg Lansky and Kayden Kross have praised her improvisational talent, while fellow stars Angela White, Riley Reid, and Prince Yahshua frequently cite her as a favorite on‑screen partner. Her crossover into Divinity placed her alongside Bella Thorne and Karrueche Tran, and in adult‑industry circles she is often compared to Gianna Dior and Maitland Ward for the way she bridges adult and mainstream projects.
