Ricardo Salinas, known professionally as Angel Rivera (born February 18, 1997) is a Mexican-American pornographic actor, known for his work in the gay adult film industry. Initially gaining attention for his films for Helix Studios, he has subsequently worked with other studios including CockyBoys, Falcon Studios, Guys in Sweatpants, HotHouse Studios, Naked Sword, and Men.com. Rivera is a versatile performer, and is considered one of the most recognisable and popular Latin twunk performers in the industry. He has earned multiple awards and nominations for his work, notably being named Performer of the Year at the 2020 Str8Up Gay Porn Awards, and winning the GayVN Award for Best Actor in 2021. He was also one of the most-searched performers on Pornhub Gay in 2024.
Early life Rivera was born and raised in a border town four hours south of Austin, Texas. He described that his upbringing was challenging as told AVN, "you have to have thick skin to get along, really. And if someone’s really sensitive or bullied, they’re going to be picked on double. So what I learned growing up in a border town was one, I’ve got to learn Spanish, because I’m a Mexican that doesn’t know Spanish in a Spanish town; and two, I need to let people stop fucking with me". He also cited living in a small border town as a reason why he wasn't able to explore his sexuality until later in his teens, but expressed that "I knew deep down I was bisexual. I just never really explored it", and that he exclusively dated women for several years, and had a difficult time coming out to his family as an only child, and has spoken openly about struggling with depression during this time. He stated that dating his first boyfriend in college at Texas State University helped him to "find [himself]".
Career Rivera made his porn debut in 2018 in a film for Helix Studios, and signed an exclusive contract with them when he was 20 years old after shooting his first few scenes. He was already a fan of the studio and was paying for a subscription when he applied to be a model, initially believing that nothing would come from his application until he received a message a few days after submitting it. Rivera expressed that he hopes his work helps to inspire others, stating, "if more models were open about their experiences growing up and all the bad stuff that’s happened. Kids need to grow up not being so afraid to hit on somebody, or not being afraid to walk up and ask a girl for her number, because I was that kid." He announced his departure from Helix on January 28, 2019, stating that he wanted to focus on creating content for his OnlyFans, but clarified that he had no intention to quit performing and wanted to take his career in a new direction.
In 2020, Rivera was introduced as a Fleshjack Boy. The same year, he signed a contract to become an exclusive model for CockyBoys. Of this decision, Rivera stated, "I am choosing to go exclusive with CockyBoys because I feel like we can build each other up and both benefit from this deal. Things fall into place when they do and with me now being based in New York the timing feels right. I have a great amount of professional and personal chemistry with the team, and I know there are things I can learn to make my content better and also better elevate my business sense. There’s mutual respect and value here and I feel like we will continue to put together works of art demonstrating sexual freedom." His first scene for the studio, a COVID-19 pandemic influenced film with Sean Ford called "6 Feet Apart", premiered on August 21, 2020.
Rivera joined the cast of OUTtv's reality television series X-Rated: NYC for the show's third season, which aired across six episodes from September to October 2024. The series followed the personal and professional lives of gay porn stars living in New York City and also starred Rivera's ex-boyfriend and frequent collaborator Joey Mills. Rivera had appeared in six episodes over the previous two seasons in a guest role.
Personal life Rivera identifies as pansexual. He is open about his previous struggles with mental health and addiction. He was previously in a relationship with fellow adult performer Joey Mills.
Filmography +YearTitleNotes2022-2024X-Rated: NYCMain role (season three) Recurring role (season two) Guest role (season one)
Music videos Year Title Artist(s) 2018 "Daddy D" Willam Belli
Awards and nominations GayVN Awards The GayVN Awards are presented annually to honor word in the gay adult film industry. The awards are sponsored by AVN magazine and are a spinoff of the AVN Awards, which are considered the "Oscars of porn". Rivera has won three awards from eleven nominations. +List of awards and nominations received by Angel RiveraYearCategoryNominated workStudioResultRef.2019Best NewcomerHimselfBest Three-Way Sex Scene"Room for One More" (with Kevin Daley and Cameron Parks)Helix StudiosBest Group Sex Scene"Splash" (with Josh Brady Corbin Colby, Joey Mills, Caleb Griffith, Cameron Parks, and Luke Wilder)2020"Vegas Nights" (with Kyle Ross, Tyler Hill, Joey Mills, Cameron Parks, Julian Bell, and Corey Marshall)Best Three-Way Sex Scene"Vegas Nights" (with Corbin Colby and Joey Mills)2021Best Quarantine Scene"Lips Together, Six Feet Apart" (with Sean Ford)CockyBoysBest Three-Way Sex Scene"Winner Gets All" (with Aiden Ward and Marcus Young)Guys in SweatpantsBest ActorA Murdered HeartNaked SwordPerformer of the YearHimself2022Best Fetish Scene"Boys in the Raw" (with Levi Karter)CockyBoys2026Best Duo Sex Scene"3 Loads for Angel" (with Lydian Grey)Guys in Sweatpants
Grabby Awards The Grabby Awards are presented by GRAB Magazine annually to honor the gay adult film industry. Rivera has received two awards from fifteen nominations. +List of awards and nominations received by Angel RiveraYearCategoryNominated workStudioResultRef.2019Best NewcomerHimselfBest Twink PerformerBest Group "Room for One More" (with Josh Brady, Corbin Colby, Joey Mills, Cameron Parks, Angel Rivera & Luke Wilder)Helix Studios"Vegas Nights" (with Julian Bell, Tyler Hill, Corey Marshall, Joey Mills, Cameron Parks, and Kyle Ross)Best Supporting Actor"Vegas Nights"Hottest Flip"Blazing Bareback" (with Andy Taylor)Best Three-Way"Vegas Nights" (with Corbin Colby and Joey Mills)2021Performer of the YearHimselfBest Actor"A Murdered Heart"Naked SwordBest Duo"Lips Together, Six Feet Apart" (with Sean Ford)CockyBoysBest Group"Tom of Finland: Pleasure Park" (with Sean Ford, Joey Mills, River Wilson, and Tannor Reed)Men.comHottest BottomHimselfBest Versatile PerformerHimselfHottest Body2022Best Duo"Let's Get Cocky" (with Dallas Preston)CockyBoys
Str8Up Gay Porn Awards The Str8Up Gay Porn Awards are hosted by the gay porn new site of the same name from 2017 to 2022. Rivera has won five awards from twelve nominations. +List of awards and nominations received by Angel RiveraYearCategoryNominated workStudioResultRef.2018Best NewcomerHimselfBest ButtBest Group Scene (with Joey Mills, Josh Brady, Corbin Colby, Luke Wilder, and Cameron Parks)"Splash"Helix Studios2019Favorite Gay Porn StarHimselfFavorite Versatile Scene"Wet Dreams" (with Colby Tucker)Men.com2020Performer of the YearHimselfBest Lead Actor"A Murdered Heart"Naked SwordBest Cum Facial"Making Moves" (with Arad Winwin)HotHouse StudiosFavorite Quarantine-Themed Scene"Lips Together, Six Feet Apart" (with Sean Ford)CockyBoys"Model Behavior: How To Make A Porn" (with Boomer Banks)Naked SwordFavorite Duo Scene"Aiden Breeds Angel" (with Aiden Ward)Guys in Sweatpants2022Best Duo Scene"Zach Astor Fucks Angel Rivera" (with Zach Astor)CockyBoys
Listicles +Name of publisher, year(s) listed, name of listicle, and placement resultPublicationYearTitleRankRef.Pornhub2024Most Viewed Performers24thStr8Up Gay Porn2018Best ButtsListedThe Best Gay Porn ScenesListedMost Searched-For Gay Porn Stars39th202114th202220th
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