Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos; February 3, 1977) is an American pornographic actress, model, and former television actress. She played Rachel McGuire on the sitcom Boy Meets World and Jessica Forrester on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2019, she transitioned from mainstream acting to performing in pornographic films.
Career
Acting career
Ward starred as Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, where she appeared from 1994 to 1996. She landed that role, which was her first acting role, when she was 16 and still a junior in high school. Ward had guest-starring roles on USA High and the seventh season of ABC’s Home Improvement; and co-starred with Jay Thomas and Mario Lopez in the 1997 television film Killing Mr. Griffin.
Her character of Rachel McGuire was added to Boy Meets World in 1998, at the beginning of the sixth season, as a main cast member. This role lasted until the series ended in 2000. After Ward’s stint on Boy Meets World, she appeared in the independent film Dish Dogs, a romantic comedy in which she co-stars with Brian Dennehy, Matthew Lillard and Sean Astin. Later, she appeared in the 2004 comedy film White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
After retiring from acting Ward began engaging in cosplay and making appearances at various comics conventions. Her first cosplay was a slave Princess Leia outfit; she was given the idea by photographers that she had worked with on the red carpet. She also appeared as Jessica 6 from Logan’s Run, and as Red Sonja. In recent years, she has also made comics-convention appearances wearing only body paint.
Pornographic career
Beginning in mid-2013, Ward began posting nude and topless photographs of herself on Snapchat and Instagram, gaining a large following on both sites. In April 2016, she posted her first nude pictures to social media of her being body-painted for Luciano Paesani for a Los Angeles exhibition called “Living Art”. In 2019, she announced on Instagram that she would be performing in a pornographic film entitled Drive, a move that some in the media referred to as a “drastic career-shift”. Ward received support from former Boy Meets World co-star Trina McGee.
In May 2019, Ward signed with adult talent agency Society 15. She stated that she had been approached by pornographic actress and director Kayden Kross and was “just floored” by the proposition of doing porn. She decided that the move felt natural to her, saying “It’s been an evolution. It’s all been my authentic journey because everything that I have done along the way is something I wanted to explore and do. I just did it publicly for my fans, that is the exhibitionist style of me.” Drive was released online at the website Deeper.com on September 30, 2019.
Of her decision, Ward stated that she feared being typecast and believed that by becoming a porn star, new fans would have an opportunity to discover her. Upon Drive’s release, Ward promised “more taboo stuff to come”, and she subsequently appeared in multiple additional porn scenes released on Deeper.com. She has said that she did not believe in any stigma related to being a porn star. Conversely, she claimed that she regards her transition into pornography as a savvy business move.
Personal life
Ward married real estate agent Terry Baxter on October 21, 2006. The couple met on set, and she credits their friendship and humor for the success of their relationship.
After getting married, Baxter and Ward moved to New York, where they still live. While they were there, Ward studied writing and screenwriting at New York University.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1996 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Jessica Forrester | Recurring role (12 episodes) |
| 1997 | Killing Mr. Griffin | Candice Lee | Television film (NBC) |
| 1998 | USA High | Tina | Episode: “Buddies” |
| 1998 | Home Improvement | Christy | Episode: “The Old College Try” |
| 1998–2000 | Boy Meets World | Rachel McGuire | Main cast (45 episodes) |
| 1999 | A Bold Affair | Eleanor | |
| 2000 | Dish Dogs | Molly | Feature film; direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Boston Public | Rachel Newman | Episode: “Chapter 43” |
| 2004 | White Chicks | Brittany Wilson | |
| 2005 | Out of Practice | Staci | Episode: “Pilot” |
| 2007 | Rules of Engagement | Dani | Episode: “Young and the Restless” |
Pornography
| Year | Title | Episode name |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Brazzers Exxtra | Wet And Wild (2019) |
| 2019 | Drive (TV Series) | |
| 2019 | Lesbian X | When Superstars Collide |
| 2019 | Raw 38 | |
| 2019 | Lesbian Superstars | |
| 2019 | Blacked | We All Do It, Too |
| 2019 | Blacked | Unprofessional |
| 2020 | Poolside Affairs | |
| 2019 | VR Bangers | #CosplayQueen |
| 2019 | VR Bangers | Order of Termination |
| 2020 | VR Bangers | Showgirl |
| 2020 | Deeper | Muse |
Awards and nominations
- Soap Opera Digest Awards
- 1995: Nominated, Outstanding Female Newcomer – The Bold and the Beautiful
- Young Artist Awards
- 1995: Won, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful
- 1996: Nominated, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful
- AVN Award
- 2020: Won, Best Supporting Actress – Drive (2019)
- Won, Best Three-Way Sex Scene (G/G/B) – Drive (2019), Shared with Ivy Lebelle and Manuel Ferrara
- Won, Fan Award – Favorite Camming Cosplayer
- 2021: Won, Best Actress – Muse
- Won, Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene – Higher Power, Shared with Pressure
- XBIZ Awards
- Won, Crossover Star of the Year
- Won, Best Scene – Feature Movie Drive (2019), Shared with Ivy Lebelle and Manuel Ferrara
- Won, Best Actress – Feature Movie Drive (2019)
- 2020: Nominated, Best New Starlet