Summer studied towards becoming a teacher. She then worked in finance for six years before moving to modeling and acting.[3] Summer began working in the adult film industry at the age of 29.[4]
In November 2011, her debut as a director was announced with the movie Perfect Fit.[6]
India Summer at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 16, 2013
The Internet Adult Film Database lists 1,642 performer credits for Summer between 2006 and 2022 (there is some duplication in the listing, but it is also unlikely to be exhaustive). Her busiest period was 2011–2015.[7] Summer was in her forties when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down U.S. porn production in early 2020 and, like several other mature performers, she did not return to her previous level of activity when production resumed later that year.[8][9] She has shot relatively few scenes since that time.
In 2015, Summer had a starring role in the independent filmMarriage 2.0. Although the original version contains explicit sex scenes, the edited version received an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. British writer Gareth May, in an article for the British lifestyle and culture site TheDebrief.co.uk, described the film as "a potential game changer for the porn industry. There are some great performances in the movie. India Summer especially excels, and Nina Hartley's brief role shows she clearly has comedic timing and talent." The unrated version of the film received the Best Narrative award at New York's 2015 CineKink Film Festival.[10]
