Ryan Idol

Last updated

Ryan Idol
Born
Marc Anthony Donais

(1966-08-10) August 10, 1966 (age 58)
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Ryan Idol (born August 10, 1966) is an American gay pornographic film actor who performed in the 1990s and later onstage in mainstream theater. He has French, Irish, and Native American ancestry.[ citation needed ] Idol describes himself as "the creation of Marc Anthony Donais". [1]

Contents

Biography

Idol was raised in a series of foster homes as a child. He never knew his father, and had little contact with his mother while growing up. [2]

After high school, Idol spent a brief period in the United States Navy, then worked as a construction worker. To generate income, he began stripping for women in nightclubs in New England. [2] He was approached to do a nude layout for Playgirl , [2] and in February 1989 appeared as the "Man of the Month" centerfold under his birth name Marc Anthony Donais. [1] This appearance launched his career in the adult film industry, [2] in which he achieved notoriety and success under the name Ryan Idol. At the height of his career, he claimed to earn $50,000 per film, and made tens of thousands of dollars more stripping at gay clubs around the United States. [2] He also engaged in a limited amount of prostitution. [2] He retired from adult films in 1996.

On March 20, 1998, Idol was seriously injured after jumping through a window of his fourth-floor apartment in New York City in an attempted suicide. He considers the fall to be a "near-death experience". [3] Idol has stated that he doesn't recall jumping but that "the drugs and alcohol took over". [2] [4]

Moving into theater acting, in 1999, Idol starred in the play Making Porn. [5] Idol next played "Bill Tom" in the play Scent of Rain (subtitled Scent of Rain: A Love Story Really!), a play written by Mark Dunn, [1] for which he was lauded for "continu[ing] to establish himself as a capable actor". [6] Idol made his Broadway debut when he played the "Crisco Patron" in the Roundabout Theater Company's 2007 revival of Terrence McNally's The Ritz . [7]

Regarding his sexuality, Idol stated, "I don't like to label myself.... I'd just like to say I'm a loving person. I can love a man and I can love a woman." [3]

Donais' legal troubles started in 1987 when he was in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii. After only serving 11 months he was court martialed and convicted of assault and battery on an officer. Donais did time in the Brig and received a dishonorable discharge from the Navy. Court documents related to a lawsuit filed by HealthSouth over allegations of misuse of funds donated to Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Larry Langford's Computer Help for Kids charity mentioned Idol under his real name. The papers showed that $30,000 was paid to Idol, with $5,000 coming from the charity and $25,000 from the Council of Cooperating Governments. Charity director John Katopodis testified in a deposition that Idol was paid to repair computers and to set up computer giveaway programs in other areas. [8] Idol testified that, because of his 1998 fall, he was "not at [his] full faculties" and could not recall the details of his time with the organization. [9]

A Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted Idol on September 20, 2011, of attempted murder for smashing his girlfriend over the head with a toilet tank lid. He was also convicted of battery, assault with a deadly weapon and "corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant". [10] Sentencing was scheduled for December 9, 2011; [11] however when he appeared, his attorney requested to withdraw from the case. The request was granted. Idol then appeared in court on January 13, 2012, requesting a retrial "citing ineffective assistance of counsel". He was sentenced to 12 years in state prison September 27, 2012. [12] He is housed at the California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville, California, a facility for mentally ill prisoners, due to bad behavior, fighting, and drugs. Due to a 3-strikes record, he is eligible for a 25-years-to-life sentence if convicted for certain felonies, so he chose a deal to complete his entire sentence instead of getting a new charge. Kept in protective custody, his current release date is August 2023. [13]

Partial videography

Theater

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Slater</span> American actor (born 1969)

Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopathic high school student, in the satire Heathers (1988). He has received critical acclaim for his title role in the USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), for which he earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2016, with additional nominations in 2017 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Donovan (actor)</span> American pornographic actor (1943–1987)

John Calvin Culver, better known under his stage name Casey Donovan, was an American male pornographic film actor from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s, appearing primarily in adult films and videos catering to gay male audiences, during the Golden Age of Porn. Following a brief career as a Latin teacher and a stint as a highly-paid male model, Donovan appeared in Boys in the Sand (1971), the film that would cement his status as a gay icon. Attempts to build on his notoriety to achieve mainstream crossover success failed, but Donovan continued to be a bankable star in the adult industry for the next 15 years. He was briefly a mainstream actor, who appeared on stage, as well as a theatre producer and manager, and appeared as himself in TV series The Emerald City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Langford</span> American mayor (1948–2019)

Larry Paul Langford was an American politician who had a one-term tenure as the mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama. At the time of his death, Langford was hospitalized on compassionate release from serving a 15-year federal prison sentence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AVN Awards</span> Adult entertainment industry award

The AVN Awards are film awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN to recognize achievement in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic films. They are often called the "Oscars of porn".

Cobra Video is an American independent gay pornographic studio. The company has been the subject of scandals related to founder Bryan Kocis, who engaged in sex with a minor in one instance, and hired an underage actor to perform in another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chi Chi LaRue</span> American film director

Larry David Paciotti is an American director of pornographic films. He appears as the drag-diva persona Chi Chi LaRue, and has been credited as director under the names "Lawrence David" and "Taylor Hudson".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger Tyson</span> American gay male pornographic actor, and producer

Tiger Tyson is an American gay pornographic actor, model and film director. Considered a "Blatino" due to his African-American and Puerto Rican ethnic origins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Spears</span> American pornographic actor (born 1961)

Randy Spears, sometimes credited as Greg Ory, is an American retired pornographic actor and director who has appeared in numerous adult feature films. Spears is noted among porn actors for his comedic acting talent.

Bryan Charles Kocis, also known as Bryan Phillips, was a director of gay pornographic films and founder of Cobra Video, a gay porn film studio. Kocis was murdered at his Dallas Township, Pennsylvania, home on January 24, 2007; arson was used in an attempt to disguise the circumstances of his death. Two escorts, Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes, were charged and convicted for Kocis' murder and subsequently given a sentence of life imprisonment without any possibility of parole.

Edward Earle Marsh was an American actor, musician, adult film director and star. He is principally known by his stage name Zebedy Colt.

<i>Boys in the Sand</i> 1971 film by Wakefield Poole

Boys in the Sand is a landmark American gay pornographic film, released early in the Golden Age of Porn. The 1971 film was directed by Wakefield Poole and stars Casey Donovan. It was the first gay porn film to include credits and to be reviewed by the film industry journal Variety, and one of the earliest porn films – after Andy Warhol's 1969 film Blue Movie, but preceding 1972's Deep Throat – to gain mainstream credibility.

Timothy John Boham also known as Marcus Allen, is a former gay pornographic film actor who was convicted in 2009 of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Denver businessman John Paul "J P" Kelso. Boham now identifies as a trans woman.

The Ritz is a comedic farce by Terrence McNally. Rita Moreno won a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Broadway production, which she and many others of the original cast reprised in a 1976 film version directed by Richard Lester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay pornography</span> Pornography depicting sex acts between males

Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; which at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornography directed toward heterosexual female, homosexual male, and bisexual audiences of any gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Lucas (director)</span> Russian-American producer, actor and pornographic film director

Michael Lucas is a Russian-American-Israeli businessman, performer, founder, and CEO of Lucas Entertainment, Manhattan's largest gay adult film company.

<i>Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon</i> 2008 American film

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon is a 2008 American documentary film about the life of Jack Wrangler, produced and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz of Automat Pictures. It had its premiere at the 2008 New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival (Newfest) and is distributed by TLA Releasing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Cody</span> American gay pornography studio

Sean Cody is an independent gay pornography label founded in September 2001. The website predominantly features young, muscular white men in solo and hardcore bareback scenes. Sean Cody has a strict model selection, with contracts requiring no prior pornographic experience.

<i>Scent of Rain</i> Play written by Mark Dunn

Scent of Rain subtitled Scent of Rain: A Love Story Really! is a gay-themed comedy play written by Mark Dunn, produced by Blue Suit Productions. The play starring Ryan Idol was also made available on DVD. It had a run from 1999 to 2003 at the Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in Chicago and Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Weston</span> American pornographic actor

Chad Jason Hull, better known as Josh Weston, was an American pornographic actor who appeared in gay pornographic films and magazines.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ryan Idol". Celebrity Buzz: Who's Who. Playbill. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rothaus, Steve (August 5, 1998). "Top Porn Star Recreates Himself in SoBe Play". Miami Herald.
  3. 1 2 Bohling, James (December 10, 1999). "Idol's Thoughts: Ryan Idol on the Road Back". Frontiers. pp. 66–68.
  4. ↑ Wockner, Rex (August 17, 1998). "Quote/Unquote". Gay Today. Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  5. ↑ Wong, Cherry; Chan Hung (April 21, 1999). "Idolatry". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
  6. ↑ Spindle, Les (December 24, 1999). "Scent of Rain". Frontiers. pp. 98–99.
  7. ↑ Broadway.com Staff (August 6, 2007). "Gay Porn Star Ryan Idol & Others Check Into The Ritz on Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  8. ↑ The Birmingham News Staff (February 19, 2008). "HealthSouth lawsuit challenges Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's first computer charity". al.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  9. ↑ Masters, Billy (March 6, 2008). "After Dark". Gay Chicago. p. 38.
  10. ↑ "Ryan Idol Found Guilty of Attempted Murder". gayporntimes.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ Former gay porn actor Ryan Idol convicted of attempted murder, The Sacramento Bee, September 21, 2011
  12. ↑ "Sacto 9-1-1". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  13. ↑ The inmate locator system has his last name spelled incorrectly as "Donias".
  14. ↑ "Gayvn Nominees". Gayvnawards.avn.com. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ Ryan Idol at the Internet Broadway Database
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.