Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Jack Wrangler: 1946-2009

Jack Wrangler, pioneering legend of 70's gay porn, passed away yesterday at the age of 62.

Wrangler (née John Robert Stillman), the son of Hollywood producer Robert Stillman (Bonanza), was a child performer on Christian television who would grow up to become one of the first gay pornographic actors to achieve star status in the 1970s. He made over 80 adult films, including such classics as Kansas City Trucking Co. and A Night at the Adonis. Later in his career, Wrangler stunned fans when he switched over to straight porn (most notably The Devil in Miss Jones II) and yet again when he married pop vocalist Margaret Whiting. After retiring from the adult industry, he returned to his first love, musical theater, achieving success as a producer and director.

Wrangler was the subject of last year's documentary Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon, which recently won a GayVN Award. The film's director, Jeffrey Schwarz, shares his memories of the star with The Advocate.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had never heard of Wrangler until reading this. The documentary sounds very interesting. I just put it on the top of my netflix queue.

John said...

Jack Wrangler was very big in the adult male movie industry during the 1970's and '80's. Jack was highly educated, a college graduate in Drama at Northwestern University; however, during his youth, Mr. Wrangler turned to male pornographic movies as his vocation. Jack loved the theater and later in life he returned to it as a writer, producer and director. Jack's relationship and mariage to the great big band singer of the 1940's and '50's, Margaret Whiting, lasted more than 30 years, until his death at 62. Mr. John Robert Stillman, or Jack Wrangler, was an unforgetable entertainer, who knew who he was and wasn't ashamed of it...and he will be missed.

buff said...

Jack Wrangler was the ultimate gay male porn daddy. He was sexy and cock sure of himself.

Any of us muscle dads are proud to have his tradition live on.

He gets 5 BIG WOOOOFS.

Mega hairy muscle hugs of thanks for this fitting tribute.