Al Parker (1952 - 1992)

One of the most famous and popular stars of gay porn in the 1980s, Al was born Andrew "Drew" Robert Okun in Natick, Massachusetts. When he was fifteen, two pivotal events occurred.  The first was when he was walking along some railroad tracks and found a magazine containing an ad for Colt Studios.  The second was when he was followed off the bus by a man who raped him at knife point in a field; it was his first sexual experience.  When Drew was seventeen, he attended the first Woodstock festival, but spent most of his time there having sex with a Hell's Angel biker in the back of his van.  Still, he did appear among the crowd on the poster for the documentary film about the concert.  Moving to California,he worked for a time as one of Hugh Hefner's butlers at the Playboy Mansion, and was even a contestant on "The Dating Game," an experience which led to his coming out.  Eventually he was introduced to Rip Colt, owner of the studio whose ad he had seen so many years ago.  Colt specialized in hirsute body-builder types, which Drew was not.  Still, Colt photographed him as "Al Parker," a name derived from a popular magazine illustrator from the 1950s, and the new blood appeared in the studio's next brochure with the disclaimer, "This is not what we usually offer."  Al Parker was an instant hit, and a career in adult films soon followed.  His film debut came in 1978's "The Other Side of Aspen", a depiction of a five man orgy in a ski lodge. ; Casey Donovan, already an established star from "Boys in the Sand," co-starred, and the hottest scenes were between him and Al.  The film became a classic of gay pornography, and not only launched Al's career but also that of another gay adult star of the eighties, Dick Fisk.  Other films and videos followed, particularly, "A Night Alone With Al Parker;" "Al Parker's Flashback" (with Kip Noll); "Al Parker's Turned On;" "Games" (with Leo Ford); "Heavy Equipment" (with Jack Wrangler and Roger);  "Kinky Stuff;" "Taxi;" and "Wanted."  He also did numerous film loops for Colt, Buckshot, and Le Salon, including "Chute" with Toby and in 1980 formed Surge Studios with his lover, Robert Cole, who himself performed in adult films as Steve Taylor.  Al Parker's appeal was derived largely from his masculine persona, enhanced by his short hair, beard, jeans, and flannel shirt, a look adopted by many men in the gay community.   The fact that so many men sported the macho look led to it's being called "the clone look."  In time this term came to be used derisively towards gay men perceived as trying to pass for straight.  Al did not invent the look, of course, but he did contribute significantly to its popularity.  Al Parker retired briefly shortly after Robert Cole's death from AIDS in 1986, but returned to do a few videos in 1988 and again in 1991.  At Al's direction, Surge Studios became one of the first companies to produce adult videos in which the performers used condoms and promoted safer sex.  In a 1987 interview, Al had been rather critical of the gay porn industry's slow response to the AIDS crisis, even as it's biggest stars were being felled by the syndrome.  Around the same time, he appeared on Ron Reagan Jr.'s short-lived talk show for a discussion about pornography and free speech.  His last two videos, "Overload" and "Kinky Stuff," came out in 1992.  That same year, Al Parker died from AIDS complications on 17 August.  With his death went another of the great legends of gay adult films.  Al Parker's credits include "Falconpac 1: The Other Side Of Aspen" (1978) (re-released as "The Other Side Of Aspen," 1979, and "The Other Side Of Aspen 1," 1983);  "Inches" (1979);  "Wanted" (1980);  "Heavy Equipment" (1980);  "Help Wanted" (1980);  "Performance" (1981);  "Flashback" (1981) (re-released as "Al Parker's Flashback ," 1984); "Weekend Lockup" (1983);  "Games" (1983);  "Dangerous" (1983);  "Champs 2" (1983);  "Buckshot" (1983);  "Rangers" (1984);  "One In A Billion" (1984);  "Head Trips" (1984);  "Good Hot Stuff" (1986);  "Better Than Ever" (1986);  "Turbo Charge" (1988);  "A Night Alone With Al Parker" (1988);  "America's Sexiest Home Videos" (1990);  "Fast Idle"(1992);  "Overload" (1992);  and "Kinky Stuff" (1992).   A biography, "Clone: The Life and Legacy of Al Parker, Gay Superstar," by Roger Edmonson, is vailable through our bookshop and is highly recommended. Links: Al Parker Videography Internet Movie Database - Al Parker An excerpt: Clone: The Life and Legacy of Al Parker Al Parker Fans Yahoo Group Al Parker Action Stills Yahoo Group Drew Okun Fans Yahoo Group Al Parker Archives Yahoo Group Al Parker Solo Yahoo Group Gay Today: Al Parker AL PARKER, UNA VITA PER IL SESSO (Italiano) Al Parker Yahoo! Club The Other Side of Aspen Yahoo! Club Charon's Ferry Al's Views on the Effect of AIDS on the Gay Porn Industry, 1987 interview excerpt Brief Bio on the Illustrator Al Parker, from Whom Drew's Screen Name Was Derived

Entry updated 1 April, 2004