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Casey Donovan (1943 - 1987)
One of the first real stars of gay porn, Casey Donovan was born John Calvin Culver on 2 November in East Bloomfield, New York. He also worked under the name Cal Culver in mainstream films and stage dramas. A former private school teacher, Culver appeared in numerous stage productions in the early 1970s, including a 1973 production of The Merchant of Venice, appearing with Rosemary Harris and directed by Ellis Rabb at The Viviane Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center. In addition to acting, he had done some modeling, and was also in a relationship with former film star and novelist Tom Tryon. As Ken Donovan, he appeared in the 1971 Donald Crane film Casey, as both a love-lorn gay man and his mirror-image fairy godfather. In 1972 Cal was featured in the mainsteam film Score, playing the husband in a young heterosexual married couple who are eventually seduced by their neighbors into a bisexual affair. Also in 1972, he had a small part in The Back Row, an early gay porn classic which was recently (and unnecessarily) remade by Chi Chi Larue. That same year, as Casey Donovan, he was featured in Boys In the Sand, one of the first feature-length gay porn films and also one of the first to feature performers with actual names. Prior to this time, gay porn films were little more than ten to fifteen minute loops featuring performers who were either anonymous or went by fake first names like "Joe" or "Bob." Donovan was in sharp contrast to the performers of today, being lanky as opposed to steroid muscular, venturing into porn after a promising beginning in the mainstream, and starting his porn career at the age of twenty-eight, well past the retirement age of most gay porn performers. An instant sensation in Boys In The Sand, Casey went on to perform in such other films as Tight Jeans, Dragula, Heatstroke, Boys In The Sand 2, L.A. Tool & Die, Moving, Sleaze, and The Other Side of Aspen, another classic which launched the careers of Al Parker and Dick Fisk. Casey's appeal came largely from his natural good looks, his boy-next-door persona, and especially for his great enthusiasm for sex, both on and off the set. In many ways, he was the epitome of the free love and hedonism of the 1970s and early 80s. Sadly, Casey Donovan was one of the first stars of gay porn to succumb to AIDS. He died of AIDS complications in Inverness, Florida. Some rumors exist that his death may have been assisted through an overdose of drugs. Casey Donovan's film credits include "Eleana (1969);" "Boys in the Sand (1971);" "Ginger (1971);" "Dragula (1971);" "Casey (1971);" "Score (1972);" "The Back Row (1973);" "Fun and Games (1973);" "Moving (1974);" "The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976);" "Falcon Pac 1:The Other Side of Aspen (1978)(re-released as "The Other Side of Aspen" in 1979 and "The Other Side of Aspen 1" in 1983);" "L.A. Tool & Die (1979);" "Gal Young 'Un (1979);" "Superstars (1982);" "Sleaze (1982);" "Heatstroke (1982);" "Hotshots (1983);" "Split Image (1984);" "Non-Stop (1984);" "Boys in the Sand II (1984)"(re-released as "Men in the Sand II" in 1986); "Inevitable Love (1985)"; "Chance of a Lifetime (1985)"; and "Fucked Up (1986)." A biography, "Boy in the Sand: Casey Donovan All-American Sex Star" by Roger Edmonson is available through the bookstore and is highly recommended. (The Outcyclopedia wishes to thank H. Michael Wieben for his assistance with this article.) Casey Donovan Videography Beefcake Pic of Casey, circa 1975 Calvin Culver's Business Card with Photo (Courtesy H. Michael Wieben) Ad for "Circle of Water" (Courtesy H. Michael Wieben) Calvin Culver Rent Party Announcement (Courtesy H. Michael Wieben) Internet Movie Database - Calvin Culver Internet Movie Database - Boys In the Sand Internet Movie Database - The Back Row Internet Movie Database - Score Internet Movie Database - The Other Side of Aspen Casey Donovan Article at Rame.net Alternate Wings Review: Boy in the Sand Cast and Credits for Captain Brassbound's Conversion Casey Donovan Bio and Filmography
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