John Calvin Culver (November 2, 1943 – August 10, 1987), better known under his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Casey Donovan, was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
male
pornographic film actor
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dist ...
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
''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.gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community.
The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...
. Attempts to build on his notoriety to achieve mainstream crossover success failed, but Donovan continued to be a bankable star in the
adult industry
The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...
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 ''Emerald City''.
Phi Sigma Epsilon
Phi Sigma Epsilon () was a North American social fraternity that operated for 75 years (February 20, 1910 – August 14, 1985) until its merger with the Phi Sigma Kappa () fraternity. In 1985, the majority of Phi Sigma Epsilon chapters participat ...
fraternity and the drama club. After graduation in 1965 he accepted a teaching position in Peekskill, New York. He later took a job at the private
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also referred to as Fieldston, is a private independent school in New York City. The school is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school serves approximately 1,700 students with 480 facult ...
on
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's Central Park West but was fired during his second year following an altercation in which he physically disciplined a female student (reportedly the daughter of actor Eli Wallach).
Following his dismissal, Culver drifted into
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
Through one of his escorting clients, Culver landed a spot with the
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a full service modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, United States. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. Founded in 196 ...
modeling agency, commanding an hourly rate of US$60 (equivalent to $400 in 2020).
He continued to pursue stage work, landing an understudy job in 1969 in the
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
gay-themed play ''And Puppy Dog Tails'', making his Broadway debut in 1970 in the Native American-themed production ''Brave'' and a co-starring role in the off-Broadway play ''Circle in the Water'' (also in 1970).
Adult film career
In 1971, Culver played a supporting role in a low-budget sexploitation thriller film called ''Ginger''. While the film was a commercial and critical failure, '' Variety'' noted his performance positively, saying "Only Calvin Culver ... shows any indication of better things to come." This in turn led to an offer to appear in '' Casey'', a gay pornographic film in which Culver played the title role, a gay man who is visited by his fairy godmother Wanda (Culver playing a dual role in drag), and is granted a series of wishes which make him sexually irresistible to other men. Culver later took the title character's name, Casey, and that of the popular Scottish singer-songwriter
Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
to create the pseudonym under which he would appear in all his other erotic roles.
Culver was first credited under the "Casey Donovan" name in ''
Boys in the Sand
''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.Wakefield Poole. The film was an instant success and is ranked as a classics of male erotic cinema. With the success and celebrity he garnered from the film, Donovan believed that he would be able to cross over into mainstream film. While there were meetings with directors like John Schlesinger and
Raymond St. Jacques
Raymond St. Jacques (born James Arthur Johnson; March 1, 1930 – August 27, 1990) was an American actor, director and producer whose career spanned over thirty years on stage, film and television. St. Jacques is noted as the first African Americ ...
and talk of casting him in mainstream projects including adaptations of novels by Mary Renault and
Patricia Nell Warren
Patricia Nell Warren (June 15, 1936 – February 9, 2019), also known by her pen name Patricia Kilina, was an American novelist, poet, editor and journalist. Her second novel, '' The Front Runner'' (1974), was the first work of contemporary gay f ...
, the only film opportunities opened for him were as the star of more erotic films. These included the bisexual porn film ''
Score
Score or scorer may refer to:
*Test score, the result of an exam or test
Business
* Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio
* Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company
* Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
The Other Side of Aspen
''The Other Side of Aspen'' is a 1978 American gay pornographic film produced by Falcon Studios, directed by Matt Sterling, starring Casey Donovan, Al Parker, and Dick Fisk. The film consists of sex scenes filmed in Lake Tahoe, California, int ...
'' with
Al Parker
Al Parker (born Andrew Robert Okun; June 25, 1952 – August 17, 1992) was a gay American porn star, producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40.
Early career
Parker was born in Natick, Massachusetts. After arriv ...
, Steve Turk and Dick Fisk, ''Boys in the Sand II'' and ''Inevitable Love'', with Jon King and Jamie Wingo.
Shortly before his death he starred, appearing heavily intoxicated, in the
fisting
Fisting, handballing, fist-fucking, brachiovaginal, or brachioproctic insertion is a sexual activity that involves inserting a hand into the vagina or rectum. Once insertion is complete, the fingers are either clenched into a fist or kept straig ...
movie ''Fucked Up'', for Christopher Rage. He also appeared in a number of heterosexual porn films, most notably '' The Opening of Misty Beethoven'' where he had a scene with Constance Money, in which he plays a gay male art dealer who is seduced by a woman.
Mainstream acting career
Outside his adult film career, Donovan continued to pursue stage work. In 1972, he was cast in a short-lived Broadway revival of '' Captain Brassbound's Conversion''. Star
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...
described him as "having the same kind and as much charisma as
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...
." He then landed a small role in the 1973
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
production of ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'', which was praised as having "vivid appeal." In 1974, Donovan starred as Brian, a gay bathhouse attendant, in the play ''
Tubstrip
''Tubstrip'' is a risqué comedy set in a gay bathhouse written by Jerry Douglas. The original production, also directed by Douglas, premiered off-Broadway in 1973, played in eight other cities, and then opened on Broadway in 1974 with adult film s ...
'', written and directed by
Jerry Douglas
Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer.
Career
In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has ...
, which had successful runs in Los Angeles and San Francisco before moving to Broadway. While the play was critically deemed entertaining enough to its target gay audience (having earned, in the words of one critic, a "nationwide gay housekeeping seal of approval") Donovan himself was judged as simply "no better nor worse nactor than most of the others n the cast" In 1983, he turned his hand to producing, with an unsuccessful Broadway revival of
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.
Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...
's play '' The Ritz'' in which he also appeared.
Donovan's iconic status allowed him to build a lucrative career as a high-priced prostitute, though it would cost him his legitimate modeling career as more and more clients made the connection between model Culver and porn star Donovan. He wrote an advice column, "Ask Casey," for the gay-oriented ''Stallion'' magazine beginning in 1982.
Personal life
In 1973, Donovan met actor-turned-writer
Tom Tryon
Thomas Lester Tryon (January 14, 1926 – September 4, 1991) was an American actor and novelist. He is best known for playing the title role in the film ''The Cardinal'' (1963), featured roles in the war films '' The Longest Day'' (1962) and ''I ...
, and the two entered into a long-term relationship the following year. Tryon was deeply
closeted
''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...
and grew increasingly disturbed by Donovan's notoriety. Their relationship ended in 1977.
In 1978, Donovan purchased a house in
Key West, Florida
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, to run as a bed and breakfast dubbed "Casa Donovan." He struggled to keep it and the business eventually failed. More successful was his time as a celebrity tour guide, conducting all-gay trips in partnership with an outfit called Star Tours to Italy, China, Peru and other destinations.
Later years and death
By 1985, Donovan's health had begun to deteriorate after he contracted
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
. Although he had counseled his fans through his "Ask Casey" column as early as 1982 to take steps to avoid contracting HIV by reducing their number of sexual partners and urging his fans to be tested for HIV once the test was developed, Donovan did not heed his own advice. He made little or no effort to change his own behavior despite knowing that contracting HIV was then-considered terminal, with virtually no treatment options.
On August 10, 1987, Donovan died of an
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
-related pulmonary infection in
Inverness, Florida
Inverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census,the population was 7,543. It is the county seat of Citrus County and is home to the Citrus County Courthouse and near the Flying Eagle Preserve.
Geography
In ...
, aged 43.
See also
*
LGBT culture in New York City
New York City is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most power ...
*
List of LGBT people from New York City
New York City is home to one of the largest LGBT populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' writes that the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most ...
List of pornographic movie studios
The following is a list of pornographic film studios.
A
* Abbywinters.com (AUS)
* Active Duty (includes gay content)
* Adam & Eve (USA)
* Anabolic Video (USA)
* Athletic Model Guild (includes gay content)
B
* Bang Bros
* Beate Uhse A ...
Notes
References
*
* Bret, David (2017). "Casey Donovan: Blond Bombshell: Gay Porn's Pioneering Megastar". London, DbBooks.
* Grief, Martin (1982). ''The Gay Book of Days''. New York, Carol Publishing Group. .
* Rutledge, Leigh (1992). ''The Gay Decades''. New York, Penguin Books Ltd. .
* Rutledge, Leigh (1989). ''The Gay Fireside Companion''. New York, Alyson Publications. .