Dennis Posa (October 28, 1946 – January 28, 1985), also known by the performing names of Wade Nichols and Dennis Parker, was an actor and singer who started his career in adult films.
Early life
Parker was born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Freeport, New York.
He attended the
Philadelphia Museum College of Art
The University of the Arts (UArts) is a private art university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia. Dating back to the 1870s, it is one of the oldest schools of art o ...
, studying furniture design.
During his stint at PMCA, he won a role in a touring company production of ''
The Trojan Women
''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during ...
''. He later attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
and the
Herbert Berghof Studio
The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...
, where he studied acting.
He supported himself by working as a carpenter for several years.
Career
Parker's first feature film role was in the
gay adult film ''Boy 'Napped'' (1975). He subsequently appeared mostly in straight porn films shot in New York, such as ''Summer of Laura'' (1975), ''Jail Bait'' (1976), ''
Barbara Broadcast
''Barbara Broadcast'' is an American adult erotic film released in 1977. The film was directed by Radley Metzger (as "Henry Paris") and filmed in several elaborate locations in New York City, including the Olympia ballroom and restaurant in the ...
'' (1977), ''Teenage Pajama Party'' (1977), ''
Maraschino Cherry
A maraschino cherry ( ) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann cherry, Royal Ann, Rainier cherry, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first pre ...
'' (1977), ''Punk Rock'' (1977), ''Take Off'' (1978) and ''Blonde Ambition'' (1981).
Parker was credited as Wade Nichols in most of the adult films in which he appeared.
In 1979, using the name Dennis Parker, he recorded a disco album on
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently f ...
, titled ''Like an Eagle''.
The album was produced by
Village People
Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release ...
creator and producer
Jacques Morali
Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People.
Early life
Morali was born in Casablanca, Morocco. ...
, who was Parker's boyfriend at the time.
He also toured Europe to promote the album.
He later appeared in the French film ''Monique'' that same year, with "Like an Eagle" being used as its theme song. The title track was released as a single and appears on the box set ''The Casablanca Records Story'' (1994). "New York By Night", another song recorded as Dennis Parker, peaked at No. 11 on the South African music charts in 1980.
Parker joined the cast of the soap opera ''
The Edge of Night
''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions.
It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...
'' in 1979 as Police Chief Derek Mallory. He continued in the role until 1984.
Seriously ill by October of that year, Parker was unable to continue working on the show, and his character was written out.
Death
Parker died on January 28, 1985.
In a tribute to Parker in a 1985 issue of ''
Soap Opera Digest
''Soap Opera Digest'' is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional in ...
'', fellow ''Edge of Night'' actor Ernie Townsend wrote, "He died in early January after a long and painful illness that took away a talent in its prime." An obituary released in Virginia stated that he died after a "brief illness, survived by his mother, brother, and partner." It was revealed later that he died of an unspecified
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 m ...
-related illness.
Partial filmography
References
External links
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Wade Nichols: 'A Galaxy of Pleasure and Pain' His Untold Story profile of Wade Nichols
The Rialto Report June 25, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Wade
American male pornographic film actors
American actors in gay pornographic films
American male soap opera actors
Gay pornographic film actors
1946 births
1985 deaths
AIDS-related deaths in New York (state)
20th-century American male actors
20th-century LGBT people