Ronald Boyer (born September 18, 1952), commonly known by the stage name Rod Fontana, is a
pornographic 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 ...
and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
. In 2005, he was inducted into the
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995. but his career continued the next year.
Early life
Boyer was raised as a
Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...
in
Central, South Carolina
Central is a town in Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,159, roughly 3,000 of whom were considered permanent residents. Contrary to its name, it is not near South Carolina's center. It rece ...
, where he was also born. He preached when in his teens before studying history and religion at college.
Career
Boyer left college early to join the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and fight in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. On his return in 1975, he had expected to join the
NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
, but the job offer was withdrawn. A friend who was an actor suggested pornography, and Boyer filmed his first scene in the summer of 1976. He left pornography during the 1980s to rejoin the U.S. military, serving as an E-4 specialist. He returned to pornography in the 1990s.
Louis Theroux
Louis Sebastian Theroux (; born 20 May 1970) is a British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award.
After graduating fro ...
watched a porn shoot including Fontana for his 2005 book " The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures", calling him an "older guy, jolly, manic, overweight".
The ''New York Times'' reported that Fontana retired from pornography in January 2007 and became a registered
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
and interested in the Episcopal Church. (also se Corrections, 22 July 2007 However, he appeared in and directed
adult film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...
s for
Hustler Video
Hustler Booth at the Sands Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2010.">Sands_Expo.html" ;"title="AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Sands Expo">Sands Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2010.
Hustler Video is an Ame ...
from the following year and said to '' AVN'' that the newspaper had misrepresented him.
Personal life
Fontana is married to former pornographic actress Liza Harper. Their daughter Diana, born in 2002, nearly died of a
staph infection
A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria.
These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...
in 2003. This incident eventually led the couple to become more religious.