William Margold (October 2, 1943 – January 17, 2017) was an American
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 dis ...
and porn film director.
Known as Bill Margold, he was a former director of the
Free Speech Coalition
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit trade association of the pornography and adult entertainment industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with t ...
and was a co-founder of
X-Rated Critics Organization
The X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) is a group of writers and editors from the American adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry. After the controversy and criticism of the ...
(XRCO) and
Fans of X-Rated Entertainment
Fans of X-Rated Entertainment (F.O.X.E., also known as FOXE) is a United States-based pornography fan organization founded by adult film actor, director, and critic William Margold and actress Viper.PAW Foundation, the charity for the welfare of pornography industry performers. He was also a member of 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.After Porn Ends
''After Porn Ends'' is a 2012 American documentary film about the pornography industry. It features interviews with Asia Carrera, Nina Hartley, Mary Carey, Randy West, Richard Pacheco, John Leslie, Amber Lynn, Seka, Raylene, Bill Margold, S ...
'', which is about life after being in the porn industry. He was the son of
Nathan Ross Margold
Nathan Ross Margold (1899 - December 17, 1947) was a Romanian-born American lawyer. He was a municipal judge in Washington, D.C., and the author of the 1933 Margold Report to promote civil rights for African-Americans through the courts. He was ...
.
Margold was the father of three daughters - the first, Marilyn (1965) who was placed for adoption, the second, Elizabeth Margold (1967) born to wife Penny Margold, and the third, Juliette Goldiebear Margold Hamilton (09/20/1976) born to longtime companion Linda Hamilton.
Controversy
Margold generated considerable controversy in January 1981, telling journalist
Rona Barrett
Rona Barrett (born Rona Burstein, October 8, 1936) is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens ...
in an interview aired during the initial broadcast of NBC's ''Tomorrow Coast-to-Coast with Tom Snyder'', that he would consider performing a sex scene with his own daughter. When asked if he would allow his daughter to enter the porn business, Margold replied "Not until she's 18. And then I might even work with her myself." Ever the provocateur, Margold made similar statements on at least one previous occasion, during the taping of the adult film documentary ''What Would Your Mother Say?'' In the wake of the Barrett controversy, Margold ran an advertisement in ''Variety'' apologizing for the comments. An outspoken activist for industry reforms, Margold supported initiatives at the state level to raise the legal age of performers from 18 to 21 in the wake of the Traci Lords incident.