April 22, 2009 | Porn Stars

In memory of Jack Wrangler

On April 7 one of the big names in porn passed away. His name was Jack Wrangler; he was 62. And if anything became clear after all the various sites paid tribute to this amazing and very  interesting man it's that he will most certainly be missed.

His real name was John Robert Stillman, and he caught the acting bug at an early age. When he was 9 he appeared in the TV series "Faith of Our Children," a religious show from the fifties that actually took home five Emmy Awards. He would later work as a model and dancer, before finally adopting the name Jack Wagner for his work in an all-male strip show in the 1970s. A porn star was about to be born.

"At the time we were all trying to find out who the hell we were as individuals," he said. "What we wanted specifically on our own terms, who we wanted to be, what our potentials were, what our differences were, what made us unique… And I think that’s why the XXX-rated films were important, because it was like, Oh, my God, there are other people who like the same things as me, like leather, or being blown on a pool table. [Laughs] It was a start—literally stripping ourselves naked and trying to begin from there."

He must have enjoyed himself: he appeared in 85 films, and not all of them were gay ...

In gay titles he played the well built blond in the super-tight jeans. Some of his videos included "Heavy Equipment" (1977) and "The Boys From Riverside Drive." In straight films he played the well built blond in the super-tight jeans, taking on the role of Lucifer in "The Devil in Miss Jones, Part II." He even fucked his first woman in the flick  "China Sisters."

Bisexual? Nope. He always seemed proud to be a gay man ...

"I’m not bisexual and I’m not straight", Wrangler once explained. "I’m gay, but I could never live a gay lifestyle because I’m much too competitive. When I was with a guy I would always want to be better than him: what we were accomplishing, what we were wearing -- anything. With a woman you compete like crazy, but coming from different points of view, and as far as I’m concerned, that was doable"

However, in an interesting twist, his life partner became pop singer and film actress Margaret Whiting.

The relationship between Whiting and Wrangler just seemed to work. "I was with my manager when I looked over at Margaret, who was surrounded by five guys in a booth. There she was with the hair, the furs and the big gestures. I thought, 'Boy, now that's New York! That's glamour!' I had to meet her." It didn't hurt that she has already been married three times; being with a gay man was probably a refreshing change.

He would later explain: "When I got with Margaret, I knew I had to change course. She would have my bags packed and sitting outside the door when I got home at night and things like that. Plus I would go through massive guilt whenever I did go out with a guy and I was with her. So I finally said that’s it. I went to her one night and said I’m never going to cheat on you again with anybody. So my sex life became very masturbatory. And I’m good at that—very good at that, in fact."

Jack retired from porn at Margaret's request and focused on musical theatre, although he would still appear in the media from time to time. In one famous incident, in 1998, he and his wife sued the City of New York for $3-million after Whiting tripped on a sidewalk and broke her hip. Part of the suit claimed a lost of sexual relations.

A documentary about Wrangler's life, 'Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon,' was released last year, examining his life and work. It won the GayVN Award for Best Alternative Release.

“It’s been a hell of a life—I’ve been very grateful for it,” said Wrangler in his very last interview with UnZipped Magazine. “Whoever gave me this, thank you very much."

No Mr. Wrangler, thank you very much.

Videos:

This is just a partial list of some of Wrangler's work:

Cum Shots
A Night At the Adonis
Sex Magic
The Boys from Riverside Drive
Jack and Roger
Sex Machine
Roger
Gemini
Wanted
High  Riders
Heavy Equipment
Navy Blue
Jr. Cadets
Surf And Turf
Dynamite

Articles:

The Anatomy of Jack Wrangler [The Advocate] 

Margaret Whiting sues New York for $3 million [CNN]

Porn star, theater producer Jack Wrangler dies [SF Gate]

WRANGLER: Anatomy Of An Icon Wins GayVN Award For Best Alternative Release [Broadway World]

Jack Wrangler, Original Gay Porn Superstar, Dead  [The Sword]

R.I.P.: Jack Wrangler—actor, gay pioneer and erotic icon [UnZipped]