First gay porn superstar, Jack Wrangler, is dead

A few months back, I rented a DVD of Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon, and learned all about the life and career of Jack Wrangler. He died earlier today of complications from lung disease at the age of 62.

His had been a very interesting and unusual life to say the least! As John Stillman, he entered showbiz at the age of nine appearing on a religious-themed TV show called Faith of Our Children starring the wholesome Eleanor Powell. His father, Robert Stillman, was one of the producers of Bonanza and the younger Stillman landed plenty of jobs acting on such shows as The Mod Squad and Medical Center. But those were small roles and superstardom eluded him.

That was until he decided to exploit his rugged blond good looks and become Jack Wrangler, superstar of gay porn films. His ability to deliver a money shot on cue also made him very much in demand and before retiring in the mid-80s, he had even made some heterosexual porn films. He then went on to become a theater director and producer until his death.

He also married celebrated singer and actress Margaret Whiting in 1994 after nearly two decades together. She is 22 years his senior. When the couple first got together, Wrangler reportedly protested, “But I’m gay!” to which Whiting replied, “Only around the edges, dear.”

He talked about his long and seemingly very happy marriage to Whiting with The Advocate last year:

“I’m not bisexual and I’m not straight. 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. I love competing with Margaret on things, whether we’re both in a show — one wants to get better reviews than the other — or when I wrote my autobiography, immediately Margaret had to write hers, and she never had any intention of writing an autobiography until I wrote mine! [Laughs] That’s the kind of thing that I can live with. Also we make each other laugh.”