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 on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinc ...
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 industry trade group, trade association of the sex industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the excep ...
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.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'', which is about life after being in the porn industry. He was the son of Nathan Ross Margold.
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 citizen ...
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.
Death
Margold died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
whilst hosting a radio show on 17 January 2017, at the age of 73.