John Robert Stillman (July 11, 1946 – April 7, 2009), billed professionally as Jack Wrangler, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

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 ...

theatrical producer Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

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 * ''D ...

, and writer. He performed in both gay and

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, normal person * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Straight, an alternative name for the cross, a type of punch in boxing * Str ...

films.

Open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Go ...

about his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

and adult film work throughout his career, Wrangler was an icon of the gay-liberation movement. The 2008 feature-length documentary '' Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon'' examines his life and career.

Early life

Wrangler was born John Robert Stillman in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. His father was

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

Robert Thurston Stillman, who produced such films as ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

'', ''

Second Chorus ''Second Chorus'' is a 1940 Hollywood musical film, musical comedy film starring Paulette Goddard and Fred Astaire and featuring Artie Shaw, Burgess Meredith and Charles Butterworth (actor), Charles Butterworth, with music by Artie Shaw, Bernie H ...

'', and '' Home of the Brave'' and produced television series such as '' Boots and Saddles'', ''

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,'' and ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

.''

Simonson, Robert Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...

"Jack Wrangler, Producer, Actor and Spouse of Margaret Whiting, Dies at 62." ''Playbill.'' April 9, 2009.

''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

.'' May 4, 1987. His mother, Ruth Clark Stillman, was a former dancer in

Busby Berkeley Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...

musicals. Stillman began his acting career at the age of nine in the television series ''The Faith of Our Children'' (1953–1955). The series, which starred

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars durin ...

, was a syndicated religious family show that won five local

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

s. He became aware of his homosexuality when he was 10 years old.Brother, Job. "The Anatomy of Jack Wrangler."
''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

.'' November 5, 2008. Stillman graduated in 1968 with a degree in theater from the College of Speech at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

Career

Adult film

Despite his good looks and acting skills, Stillman found only limited early work in Los Angeles, California, and New York City on the stage and as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and dancer. One of his first roles was in Douglas Dean Goodman's play ''Special Friends'', one of the first gay-themed plays by a gay playwright to be performed in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California. He played a former prostitute from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

who becomes a bad go-go dancer in California, in a role which required extensive nudity. He finally settled in New York City and found work as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...

and

go-go dancer Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's ...

. In 1970, he made his first appearance in a male

strip show A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic da ...

, using the name "Jack Wrangler." (The pseudonymous last name was taken from the label on his Wrangler-brand work shirt.) Wrangler was approached to appear in gay

pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...

s by Magnum Studios, the pioneering gay adult film studio and magazine publisher, after studio heads saw a poster for ''Special Friends'' featuring him semi-nude.Zeffer, Andy. "A 'Dream' Becomes A Reality." ''South Florida Blade.'' March 4, 2005.
His first gay porn film was 1970's ''Eyes of a Stranger'' (also known as ''Eyes of a Gay Stranger''; Magnum Studios), one of the first hard-core gay adult films to be released commercially in the United States.Burger, John R. ''One-Handed Histories: The Eroto-Politics of Gay Male Video Pornography.'' New York: Harrington Park Press, 1995. Wrangler performed in gay pornographic films for several reasons. First he saw them as culturally subversive and politically liberating:

At the time we were all trying to find out who the hell we were as individuals, 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. aughsIt was a start—literally stripping ourselves naked and trying to begin from there.

Second, he "wasn't comfortable in his own skin" and wanted some adventure in his life. During his adult-film career, Wrangler appeared in 47 films. Among his more notable gay films were '' Kansas City Trucking Co.'', '' Hot House'', ''Sex Machine'', and '' A Night at the Adonis''.Bozelka, Kevin John. "''Porn Studies'' (Review)." ''The Velvet Light Trap.'' Spring 2007.Ramone, Mike; Connelly, Tim; Stokes, Peter; and Anderson, Acme. ''The AVN Guide to the 500 Greatest Adult Films of All Time.'' Jackson, Tenn.: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006. In 1978, Wrangler made the move to heterosexual adult film, making his debut in ''China Sisters'' which included his first sexual encounter with a woman on film. ''China Sisters'' featured a plot involving two women who seduce a gay man and turn him straight. Wrangler told

Terry Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NP ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

that the film crew knew he was gay and cheered him on while he lost his heterosexual virginity. He quickly made a number of well-known and popular straight-adult films, including ''Jack and Jill'', '' Roommates'', and '' The Devil in Miss Jones 2.'' He was a favorite of director Chuck Vincent, the critically acclaimed, openly gay director of some of the top straight-adult films of the 1970s and 1980s. Vincent's films subvert straight porn's traditional focus on the female body by focusing on Wrangler's body and fixing the viewer's eye on the male (rather than female) sexual experience. As Wrangler, he became an icon of the gay-liberation movement. His popularity as a gay-porn star was so great that "Jack Wrangler" was prominently mentioned in playwright Doric Wilson's 1984 play, ''Forever After.''

Theatre

As Wrangler was achieving fame as one of the first iconic gay-porn stars, his acting career also blossomed. He co-starred alongside playwright and actor

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his ...

in Patrick's 1979 play ''T-Shirts'' at The Glines theater in New York City. In 1985, Wrangler wrote the

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

for the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

''I Love You, Jimmy Valentine'' – which starred Whiting. In the mid-1980s, he appeared in the play ''Soul Survivor'', a comedy about a gay man whose lover has died of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. By this time Wrangler's adult-film career was tapering off. He published his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''The Jack Wrangler Story, or What's a Nice Boy Like You Doing?'', in 1984. But Whiting demanded that he give up his porn career and live erotic shows.Wadler, Joyce. "Heartaches, Heartthrobs and a Smattering of Song." ''The New York Times.'' January 22, 2002. In 1986 at the age of 40, he appeared in his final adult picture, a straight porn film titled ''Rising Star'' (Caballero Home Video). Wrangler turned his attention to Whiting's career and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

. He became a board member of the Johnny Mercer Foundation after its founding in 1982,Dunning, Jennifer. "'St. Louis Woman' Struts Back Into Town." ''The New York Times.'' July 6, 2003. and worked to promote Mercer's music. He wrote and produced a 1985 cabaret show for Whiting which featured Mercer's music, and in 1996 co-wrote and produced ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Jazz Concert'' (inspired by the Mercer music used in the film, ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansf ...

''). A year later, he helped conceive the 1997

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

''Dream'', which starred Whiting and contained many Mercer songs. Wrangler conceived the idea of a ballet based on Mercer's 1946 musical ''St. Louis Woman'', which was performed by the

Dance Theater of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served ...

in 2003. Wrangler was also a promoter of the cabaret singer Carol Woods, writing and producing several shows for her between 1984 and 2001. Wrangler also wrote, directed, or produced a number of other plays, musicals and revues, including ''The Valentine Touch'', ''The First Lady and Other Stories of Our Times'', and ''Irina Abroad!'' Wrangler authored a column on health and fitness, "Wrangler's Weights and Measures", for the short-lived, gay-lifestyle magazine ''Au Contraire'' in 1979.

Personal life

Wrangler was a virgin to heterosexual sex until college. In 1976, Wrangler met singer

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American singer of popular music who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard'', January 12, ...

, 22 years his senior, in a nightclub; Wrangler later recalled: "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." Their romance began a few weeks later. The couple was strongly criticized for the relationship, and Wrangler was accused of "turning straight" and entering the relationship simply for money. However, Wrangler always considered himself homosexual. "I'm not

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

and I'm not straight", Wrangler later said. "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." Nonetheless, the early years of their relationship were difficult, as Whiting and Wrangler struggled with the latter's homosexuality. When Wrangler shouted at her in a restaurant that he was gay, Whiting responded, "Only around the edges, dear." Wrangler explained in an interview: "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." The couple was married from 1994 until his death. In 1980, Wrangler, his step-grandmother, and his manager were attacked, pistol-whipped, and tied up by six burglars at his step-grandmother's home in Bel Air, California. The robbers made off with more than $250,000 in furs and cash. In 1998, Wrangler and Whiting filed a $3 million

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

against New York City when the 74-year-old Whiting tripped on loose pavement and broke her hip. Their suit claimed $2 million in damages for her injuries and $1 million for loss of conjugal relations."Margaret Whiting Sues New York For $3 million."
CNN.com. October 7, 1998; Zwecker, Bill. "Whiting's Stumble Could Bring A Windfall." ''Chicago Sun-Times.'' October 8, 1998; "Ex-Pop Singer Whiting Files Lawsuit." ''Associated Press.'' October 7, 1998. In 2008, a

feature-length A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about Wrangler, '' Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon'', premiered at

Newfest NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, put on by NewFest (legal name The New Festival, Inc.), is the largest LGBTQ film festival in the United States and one of the most comprehensive forums of national and inte ...

and received the GayVN Award. It was produced and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz of

Automat Pictures Automat Pictures is an American film and television production company based in Los Angeles, focusing on the production of independent films, original television programming, EPK, and Blu-ray and DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digita ...

, and is distributed by

TLA Releasing TLA Releasing is a US film distribution and production company owned by TLA Entertainment Group. In March 2011, a new LLC was formed for the operation. Its primary output is LGBT-related films from all over the world under the "TLA Releasing" la ...

. Wrangler died on April 7, 2009, at the age of 62 from complications from

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

Selected filmography

*''Eyes of a Stranger'' (1970) *'' Kansas City Trucking Co.'' (1976) *'' A Night At The Adonis'' (1978) *''Gemini'' (1979) *''Jack and Jill'' (1979) *''Hot House'' (1980) *'' Sex Machine'' (1980) *''Wanted'' (1980) *''Roommates'' (1981) *''The Devil in Miss Jones 2'' (1982) *''In Love'' (1983)

References

External links

* * *
Interview with Margaret Whiting and Jack Wrangler
part of the Johnny Mercer Oral History Project, Georgia State University, 1995.

during his 1989 performance in ''Soul Survivor''
Wrangler in the play T-Shirts
(slideshow) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrangler, Jack American actors in gay pornographic films American male child actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from emphysema Gay pornographic film actors American gay actors Gay memoirists LGBTQ people from California Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Male actors from Beverly Hills, California 1946 births 2009 deaths American gay writers Pornographic film actors from California American male pornographic film actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American memoirists