Mr. Marcus (born September 4, 1970) is the
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
of Jesse Spencer, 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 director known for acting in or directing over 1,800
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.
In 2009, he was inducted into the
AVN Award
The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...
s Hall of Fame.
Biography

Marcus was born Jesse Spencer in
Pomona, CA
Pomona ( ) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was ...
on September 4, 1970. Before becoming a
pornographic 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 distinct ...
, he worked as a truck driver.
He started work in the pornography industry in 1994.
[ He began his career as a director with the movie My Baby Got Back 7.] He has been married since the early 1990s and has two children. He has been called the LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...
of porn.
Syphilis outbreak
In August 2012, Marcus was the central person in an outbreak of syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
among porn-performers leading to a hold on filming. The investigation revealed that Mr. Marcus was the first infected with syphilis and that he had provided incomplete information to the producers. Marcus first noticed evidence of the infection as a rash of brown spots on his hands. He attempted self-diagnosis by Internet searches and asking other people, with no success. He assumed it was due to stress or a vitamin deficiency and started taking vitamin supplements. On June 13, 2012, Marcus passed a medical test performed by Cutting Edge Testing because testing for syphilis was not standard at that time.
In May, a performer noticed marks on his penis and refused to work with him. Marcus believed this to just be a rough patch of skin or a reaction to a personal lubricant
Personal lubricants (colloquially termed lube) are specialized lubricants used during sexual acts, such as intercourse and masturbation, to reduce friction to or between the penis and vagina, anus or other body parts, or applied to sex toys to ...
. On June 24, Marcus filmed a production for Bang Bros
Bang Bros (stylized BangBros) is an independent pornographic film studio operating from Miami, Florida, United States. The network is now owned by WGCZ S.R.O., a Czech company based in Nové Město district of Prague, which purchased the net ...
with noticeable white lesions on his penis. None of the other performers or production crew mentioned anything, and with the recent clean test, Marcus still believed it was due to vitamin deficiency. Marcus was first diagnosed with syphilis on July 12, 2012, by his personal doctor and received a shot of penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...
the next day. On July 14, 2012, Marcus went for another routine medical test with Talent Testing Services (TTS), which had added syphilis to its standard tests two weeks previously. This test was positive but was only a day after the injection. He waited the recommended 10 days from the initial test and was retested by TTS on July 21. The test was still positive but his doctor informed him that it was safe, he was not contagious and that his body would always show a base level reading for the infection.
Marcus returned to work on July 24, and due to his history and reputation in the industry he was not asked for the full test and just showed the producer a copy on his cellphone, enabling him to hide the rapid plasma reagin
The rapid plasma reagin test (RPR test or RPR titer) is a type of rapid diagnostic test that looks for non-specific antibodies in the blood of the patient that may indicate an infection by syphilis or related non-venereal treponematoses. It is ...
(RPR) section relevant to syphilis. For a different production, Marcus faked paper documentation by folding the page of the original to hide the RPR results and making a photocopy. This was noticed by Mark Blazing of Blazing Bucks on August 7, a week after filming. During this time Marcus had worked three times, although the female performers from these productions all subsequently tested negative. The outbreak had occurred before he was diagnosed and received the penicillin.
Jail sentence and civil suit
On June 4, 2013, Marcus was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 36-month probation for "knowingly exposing at least two co-stars to syphilis after testing positive for the disease days earlier"
In June 2014 a $129,360 judgment was made in favor of Lylith LaVey, a costar who Marcus had exposed to syphilis.
Awards
* 1998 XRCO Award
The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organization annually to people working in adult entertainment and it is the only adult industry awards show reserved exclusively for industry members.
Once every calendar year, XRCO m ...
- Male Performer of the Year
* 1999 AVN Award
The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...
– Best Group Sex Scene, Film (''The Masseuse 3'')
* 2001 XRCO Award – Best Threeway Sex Scene (''Up Your Ass 18'')
* 2003 AVN Award – Best Supporting Actor, Film (''Paradise Lost'')
* 2006 XRCO Hall of Fame
The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Awards. The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 198 ...
inductee
* 2009 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.Urban X Award
The Urban X Awards is an annual award ceremony held in the United States to honor achievement in ethnic pornography.
Originally known as the Urban Spice Awards, it was established in 2008 by black adult film director Giana Taylor and last awar ...
– Crossover Male
* 2009 Urban X Award – Male Performer of the Year[
* 2010 AVN Award – Best Double Penetration Sex Scene ('']Bobbi Starr
Bobbi Starr (born 1983) is an American pornographic film actress. She won the AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year in 2012.
Early life and education
Born in Santa Clara, California
and raised in an upper-middle-class family, Starr was h ...
and Dana DeArmond
Dana DeArmond is an American pornographic film actress and director. She joined the adult film industry in 2004 and is a member of the AVN, XRCO, and Urban X Halls of Fame.
Early life and career
DeArmond grew up in Orlando, Florida. DeArmond ...
's Insatiable Voyage'')
References
External links
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Mr. Marcus – Xbiz
Featured on California State University Northridge Production of "On Point" discussing misconceptions in regards to STD's and Condom Use.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Mr.
African-American pornographic film actors
American male pornographic film actors
1970 births
Living people
People from Pomona, California
Pornographic film actors from California
21st-century African-American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century African-American male actors
20th-century American male actors