Rod Phillips (porn star)
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Rod Phillips (born Gregory Leslie Patton on August 23, 1960, in El Centro, California, died May 24, 1993, in West Hollywood, California) was an American porn star who appeared in gay pornographic films from 1982 to 1993.
In the early 1980s, Phillips met Lee Ryder in the Boom-Bom Room, a popular gay bar in Laguna Beach, California. Ryder at that time had already achieved fame as a gay pornographic actor in films distributed by Falcon Studios. Within a few months of meeting Ryder, Phillips moved from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, and he and Ryder became lovers.[1] Rod Phillips at the urging of Ryder soon began performing in gay pornographic films. One of his first film roles was in the Falcon Studio film loop entitled High Voltage, which co-starred Ryder and Mark Hunter (this film loop is included in the Winner Takes All videopak).
Phillips was blond, with a lean, muscular physique, somewhat beefier than Ryder's. He was almost as well-endowed as his lover, with a large, thick penis. The two appeared together in several Falcon films, such as Spokes, and the sexual charge between them is apparent.
Like Ryder, Phillips became very popular and was soon very much in demand as a performer on films and in night clubs. Because they both participated in the porn industry, their personal relationship, according to Phillips, had a rather competitive aspect. Sometimes one of them would get jealous over their compensation as sex workers. Like other couples, they also argued over money.
By the mid-1980s, Phillips and Ryder separated and each soon retired from active participation in the adult film industry. Phillips once again pursued full-time his main vocation in jewelry repair, a craft which he began learning as a teenager in Santa Barbara and which he studied in Paris Junior College in Texas.[2]
When Phillips made a successful comeback in 1990, he dated Joey Stefano who was at that time one of the most popular gay pornographic film actors.[3] This relationship did not last very long and Phillips's comeback consisted of his appearance in three more videos.
Phillips died on May 24, 1993, in West Hollywood, California. Published obituaries at that time state that the official cause of his death was AIDS-related complications, but other sources claim that he "committed suicide by drug overdose" as he lay dying of AIDS.[4]
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Information about Ryder and Phillips is from Rod Phillips's interview in the film Men and Films (Bijou, 1987).
- ^ Information about Phillips's early life is from his obituary in Manshots (October 1993), p.82.
- ^ Rod Phillips's and Stefano's relationship is discussed briefly in Charles Isherwood, Wonder Bread and Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano (Los Angeles: Alyson, 1996), pp. 57-58; 127.
- ^ On the cause of death, see Rod Phillips obituary, Manshots (October 1993), p.82, which claims it was AIDS-related. Rec.Arts.Movies.Erotic Newsgroup Archive reports that it was due to suicide.
[edit] Videography
- Bare Tales (Tyger Films, 1987) with Jim Pulver, Kevin Williams, J. T. Denver, Steve Ross, Michael Wayne (aka Brian Estevez), Chris Williams, Brent Masterson, Michael Johns, Jay Cammeron, Randy Peterson, Roger Harris. Directed by Ronnie Shark.
- The Biggest One I Ever Saw! (Giant Films, 1984) with Lee Ryder, Jon King, Rick Donovan, Cole Taylor, Steve Collins, Dave Connors. Directed by Bill Harrison.
- Boys Town: Going West Hollywood (Nova, 1985) with Case Harden, Chase Turner, Hans Reger, Jesse Koehler, Marc Bennett, Michael Ram, Nick Edwards, Rod Phillips, Shaun Peters, Tony Bravo, Tony Lanza. Directed by Robert Walters.
- Giants 1 (Rollo Productions / Le Salon ) with Brad Mason, Danny Combs (non-sexual role), Eric Ryan, Gador (non-sexual role), Jeremy Scott, Lee Ryder, Rick Donovan, Rod Phillips, Zack. Directed by Sid Roth.
- Hard Steal (Catalina Video, 1990) with Alan Fredericks (non-sexual role), Gary Holmes (non-sexual role), Jason Ross, Joey Stefano, John Clayton, Rod Phillips, Steven Gibson, Tony Erickson. Directed by John Travis.
- Hologram (HIS Video, 1993) with Michael Chads, Randall Maxxon, Zak Spears, Randy Mixer, Sal Antonio, Dylan Fox, Shawn Justin, Callan Lange, Brock Hunter and Max Holden. Directed by Chi Chi LaRue.
- Men & Films (Bijou Video, 1987) with Cal Culver (a.k.a. Casey Donovan), Daniel Holt
- Plunge (Falcon Studios, 1990) with Joey Stefano, Lon Flexx, Luke Bender, Cal Jensen, Steve Kreig, Andy Mantegna, Doug Niles, Buck Tanner. Directed by Steven Scarborough.
- Spokes (Falcon Studios, 1983) (Phillips credited as "Ron Greer") with Dick Fisk, Lee Ryder, Leo Ford, Mark Hunter, Pete Gable. Directed by Bill Clayton (a.k.a. Matt Sterling).
- Too Big for His Britches (Tyger Films, 1987) with Cole Carpenter, Matt Christy, Chad Douglas, Leigh Erickson, Grant Fagan, Chaz Holderman, Chad Johnson, Cory Monroe, Jim Reeves, Justin Rhodes, Jeff Turner, Calvin Worth. Directed by Ronnie Shark.
- Windows (Horizon Videos, 1985) with Brandon Wilde, Case Harden, Chris Burns, Chris Thompson, Dwan, John Jackson, Kevin Hunt, Melchor (Diaz), Pierce Daniels, Ric Taylor, Rydar Hanson, Tico Patterson. Directed by Jim West.
- Winner Takes All (Falcon Studios, 1982) with Aaron Gage, Bill Henson, Lee Ryder, Mark Hunter, Randy Page, Scott O'Hara. Directed by Bill Clayton (a.k.a. Matt Sterling).
