Fame After Porn?
Gus Mattox: then and now
I’ve often wondered if porn stars could become successful after they’ve been seen doing it all on camera. For women, especially Playboy Bunnies, it doesn’t seem that difficult, but hardcore porn is a different element, especially when you add “gay” in front of it.
My guess is that things are going to start to change, and I found two recent examples. The first one is Colton Ford, who used to be a huge (no pun intended) porn star, making 11 films. Ford went on to do mainstream movies, ended up on the TV series “The Lair”—sort of a soft-core porn series, and is now a singer.
Ford has released three albums, and he’s covered everyone from Britney Spears to REM to Stevie Wonder. He’s all over the New York music scene these days, and no one seems to be denying him work because of his past. Perhaps it’s helped. He also doesn’t shy away from being gay.
The other guy that came to my attention is a man named Tom Judson. Judson used to go by the name Gus Mattox, and worked for Colt Studios. He was, apparently, one of the oldest porn stars in the business, and a popular top.
I Googled Judson and found out that, not only was he a Broadway performer, he composed the music for the movie “Metropolis.” Now that he’s out of porn, he does a very-popular one-man show in which he talks about, among other things, his porn—and escort—career and how it shaped his life. He has no regrets. His shows are popular all over the map, on gay cruise ships and in New York and places like Provincetown and Key West.
If I’ve missed anyone, let me know. I can’t imagine any big gay porn star appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” anytime soon, but I do think it’s gradually going to change.
-David
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