Lost Boys:
Vintage Images of Sergio Canali
Sometimes... things can go wrong.
Very wrong.
The life and times of Sergio Canali? One such sad example.
The life and times of Sergio Canali? One such sad example.
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 110
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Waist: 26"
Years Active: 1981-1986
Born on May 9th, 1963, Paul Francis Sypek, at the age of 18, would first adopt the name Paul DiRosa in order to make his porn debut in a magazine called Stars (issue #12). He would appear in a number of similar spreads using that alias.
By 1982, he graduated to film, making yet another name change... Sergio Canali. The name was chosen because of his (very) slight resemblance to porn star Giorgio Canali (along with the industries habit of creating 'family' names, in order to give the impression that the actors were 'brothers').
Weight: 110
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Waist: 26"
Years Active: 1981-1986
10 Films
6 Compilations
6 Compilations
By 1982, he graduated to film, making yet another name change... Sergio Canali. The name was chosen because of his (very) slight resemblance to porn star Giorgio Canali (along with the industries habit of creating 'family' names, in order to give the impression that the actors were 'brothers').
With his boyish, recognizable face and a headful of brown curls, Canali typified the waifish, vulnerable look that would soon fall by the wayside in the gym-obsessed 90's. During his brief film career he would work for William Higgins, Man-Age, Laguna Pacific, HIS, Catalina Video, Bijou, and L.A. Video, among others.
From 1983-1985, Canali would appear in only one or two films per year. But by 1986, the floodgates opened and he managed to appear in an astounding six films, seemingly cementing his place in the world of gay porn. Or... not.
Oddly, that same year would also mark his departure from the industry.
French Lieutenant's Boys
1984
California Summer
1985
Naked Lunch
Two By Ten
Two By Ten
1986
Desert Heat
Mantalk
Men on the Loose
Mikey Likes It
Play Safely
Spirit is Willing
Mantalk
Men on the Loose
Mikey Likes It
Play Safely
Spirit is Willing
Whatever the reason, off he went to live his life, leaving Paul DiRosa and Sergio Canali behind...
...or so he thought.
You know there's no escaping our pasts. Especially if you're an established porn star. Yes, it seems those images he left behind, on page and screen? Well, they lived on. Especially in the minds of his most ardent admirers.
Pedro Almodóvar's 1990 madcap comedy classic Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! tells the tale of an obsessed fan kidnapping the object of his affection - a female porn star - in the hopes of winning her love. It's a lovely romp of a film. However, when such a scenario plays out in real life?
Pedro Almodóvar's 1990 madcap comedy classic Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! tells the tale of an obsessed fan kidnapping the object of his affection - a female porn star - in the hopes of winning her love. It's a lovely romp of a film. However, when such a scenario plays out in real life?
Not so funny.
In 1992, Canali was busy seeing the world. While touring Florence, Italy, he was kidnapped by one such obsessed fan... Leonardo Vitti. Canali's disappearance was reported to the police, who undertook a thorough investigation which, sadly, yielded nothing. Canali had vanished. Without a trace. Vitti was considered a person of interest at the time, but no formal charges were ever brought against him.
I have no personal recollection of Sergio Canali. Can't recall ever seeing any of his films. Details of his life were hard to come by, as were images from his films. I almost gave up, but happened to find a small treasure trove of images of him as Paul DiRosa.
And then the case went cold.
That is until the fall of 1994, when workers, demolishing an abandoned home belonging to Vitti, would make a most gruesome discovery; the skeletal remains of two bodies in the basement - one belonging to Vitti. The other?
Sergio Canali.
Coroners would perform an autopsy, but no cause of death could be determined. People assumed it was a case of murder/suicide, but details of what may have happened remain the stuff of speculation.
Canali's body was returned to Seattle, WA, where the official date of his death would be recorded as August 15, 1994. He was only 31 years old.
--- ---
As to why I chose to share his story? I simply stumbled upon his name and story while researching his 'brother', Giorgio and thought it a fitting tale of the macabre to share for this, the month of Halloween.
A very sad tale of a 'lost boy', indeed.
Until next time...
And as always, thank you for reading.
I Want You - Madonna feat. Massive Attack
Every Breath You Take - The Police
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8 comments:
Wow!
Im not famaliar with this one at all. He cute but not my usual type. He doesn't seem to have as many titles as past featured hunks of cheesecake.
OMG
Those songs go perfectly with this post!
Every breath you take is the stalker song we love and fear.
That's such an incredibly sad story. Átame is one of my favorite Almodóvar movies but obsessions like that are terrible. So sad.
XOXO
That's a very sad ending.... Mainstream bio film, where are you?
Such a tragic story.
I wonder if I still have a copy of French Lieutenant's Boys??
I was just thinking of him and Google his name to find out info. You see I lived in Seattle WA. I ran into him in our laundry room.I remember a conversation we had. I had no idea who he was for sometime till a friend of mind mentioned it to me at Neighbour's night club.. Sergio and I were friends for a short time. Thats all. His apartment was right next to mine. We had great conversations and he never spoke much of his past in film. We didn't need to talk about it much. He was a fun and kind person. We spent alot of hours playing all the new records from the Orpheum music store. So sad to hear about his demise.. RIP
I met him in 1985. For a brief time, he was waiting tables at my favorite restaurant, Cafe L.A., which was located at 8960 Sunset Blvd. (now an empty lot, as the whole block was torn down). His name tag said "Sergio," which I thought was cute, since it wasn't his real name. I was having dinner with adult actor Chris Burns, and we were seated in another waiter's section. Sergio and Chris apparently knew each other, because he went out of his way to switch tables with the other waiter so he could take care of us. Anyway, he was friendly and took good care of us that night. I saw him there 3-4 times after that, then one night he was gone. When I asked, they told me he quit and went somewhere else, and i never saw him again. I'm saddened to learn what became of him. No one, especially someone as nice as he was, should have to die like that.
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