Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Michael Christopher

Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Michael Christopher

I guess sometimes you really can bury your past. Not completely, obviously... especially when appearing in gay porn films. But, if Michael Christopher is typical of someone who wishes to disassociate from his past days as a performer, then covering one's tracks is indeed possible - even in this age of the internet. 

I could find very little information about Christopher's past or present. However, let me share with you what I did find...

Years active: 1982-1988
Height 6'1"
Hair: Brown

37 Film Credits

24 Compilation Credits

1984 Winner: Best Actor: Gay - XRCO Awards

Michael Christopher was a stunner. Once you saw him on film, you never forgot him or mistook him for someone else. Frequently, a single physical attribute is all you need to be successful in gay porn - but imagine having three! First, there's that unmistakable cleft in his chin, then that amazingly smooth, perfectly-formed chest and last, but hardly least... his impressive dick. 

Yes, Christopher was gifted some remarkable physical characteristics and he used to them to full advantage during his brief time as one of the reigning stars of gay porn. In a mere six years, Christopher would appear in 37 films - and what is even more astounding is the fact that 29 of those were done in his first three years (1983, 1984 and 1985).  

Take a look at his filmography. The one on IMDB is woefully inaccurate, so I took the liberty of cross-referencing their list with two other filmographies I found. This is what I came up with:

1982

Best Little Warehouse in L.A.
Bore 'N Stroke
How I Got the Story
Printer's Devil
Skin Deep (II)

Shore Leave 

1983
A Few Good Me
Class Reunion
Big Horn Peak (Short)
Doing It
Easy Entry
Gayracula
Last Surfer
Pleasure Beach
Strictly For Ladies Only (Solo)
Tony's Initiation

1984
Arousers
Juice
Coverboy
Fade In
Fade Out
Hot Off The Press
Mind Games
Shore Leave
Stiff Competition (Straight)
Trick Time

1985
Hard To Come By
Life Guard
Making It Huge
Men And Steel
Rodeo
Shooting Stars 2: Michael Christopher (Solo)
Sweat and Wet
What The Big Boys Eat

1986
Little American Maid (Straight)

1988
Obsession: The Ultimate Experience
Stroke 41: Every Inch A Winner

As you can see, Christopher was a busy guy in the first three years of his career. He managed to leave us with stunning performances in bona fide classics such as How I Got The Story, Pleasure Beach, Fade In/Fade Out and The Best Little Warehouse In L.A. In addition to his work in gay porn, he appeared in two solo performance videos (Strictly For The Ladies, Shooting Stars 2) as well as a pair of straight porn films (Stiff Competition, Little American Maid). His work for studios such as Colt, HIS, Laguna Pacific, LaSalon, Nova, Catalina Video, Buckshot, among others, made him one of the mid-1980's most recognizable porn stars. 

During a time period typified by slender preppies and slim surfer-type bottoms, Christopher, due to his imposing, beefed-up body, stood out and dominated every scene he was in. And while almost exclusively a top, he did bottom occasionally. An example of this is his scene with Kevin Kramer in Tony's Initiation.

However, Christopher clearly had a change of heart by 1986, making only one film appearance that year in the straight porn film Little American Maid. After that, he took a year-long break from the industry before returning in 1988, to complete two gay films. Then? He disappeared completely.

So, what happened to him?

Well, the only clue I could find came in the form of an April 15, 2012 forum post by a man named Kevin Peterson. In the post, Peterson claimed to have been Christopher's "significant other" for "over 20 years". He wanted to set the record straight regarding a few assertions other people had been making on the forum about Michael Christopher. He then added that, "he (Christopher) went on to do straight porn, including a shoot with Playgirl (magazine). (Then) He left the industry and started working as... a photographer", before going on to become a website designer. Peterson ended his post stating, "I am still grieving his loss in a recent car wreck."

So, if to be believed, Michael Christopher died in early 2012 in a car accident. In a separate post in the same forum, Peterson called bullshit on someone's story about Christopher working The Gaiety Theatre in New York during the early to mid-1970's, stating, "Having known Michael for 20 years, I know he was never in New York taking cum down his throat. Early to mid-1970's was when he was still in HS (high school)." So, let's assume that Christopher as about 16 years old in 1975. That means he was likely about 22 years old when he appeared in his first gay porn film, 28 years old when he left the industry, and 53 years old when he passed away. 

Now, this is a lot of supposition on my part, since I am basing these findings on the word of an anonymous member of a forum dedicated to gay porn stars of the past. So, take it for what it is, but that is the best I can do as far as research.

However, one thing certainly does seem to be true... Michael Christopher pulled off a perfect 'Anne Welles', getting off the merry-go-round of gay porn in a timely manner - a ride all too many others have made the mistake of staying on for much too long.

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You guys are going to get sick of hearing this, but, again... my initial contact with Michael Christopher came in the form of a video box I would re-shelve at US Video on Lake Street during the mid-to-late 1980's. I don't even remember the name of the film... but once I got a look at that cleft in his chin and those gigantic boobies of his... I was intrigued. 

I must say, his face struck me as rather goofy looking. There was something about his mouth that didn't seem quite right - like it was too small for his face, which struck me as huge. But he was very pretty... in a classic Sandro Botticelli kind of way. In fact, the quality of his skin reminds me of marble, bringing to mind classic Italian sculpture.

I think he handled his time in the industry well, getting as much done as quickly as he could - doing so while he was young and then getting out. And he did that quite successfully, pulling off one of the more intriguing disappearing acts in the industry. Hopefully, he managed his money well and was able to fund whatever his true life interests were. I also hope that Kevin Peterson is legitimate and that Christopher did, indeed, find such an enduring love during his lifetime. 

That's all for now, kids. Until next time... 

And, as always, thanks for reading!

(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick

Disappear  - INXS