Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Leo Ford

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of Leo Ford

If Leo Ford's life was a movie, the tagline would read: "When life imitates art... sometimes the consequences are deadly."

His is also a prime example of how we should never judge a book by its cover. Turns out, there was a lot going on under that thatch of peroxided locks.

Yes, he was a blonde twink; easy to dismiss. In the mid-80's, they were a dime a dozen; same fly-away, sunshine-kissed hair, piercing blue eyes, and shaved, hairless, lean body. Cute... these boys were always cute.

But a few rose above the fray. 

No other porn star of the 1980's quite personifies the feeling of a California summer like Leo Ford. He was the quintessential California surfer dude, lusted after by countless men. Manshots magazine would proclaim that "he exemplified the clean-cut blonde image which resurfaced during the GQ-style, yuppie 1980s". His appeal would cross all fetishes and tastes. The fact that he was a voracious top and bottom who so obviously enjoyed every minute helped turn him into a gay porn phenomenon, appearing in a number of true genre-defining classics.

But there was much more to the man than the eager good-to-go twink who appeared on the screen; there was romance, a bit of myth, a true spiritual journey, and a kind heart which would endear him to many who crossed his path as he served others.  

Leo Ford
Aka: Lee Culver, Leo Hidgeford, Leo Higgleford, Leo John Hilgeford 
Birth: July 5, 1957 
Birthplace: Dayton, OH 
Death: July 17, 1991  

Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 6′ 0”
Cock: 9” cut

Years Active: 1981-1990 

Films: 18

Compilations: 26

Leo John Hilgeford was born in Dayton, OH, on  July 5, 1957. As a teen, he did some modeling before attending college in Boston. There, he discovered meditation, giving him skills and a way of thinking that would help shape his  entire life. This love for meditation led Hilgeford to India, where he volunteered as a missionary, living the life of a celibate for a number of years.

Eventually, as part of his missionary work, Hilgeford would be transferred from India to San Francisco. Here, he met the first love of his life, Jamie Wingo. 

Wingo was a small-town farm boy from Barnesville, Georgia (near Atlanta). When they met, Wingo was working at a gay advertising agency in Atlanta, while attending college as a music major. Wingo was baby-faced, 5'10" and slim.  Twenty-four year-old Higleford fell head over heels.

Wingo and Hilgeford were together for three years. During those years, they lived on a boat together with few possessions, their only transportation, a motorcycle.

Jamie Wingo

The pair answered an ad posted by J. Brian, who was casting his next film, 1981's Flashbacks. The two lovebirds were hired to perform a poolside sex scene together. The scene turned out to be full of real chemistry - the kind not typically found in porn, creating quite a stir in the industry. Theirs would be termed "one of the great love stories of gay porn".

And thus, Leo Ford was born.

This is how both actors began their gay porn careers. After garnering such a positive response, film offers poured in. However, the pressure and newfound fame would prove too much for the duo. Wingo and Ford broke up not long after Flashbacks was made. Though they would individually continue on in films, working for different studios, their paths would never cross again.

Ford was chosen for Falcon Studio's 1981 film, Style, appearing in a segment titled Watercolors. Falcon's Fred Bisonnes recalls that "arch-Nordic Leo could have been, I think, a legit fashion model. (He was also) famous in the business for the train-engine noise he made when about to orgasm."

Ford's sex scenes were said to be phenomenal; totally unforced and natural. The bronzed jock quickly became known for his blonde locks and having a lust for being fucked. 

In his starring role for the film Games, directed by Steve Scott, Ford portrayed a medal-winning swimmer at the Gay Games. Gay porn superstar Al Parker was cast as a photographer assigned to take professional portraits of the athletes. As the story progresses, Ford's character becomes involved in a severe motorcycle accident, leaving him hospitalized and in a coma.

Ford's gay porn career would get another huge boost, when paired with David Alan Reis, known in the industry as 'Lance', in William Higgins' 1983 film, Leo & Lance: The Good Times are Here. The feature proved to be such a sensation that the two were brought together once more to star in  1986's Blonds Do It Best, directed by Richard Morgan..  

In 1984, Ford dipped his toe into the world of bi-sexual porn in the form of True Crimes of Passion. In 1986, he would return to the genre for Passion By Fire.

1981

Flashbacks  
Style
Summer of Scott Noll

1982

New York City Pro
Class Reunion

1983 

Games
Leo And Lance: The Good Times are Here
Sailor In The Wild
Spokes 1

1984 

True Crimes of Passion

1985 

Life Guard
Santa Monica Boulevard
Stiff Sentence

1986 

Blonds Do It Best
Passion By Fire

1987 

New Zealand Under Covers

Night At Alfies
 
1990 

Giant Men

Studios: Falcon, Catalina, Surge, Ford Entertainment

But Ford's notoriety went beyond the lavender screen.  First, there was an alleged Fire Island tryst with fashion mogul Calvin Klein - a three-way, documented in The Andy Warhol Diaries. He was also rumored to be the nude cover model on The Smiths’ Hand In Glove single.  The former? True. The latter? Highly unlikely.

Hand In Glove - The Smiths

However, it was his relationship with actor/drag queen phenom Divine that would set the most tongues wagging. Both were at the height of their popularity and their pairing became a hot gossip item in the gay press. The two frequently traveled together, as Ford made special appearances at the various clubs at which Divine was also contracted to perform. While it was rumored to be "a very one-sided relationship", the affair lasted until Divine's death on March 7, 1988.

Divine (divined!)

By this point, Ford had not made a single film since 1987's Night At Alfies. And, while he would return in 1990 to appear in Giant Men, his days as a film star appeared to be over. More and more... his focus was elsewhere. 

It was the height of the AIDS epidemic and the virus was hitting the gay porn industry hard with many of its former superstars succumbing to the disease. 

Ford would  spend the next several years volunteering, doing work with and for people with HIV. In fact, his efforts were so impressive that The Gay Adult Video Humanitarian of the Year Award, given by the gay adult video industry to members who have made outstanding contributions to charitable causes, was named after him.

During this time, Ford met and began a relationship with Craig Markle. Markle, who was HIV positive, stood about 5' 10" with a thin, lithe frame and had short dark hair with warm tan skin - rather reminiscent of Ford's first love, Jamie Wingo.

The two would live together in Los Angeles and Hawaii, where they raised tropical birds and ran a travel agency. In addition, they built a business together distributing and selling copies of and the rights to various photographs from Ford's days in gay porn. Ford also continued to make personal appearances at night clubs and, in 1989, was crowned King of the Beaux Arts Ball in New York City. His Queen was actress Melissa Slade.

Markle was deeply in love with Ford and the couple was said to be "devoted to each other". Things appeared promising for the young couple.

But life's road map took a wicked, unexpected turn. And, in a case where life would imitate art (remember Ford's 1982 film, Games?), the couple's happiness and future was irreparably shattered. 

Ford died July 17, 1991 when his motorcycle was struck by a truck making an illegal turn onto Sunset Boulevard. Ford suffered massive head trauma and died two days later. 

He was cremated and his ashes sent to San Francisco, where after a wake at Josie's Bar, they were scattered near the Golden Gate Bridge.

He was 34 years old.

Markle was riding with him but suffered only minor injuries. The man was devastated and never overcame the loss. For the rest of his days, he would wear a necklace that Ford had given him and drive the Cadillac El Dorado that was a gift from Ford. Markle regretted that he had not allowed himself to share his relationship with Ford more openly with his family, recalling one Thanksgiving in particular which Ford spent sitting in the car while Markle dined with family members in their home.

Then came the legal battles. Although long absent from his life, after his death, Ford's family fought with Markle over Ford's estate. Once resolved (in Markle's favor), Markle continued to run the travel agency while overseeing Ford's collection of pictures from his career. In a move that Ford would have greatly approved of, Markle would begin attending the meditation center in Los Angeles associated with Ford's lifetime guru. 

Markle would die from AIDS complications in 1993.

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As I've stated before, I have never cared for blonde twinks. They simply never did anything for me. And, during the 80's I remember loathing their compulsive need to shave all their body hair. I found the practice and look rather revolting - which, yes, in light of my current preoccupation with shaving my own ass and genitals, seems rather hypocritical of me. 

However, to dismiss blonde twinks wholescale is to miss out on the stories behind the bottles of peroxide. So, I have decided to devote the next few posts in this series to these smooth, blow-dried, preppie dreams. 

As for Ford, I honestly don't believe I've ever seen one of his films. However, I must say, the reviews of his performances do have me quite curious. I would love to see what an eager, engaged porn performance looks like, since my frame of reference of late seems to be the rather lackluster, reticent performances of Rick Donovan (yeah, I don't watch much porn). 

I also found Ford's personal story to be quite remarkable. For me, he was just that one slutty blonde who kept popping up while I was researching other porn stars. To learn that he had a deeply spiritual side, as well as a philanthropic bent, surprised me. And while I don't find him attractive - much, I'm glad I got a chance to learn about him.

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That's all for this week.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading!

Blondes (Have More Fun) - Rod Stewart

Platinum Blonde - Blondie