Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Bruno

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of Bruno

So, I actually had two more blonde twinks lined up: Chris Burns and Chris Allen, both worthy subjects, but my heart just wasn't in it. Instead, I decided to change it up and offer up someone I know Anne Marie from Philly is just going to love. 

Dark fur? Check. Pubes? Check. Porn Stache? Check. 

When they sang Whatta Man, surely Salt N Pepa and En Vogue were singing about none other than Bruno, because if we still had encyclopedias, I am pretty sure his photo would appear under that topic.

The man is hot. 

One of gay porn's original icons, he, along with peer Al Parker,  is credited with launching the 'gay moustache', also known as the clone moustache. He would go on to define an ideal of gay manhood, one linked in our community's collective subconscious for all eternity.

AKA: Herman Fortezza, Bruno Gene, Hermes

Birthplace: Cuba

 

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 200

Endowment: 8.5"
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown

Films: 7

Compilations: 6

Years Active: 1981-1988

Studios: Colt, Target, Bullet, Falcon, Blue Vanities, Bijou

Born in Cuba, Herman Fortezza moved to Miami when he was 10 years old. 

Originally, he was interested in becoming a professional weightlifter - like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He liked the idea of competing for titles. However, once he realized it would impede upon his personal freedom, Fortezza changed his mind. "What do you really have if you’re Mister America? Yeah I had a sponsor - who wanted to keep me. But being 'kept' means you have to do everything they want."

Fortezza had his first pictures taken when he was eighteen, which is also when he adopted his porn name, Bruno. "This guy was putting a book together, and he asked me if I wanted to be in it, and I said yes. It was solo nudes of myself and of a few other guys, but no contact. I worked with Colt first and later with Lou Thomas at Target."

He said, about meeting Jon Target, who, at the time, worked for Colt Studios: "He gave me his card, and said that when I was ready to model to give him a call. About two or three months later, I called him and went to New York. Then I went to California to be photographed by Rip Colt. Both sets of photographs were used in the Gallery magazine that Colt did on me."

By the time he was 26, Bruno was making short loops. These would later be collected and issued on VHS as part of the Bullet series. One such loop was for Jon Target, who would one day leave Colt Studios and open his own.

Bruno claims he didn’t have to do any pretending in Target’s film, Special Handling. His co-star was Colt star, Roger. And according to Jon Target, the two had chemistry, and "it shows."

"I had a good time with Roger, even though he is not gay," Bruno recalled in a March 1979 interview granted to Mandate magazine's Mark Zweigler. "He’s (Roger) married now, but he gets into the scene, and gets a hard-on. For him? It’s more acting than anything else. (Roger) just turned me on physically. I didn’t care for him as a person. I mean, he’s nice, but I don’t really like to deal with straight people that much. He’s nice enough that he understands the scene. At least he’s not one of those macho types."

1981 

TVC-2

1983 

Bullet Videopac 6

Bullet Videopac 7
Bullet Videopac 9

Pleasures In The Sun

1986 

Hayride

1988 

Bullet Gold 3

The key to Bruno's amazing physique? Regular workouts. Mike Jarosz, an on-line commenter,  remembers seeing Bruno frequently at the Sheridan Square Gym in New York City. He says, "He (Bruno) always seemed like a nice guy, not some narcissist like so many porn stars are."

In fact, Bruno, despite his fame and notoriety in the gay community, actually had both feet firmly on the ground. "I have a degree in business and a job in the rate department of the airline (Eastern Airlines), so I don’t have to depend on that (personal appearances at gay bars) sort of thing."

After 1983, Bruno would only make the occasional film; not that there weren't offers. In that interview for Mandate, he stated: "I had an offer from a guy in England to do a gay version of Grand Hotel, but I didn’t care for the people he wanted to use, like Peter Berlin. Besides, my lover gets very jealous when I go on those assignments."

So, it would seem that Bruno had love in his off-screen life, as well. Perhaps that is why he dropped off the gay porn radar after 1988. The last bit of info I could find regarding Bruno? He was, as of November 2020, still very much alive and living in Florida.

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I remember seeing pics of Bruno, but never had a name to put to the face. He strikes me as very level-headed and intuitive. 

You know, I have a huge problem separating one early Colt Model from another. They all seemed to be of a sort. I guess that is where the whole thing about gay clones comes from. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed our brief look at Bruno - further proof that you do not have to have a lengthy career in gay porn to make a huge impact. 

Until next time...

Thanks for reading. 

Whatta Man - Salt N Pepa

Real Man - Tiara Nicole