Lost Boys: Vintage Images Of Jeremy Brent

Lost Boys: Vintage Images Of Jeremy Brent

Until I began research for this post, Jeremy Brent remained, for me, a face without a name. When seeking out vintage gay porn, his image is unescapable. And what an image. As one admirer put it, "with his natural good looks and killer bod, he easily personifies the 70's carefree sexiness."

His was a natural beauty - that of the prototypical 'All-American Boy.' In the early 1970's, he could have just as easily found his way onto our nightly television screens, playing a fresh-faced youth on the likes of My Three Sons, but instead wound up becoming a COLT studio maverick, forever preserved in the timeless photos of Jim French, as the iconic 'Erron.' 

Let's take a look behind the image and learn a bit about the life of David Skrivanek, the classic gay porn star known as Jeremy Brent. 

  

Jeremy Brent
AKA: Erron, Ross, David Don Skrivanek

Birthdate: August 8, 1948  

Birthplace: Indianapolis, IN

Death: April 22, 1986

Hair: Light Brown

Eyes: Green

Tattoos: Armband on right bicep

Years Active: 1973-1978

Compilations: 9

Studios: Target Studios, COLT, Bullet Productions 

 

Born on August 8, 1948 in Indianapolis, IN, David Don Skrivanek was part of a family that would include a sister named Judy.  At some point, the family relocated to the Austin, TX area. From 1964-1967, he attended McCallum High School in Austin, where he eventually graduated. 

By 1973 he had relocated to Los Angeles. There, according to John Hemm of Concord, CA, Skrivanek  worked as a waiter at at Le Petit Joint, in West Hollywood on Santa Monica Boulevard. Hemm, who was 18 at the time, met the 25 year-old Skrivanek while dining at the restaurant. Hemm returned the next night and the two went out on a date, remaining in touch "here and there." Hemm recalls, "Every time I saw him, all he would do is tell me how beautiful I was."

Later that same  year, Skrivanek would relocate to San Francisco, where he caught the eye of Rip Colt (photographer, illustrator Jim French), co-owner of COLT Studios. Renamed 'Erron', Skrivanek became a popular model for both COLT and Target Studios.  

From a press release by COLT Studios: “The California coastline is a treasure trove of secluded beaches. With its rocky alcoves and sandy dunes COLT Man Erron stands out among all the natural beauty that surrounds him. Finding himself in his own private paradise Erron revels in his nude freedom. Soaking in the peaceful view he enjoys a deeply meditative and erotic calm. Gazing out to the horizon or running playfully through the dunes, Erron’s athletically muscled body and thick cock are a vision of natural beauty.”  

Skrivanek's photo sets for both studios proved quite popular. It's at this time that he adopted the name Jeremy Brent and began appearing in short loops, such as one he did with Target Studios regular Rod Mitchell, where the two of them have sex outdoors, on a poolside patio, titled When Strangers Meet. In this particular short, Skrivanek appears with a full beard, something he would do on occasion in order to change up his look. 

Stills from the films would then be culled into glossy magazines which were sold in adult bookstores and proved quite popular. And though filmed in the mid to late 1970's, these loops wouldn't make an appearance on video store shelves until the  1980's, with the bulk of them being released after 1986. 

By the time that happened? Jeremy Brent had long left the industry.

1981 

TVC-2

1982 

Best of Bruno

1987 

Best Of Colt Films 7

1987 

Best Of Colt Films 8

1989 

Rip Colt's Sex Rated Home Movies

After stints living in Los Angeles and New York, in 1978, Skrivanek  became a flight attendant for TWA. He met Dennis "Buzz" Hoff, who became his longtime companion and lover and the two settled down in St. Louis, MO. Those that knew him speak of his "warmth of spirit, generosity and... kind, loving heart."    

Sadly, the scourge of HIV did not spare Skrivanek. In October of 1984, he discovered he was positive, and the highly active antiretroviral therapy which would turn the tide on the AIDS Crisis was more than a dozen years away. A year and a half later, on April 22, 1986, Skrivanek would lose his battle against AIDS, dying in the arms of his partner in their home in St. Louis. He was survived by Hoff and his sister Judy, of Arlington TX. 

He was 37 years old.

However, Skrivanek's beauty lives on; forever preserved in the classic photos of COLT's Jim French, . 

A monograph featuring photos of Skrivanek as taken by Jim French were gathered by Jim and Bruce Weber and published in 2003 by Little Bear Press in a book titled Like A Moth to A Flame: Jim French, with an interview of French by Bruce Weber serving as the introduction.

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I don't recall seeing or knowing of Jeremy Brent until I started tracking down his images. While researching other vintage gay porn stars, his photos would occasionally pop up. It was the COLT studio photo where he is standing nude with his index finger pulling down his bottom lip into a pout that finally caught my interest. The camera obviously loved him, as did the gay community. 

I was very fortunate to find his high school yearbook photos. They, in turn, led to his obituary which provided a great deal of information about his life after leaving the industry. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

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