Herschel Savage

Herschel Savage
Savage in 2010
Born Herschel Cohen[1]
(1952-11-25) November 25, 1952[2]
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other names Max Cohen, Jack Black,[3] Harvey Cowen
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Herschel Savage (born Herschel Cohen on November 25, 1952) is an American former pornographic actor, director and stage actor who has appeared in over 1,000 adult films.[4] In 2002, AVN ranked him 46th on their list of The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time.[5] He was also inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.[6][7]

Early life

Savage was born to Russian-Jewish parents on November 25, 1952 in New York City.[1][3] His mother battled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder.[8] Growing up, he attended a conservative synagogue.[9] Savage saw his first adult film The Nun's Bad Habit at a movie theater in Times Square.[8]

Savage began studying acting under Broadway theatre actress Uta Hagen and renowned acting teacher Stella Adler.[10][11] Savage initially sought a mainstream stage and screen career.[3] However, he became disillusioned by the constant auditioning and competition for roles.[10] He also worked for an exercise company.[8]

Career

Savage in 2006

Savage was introduced to the adult film industry via the actor R. Bolla in 1976,[10] He went on to become one of the biggest stars of the "Golden Age of Porn" in the 1970s and 1980s.[10] Savage appeared in the 1978 classic Debbie Does Dallas, for which he was paid about $150 a day.[11] The film was a financial success, becoming one of the top five highest grossing adult films of all time.[1] Some of the other films he has appeared in include Expose Me Now, Bodies in Heat, and Rambone Does Hollywood.[11] He created the stage name "Herschel Savage" with adult actor Jamie Gillis in an attempt to combine a 'nerdy Jewish identity' with that of a stud.[10]

During the mid-1980s, Savage helped to organize sex workers in San Francisco to fight for better wages.[4] The initiative was ultimately abandoned after production studios threatened to blacklist performers.[4] In 1986, Savage appeared in a cameo for the neo-noir crime film 52 Pick-Up starring Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret.[2] He was credited as "Harvey Cowen". In 1988, Savage was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame.[7][12] That same year, he left pornography to work in sales and video distribution.[3] He returned to the industry in 1997.[3]

Savage also performed as a stand up comedian. He was a recurring guest on the reality television series Family Business. In one episode, Savage performed a stand-up routine. He appeared as a guest during the fifth season of the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me, which aired on February 1, 2001.[13] Savage portrayed a detective in the 2008 parody film The Texas Vibrator Massacre.[14] He was also inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.[6] To date, he has appeared in more than 1000 adult films.[4]

Stage

Savage performed under the name "Max Cohen" in a 2006 production of The Prisoner of Second Avenue.[3][2] In January 2013, he portrayed Gerard Damiano in The Deep Throat Sex Scandal, a play described as the "theatrical telling of the back story of Deep Throat."[15][9] His performance drew positive reviews.[16] Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Charlotte Stoudt called Savage's portrayal of Damiano "surprisingly cogent".[17] Myron Meisel from The Hollywood Reporter remarked that he "engenders endearing empathy as the amiably deluded director Damiano."[18] Savage credited the play with "renewing [his] love for performing on stage."[8]

Savage had a minor role in Pretty Filthy, a musical about the adult film industry.[19] In July 2016, he premiered Porn Star: My Life In The Sex Industry, an autobiographical one-man show; he successfully funded the project through a Kickstarter campaign.[20]

Personal life

Savage is a practicing Buddhist.[16] He resides in California.[16]

Select performances

Film

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
Debbie Does Dallas 1978 Tim [1]
The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue 1980 Griffin [21]
Memphis Cathouse Blues 1982 Deacon Davis
What Gets Me Hot! 1984 Mrs. Radner's Boyfriend
52 Pick-Up 1986 Party Goer Credited as Harvey Cowen
The Texas Vibrator Massacre 2008 Detective Mike Roe [22]
30 Rock: A XXX Parody 2009 Jake [23]
After Porn Ends 3 2017 Himself Documentary [24]

Television

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
Just Shoot Me! 2001 Ron 1 episode [13]
Family Business 2003 Himself 1 episode
Dave's Old Porn 2012 Himself 1 episode

Theater

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue 2006 Mel Edison Lead role (credited as Max Cohen) [3]
The Deep Throat Sex Scandal 2013 Gerard Damiano [9]
Pretty Filthy 2015 Himself Musical [19]
Porn Star: My Life In The Sex Industry 2016 Himself One-man show [20]

Awards

  • 1987 AVN Award - Best Couples Sex Scene (Amanda's Diary) with Nina Hartley[3]
  • 1988 AVN Award - Best Couples Sex Scene, Film (Amanda by Night 2)[25]
  • 2000 AVN Award - Most Outrageous Sex Scene (Perverted Stories 22)[25]
  • 2002 AVN Award - Best Supporting Actor, Film (Taken)[25]
  • 2002 AVN Award - Best Group Sex Scene, Video (Succubus)[25]
  • 2002 AVN Award - Most Outrageous Sex Scene (Perverted Stories 31)[25]
  • 2006 XRCO Award - Best Onscreen Couple (Dark Side - Red Light) with Penny Flame[26]
  • 2006 AVN Award - Best Couples Sex Scene, Film (Dark Side)[25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Curse of Debbie Does Dallas". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2005-08-19. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "Herschel Savage". British Film Institute. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Savage Stars In Neil Simon Play". AVN. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 R. Berg, Heather (2016). "Porn Work: Adult Film at the Point of Production" (PhD). University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  5. ↑ "AVN: The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  6. 1 2 "AVN HALL OF FAME". Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 "XRCO Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kernes, Mark (July 11, 2016). "Herschel Savage's 'Porn Star' Shows His Mainstream Acting Chops". AVN. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 Pfefferman, Naomi (January 23, 2013). "Play reveals naked truth behind 'Deep Throat'". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Herschel Savage: The Evergreen Porn Star", The Rialto Report, November 3rd, 2013
  11. 1 2 3 Savage, Herschel; Atell, Dave (2012). Dave's Old Porn (Television Production). Los Angeles: Showtime.
  12. ↑ "XRCO's Hot 'n' Horny Heart-On Awards!", Hustler Erotic Video Guide Vol. 3, No. 5, September 1988, pp. 8-9.
  13. 1 2 "Just Shoot Me". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ Watson, Thomas (2013). "There's something rotten in the state of Texas: Genre, adaptation and The Texas Vibrator Massacre" (PDF). Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance. 6 (3): 387–400. doi:10.1386/jafp.6.3.387_1. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  15. ↑ Ng, David (December 12, 2012). "'Deep Throat' play set for L.A. with porn star Veronica Hart". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 "Herschel Savage: The Evergreen Porn Star". The Rialto Report. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  17. ↑ Stoudt, Charlotte (February 6, 2013). "Review: Cheerful if uneven, 'Deep Throat Sex Scandal' mimics film". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  18. ↑ Meisel, Myron (February 4, 2013). "The Deep Throat Sex Scandal: Theatre Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Scheck, Frank (February 8, 2015). "'Pretty Filthy': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Kernes, Mark (July 5, 2016). "Herschel Savage Solo Play 'Porn Star' Opens This Weekend". AVN. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Review: Satisfiers of Alpha Blue". AVN. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  22. ↑ Warren, Peter (April 23, 2008). "Rob Rotten's Texas Vibrator Massacre". XBIZ. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  23. ↑ Delahaye, Gabe (August 21, 2009). "NSFW: 30 Rock Porno? 30 Rock Porno". Stereogum. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  24. ↑ Pardon, Rhett (September 19, 2018). "'After Porn Ends' Documentary Series Continues With 3rd Chapter". XBIZ. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Past AVN Award Winners". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  26. ↑ Rhett Pardon (21 April 2006). "Porn Industry Shows Up for XRCO Awards". XBIZ. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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