NEW YORK — Actor Robert Kerman, known as R. Bolla during his decade performing in Golden Age porn, died last week in New York at the age of 71.
Kerman starred in about 175 blue movies in the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, working with such legendary adult film directors as Gerard Damiano, Henri Pachard and Gary Graver. He performed with porn icons like Amber Lynn, Ginger Lynn, Veronica Hart, Seka and Vanessa Del Rio.
He was perhaps most well-known as the bumbling Mr. Greenfield in the 1978 film “Debbie Does Dallas,” where he played the owner of a sporting goods store. His employee, Debbie (Bambi Woods), attempts to raise funds to travel to try out for the Texas Cowgirls cheerleader squad.
At the end of “Debbie Does Dallas,” the never-forgotten adult movie explodes with Woods repeating the line “Oh, Mr. Greenfield, I'm not that kind of girl. Oh, my Mr. Greenfield, you're so big.”
He picked the insignia R. Bolla as his porn name after seeing a box of Bolla wine. Later, he ditched “Richard” for “R” after he considered that some might refer him to as “Dick.”
Kerman will be remembered for porn, but he will also be for mainstream theater and film. Following graduation from Brooklyn College in 1970, Kerman went off on his own to pursue acting.
Kerman began performing in many off-Broadway shows in local New York productions of such classics as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "A View From a Bridge," "Camille," "The Knack" and "Joe Egg" in both lead and supporting roles.
Four years later, Kerman jumped in to pornography, first with non-sex performances and later on-screen roles. He first started performing on-screen sex in 1974 in “Anyone But My Husband.”
Kerman had roles in such adult films as “Girls on Fire,” “Scoundrels,” “Babylon Pink” and the “Taboo American Style” series. His last adult title was the 1985 release, “Corporate Assets.”
By early 1986 Kerman quit the adult film biz to pursue acting roles in mainstream movies and TV. Some of the roles included appearances in “The Goodbye Girl,” “Spider-Man,” “Hill Street Blues” and “Cagney & Lacey.”
In 1998 Kerman received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Free Speech Coalition's Night of the Stars event.
Amber Lynn told XBIZ that she "had the honor" of being cast in the movie "Talk Dirty to Me" with Kerman.
"The original movie also had Tracy Lords in it," Amber Lynn said. "He was an amazing actor. It was a period type of piece as I remember, and he was a consumate professional to work with, as well as off-camera.
"He was just a really gentle and nice fella," she said. "I'm sorry to hear this news and send my sincerest condolences to his family and friends."
