LOS ANGELES — Controversial director-producer-performer Max Hardcore passed away today in Los Angeles, industry friends and associates report. He was 66.
The gonzo and fetish porn pioneer reportedly suffered an infection and organ failure following chemotherapy treatment for thyroid cancer.
With over 500 performer credits and over 300 director credits listed by IAFD, Hardcore was a recognizable figure at industry events, rarely seen without his signature cowboy hat.
An active social media user, Hardcore had spent much of his convalescence promoting his archival content through his paysite, Max-Hardcore.com.
During one of the most prominent George W. Bush-era attacks on free speech, Hardcore was the subject of a high-profile case when a Florida federal jury indicted him for distributing obscene material through the mail and online.
Hardcore was convicted in federal court for violating U.S. obscenity laws. Five of his titles came under scrutiny in court, including “Golden Guzzlers” and “Fist of Fury.” Hardcore alleged these releases were intended for distribution in Europe, not the U.S., but the mail order company he used began selling them in the U.S., which compromised him.
“I didn’t monitor the situation strongly enough,” he told XBIZ upon his release. “The money was rolling in, the girls were hot, the cars were fast, the booze never ran out. I just went with it. That was my mistake. I thought that if [the mail order company] was selling them, and not me, that I was protected.”
He was sentenced to 46 months and served 30 months of his sentence in a Texas federal prison from 2009 until 2011.
“No man deserves four years in prison because 12 people didn’t like his movie,” Hardcore said. “But I’ve accepted it and come to terms with it. I never want to forget the experience because it’s an important part of my life and a turning point for me and the industry.”
Hardcore’s propensity for extreme content, and his unapologetic defense of his on-set behavior creating it, also made him a common target of anti-porn crusaders, who to this day continue to mischaracterize his decidedly fringe output and practices as typical of the entire adult industry.
Justifying his work, Hardcore pointed an accusing finger right back at the society that demonized him.
“Society has spoken, and they’ve demanded it,” he said in 2009. “There’s more people buying my videos than people protesting my videos. When I was put on federal trial in Tampa, Florida, there were no protesters. There were no picketers. There were no people angrily denouncing me as I came in and left the courtroom.”
