LOS ANGELES — Legendary adult filmmaker Paul Thomas has passed away after spending most of his life in the porn business. He was 76.
Raised in Winnetka, Illinois, Thomas spent nearly 25 years directing for Vivid Entertainment, where he championed storytelling and won numerous industry awards for his efforts. Known to friends and colleagues as P.T., he helped define Vivid's brand and identity and played a key role in establishing its early success.
Prior to joining the adult industry, Thomas was a gifted basketball player and an accomplished actor who appeared in the original production of the musical "Hair" in the late 1960s. He went on to appear in a Broadway production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and played all the male roles except for Peter in a touring production of the musical, before being cast as Peter in the 1973 film adaptation from director Norman Jewison. Thomas also appeared on stage in the long-running musical "Beach Blanket Babylon."
Thomas broke into the adult industry right around the same time, when he was just 24 years old. He went on to star in nearly 900 adult films between 1974 and 1986, after which he directed nearly 400 other films for companies ranging from Hustler, Metro and Dorcel to Fantasy Home Video, Las Vegas Video, Western Visuals, New Sensations and Coast to Coast.
Thomas' career highlights as a director include "Beauty & the Beast 2" (1990), "Twisted" (1991), "Justine" (1994), "Bad Wives" (1997), "Bobby Sox" (1997), "Fade to Black" (2002), "Heart of Darkness" (2004), "Key Party" (2005), "The Masseuse" (2005), "The New Devil in Miss Jones" (2006) and "Layout" (2008).
In 2007, Thomas' name was enshrined among other porn legends on the Hustler Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
In 2008, Thomas won the XBIZ Award for Achievement in Movie Production and was nominated for Feature Director of the Year. He received two more nominations the following year for "Cry Wolf" and his overall body of work, and two additional nods in 2012 for "Savanna Samson Is the Masseuse." Thomas earned his final directing nomination for the 2013 feature "Friends With Benefits."
As a performer, Thomas was named Best Actor by the Adult Film Association of America for his performance in 1983's "Virginia." After being inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame in 1986, Thomas was named Director of the Year at the XRCO Awards in 1994 and 2000, and nominated for the same award in 1999 and 2008.
"Awards are cool, and I've won a lot of them, but I don't think about them anymore," Thomas told XBIZ in 2007 while discussing his approach to filmmaking.
Thomas was the last adult director to shoot on film and retired from the industry in 2012, just a few years after stepping away from Vivid, which he originally joined from VCA Pictures.
"I think the same rules apply to porno as to any art form," Thomas previously told XBIZ. "If an art form — a gonzo flick or, God forbid, a Picasso painting — has that feeling of heart and originality, and the person who did it was in the moment, you notice it. It's all about whether or not you can feel authenticity in the work."
Tommy Gunn spoke to XBIZ about his long history of working with Thomas.
"Paul was such a great man, and I have nothing but great memories of working with him, which was always special," Gunn told XBIZ. "He was always so kind and supportive when directing me, and if I wasn't giving him what he wanted, he always took the time to suggest little adjustments regarding my performance. I definitely cherished those moments and had some of the most memorable moments of my career working with Paul. It's a sad day today. The industry has, indeed, lost a legend, and it's definitely the end of an era."
Mike Quasar also spoke to XBIZ and paid tribute to Thomas.
"I don't remember exactly how I came to be a production assistant for P.T., but I do vividly remember thinking that he was one of the coolest people I’d ever met," said Quasar. "I had only been in the industry a few years, and I learned so much from working on his sets. He really was a filmmaker. He didn’t try to direct sex. He just assumed if you were in the industry, you must know how to do it. I adopted that same attitude as I worked my way up to being a director myself.
"One of my favorite things that I vividly remember him telling me once was, 'Michael, you’re very funny and everyone loves it when you make jokes on set. Now shut the fuck up. It’s time to work.'
"Some of my fondest memories are of that era and of being around guys like him and Henri Pachard," added Quasar. "Porn was fun and creative and it felt like we were a part of a secret society. I know it’s what all the old people say, but it truly was a better time. P.T. will be missed."
Thomas is survived by his wife, Judy.
