Rick Cassidy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Richard Edward Ciezniak Jr. July 22, 1943 |
| Died | December 23, 2013 (aged 70) Moscow, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Saint Catherine's Cemetery |
| Other names | Jim Cassidy, Mark Hawkins, Jesse Ames, Jerry Grimes, Stefan Roman, Rick Jackson |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1969–85 |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Rick Cassidy (born Richard Edward Ciezniak Jr., July 22, 1943 – December 23, 2013) was an American pornographic actor, model and bodybuilder. He appeared in both straight and gay porn films, using the name Jim Cassidy for the latter, during the early 1970s.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Cassidy spent two years in the Navy before moving to New York City where he modeled for physique photographer Jim French. In 1969, he relocated to Los Angeles where he was approached by photographer and gay filmmaker Pat Rocco to pose for various gay magazines. Cassidy made his screen debut in Rocco's documentary Mondo Rocco (1970). Shortly afterwards, he appeared as the host in Inside A.M.G. (1970), a documentary about the male erotic photography studio Athletic Model Guild. That same year, Cassidy shot his first hardcore scene. The 8mm loop called Drilled Deep featured another rising gay porn star Dakota, with whom Cassidy later appeared in more films and magazines. The duo became very popular among the gay community and was referred to as the "Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald of gay porn". Cassidy continued making more films during the first half of the 1970s, mostly straight, and also starred in several stage plays. By the end of 1974, he went on a hiatus from porn and kept appearing only in small parts in various softcore films.
Cassidy returned to porn in 1984. He appeared in a handful of straight films alongside the biggest porn stars of that time such as Marilyn Chambers and Ginger Lynn. However, after having shot the film New Wave Hookers (1985) with then underage actress Traci Lords, which resulted in a big scandal and investigation of her co-stars, Cassidy decided to retire from porn for good. He moved back to Pennsylvania and worked as a real estate agent. Cassidy died in 2013 at the age of 70.