Former Gay Porn Star Convicted of Attempted Murder

SACRAMENTO—Marc Anthony Donais, 45, who performed as a gay porn star in the 90s under the name Ryan Idol, was convicted Tuesday of the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, who he battered with a toilet tank lid in her West Sacramento condo on the evening of Sept. 5, 2009 after she had broken up with him.

Donais, who is a self-identified bisexual, claimed during the trial that he acted in self defense when he used the toilet tank lid, which was shattered by the force of his blows, causing deep cuts to the woman’s scalp.

According to the Sacramento Bee, “[The 41-year-old victim] told jurors she let Donais into the house and that he immediately told her he wanted to kill her. He testified at trial that he thought she had pulled a knife on him during their discussion in her bathroom and that he grabbed the toilet tank lid and hit her with it out of self defense.“

In addition to the attempted murder conviction, Donais also was found guilty of three other felonies, including battery, asaault with a deadly weapon and corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

Donais, a former model who appeared as the "Man of the Month" centerfold in the February 1989 issue of Playgirl magazine, gained bona fide superstar status as a gay porn star from 1990 through 1996, appearing in such movies as Idol Eyes, Idol Worship and Letters from the Heart. Following his retirement from X-rated movies, he moved to New Hampshire and built a career as a legit theater actor, appearing on Broadway in the Roundabout Theater Company’s 2007 production of Terrence McNally’s The Ritz, which was mounted at Studio 54 and starred Rosie Perez. He also performed at the Tiffany Theatre on L.A.'s Sunset Strip in his own 1999 production of Mark Dunn’s gay comic love story, A Scent of Rain.

Donais stayed in touch with his porn roots, however, making several appearances starting in 2006 at Cocktails With the Stars, the weekly in-person porn star event held at Micky's nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif. His last appearance at Cocktails was in May of this year.

Donais will be sentenced Dec. 9 and faces up to 15 years in prison.