VAN NUYS, Calif. - Adult performer, director and private detective Paul Barresi will be inducted into the GAYVN Hall of Fame on Saturday in a ceremony that is part of the GAYVN Summit.
Barresi is one of a kind, with a colorful past that meshes the porn industry, Hollywood, sex and crime-solving. He will take a break from shooting Brittany's Transformation, a Pleasure Productions feature starring Brittany CoxXx (formerly known as male-star Stonie) in her first transsexual film.
"I am looking forward to awards night, where I will find myself basking in the approval of my peers and my fans at the same time," Barresi said. "It can't get any better than that. At last, I feel rewarded for my hard work."
Barresi - a former high-school wrestling champion - took his athletic-build to the Air Force before launching an assault on acting and the adult world three decades ago. He is well known for his military themed "Regiment" movies like Marine Mischief - often described often as "prick pummeling profiles of platoon pleasures." Many titles in the series starred Stonie. In addition to the Frat Boys and Bay Boys lines and Gaywatch, Barresi also directed several interracial features, including Blacktino Cellmates (Just Chillin' Productions).
Among his other accomplishments, Barresi was the first man to adorn the cover of Hustler magazine and assisted the FBI in capturing two of America's most-wanted criminals. He has worked as a model, Broadway actor, Playgirl magazine coverman, COLT Men roster member, soap opera and sitcom feature player, investigative journalist, private eye and celebrity fitness trainer. He also has made guest appearances on "A Current Affair," "Jenny Jones," E Entertainment Television, "Frontline," "CBS Dateline," Court TV, "Leeza," "Celebrity Justice," "Entertainment Tonight," "ABC Primetime" and "Geraldo at Large."
"This is huge for Paul," said Frankie Kay, head of Pleasure Productions. "We've always known how talented he is, and we love working with him on all the films he does for us. To be recognized for his decades of work in this industry - it couldn't go to a more deserving man."
After appearing in more than 150 straight adult movies with stars like Sharon Mitchell, Ginger Lynn, Venessa Del Rio and Annette Haven, Barresi retired as an actor in adult entertainment in 1988. Three years later, he began working behind the camera as a writer, producer and director of adult films. He is the recipient of dozens of nominations and awards and has and produced more than 100 videos for Regiment Productions (a division of Pleasure Productions).
The GAYVN Awards Show is this weekend, and a limited number of tickets are still available. The show will be hosted by fan-favorite Lady Bunny, and fan tickets can be purchased only through TicketWeb. (The event's venue, the San Francisco Giftcenter, has no box office.) Red carpet activities begin at 6 p.m.; the awards show starts at 7 p.m.
