Zebedy Colt

Zebedy Colt Porn Star Biography

Zebedy Colt was an American porn star, director, and musician during the famed, "Golden Era" of porn in the late 70's and early 80's. He was particularly unique in that, while he was somewhat bisexual in his acting roles, he identified as strictly gay in his personal life (and was known as somewhat of a gay icon).

Early Life

Zebedy Colt was born Edward Earle Marsh on December 20, 1929, in California. He showed a talent for acting as a child, leading to him playing several roles in film as a child (including an appearance in The Adventures of Robin Hood. He pursued this career into adulthood, mainly as an extra. His most famous appearance during this era was as a slave in the 1956 biblical epic, The Ten Commandments. He would continue to work in theater, typically off-Broadway work, for most of his life.

Music Career

Zebedy Colt first took his stage name for a music project. The album, 1969's "I'll Sing For You", promoted Colt as the "first gay superstar". The album was unique in theme; the songs were mostly love songs of the "standards" and "stage musical" variety. The twist was that all of the songs had originally been sang either by, or about women; now they had been changed to be a man singing love songs for another man. The album was allegedly recorded with the musical backing of the London Philharmonic, and was unique at the time for it's straight-laced and serious tone in an era where gay art was considered by flighty, campy, and over-the-top. The album, though not financially successful, is now looked upon as a major landmark in American homosexual history, as an early attempt of gay culture's push into mainstream consciousness. His version of Gershwin's "The Man I Love" is frequently used in various media to this day.

Porn Career

In the mid-seventies, looking to financially support his artistic endeavors, Colt found his way into adult films. Despite being homosexual, he pursued predominately straight porn, as it was the most lucrative. He chose to resurrect his old musical alias as a way to distinguish his separate careers, as well as protect his reputation as a serious actor. Humorously, one of the most well-known discoveries of his "double-life" in porn was when his co-star in an off-Broadway play, Academy Award Winner Sandy Dennis, recognized him from a XXX theater she'd visited the night before. He appeared in many classics of the era, and was known for being a rare well-known performer who would perform sex acts on both men and women. He also directed a number of films as well, included Golden Era classics, The Farmer's Daughter, The Devil Inside Her, and (purportedly), the "Death Wish" parody, Sex Wish. During this entire time, he continued to work in live theater as both a director and performer in the large radius around Broadway and New York City. He also appeared in the 1976 Tony Award winner for "Best Play", Travesties on Broadway.

Retirement

Colt retired from the adult business in the mid-80's, citing the lack-of-quality productions that had come with the industry transition from film to video stock. He lived out his remaining years in Las Vegas, where was known to regale friends and visitors with numerous scrap books of his life's achievements.