John Leslie, Legendary Pornographic Actor Dies at 65  

John Leslie, an actor and director who appeared in more than 300 movies during the so-called golden age of pornographic films in the 1970s and ’80s, died on Sunday at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 65. The cause was apparently a heart attack, said Mark Kernes, a friend and senior editor of the adult film publication AVN.

Mr. Leslie’s success in pornographic films started in the early 1970s, an era when plot-driven, feature-length movies like “Deep Throat” and “Behind the Green Door” achieved mainstream success. That period ended with the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

Mr. Leslie, whose real name was John Nuzzo, appeared in such titles as “Cry for Cindy” and “Talk Dirty to Me,” the 1980 film that established him as one of pornography’s leading men. Mr. Kernes said Mr. Leslie was one of the first actors to cross over to directing, which he did successfully. “Being an actor at heart, he was more disposed to letting the performers take the lead in terms of executing the scene,” Mr. Kernes said. Mr. Leslie won pornography-industry awards for acting and directing, and was inducted into the Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Kathleen.