John Holmes was the king of porn. The crown was heavy on his head and his fame did not shelter him from the self-destructive tendencies that ultimately were his downfall. His 13 1/2-inch cock is one of porn's landmarks, a physical monument that John Holmes wielded with pride as he blazed a trail that every other man who fucks on camera follows. He was the first male porn superstar and he remains the most famous male porn performer ever. He played porn's first continuing character, Johnny Wadd - a hardboiled, hardcore detective who scored with every chick who crossed his path, and he made hundreds of other films. Holmes was a gangly, skinny man who came across as non-threatening with a crooked, warm smile, and audiences just could not get enough of his work. He was not a pretty guy and that bonded him with viewers who wanted to fuck in their fantasies through his big cock. It is hardly a surprise that the mainstream's most successful movie about adult, Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 Boogie Nights, was loosely based on Holmes. Holmes was a chronic liar, but one who used his real name in his movies, as he was proud of them. Big cocks come and go, but 14 years after his death from AIDS, Holmes' continues to tower above all the rest.