Joe Dallesandro

Joe Dallesandro is an American actor and key icon of the 1960s sexual revolution. His parents separated when he was two. After his mother went to prison, Joe and his brother, Robert, grew up in foster homes. In his early teens, Joe joined gangs, stole cars, and was sentenced to a rehabilitation center. At 16, he escaped to Los Angeles and began modeling for Bob Mizer, who published Physique Pictorial, the most popular gay soft-core porn magazine of the era. In 1967, Joe connected with Andy Warhol’s Factory and quickly became a leading man in Flesh and Trash. During the 1970s, he starred in European films with directors like Louis Malle, Jacques Rivette, and Serge Gainsbourg. He returned to the U.S. in 1979, working with Francis Ford Coppola, John Waters, and Steven Soderbergh. Over his career, he appeared in 55 films. An undeniable influence on pop culture, Joe Dallesandro’s image appeared on The Smiths’ debut album cover, and Lou Reed referenced him in “Walk on the Wild Side.”