Herschel Savage Biography
Herschel Savage (born Harvey Cohen, November 25, 1952 – October 8, 2023) was an American adult movieographic actor, director, and stage actor who appeared in over 1,000 adult films. In 2002, AVN ranked him 46th on their list of The Top 50 adult movie Stars of All Time. He was also inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.
Early life
Herschel Savage was born as Harvey Cohen on November 25, 1952, in New York City, to Russian-Jewish parents. His mother battled with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Growing up, he attended a Conservative synagogue. Savage saw his first adult film The Nun's Bad Habit at a movie theater in Times Square.
Savage began studying acting under Broadway theatre actress Uta Hagen and renowned acting teacher Stella Adler. Savage initially sought a mainstream stage and screen career. However, he became disillusioned by the constant auditioning and compe*ion for roles. He also worked for an exercise company.
Career
Savage in 2006Savage was introduced to the adult film industry via the actor R. Bolla in 1976. He went on to become one of the biggest stars of the "Golden Age of adult movie" in the 1970s and 1980s. Savage appeared in the 1978 cl*ic Debbie Does Dallas, for which he was paid about $150 a day. The film was a financial success, becoming one of the top five highest grossing adult films of all time. Some of the other films he appeared in include Expose Me Now, Bodies in Heat, and Rambone Does Hollywood. He created the stage name "Herschel Savage" with adult actor Jamie Gillis in an attempt to combine a 'nerdy Jewish iden*y' with that of a stud.
During the mid-1980s, Savage helped to organize sex workers in San Francisco to fight for better wages. The initiative was ultimately abandoned after production studios threatened to blacklist performers. In 1986, Savage appeared in a cameo for the neo-noir crime film 52 Pick-Up starring Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret. He was credited as "Harvey Cowen". In 1988, Savage was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame. That same year, he left adult movieography to work in sales and video distribution. He returned to performing in 1997.
Savage appeared as a guest during the fifth season of the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me, with Ron Jeremy, which aired on February 1, 2001. In 2003, he performed a stand-up routine on an episode of the reality television series Family Business. Savage portrayed a detective in the 2008 parody film The Texas Vibrator M*acre. He appeared alongside other adult performers in the do*entary series After adult movie Ends 3 in 2018. Savage appeared in more than 1000 adult films. He was also inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.
Stage
Savage performed under the name "Max Cohen" in a 2006 production of Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue. In January 2013, he portrayed adult movieographic film director Gerard Damiano in the Los Angeles production of The Deep Throat Sex Scandal, a play described as the "theatrical telling of the back story of Deep Throat." His performance drew positive reviews. Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Charlotte Stoudt called Savage's portrayal of Damiano "surprisingly cogent". Myron Meisel from The Hollywood Reporter remarked that he "engenders endearing empathy as the amiably deluded director Damiano." Steven Leigh Morris from LA Weekly deemed his performance "dramatic comedy terra firma". Savage credited the play with "renewing love for performing on stage."
Savage appeared as himself in Pretty Filthy, a musical about the adult film industry. He also performed in the interactive dinner show Joni and Gina's Wedding. In July 2016, Savage premiered adult movie Star: My Life In The Sex Industry, an autobiographical one-man show, which he successfully funded through a Kickstarter campaign.
Personal life and death
Savage was a practicing Buddhist. He resided in California.
Herschel Savage died on October 8, 2023, at the age of 70.
Select performances
Film
Television
Theater
Awards
Total number of wins and nominationsTotals940References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herschel Savage.- Herschel Savage at IMDb
- Herschel Savage on Twitter
- Herschel Savage at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Herschel Savage at the Adult Film Database
- The Rialto Report, "Herschel Savage - The Evergreen adult movie Star", November 3, 2013 - new audio podcast interview with Herschel Savage
