Celebrating an Iconic, Erotic Life

Forty years ago, Peter Berlin achieved worldwide fame by starring in two iconic gay porn films: "Knights in Black Leather" and "That Boy." Audiences were mesmerized by Berlin's stunning beauty and by the free and unashamed manner in which he celebrated his sexuality. Born in Europe, the longtime San Francisco resident made a living by photographing himself in hundreds of carefully designed erotic poses. Nothing in any of the skin magazines could match the visual beauty and eroticism of Berlin's artfully staged, lit and colored images.

Berlin was equally famous for his cruising, often posing for hours on end at the corner of 18th and Castro. He never spoke to anyone when he was immersed in the Peter Berlin character. Berlin's unusual career will be celebrated with an exhibition of many of his photos at Magnet, throughout October. Berlin spoke to the B.A.R. about his legacy, admitting that he was surprised by his popularity, and by the fact that people are still interested in him.

"Peter Berlin was never young," he said. "I was too old for this when it happened, but I always looked young. It was never my intention to be famous. My only intention was to have a good time, and I had a good time as Peter Berlin."
Peter Berlin: self-celebration and sexual liberation. Photo: Peter Berlin

His photography was always a one-man operation. "I work differently than most people," he said. "I never hire anybody. I have a hard time hiring a cab. I have a very definite idea of what I want to see and experience. I'm very aware of the impact I had, because people tell me I have."

In recent years, Berlin has lived a quiet life of semi-retirement. The Magnet show is his first exhibition since 2005, when his work was shown in New York. "My friend Eric is worried about my financial situation," he said. "You have to worry about your old age, he tells me. The exhibition is all Eric's doing, he put a lot of energy in it. I'm amazed but not excited. I was only excited when I went cruising."

Eric would be Eric Smith, who's co-curating the Berlin exhibit with Mark Garrett. "I think that most people are fascinated with his image of male sexuality that in the 70s redefined a new masculinity that celebrated the male form," said Smith. "I think there's a new generation of young people who are finding the images of Peter Berlin and realizing the impact these images had on the sexual freedom that paved the way for the open expression of our sexuality that we take for granted today. At a time when it was still illegal or dangerous to be gay in public, Peter Berlin created a vision of male beauty and identity that helped many men find their own sense of self-celebration and sexual liberation."

Berlin, Smith says, was ahead of his time in more ways than one. "Before the advent of the digital selfie phenomenon, Peter created thousands of self-portraits in film, when the whole process of film photography required time and skill. Peter spent hours preparing for each shoot, setting up the camera, creating the outfits, developing the negatives and printing the photos himself. This level of self-portraiture has unlikely ever been matched in the pre-digital era of photography."

Smith and Berlin have become close friends who often go to lunch together. "We talk for hours about the world, life, sex, human nature, aging, the good old days of the 70s, family and many other subjects," Smith said. "What I soon discovered was a gentle, sensitive man who lived on the periphery of our society and had unique observations of the world around him. I found in him a friend I could talk to about anything. He had a supportive and non-judgmental nature that I responded to."

Peter Berlin: A Solo Exhibition of Photographs, through Oct. 31, Magnet, 4122 18th St., SF. Opening reception: Fri., Oct. 3, 8-10 p.m. Special event: Peter Berlin Talks!, Sat., Oct. 18, 7 p.m., free. magnetsf.org

That Man: Peter Berlin, a documentary about Berlin's life, is available on DVD (Water Bearer Films).