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Brandon Lee (pornographic actor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people with the same name, see Brandon Lee (disambiguation).
Brandon Lee
Born
Jon Enriquez

(1979-03-18) March 18, 1979 (age 45)
United States
Other namesSean Martinez
Occupations
  • Porn actor
  • Navy plane mechanic
  • chef
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)

Brandon Lee (born Jon Enriquez; March 18, 1979) is a Filipino-American gay pornographic film actor.[1] He is regarded as the first gay Asian porn star and arguably the most popular Asian pornographic actor in contemporary gay male culture.[2][3]

Pornography career

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DVD cover of The Best of Brandon Lee [note 1] (1999) by Catalina

Lee started in the industry in 1997 at the age of 18 after being discovered by adult film director Chi Chi Larue at a bathhouse.[4][5] He chose the name of actor Brandon Lee as his porn name. His first movies were under Catalina Video for the Asian niche market but he crossed over into the mainstream gay pornography by 1998. He worked as a top which was unusual at that time for an Asian actor in US or European gay pornography.[1]

An analysis of Lee's work, and his place in the gay pornography industry, written by Nguyen Tan Hoang, appeared in the book Porn Studies (Linda Williams, Duke University Press). According to Richard Fung, Asian men were usually portrayed asexually in Western culture, and Nguyen argued that Lee's position in gay pornography challenged these stereotypes. The essay is entitled "The Resurrection of Brandon Lee: The Making of a Gay Asian-American Porn Star."[1]

After starring in seven porn videos for Catalina from 1997 to 1998, Lee took a hiatus. He made his comeback as a Rascal Video Exclusive in 2004, and in Chi Chi Larue's Wicked (2005), bottomed for the first time on screen.[6] Nguyen has published another essay analyzing Lee's porn career, titled "The Rise, and Fall, of a Gay Asian American Porn Star", in his book A View from the Bottom: Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation.[7]

Lee was awarded the "Wall of Fame" award at the 2015 Grabby Awards in Chicago, IL.[8] Matthew Rettenmund included Lee in his list of "History's 250 Greatest Gay-Porn Stars" on Boyculture.com at #39.[9]

Other careers

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Lee joined the U.S. Navy in 1998, while he was still active in porn, and served till 2003. He studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona to become a plane mechanic. He did a tour of Iraq, where he repaired jet cockpits for the Navy.[10][11]

In 2003, he graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in pastry and savory programs, and worked for Princess Cruises, eventually becoming the executive chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Ortolan in Los Angeles.[12]

He relocated to San Francisco in 2010, and started a catering business.[13]

Lee is also a musician, and has scored four porn films.[5] He has done theatre as well;[14] and in 2006, he played the role of Takeshi Kawabata in Nearly Naked Theatre’s production of Take Me Out.[15][16]

Personal life

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Lee was born in Mobile, Alabama. His father was a Coast Guard cook,[10] who later worked for a commercial food and beverage company.[17] He is Filipino by ethnicity, with a mix of Chinese, English, and Spanish.[1]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Brandon Lee is the only Asian American porn actor to have a "best of" video compilation. (Nguyen 2014, p. 32)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Williams, Linda (2004). Porn Studies. Duke University Press. p. 223 ff. ISBN 978-0-8223-3312-8. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  2. ^ Kendall, Christopher; Wayne Martino (2006). Gendered outcasts and sexual outlaws: sexual oppression and gender hierarchies in queer men's lives. Psychology Press. pp. 171. ISBN 978-1-56023-501-9.
  3. ^ Lehman, Peter (2006). Pornography: film and culture. Rutgers University Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8135-3871-6.
  4. ^ Ko, Claudine. "My search for Brandon Lee". Giant Robot. Archived from the original on 2001-01-24.
  5. ^ a b Kinkaid, Hawk. "The Myth That Is : An Interview with Brandon Lee". Hook. Archived from the original on 2005-05-08.
  6. ^ "Adult Star Brandon Lee | Gay | AEBN". gay.aebn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  7. ^ Nguyen, Tan Hoang (2014-07-29). "The Rise, and Fall, of a Gay Asian American Porn Star". A View from the Bottom: Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-7660-6.
  8. ^ Street, Sharan (2015-05-26). "2015 Grabby Award Winners Announced AVN". AVN. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  9. ^ "History's 250 Greatest Gay-Porn Stars: My NEW List". Boyculture.com. 2019-07-16. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01.
  10. ^ a b Smiley, Lauren (2010-12-08). "Brandon Lee, S.F.'s Porn Star Chef". SFWeekly. Archived from the original on 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  11. ^ Smiley, Lauren (2010-12-08). "Brandon Lee Starred in Gay Porn While Serving in Navy". SFWeekly. Archived from the original on 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  12. ^ Barmann, Jay (2010-12-09). "Porn Star-Turned-Chef Brandon Lee Was Chef at Ortolan in L.A." Grub Street. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  13. ^ Barmann, Jay (2010-11-22). "Local Chef Is Also a Gay Porn Star". Grub Street. Archived from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  14. ^ "Gay Porn's Brandon Lee Stars in 'Best Play' Take Me Out AVN". AVN. 2006-08-14. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  15. ^ Skee, Mickey (2009-09-02). "Mickey's Quickies | Tom of Finland Returns, William Higgins' Anniversary Special, Plus Gay Gossip AVN". AVN. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  16. ^ "Brandon Lee". AEBN Gay Blog, your one stop resource for adult content reviews and news. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  17. ^ Thomas, Kurt (2010-11-03). "Top Chef: Brandon Lee Caters to Taste". Bar Tab. Archived from the original on 2011-11-13.
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