Wade Nichols
Wade Nichols | |
|---|---|
 Nichols on The Edge of Night, January 1980 | |
| Born | Dennis Posa October 28, 1946 Freeport, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 1985 (aged 38) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Dennis Parker |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1972–1985 |
| Notable work | The Edge of Night |
Dennis Posa (October 28, 1946 – January 28, 1985), also known by the performing names of Wade Nichols and Dennis Parker, was an actor and singer who started his career in adult films.[1][2]
Early life[edit]
Parker was born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in Freeport, New York.[3] He attended the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, studying furniture design.[3][4] During his stint at PMCA, he won a role in a touring company production of The Trojan Women. He later attended New York University and the Herbert Berghof Studio, where he studied acting.[3] He supported himself by working as a carpenter for several years.[4]
Career[edit]
Parker's first feature film role was in the gay adult film Boy 'Napped (1975). He subsequently appeared mostly in straight porn films shot in New York, such as Summer of Laura (1975), Jail Bait (1976), Barbara Broadcast (1977), Teenage Pajama Party (1977), Maraschino Cherry (1977), Punk Rock (1977), Take Off (1978) and Blonde Ambition (1981).[1] Parker was credited as Wade Nichols in most of the adult films in which he appeared.
In 1979, using the name Dennis Parker, he recorded a disco album on Casablanca Records, titled Like an Eagle.[3][4] The album was produced by Village People creator and producer Jacques Morali, who was Parker's boyfriend at the time.[5] He also toured Europe to promote the album.[3] He later appeared in the French film Monique that same year, with "Like an Eagle" being used as its theme song. The title track was released as a single and appears on the box set The Casablanca Records Story (1994). "New York By Night", another song recorded as Dennis Parker, peaked at No. 11 on the South African music charts in 1980.[6]
Parker joined the cast of the soap opera The Edge of Night in 1979 as Police Chief Derek Mallory. He continued in the role until 1984.[2][3][4] Seriously ill by October of that year, Parker was unable to continue working on the show, and his character was written out.[citation needed]
Death[edit]
Parker died on January 28, 1985.[3][7] In a tribute to Parker in a 1985 issue of Soap Opera Digest, fellow Edge of Night actor Ernie Townsend wrote, "He died in early January after a long and painful illness that took away a talent in its prime."[citation needed] An obituary released in Virginia stated that he died after a "brief illness, survived by his mother, brother, and partner."[citation needed] It was revealed later that he died of an unspecified AIDS-related illness.[2][7]
Partial filmography[edit]
| Movie Title | Distributor | Year |
| Boy 'Napped | Hand-In-Hand | 1975 |
| Summer of Laura | VCA | 1975 |
| Bang Bang You Got It! | Video-X-Pix | 1976 |
| Call Me Angel, Sir | Video Home Library | 1976 |
| Odyssey: The Ultimate Trip | VCX | 1977 |
| Captain Lust | International Home Video Corporation | 1977 |
| Jail Bait | Command Video | 1976 |
| Come to Me | Air Video | 1976 |
| Punk Rock | Atom | 1977 |
| Teenage Pajama Party | VEP | 1977 |
| Barbara Broadcast | VCA | 1977 |
| Virgin Dreams | VCX | 1977 |
| The Secret Dreams of Mona Q | Arrow Productions | 1977 |
| Maraschino Cherry | Video-X-Pix | 1977 |
| Honeymoon Haven | Video-X-Pix | 1977 |
| Sweetheart | Video-X-Pix | 1977 |
| Take Off | Video-X-Pix | 1978 |
| Visions | Quality-X-Video | 1978 |
| Love You! | Essex Video | 1979 |
| Magic Girls | Horizon | 1980 |
| Beach House | Caballero Home Video | 1980 |
| Blonde Ambition | Video-X-Pix | 1981 |
| Hot Pursuit | VCA | 1983 |
| Bizarre Thunder | Ribu Video | 1984 |
| Jawbreakers | Ventura | 1985 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Unknown". Variety (daily). September 16, 1985.
- ^ a b c Carter, Alan (June 17, 1989). "Timing determines 'scandal'". Asbury Park Press – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Unknown". Variety (weekly). February 6, 1985.
- ^ a b c d Durdan, Douglas (July 24, 1982). "Son's on soap, but not here". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Wade Nichols: 'A Galaxy of Pleasure and Pain' – His Untold Story". The Rialto Report. June 25, 2017.
- ^ musicstats (July 15, 2022). "Dennis Parker (US) - SA Singles Charts". SA Singles Charts - The Weekly South African Singles Chart History. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Mulcahy, Kevin Jr. (December 1, 2011). "World AIDS Day Tribute". We Love Soaps. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Wade Nichols at IMDb
- Wade Nichols at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Wade Nichols at the Adult Film Database
- Wade Nichols: 'A Galaxy of Pleasure and Pain' His Untold Story, profile of Wade Nichols, The Rialto Report, June 25, 2017
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
- 1946 births
- 1985 deaths
- 20th-century American LGBT people
- 20th-century American male actors
- AIDS-related deaths in New York (state)
- American actors in gay pornographic films
- American male pornographic film actors
- American male soap opera actors
- Gay pornographic film actors
- LGBT people from New York (state)
- Male actors from New York (state)
- People from Freeport, New York