Without a doubt the most well-known hardcore stud ever, John Holmes earned his nickname 'The Legend' for his sizable sexual talent. He was a massively endowed and well-built young man whose insatiable appetite for women led him into the best line of work he could imagine. John Holmes became the epitome of what the hard-working porno stud could and should be.

John was born John Curtis Estes on August 8, 1944 in Pickaway County, Ohio. A sensitive youngster, John was a bible student for 11 years in Pataskala, Ohio. To escape the shadow of a brutal and domineering stepfather, he dropped out of high school and joined the army at an early age. After his military stint, he headed to Southern California and the fledgling porno industry. John quickly established himself as one of the most dependable and well-quailified studs in the business, appearing in lots of quickie loops and low-budget grinders throughout the late 60's and early 70's, earning him the title of the Sultan of Smut. John soon fell into hustling and male prostitution, which only hastened his burgeoning drug addiction. His self-destrutive tendencies hit their nadir when he was implicated in the notorious 'Laurel Canyon' murders which took place at 8763 Wonderland Avenue. He was allegedly present at the drug-related torture and murder of his drug dealing friend, Bill Deverell, and the murders of another man and two women, Holmes refused to divulge what he knew.

He was acquited of any wrongdoing in 1981 and then attempted to clean up his act and resume his career. His attempts soon ended, though, when he was diagnosed with the deadly AIDS virus. John's years of unchecked sexual romping has caught up with him -- he estimated that he'd had sex with over 10,000 women. He died of AIDS-related complications in Sepulveda, California on March 13th, 1988 with his then-wife pornstress by his side. He was 43 years old. John was the first male elected to both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame, a true legend in his own time. His life served as the loose basis of the mainstream hit 'Boogie Nights,' but Holmes' real life was much wilder than they could hope to compete with.

Blog John Holmes: John Holmes wants to read your comments... Which is your favorite movie and why? What are some of your other favorite John Holmes movies? What would you like to see him do? Or any other comments you might want John Holmes to know and read.