Jon Dough, R.I.P.

There had never been a male contract performer before Jon Dough, who originated that position with Vivid and appeared in movies spanning porn's late "golden age" to its gonzo phase.

Dough, who died on Sunday of an apparent suicide, had appeared in over a thousand porn films and directed almost a hundred. He will be remembered, as any male performer would who has had steady work from the mid-80's, as solid.

He leaves behind a wife and four-year-old daughter. Read more after the gap.
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The former Chet Anuszek was born in Pennsylvania in 1962. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he tried breaking into soap operas, but a photo shoot at Hustler quickly resulted in steady work in the adult industry.

Dough maintained his longevity in the business due to his dependability as a performer. He was known for his lack of "bad days". He was married twice, the first time to the Dutch performer Deirdre Holland and since 1994 to the performer Monique DeMoan.

It was DeMoan who discovered the body and who said Dough, the father of her daughter, had taken his own life. Industry rumor is that the method was pills.

The full story will no doubt emerge over the next few days, but interviews in the AVN.com article announcing Dough's death hint at a depression that built as DVD sales dropped and work became harder to find. Friends Randy Spears, who joined the adult business around the same time, and Ron Jeremy, said that Dough was a good man who often needed to be talked out of low moods.

· Jon Dough's IAFD listing (iafd.com)
· "Jon Dough Passes Away" (avn.com)
· Photos courtesy Luke Ford and Deluxe Archive

Previously: Porn Valley Dispatch Archive