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{{short description|Russian-American producer, actor and pornographic film director}}
{{Male adult bio|
{{About| the American filmmaker of gay porn|the Australian filmmaker|The Newsreader|other uses|Michael Lucas (disambiguation)}}
| photo = ]
{{pp-move}}
| birth = ], ]
{{Multiple issues|
| location = ], ]
{{unreliable sources|date=February 2024}}
| birthname = Andrei Treivas
{{BLP primary sources|date=February 2024}}
| death =
{{Lead too long|date=January 2024}}
| measurements = 10" (25.4 cm)
}}
| height = 6'2" (185 cm)
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
| weight = 180 (81.65 kg)
{{Infobox person
| shoe size =
| name = Michael Lucas
| eye color =
| image = Michael Lucas Puerto Vallarta 2023 (Photo By Mano Martinez).jpg
| hair color =
| caption =
| orientation = gay
| birth_name = Andrei Treivas<ref name="Van Meter">{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/movies/features/23146 |title=The Lion of Chelsea |last=Van Meter |first=William |work=New York|date=October 19, 2006 |access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>
| ethnicity = Jewish Russian-American
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1972}}<ref name="Van Meter" />
| alias =
| birth_place = Moscow, ] (])<br />(now ])<ref name="Van Meter" />
| films = 40 +
| death_date =
| homepage = http://www.lucasentertainment.com/
| imdb = 1027468 | death_place =
| spouse = {{marriage|Richard Winger|2008|2014|reason=divorced}}
| <-- No iafd listing -->
| iafd = | occupation =
| height =
| afdb = 24362/Michael_Lucas
| alias = Ramzes Kairoff<br />Michel Lucas<br />Michael Lucas
| website = {{URL|michaellucas.com}}
}} }}


'''Michael Lucas''' (born '''Andrei Lvovich Treivas''' ({{langx|ru|link=no| Андрей Львович Трейвас}}), 1972)<ref name="Van Meter" /> is a Russian-]<ref name="haaretz.com">{{Cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/can-gay-porn-save-israel-s-image-1.7471 |title=Can gay porn save Israel's image? |work=] |date=May 17, 2011 |access-date=January 17, 2012|last1= Forward|first1= The}}</ref> businessman, performer, founder, and CEO of ], ]'s largest<ref name="Van Meter" /> gay adult film company.
'''Michael Lucas''' is a ] ]ish ] and the ] of ].<ref name="something Bunder Entertaining">Bunder, Leslie (], ]), , retrieved from www.somethingjewish.co.uk on ], ].</ref> Born '''Andrei Treivas''' in ], ], on ] ], Lucas attended ] in Moscow, graduating with a ] in ].<ref name="Lucas bio"> at www.lucasentertainment.com, retrieved from www.lucasentertainment.com on ], ]</ref> In 1995, Lucas moved to Germany<ref name="Lucas bio" /> and lived in ] for 2 years before moving to the ].<ref name="Oswoski">Oswoski, Kevin (], ]), , ''Yale Daily News'', retrieved from www.yaledailynews.com on ], ].</ref>


The '']'' dubbed Lucas "Gay Porn's ] Kingpin".<ref name="Kerchik">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gay-porns-neocon-kingpin/|title=Gay Porn's Neocon Kingpin|first=James |last=Kirchick|agency=]|website=CBS News |date=March 20, 2006}}</ref> He contends that his film '']'' is the most expensive ] film ever made, with a budget of $250,000 and multiple celebrity ].<ref name="Van Meter" /> In 2009, Lucas was inducted into the ] Hall of Fame, noted for "his stature as an A-list director and performer".<ref name="fame">{{cite web|url=http://business.avn.com/articles/GAYVN-Announces-2009-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees-307129.html|title=GAYVN Announces 2009 Hall of Fame Inductees|first=Harker|last=Jones|website=]|date=March 12, 2009|access-date=October 26, 2010|archive-date=July 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706110137/http://business.avn.com/articles/GAYVN-Announces-2009-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees-307129.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Biography and career==
Lucas started his career as a nude model before he began acting in films, and began his adult film career by appearing in a ] ] ].<ref name="Oswoski" /> Using the name "Michel Lucas", he worked as a ], performing as a ] in five gay pornographic films released in ] and ].<ref>List of videos at the online store with Michel Lucas in the cast. ''Adult images.'' Retrieved from www.falconstudios.com on ], ]</ref>


In 2009, Lucas released what he called his most important film, '']'', which media called a "landmark" film as the first major porn video with an all-]<ref name="Tablet">, Wayne Hoffman, Tablet Magazine, July 21, 2009.</ref> and all-Jewish cast.<ref name="Tablet" /><ref name="Newsweek">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/wealth-of-nations/2009/09/23/gay-porn-mogul-hopes-to-arouse-interest-in-israel.html|title=Gay-Porn Mogul Hopes to Arouse Interest in Israel|first=David|last=Graham|website=]|date=September 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name="DNA"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511100125/http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=8963 |date=May 11, 2009 }}, ''DNA'' magazine, May 9, 2009.</ref>
In 1998 he launched his own production company, Lucas Entertainment, with money he earned from working in ] as a ].<ref name="Oswoski" /> He based the company in ] (rather than ], where many of the other pornography studios are located) to enable him to feature "men representing the diverse ] makeup of New York".<ref name="Oswoski" /> Lucas likens his success in the field of prostitution to his subsequent success in ], saying, "if you’re going to sell sex, do it well. That’s the secret to a successful career as an escort (and the same reason my movies do so well.)".<ref>, "Lucas Blog", retrieved from http://www.lucasblog.com on ] ].</ref>
He filmed his first project as a director, ''Back in the Saddle'', in 1998 as well, and also performed in the film.<ref name="Adam 1999">{{cite book
| last = Lawrence |
| first = Doug, Editor |
| authorlink = |
| coauthors = |
| year = 1998 |
| title = Adam Gay Video 1999 Directory |
| publisher = Knight Publishing Corp. |
| location = Los Angeles, California |
| id = |
}}</ref>
His profile in the ''Adam Gay Video 1999 Directory'' notes that he had a "stunning scene with ] in ''Maximum Cruise''".<ref name="Adam 1999" /> Lucas's performance in ''Fire Island Cruising'' was honored at the 2001 ], where he won "Best Solo Performance".<ref>]</ref>


Lucas is particularly well known for his activism and outspokenness.<ref name="Van Meter" /><ref name="Kerchik" /><ref name="fame" /> Lucas is frequently also controversial; for example, during the 2023 ], Lucas' studio was the target of a boycott which he claimed was ] in nature, after he posted a picture of an Israeli missile signed, on his request, "From Michael Lucas to Gaza".<ref name=ynet1>{{Cite news |last1=Lukash |first1=Alexandra |last2=Cohen |first2=Nir (Shoko) |date=January 24, 2024 |title=Jewish porn producer claims boycotted for supporting Israel |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/bykdof3ya |access-date=February 13, 2024 |work=] |language=en}}</ref>
In 2004 Lucas Distribution, Inc., his adult video distribution company, began operations; in 2005, LucasBlog.com was created, providing Lucas with an online media presence.


== Background ==
In the summer of 2005 Lucas released '']''; the film featured celebrity cameos from ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. He continues to appear in his own films; he is in ''Encounters&mdash;The Point of No Return'' and ''Barcelona Nights'', both released in 2006.<ref name="tla">List of credits at the online video store, retrieved from www.tlavideo.comon ], ]</ref>
]
Lucas was born in Moscow, Russia, to ], an engineer, and Elena Treivas, a ] teacher. He was raised in a secular Jewish family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gay-porns-neocon-kingpin/|title=Gay Porn's Neocon Kingpin|access-date=May 2, 2012|publisher=]|date=September 22, 2009}}</ref> In 1994 he obtained a ] in law from the ].<ref name="Lucas bio" /><ref name="gaypornblog">{{cite web|url=http://www.gaypornblog.com/archives/2005/06/michael_lucas_t.html |title=Michael Lucas: The Gay Porn Blog Interview |access-date=January 10, 2007 |publisher=gaypornblog |date=June 19, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309012751/http://www.gaypornblog.com/archives/2005/06/michael_lucas_t.html |archive-date=March 9, 2007 }}</ref> After graduation, Lucas briefly owned and operated a ] in Russia until 1995.


In 1995, Lucas left for ], Germany, on a tourist visa. Without an official work permit,<ref> edgemedianetwork.com, October 28, 2014</ref> he worked and starred in heterosexual porn.<ref name="advocate.com"> advocate.com, August 6, 2013</ref> He then worked as a nude model and in gay porn for French adult film producer ] in Paris.<ref> depesha.com, August 7, 2013</ref><ref name="Butt">, Gert Jonkers, '']''</ref>
Lucas has a reputation as an outspoken and controversial gay ]. A longtime opponent of drug use and advocate for ], both in the porn industry and the gay community at large, he has taken out full-page ]s in several national ]s. He was ]ed about his ] ] by ] in the ], ], issue of '']''.<ref>{{cite news
Lucas moved to New York City in 1997, where he worked at the ].<ref> queerty.com, April 17, 2009</ref><ref name="Lucas bio"> at www.lucasentertainment.com, retrieved from www.lucasentertainment.com on September 5, 2006</ref><ref name="Oswoski">Oswoski, Kevin (April 22, 2005), {{cite web|url=http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/14236 |title=Adult film producer fleshes out his 'fantasy' at tea |access-date=January 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217165954/http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/14236 |archive-date=December 17, 2007 }}, ''Yale Daily News'', retrieved from www.yaledailynews.com on August 31, 2006.</ref> After a few adult industry jobs in California, he was offered a one-year contract by ] whose producers had seen him in a French Cadinot film. Lucas won a ] through the ].<ref> ''Vice (magazine)'', June 3, 2014</ref> With money saved from his work at Falcon, Lucas founded his own gay porn company in New York, rather than Los Angeles where most American porn companies are headquartered, in 1998.
|first =

|last =
In 2001, Lucas brought his Russian family to the United States.<ref> ''New York'', August 15, 2013</ref> On November 12, 2004, Lucas was sworn in as an American ].<ref name="Lucas bio" /> In October 2008 it was announced that Lucas had married his boyfriend of eight years, Richard Winger.<ref name="Gawk">" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327214953/http://gawker.com/5064078/gay-porn-impresario-michael-lucas-married |date=March 27, 2009 }}". ]. October 15, 2008.</ref> A press release stated that the couple wanted to marry to make a statement about ] rights.<ref name="Gawk" /> In 2014 Lucas announced he and Winger divorced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sunderland |first=Mitchell |date=June 3, 2014 |title=The Immigrant Who Conquered Porn and Became One of the Most Powerful Gay Men in New York |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/9bzqzp/body-of-an-american-0000320-v21n5 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>
|author =

|coauthors =
== Career ==
|title = The actor and the porn star

|url = http://www.advocate.com/toc_w_ektid920.asp
=== Actor ===
|format =
Lucas began his career in a German heterosexual ].<ref name="Oswoski" /> While in France, he worked under the influential French director ],<ref>Dunn, Rick (April 27, 2005), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923233652/http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=movies&sc2=features&sc3=&id=495 |date=September 23, 2015 }}, retrieved from www.edgeboston.com on January 16, 2007</ref> appearing as "Ramzes Kairoff" in two gay pornographic films, both released in 1996.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} Using the name "Michel Lucas," he worked as a ], performing as a ] in five films released in 1997 and 1998.<ref>List of videos at the {{cite web |url=http://www.falconstudios.com/shop/showBiggerList.do?websiteName=falconstore&searchResults=true&searchTopic=Michel+Lucas&sectionName=shop_default&groupName=shop_default |title=Falcon Studio |access-date=September 10, 2016}} online store with Michel Lucas in the cast. ''Adult images''. Retrieved from www.falconstudios.com on September 3, 2006</ref> Lucas went on to perform for his owned-and-operated gay adult studio, ], where he currently stars in scenes and films.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michael Lucas |url=https://www.lucasentertainment.com/models/view/michael_lucas |access-date=February 25, 2024 |website=Lucas Entertainment - Official Website |language=en}}</ref>
|work =

|publisher = Advocate.com &copy; Planet Out Inc.
=== Director ===
|pages =
He directed his first project, ''Back in the Saddle'', in 1998, and also performed in the film.<ref name="Adam 1999">{{cite book
|page =
| editor-last = Lawrence
|date = ], ]
| editor-first = Doug
|accessdate = 2006-09-03
| year = 1998
|language = English
| title = Adam Gay Video 1999 Directory
| publisher = Knight Publishing Corp.
| location = Los Angeles, California
}}</ref> With co-director Tony DiMarco, Lucas won Best Director at the 2007 ] Awards for '']''. DiMarco and Lucas also won a 2008 ] Award for Best GLBT Director, and Lucas received an award for Best Publicity Stunt for "Michael Lucas Found Dead".<ref name="Xbiz">{{cite web|url=http://www.xbizawards.com/winners.php |title=X Biz Award Winners |publisher=Xbizawards.com |access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref>

The ''Banana Guide'' called his productions the most polished, big-budget gay porn films ever made and cited Lucas' love for the subject and high technical aptitude.<ref name="Banana">, ''The Banana Guide'', June 2009.</ref>

Since the founding of Lucas Entertainment, Lucas has gone on to direct over 400 adult films for his studio.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LucasEntertainment.com (All Lucas Movies) |url=https://www.lucasentertainment.com/movies/ |access-date=July 12, 2022 |website=Lucas Entertainment}}</ref>

== Lucas Entertainment ==
], 2014]]
{{main|Lucas Entertainment}}
In 1998, Lucas founded his own production company, ].<ref name="Oswoski" /> He based the company in New York City.<ref name="Mao">Mao, Tien (June 21, 2006), {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308011640/http://gothamist.com/2006/06/21/michael_lucas_c.php |date=March 8, 2009 }}. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from www.gothamist.com</ref> In 2004, Lucas Distribution, Inc., his adult video distribution company, began operations. Lucas directs, produces and stars in his own films under the Lucas Entertainment banner. His studio has garnered many ]<ref name="edgeboston.com">{{cite web |last=Israel |first=Robert |url=http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ci=108&ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=18431 |title=Michael Lucas' 'La Dolce Vita' Sets GAYVN Record |publisher=Edgeboston.com |date=February 26, 2007 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002355/http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ci=108&ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=18431 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ] ("Grabbys") nominations and wins{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}}.

In the summer of 2005 Lucas released '']''; the film featured celebrity cameos from ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834930/plotsummary|title=The Making of Michael Lucas' 'Dangerous Liaisons' (Video 2006)|publisher=] }}</ref>

The company received 24 nominations for the 2009 ] Awards, including best picture for ''Return to Fire Island''. That May, Lucas filmed the first gay porn film using all Israeli models, billing it as a sexual journey to promote Israeli culture.<ref name="Gawk2">" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615041240/http://gawker.com/5245068/sensitive-gay-porn-technology-smuggled-to-israel |date=June 15, 2009 }}". Ryan Tate, ''Gawker''. May 8, 2009.</ref> The company launched its ''Men of Israel'' website to promote the film, which announced its release for July 22.

Lucas was included in a 2009 '']'' magazine feature about people who made it to the top, despite arriving in the city with very little.<ref name="top"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401105356/http://nymag.com/news/features/56014/index6.html |date=April 1, 2012 }}, '']'', April 10, 2009.</ref>

=== Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita ===
{{main|Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita}}
In 2006, the studio released ''] Parts 1 & 2'', a ] ] of the 1960 ] classic '']''.<ref name="tla">List of credits at the online video store, retrieved from www.tlavideo.com January 9, 2007</ref> The film won a record fourteen awards at the 2007 ], winning in every category in which it was nominated.<ref name="edgeboston.com" />

In February 2007, International Media Films, Inc., which owns the ] to Fellini's ''La Dolce Vita'', filed ] against Lucas (as Andrei Treivas Bregman), Lucas Entertainment, Inc., and Lucas Distribution, Inc. for ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal| date=February 15, 2007 | title=Copy of Complaint| journal=Online.WSJ.com/Public/Resources/Documents |url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/021507ladolce.pdf}}</ref> The lawsuit seeks to collect unspecified ] and to stop sales of ''Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita Parts 1 & 2''.<ref>{{cite journal | date=April 27, 2007 |title=Transcript of judge's ruling| journal=Online.WSJ.com/Public/Resources/Documents | url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/lucas0505.pdf}}</ref>

Lucas won the lawsuit in April 2010 in a ] by Judge John George Koeltl, who dismissed IMF's claims of copyright infringement, since many porn films have parodied mainstream films.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubinkam |first=Michael |url=http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=104679 |title=Edge Boston April 2010 article about lawsuit |publisher=Edgeboston.com |date=April 19, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306082339/http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=104679 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Documentary filmmaker==
Lucas has also worked as a documentarian.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 20, 2014 |title=WATCH: Porn Star To Release Documentary About How Hard It Is To Be Gay In Russia |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-lucas-documentary-gay-russia_n_4816848 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> In 2012, he released his first documentary film about the thriving Israeli LGBT community. Titled '']'',<ref name="haaretz">{{cite news |url= http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/culture-fop/culture-fop-don-t-worry-israel-the-king-of-gay-porn-is-behind-you.premium-1.502747 |author= Brian Schaefer |title= Culture Fop / Don't worry, Israel, the king of gay porn is behind you |publisher= Haaretz (in English) |date= February 11, 2013 |access-date= October 7, 2016 }}</ref> the film includes footage of Tel Aviv's vibrant nightlife, a same-sex wedding, and candid interviews with a diverse range of local Israeli gays and lesbians, including a gay MP, an openly gay Army trainer, a drag queen, a transvestite, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and same-sex parents raising their children and a number of artists and activists. In 2014, Lucas released his second documentary, ''Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda,'' which investigates the current anti-gay climate in Russian politics and society.<ref>Breaking Glass Pictures | Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda | http://bgpics.com/index.php/template-styles/new-releases/item/235-campaign-of-hate {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624151622/http://bgpics.com/index.php/template-styles/new-releases/item/235-campaign-of-hate |date=June 24, 2016 }}</ref>

== Writer, speaker and activist ==
{{rquote|right|''I couldn't talk about anything in Russia. I was growing up in a very strict regime. But I rebelled.''|'''Michael Lucas'''<ref name="Musto" />}}
In the 2000s, Lucas attracted attention for his views on politics and culture through a series of columns, speaking events and his increasing activism. He is a vocal opponent of drug use and an advocate for ], both in the porn industry and the gay community at large. In August 2004, '']'' published an interview by ] with Lucas about his full-page ]s in several national publications warning of the dangers of unprotected sex.<ref name="advocate">{{cite journal
| last = Kennedy
| first = Sean
| title = Porn star wants you ... safe
| journal = Advocate.com Planet Out Inc.
| volume = 920
| issue = 37–39
| pages = 37–39
| date = August 17, 2004
| issn = 0001-8996}}</ref>

Increasingly Lucas gained attention for his politics, and in particular his views on Israel and Muslims. In March 2008 he was profiled in '']'' as "Gay porn's neocon kingpin". The article explored his background and a controversy over his writings on ] that surrounded a lecture he gave at ].<ref name="Kerchik" />

In an interview with ] in April 2009, Lucas remarked that his stifled upbringing in ] influenced how vocal he is about his opinions.<ref name="Musto"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518100941/http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-04-22/columns/the-naked-truth-about-porn-prince-michael-lucas/2 |date=May 18, 2009 }}, ], '']'', April 21, 2009</ref>

Lucas wrote about the need for LGBT people to reassess conservatives in August 2010, citing ] as an example of a gay-friendly conservative leader.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120716143740/http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_It_Takes_a_Coulter/ |date=July 16, 2012 }}, Michael Lucas, ''The Advocate'', August 24, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2011</ref>

=== Columnist ===
On April 20, 2007, '']'' began to publish regular opinion columns by Lucas, who had previously had a number of comments published in the Blade's opinion section.<ref>{{cite journal| date=April 20, 2007|author=Michael Lucas | title=When gays don't attack |journal=]|url=http://nyblade.com/2007/4-20/viewpoint/opinion/| url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026094626/http://nyblade.com/2007/4-20/viewpoint/opinion/|archive-date=October 26, 2007}}</ref> In October 2009, Lucas wrote a column for '']'' decrying the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism.<ref name="Advocate2">, Michael Lucas, ''The Advocate'', October 5, 2009.</ref> In March 2010 Lucas began writing a column for ''The Advocate''. His columns have focused on Israel,<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026151435/http://advocate.com/Society/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_Europes_Trouble_with_Israel/ |date=October 26, 2010 }}, Michael Lucas, ''The Advocate''</ref> Russia's confronting homosexuality,<ref>{{cite web|last=Lucas |first=Michael |url=http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_Russias_Struggle_to_Demonstrate_Pride/ |title=Russia's Struggle to Demonstrate Pride |publisher=Advocate.com |date=May 30, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220022700/http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_Russias_Struggle_to_Demonstrate_Pride/ |archive-date=December 20, 2011 }}</ref> and the ] controversy.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026151540/http://advocate.com/Society/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_The_Monument_to_Muslim_Terrorism/ |date=October 26, 2010 }}.</ref> In 2011 he started writing a column for Huffington Post. As of 2024, Lucas has also contributed opinion writing to ''The Jerusalem Post''.<ref name="jpost.com">{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2024 |title=I am a Jew who owns a gay porn company, and I want you to come to Israel |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-783743 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Islam ====
His writings on ] have been controversial.<ref>{{cite journal| date=June 1, 2007|author=Faisal Alam | title=Fanning Flames of Fear, Hatred Against Muslims |journal=]|url=http://nyblade.com/2007/6-1/viewpoint/opinion/| url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604163015/http://nyblade.com/2007/6-1/viewpoint/opinion/|archive-date=June 4, 2007}}</ref> In a 2007 '']'' column, Lucas expressed support for artist Charles Merrill's burning of a Koran that was estimated at $60,000.<ref name="Kerchik" /><ref name="Burn Koran">{{cite journal| date=August 3, 2007|author=Michael Lucas | title=Burn the Koran? It's Gay Artwork |journal=]|url=http://nyblade.com/2007/8-3/viewpoint/opinion/koran.cfm| url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504040319/http://nyblade.com/2007/8-3/viewpoint/opinion/koran.cfm|archive-date=May 4, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=August 3, 2007 |author=Michael Lucas |title=Religion, Sexuality, and Art |journal=World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews |url=http://www.glbtjews.org/article.php3?id_article=482 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918014809/http://www.glbtjews.org/article.php3?id_article=482 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2007 }}</ref> He has condemned Islam and accused it of creating negative attitudes that lead to the persecution of homosexuals and discrimination of women.

As a columnist for '']'', Lucas continued to explore Islamic topics. In a heavily debated column,<ref name="Edge">, Joseph Erbentraut, Edge Boston, October 5, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2011</ref> he called the ], a proposed Islamic community center and mosque controversially located near the ], a 'monument to Muslim terrorism' and an example of "political Islam's ascendancy."<ref name="Monument"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026151540/http://advocate.com/Society/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_The_Monument_to_Muslim_Terrorism/ |date=October 26, 2010 }}, Michael Lucas, ''The Advocate'', August 9, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2011</ref> After the ] he wrote that the ] would fill a power vacuum, asserting that it would be a problem for the discreet ] that has lived with relatively little government persecution.<ref name="Egypt"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611025834/http://www.advocate.com/Society/Commentary/Michael_Lucas_on_Myth_of_Democracy_in_Egypt/ |date=June 11, 2011 }}, Michael Lucas, ''The Advocate'', January 31, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011</ref>

=== University lectures ===
In April 2005, Lucas was invited to speak before a ] Master's Tea at ]. The speech was organized with the assistance of gaYalies, a campus group for gay and ] men.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/lgbt/gayalies.html |title=GAYalies |date=February 2, 2009 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001209231600/http://www.yale.edu/lgbt/gayalies.html |archive-date=December 9, 2000 }}</ref> He spoke about his life history and his views on pornography.<ref name="Oswoski" /> In February 2006 he participated in a ] on adult entertainment that was sponsored by the ''Yale Journal of Law and Feminism'', which later published Lucas' discussion in its Spring issue.<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Lucas
| first = Michael
| title = On Gay Porn
| journal = Yale Journal of Law and Feminism
| volume = 18
| issue = 299
| date =Spring 2006
}}</ref> }}</ref>


The Speakers Bureau at ] invited Lucas to speak in Cubberley Auditorium on February 14, 2008, about the role the adult entertainment industry plays in AIDS prevention.<ref name="Stan1">{{cite web|url=http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/14/adultFilmStarsRemarksSparkDebate |title=Adult film star's remarks spark debate |access-date=October 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216000624/http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/14/adultFilmStarsRemarksSparkDebate |archive-date=February 16, 2008 }}, Kelly Fong, February 14, 2008, '']''.</ref> The appearance sparked debate about his political columns for the '']'', particularly his assertions that "the ] is today's '']''" and that its teachings inspire ] to kill ].<ref name="Stan1" />
On ], ], Lucas was sworn in as an ] ].<ref name="Lucas bio" /> That same year, he appeared in ]' book ''XXX: 30 Porn Star Photographs''.<ref name="XXX30">{{cite book
| last = Greenfield-Sanders |
| first = Timothy, Photographer |
| authorlink = |
| coauthors = Introduction: ]; Essays: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] |
| year = 2005 |
| title = XXX 30 Porn-Star Portraits |
| publisher = Bulfinch Press | <!-- This is not a typo; there is only one "l" in Bulfinch -->
| location = New York, New York |
| id = ISBN 0821277545
}}
</ref>
and the accompanying ] documentary ''Thinking XXX''.<ref>{{cite video
| people = Greenfield-Sanders, Timothy, Director |
| title = Thinking XXX |
| medium = TV Documentary |
| publisher = HBO |
| location = |
| date = 2004 }}
</ref> The 10 films he listed as his favorites to Greenfield-Sanders are all films from his own production company.


Lucas, who grew up in the ] and experienced its ] and ], was on a panel at ] on the state of gay rights and acceptability in Eastern Europe.<ref>, New School press release, April 19, 2011.</ref>
Lucas was invited to speak at a Master's Tea at ] ] in April 2005. At the Tea, organized with assistance from ],<ref>&mdash;"a discussion and social group for gay, bisexual and questioning men"</ref> he spoke to a group of about 50 students about his life history and his views on the porn industry in general.<ref name="Oswoski" /> In February 2006 he participated in a symposium on "Sex for Sale" sponsored by the ''Yale Journal of Law and Feminism''.<ref>''Yale Journal of Law and Feminism'',, ], ]</ref> His remarks, "On Gay Porn", were published in the ''Journal''.<ref>{{cite journal |
| last = Lucas |
| first = Michael |
| authorlink = |
| coauthors = |
| title = On Gay Porn |
| journal = Yale Journal of Law and Feminism |
| volume = Vol. 18 |
| issue = p. 299 |
| pages = |
| publisher = |
| date = Spring 2006 |
| url = |
| doi = |
| id = |
| accessdate = }}
</ref>


===Activism===
An article published at www.somethingjewish.co.uk reporting on Lucas's August 2006 planned trip to ], "Entertaining gay Israeli troops",<ref name="something Bunder Entertaining" /> was also published at wwww.ynetnews.com, where it received negative comments in the article's "Talkbacks" section.<ref name="ynet Bunder Entertaining">Bunder, Leslie (], ]), : "Talkbacks", retrieved from www.ynetnews.com on ], ].</ref> His plans to visit Israel and the publicity surrounding it were also attacked, but in a follow-up article, "Lucas responds", Lucas said that the trip would not be cancelled; he went on to characterize some of the responses to the announcement of his trip to Israel as "]".<ref name="something Bunder Responds">Bunder, Leslie (], ]), , retrieved from www.somethingjewish.co.uk on ], ].</ref> He also responded to the criticism by creating an entry at his ], "Dear friends and fellow Jews", in which he wrote, "I can't believe that some of us can be so intolerant, especially to gay people!"<ref>Lucas, Michael (], ]), , retrieved from www.lucasblog.com on ], ]</ref> Lucas himself, however, has demonstrated a lack of tolerance for others. In another entry on his blog about a trip he made to ], Lucas published a photo of a young boy standing next to a ]. He captioned the photo, "A reminder for ]s not to forget to send their ] ]s to ]. This can be found everywhere in Peru. You can see how this little boy is moaning for the ] ] ]." Another photo, of a painting of the ] ], is captioned, "All of these ]s I visited had all of these pictures of these crucafixes. The worldwide obsession with this skinny Jewish ] enjoying himself on the ] 'for all our ]s' bores the shit out of me."<ref>Lucas, Michael (], ]), , retrieved from www.lucasblog.com on ], ]</ref>
Lucas' criticism of ] and his sponsorship of public service ]s about the dangers of ] in the ] led ] to interview him for '']''.<ref name="advocate" /> His '']'' columns on ] and ] sparked a campus debate at ] in February 2008 when Lucas was invited to give a speech to students.<ref name="Stan1" /> In 2010, he debated ] and ] at England's ] on whether the gay rights movement has undermined ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/177376/Porn-actor-Michael-Lucas-to-speak-at-Oxford-University%20Porn-actor-Michael-Lucas-to-speak-at-Oxford-UniversityPorn-actor-Michael-Lucas-to-speak-at-Oxford-University |title=Porn Actor Michael Lucas To Speak at Oxford University |work=Daily Express |date=May 27, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref>


==== Documentarian ====
==Credits==
''The following represents the bulk of Lucas's work; it is an incomplete list.''<ref name="tla" >List of credits at the online video store, retrieved from www.tlavideo.comon ], ] </ref>
===Film:===
====Cast (as Michel Lucas)====
(All films by ], ], director)
{|
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Basic Plumbing 2'' (Falcon Pac 118), 1998
* ''The Chosen'' (Falcon Pac 111), 1997
* ''High Tide'' (Falcon Pac 112), 1997
| valign="top" width=2 |
<br>
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Maximum Cruise'' (Jocks Pac 079), 1997
* ''Red Alert'' (Falcon Pac 115), 1998
|}
====Cast (as Michael Lucas)====
(Director as well; all films by ])
{|
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Apartments'', 2003
* ''Back in the Saddle'', 1999
* ''Barcelona Nights'', 2006
* ''Director's Uncut'', 2001
* ''Encounters: The Point of No Return'', 2006, ], ], additional directors
* ''Fire Island Cruising 1'', 2000
* ''Fire Island Cruising 2 (Boys on Fire)'', 2001
* ''Fire Island Cruising 3&ndash;8'', 2002&ndash;2006
* ''Hunt & Plunge'', 2000&ndash;2003, ], additional director (compilation&nbsp;with&nbsp;additional&nbsp;original&nbsp;material)
* ''Inside Paris'', 2002
* ''Lifestyles'', 2001
* ''Lost (Wilfried Knight)'', 2004
* ''Love for Sale'', 1999
* ''Lucas Entertainment Portfolio'', 1999&ndash;2003 (compilation)
* ''Lucas On Top'', 2002
* ''Manhattan Heat'', 2004
| valign="top" width=2 |
<br>
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 1&ndash;Vol. 6'', 2004&ndash;2005
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 7: Barcelona'', 2006
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 8: Scandalous'', 2006
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 10'', 2006
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 12'', 2006
* ''Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons'', 2005
* ''Michael Lucas' Top to Bottom'', 2000
* ''Michael Lucas' Uncovered'', 2002
* ''Michael Lucas' Vengeance'', 2001
* ''Michael Lucas' Vengeance 2'', 2003
* ''More Dangerous: The Making of Michael&nbsp;Lucas' Dangerous&nbsp;Liaisons'', 2005&ndash;2006
* ''Pick of the Pack'', 2002
* ''Shooting Stars'', 1999
* ''Straight to Prague'', 2005
* ''Strangers of the Night'', 2003
* ''To Moscow with Love Part 2'', 2002
* ''To Moscow with Love'', 2001
|}


2012 marked another turning point in Lucas' career—he released his first documentary film, "]." The official film synopsis explains Lucas' mission in creating the film: "When many people think of Israel, it is often in terms of modern war or ancient religion. But there is much more to the Jewish state than missiles and prayers. In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, adult-film entrepreneur and political columnist Michael Lucas examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked: its thriving gay community. Undressing Israel features interviews with a diverse range of local men, including a gay member of Israel's parliament, a trainer who served openly in the army, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and a pair of dads raising their kids. Lucas also visits Tel Aviv's vibrant nightlife scene—and even attends a same-sex wedding—in this guided tour of a country that has emerged as a pioneer for gay integration and equality."<ref>Undressing Israel (Official Website) http://www.undressingisrael-themovie.com/</ref> Lucas released his second documentary, "]," in 2014 with co-director and co-producer Scott Stern.
====Director (additional films)====
(All films by Lucas Entertainment)
{|
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Encounters 3: Flash Point'', 2006
* ''Filming ]'', 2005&ndash;2006
* ''Getting Around'', 2000
| valign="top" width=2 |
<br>
| valign="top" width=450 |
* ''Michael Lucas' Auditions Vol. 11'', 2006
* ''Michael Lucas' Restless'', 2000
* ''Sexual Infidelity'', 1999
|}
====Screenwriter====
(Cast and director as well; all films by Lucas Entertainment)
* ''Hunt & Plunge'', 2000&ndash;2003''
* ''Michael Lucas' Vengeance'', 2001
====Producer====
{All films by Lucas Entertainment}
* ''Encounters: The Heat of the Moment'', 2006
* ''Encounters 3: Flash Point'', 2006
* ''More Dangerous: The Making of Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons'', 2005&ndash;2006
===Live event:===
* ''Directors Summit'', 2003, 9th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Fest, ], ], ], Michael&nbsp;Lucas, ], and ], participating directors
===Model:===
* ''XXX 30 Porn-Star Portraits'', Greenfield-Sanders, Timothy, photographer, 2005, Bulfinch Press , New York, NY
* ''Adam Gay Video 2005 Directory'', Lawrence, Doug, Editor-in-Chief, 2004, Knight Publishing Corp., Los Angeles, CA


==References== ==== PrEP ====
In 2013 Lucas wrote an op-ed column at '']'' where he discussed his use of ] (which he began using in June of that year), the medication used as a ] (PrEP) to prevent contracting the HIV virus. In his column Lucas wrote:{{Blockquote|The more I learn about PrEP, the more shocked I'm becoming that gay men are not shouting from the rooftops about this potential game changer in the fight to prevent new HIV infections, which we're losing badly. I'm ready to shout about it. Here's what helped convince me: Dr. Robert Grant of UCSF, the researcher who led the multinational study on PrEP, was quoted at an AIDS conference as saying that 'No one in iPrEx acquired HIV infection with a drug level that would have been expected with daily dosing.' Was this really possible? Whether they used condoms or not, people who took ], as prescribed, were protected from the virus?<ref>"" ''Out.com'', 24 July 2013.</ref>}}
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==See also==
Lucas continues to advocate the use and understanding of PrEP in an effort to end the AIDS epidemic. In September 2015 he created his first public-service announcement where he explains the importance of PrEP.<ref>"Michael Lucas Supports the Use of PrEP" (Youtube.com) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O08sbPW8v8</ref> In September 2015 he followed up with his original ''Out.com'' writing by saying that PrEP works, and the backlash against the medication's use needs to stop. Lucas wrote the following in his column: "Despite all the attempted distractions, the focus must remain on the simple message in the new study: If you take PrEP, you will not get HIV. Period. It is time to wake up, stop the endless debating, and take action. The war against HIV rages on, and when scientists actually win a battle, we must avail ourselves of the powerful weapon they have developed."<ref>"". ''Out.com,'' 12 September 2015.</ref> On February 24, 2016, PrEP was formally approved in Israel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.logotv.com/news/valdkv/israel-approves-prep-prime-minister-addresses-lgbt-rights-at-knesset|title=Israel Approves PrEP, Prime Minister Addresses LGBT Rights At Knesset|website=logotv.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qnews.com.au/israel-approves-prep-to-fight-hiv/|title=ISRAEL APPROVES PREP TO FIGHT HIV - Q News|website=qnews.com.au|date=February 24, 2016}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
==== Israel ====
* ]
{{see also|Men of Israel}}
].<ref name="LAB">, ''Los Angeles Times'' blog, July 27, 2009.</ref>]]
The core of Lucas' ] is his ], and particularly his deep affinity for the state of Israel.<ref name="Kerchik" /> His time growing up in the ], which was notorious for its ], meant that like many ], Lucas had to repress his identity. Lucas has claimed that he was given his mother's maiden name at birth specifically because ''Treivas'' sounded less Jewish than his father's surname ''Bregman''.

]'s attacks in the ] affected Lucas, who in the midst of the fighting announced his plans to go to Israel to entertain gay soldiers (who are ] in the military).<ref name="something Bunder Entertaining">Bunder, Leslie (August 18, 2006), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605050513/http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1979_entertaining_gay_isr.htm |date=June 5, 2011 }}, retrieved from www.somethingjewish.co.uk on September 3, 2006.</ref><ref name="ynet Bunder Entertaining">Bunder, Leslie (August 19, 2006), : "Talkbacks", retrieved from www.ynetnews.com on September 5, 2006.</ref> Lucas received a positive response to the trip; however, some religious segments of Israeli society had expressed less enthusiasm for the arrival of a gay porn magnate. In an article, "Lucas responds," Lucas characterized some of the reaction as ] and in an interview said, "Israel is my country as much as it is yours. To come to Israel is my ]."<ref name="something Bunder Responds">Bunder, Leslie (August 24, 2006), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216023556/http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1985_lucas_responds.htm |date=December 16, 2006 }}, retrieved from www.somethingjewish.co.uk on September 3, 2006.</ref><ref>Lucas, Michael (August 23, 2006), {{cite web|url=http://www.lucasblog.com/archives/2006/08/dear_friends_an.html |title=Dear friends and fellow Jews |access-date=September 27, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107005109/http://www.lucasblog.com/archives/2006/08/dear_friends_an.html |archive-date=November 7, 2006 }}, retrieved from www.lucasblog.com on September 5, 2006</ref> In September 2009, Lucas was granted Israeli citizenship.<ref name="haaretz.com" /> In 2010, he renounced his Russian citizenship.<ref name="advocate.com" />

Lucas followed his production ''Men of Israel'' with a gay tour of Israel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burns |first=Steven |url=http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Travel/Michael_Lucas_Wants_to_Take_You_to_Israel/ |title=Michael Lucas Wants to Take You To Israel |publisher=Advocate.com |date=March 9, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313154613/http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Travel/Michael_Lucas_Wants_to_Take_You_to_Israel/ |archive-date=March 13, 2010 }}</ref>

The next summer in a ''New York Blade'' column Lucas brought up his disapproval of ] in Israel once again. In "Trouble With Ultra-Orthodox," Lucas referred to the Ultra-Orthodox community in ] as "religious goons" and parasites for his belief that they take advantage of state welfare programs.<ref>{{cite journal| date=June 6, 2007|author=Michael Lucas | title=Trouble With Ultra-Orthodox |journal=]|url=http://www.nyblade.com/2007/7-6/viewpoint/opinion/lucas.cfm| url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020085104/http://www.nyblade.com/2007/7-6/viewpoint/opinion/lucas.cfm|archive-date=October 20, 2007}}</ref>

====New York LGBT Community Center====
In February 2011, Lucas created a controversy over a pro-Palestinian group that planned to hold a meeting at New York's ]. The group, Siegebusters, had planned to hold a fundraising party on March 5 at the center to help fund another vessel to break the ], as well as to train activists.<ref name="dailygay"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727235152/http://daily.gay.com/hot_topics/2011/02/michael-lucas-calls-for-boycott-of-lgbt-center.html |date=July 27, 2011 }}, Duncan Osbourne, Gay.com news, February 2011</ref><ref name="advcenter">, '']'', February 22, 2011.</ref><ref name="jpostcent">, Gil Shefler and Benjamine Weinthal, '']'', February 24, 2004.</ref> Lucas protested and claimed that ] in the ], that the group was ], and that LGBT people in the ] are tortured and killed. After Lucas's calls for a boycott, the Center backed down and decided that Siegebusters was not an LGBT-related group, and so they should not use their space for the ] event.<ref name="dailygay" /><ref name="advcenter" /><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007212520/http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/135615/ |date=October 7, 2011 }}, Michael Kaminer, '']'', February 23, 2011.</ref> Siegebusters protested the decision by organizing an ]; Lucas told '']'' that his success with the event's cancellation was a "landmark moment" in his life.<ref name="jpostcent" />

The controversy arose again in May 2011 after the center agreed to let the group ] meet in their building, triggering Lucas to again call for a boycott and an end to the center's funding.<ref name="Bee">{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Michael Lucas press release, PR Newswire via '']'', March 26, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2011</ref><ref name="JTGcent"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529065421/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/05/26/3087900/gay-community-center-criticized-for-renting-space-to-anti-israel-group |date=May 29, 2011 }}, '']'', May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011</ref> In a statement defending the move, the center said that it "provides space for a variety of LGBT voices in our community to engage in conversations on a range of topics."<ref name="JTGcent" /> In a press release, Lucas responded that the center had become an accomplice of an "anti-Semitic hate group whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel".<ref name="Bee" /> In the beginning of June 2011, the center decided to place a "moratorium" on renting space to "groups that organize around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."<ref>{{cite web|last=Weinthal |first=Benjamin |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=223627 |title=New York LGBT center ejects Queers Against Israel Apartheid |date=December 7, 2011 |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref>

==Controversy==
===Endorsement of rocket used to bomb Gaza===
]
On December 16, 2023, former ] / ] fighter ] tweeted a photo of Israeli rockets on which IDF soldiers had written his name and those of others speaking out against alleged IDF war crimes in Gaza.<ref>{{cite web |title=The IDF is writing my name and others who are speaking out against their evils on missiles. This is a clear threat to our lives and on missile I'm being forced to pay for with my tax dollars. |url=https://x.com/jakeshieldsajj/status/1736086606585745610?s=20 |website=@jakeshieldsajj on X (formerly Twitter) |access-date=February 25, 2024 |date=December 16, 2023}}</ref> Lucas, who was in Israel at the time, responded to the tweet, attaching a photo of an Israeli rocket signed "From Michael Lucas to Gaza" and writing:<blockquote>Hahaha I actually asked to write my name. Got a pic before and after. Did you get them too? Amazing difference!</blockquote>Lucas later claimed that a female friend of his, an IDF soldier, had written his name on the bomb.<ref name="jpost.com"/>

Lucas told Israeli channel ] that he believed that the boycott was due to antisemitism, rather than, as many critics stated, that the missile was likely to kill Palestinian civilians: "I'm the only Jewish owner of an adult company in the gay side of the industry. So is it a coincidence that I'm being boycotted?"<ref name=ynet1/>

In an article for the American Jewish magazine '']'', Ross Anderson questions if pro-Palestine adult film performers are using the Israel–Hamas conflict as a means of gaining popularity and earning new followers. Meanwhile, Anderson points out that Lucas is the only Jewish owner of a traditional gay adult studio, has directed and produced hundreds of films, and is an industry veteran with a place in the GayVN Hall of Fame. Anderson goes on to note that Lucas operates his company, Lucas Entertainment, in the "pre-influencer model of the porn economy," writing the following: " films that require actors and a crew to produce. His comments have made his name better known—unintentionally, of course—but only insofar as he is becoming a notorious pariah in the porn industry for his stance on Israel."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Ross |date=February 21, 2024 |title=Porn for Palestine |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/porn-for-palestine |website=Tablet magazine}}</ref>

On December 24, 2023, porn star Sean Xavier, who had previously worked with Lucas Entertainment, wrote on X:<ref name="advocate-gaza">{{cite news |last=Adamczeski |first=Ryan |date=January 3, 2024 |title=Gay adult film producer Michael Lucas faces boycott after signing bomb 'to Gaza' |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/michael-lucas-boycott-gaza-bomb |access-date=January 27, 2024 |work=] |language=en}}</ref><blockquote>
I find both saddening and reprehensible. For those that are inquiring, I will no longer be promoting my work with that studio, nor accepting future offers to work with them.</blockquote>

===Removing pro-LGBTQ-Palestinian flag===
In June 2024, the gay activist group ] removed a flag honoring House Representative ], who is the first openly gay member of Congress with black and Latino heritage, from an area recognizing the contributions of LGBTQ history makers in ]' Trailblazer Park. ACT-UP replaced it with two flags of its own, one of which was in recognition of queer ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stack |first=Liam |date=2024-06-22 |title=The Gaza War Is Dividing the L.G.B.T.Q. Community |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/22/nyregion/gaza-war-lgbtq-community.html |access-date=2024-08-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Lucas removed the pro-Palestinian flag in response. As in the reaction to the missile-related boycott, he stated his belief that the motivation was "classic, textbook antisemitism," as opposed to Israel's (per the ICJ) war crimes and killing of tens of thousands of civilians. Lucas went on to question why, according to him, ACT-UP is "quiet" on incidents of "abuse" of and "danger" to gay people in Arab countries, but "rant about a war started by Hamas they know nothing about, simply because it involves Jews." Lucas recorded himself carrying a ladder to Trailblazer Park, removing the flag (which included the ACT-UP slogan '']''), and tossing it into a trash bin. The written caption Lucas included with the video stated “we don’t need Hamas propaganda dividing us. Otherwise, this open and diverse community will be to Jews."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C7y_Um6RLLz/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=www.instagram.com}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Lucas appeared in ]' 2004 book ''XXX: 30 Porn Star Photographs''<ref name="XXX30">{{cite book
| last = Greenfield-Sanders
| first = Timothy, photographer
| year = 2005
| title = XXX 30 Porn-Star Portraits
| publisher = Bulfinch Press
| location = New York City
| isbn = 978-0-8212-7754-6}}</ref>
and the accompanying ] documentary '']''.<ref>{{Cite AV media
| people = Greenfield-Sanders, Timothy, director | title = Thinking XXX | medium = TV Documentary | publisher = HBO |year= 2004 }}</ref>
Greenfield-Sanders asked Lucas for a list of his ten favorite films; the ten films he listed are all films from his own production company. In May 2007, ] published ''Naked: The Life and Times of Michael Lucas'', a biography of Lucas.<ref>{{cite book | title=Naked: The Life and Pornography of Michael Lucas | author=Corey Taylor | year=2007 | publisher=Kensington Books | isbn=978-0-7582-1750-9 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/nakedlifepornogr00tayl }}</ref> Lucas asserts the book was published without his involvement or approval.<ref>Lucas, Michael (May 2007), {{cite web|url=http://www.lucasblog.com/archives/2007/05/about_that_book.html |title=About That Book |access-date=June 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602174304/http://www.lucasblog.com/archives/2007/05/about_that_book.html |archive-date=June 2, 2007 }} retrieved from www.lucasblog.com on May 2007</ref>

== Awards ==
* 2000 ] ("Grabbys") '''Best Newcomer—Director'''
* 2001 ] '''Best Solo Performance''', ''Fire Island Cruising''
* 2007 ] '''Best Actor''', ''Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita''
* 2007 ] '''Best Threesome''', ''Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita''
* 2007 ] '''Best Director''', ''Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita'' (Tony DiMarco, co-director)
* 2008 ] '''GLBT Director of the Year''' (with Tony DiMarco)<ref name="xbizwinners">, '']'', February 2011</ref>
* 2008 ] '''Publicity Stunt of the Year''', ''Michael Lucas Found Dead''<ref name="xbizwinners" />
* 2009 ] '''GayVN Hall of Fame'''

== Filmography ==

=== Adult films ===
A complete list of film performance and model credits can be found at Lucas Entertainment.com, including those directed, written or produced by Lucas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lucasentertainment.com/ |title=Lucas Entertainment |publisher=Lucas Entertainment |access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref>

=== Documentaries ===
* 2012: '']'' <small>(written, produced, directed)</small> – co-directed by ]
* 2014: '']'' – co-directed and produced with Scott Stern

== See also ==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Pornography}}
{{Commons category|Michael Lucas (director)|Michael Lucas}}
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Pornography}}
* {{official website|http://www.lucasblog.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|1027468|Michael Lucas}}
* {{Adult Film Database name|id=24362|gender=male|name=Michael Lucas}}
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Latest revision as of 20:02, 22 December 2024

Russian-American producer, actor and pornographic film director This article is about the American filmmaker of gay porn. For the Australian filmmaker, see The Newsreader. For other uses, see Michael Lucas (disambiguation).
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Michael Lucas
BornAndrei Treivas
1972 (age 51–52)
Moscow, Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)
(now Russian Federation)
Other namesRamzes Kairoff
Michel Lucas
Michael Lucas
Spouse Richard Winger ​ ​(m. 2008; div. 2014)
Websitemichaellucas.com

Michael Lucas (born Andrei Lvovich Treivas (Russian: Андрей Львович Трейвас), 1972) is a Russian-American-Israeli businessman, performer, founder, and CEO of Lucas Entertainment, Manhattan's largest gay adult film company.

The New Republic dubbed Lucas "Gay Porn's Neocon Kingpin". He contends that his film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn film ever made, with a budget of $250,000 and multiple celebrity cameos. In 2009, Lucas was inducted into the GayVN Hall of Fame, noted for "his stature as an A-list director and performer".

In 2009, Lucas released what he called his most important film, Men of Israel, which media called a "landmark" film as the first major porn video with an all-Israeli and all-Jewish cast.

Lucas is particularly well known for his activism and outspokenness. Lucas is frequently also controversial; for example, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Lucas' studio was the target of a boycott which he claimed was antisemitic in nature, after he posted a picture of an Israeli missile signed, on his request, "From Michael Lucas to Gaza".

Background

Lucas’ passport picture, c. 1992

Lucas was born in Moscow, Russia, to Lev Bregman, an engineer, and Elena Treivas, a Russian literature teacher. He was raised in a secular Jewish family. In 1994 he obtained a degree in law from the Kutafin Moscow State Law University. After graduation, Lucas briefly owned and operated a travel agency in Russia until 1995.

In 1995, Lucas left for Munich, Germany, on a tourist visa. Without an official work permit, he worked and starred in heterosexual porn. He then worked as a nude model and in gay porn for French adult film producer Jean-Daniel Cadinot in Paris. Lucas moved to New York City in 1997, where he worked at the Gaiety Theater. After a few adult industry jobs in California, he was offered a one-year contract by Falcon Entertainment whose producers had seen him in a French Cadinot film. Lucas won a U.S. green card through the lottery system. With money saved from his work at Falcon, Lucas founded his own gay porn company in New York, rather than Los Angeles where most American porn companies are headquartered, in 1998.

In 2001, Lucas brought his Russian family to the United States. On November 12, 2004, Lucas was sworn in as an American citizen. In October 2008 it was announced that Lucas had married his boyfriend of eight years, Richard Winger. A press release stated that the couple wanted to marry to make a statement about same-sex marriage rights. In 2014 Lucas announced he and Winger divorced.

Career

Actor

Lucas began his career in a German heterosexual pornographic film. While in France, he worked under the influential French director Jean-Daniel Cadinot, appearing as "Ramzes Kairoff" in two gay pornographic films, both released in 1996. Using the name "Michel Lucas," he worked as a Falcon Exclusive, performing as a top in five films released in 1997 and 1998. Lucas went on to perform for his owned-and-operated gay adult studio, Lucas Entertainment, where he currently stars in scenes and films.

Director

He directed his first project, Back in the Saddle, in 1998, and also performed in the film. With co-director Tony DiMarco, Lucas won Best Director at the 2007 GayVN Awards for Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita. DiMarco and Lucas also won a 2008 XBIZ Award for Best GLBT Director, and Lucas received an award for Best Publicity Stunt for "Michael Lucas Found Dead".

The Banana Guide called his productions the most polished, big-budget gay porn films ever made and cited Lucas' love for the subject and high technical aptitude.

Since the founding of Lucas Entertainment, Lucas has gone on to direct over 400 adult films for his studio.

Lucas Entertainment

Lucas in bikini at Folsom Street Fair, 2014
Main article: Lucas Entertainment

In 1998, Lucas founded his own production company, Lucas Entertainment. He based the company in New York City. In 2004, Lucas Distribution, Inc., his adult video distribution company, began operations. Lucas directs, produces and stars in his own films under the Lucas Entertainment banner. His studio has garnered many GayVN Awards and Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards ("Grabbys") nominations and wins.

In the summer of 2005 Lucas released Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons; the film featured celebrity cameos from RuPaul, Boy George, Graham Norton, Bruce Vilanch, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, and Michael Musto.

The company received 24 nominations for the 2009 GayVN Awards, including best picture for Return to Fire Island. That May, Lucas filmed the first gay porn film using all Israeli models, billing it as a sexual journey to promote Israeli culture. The company launched its Men of Israel website to promote the film, which announced its release for July 22.

Lucas was included in a 2009 New York magazine feature about people who made it to the top, despite arriving in the city with very little.

Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita

Main article: Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita

In 2006, the studio released Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita Parts 1 & 2, a gay pornographic remake of the 1960 Fellini classic La Dolce Vita. The film won a record fourteen awards at the 2007 GayVN Awards, winning in every category in which it was nominated.

In February 2007, International Media Films, Inc., which owns the rights to Fellini's La Dolce Vita, filed suit against Lucas (as Andrei Treivas Bregman), Lucas Entertainment, Inc., and Lucas Distribution, Inc. for trademark and copyright infringement. The lawsuit seeks to collect unspecified damages and to stop sales of Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita Parts 1 & 2.

Lucas won the lawsuit in April 2010 in a summary judgment by Judge John George Koeltl, who dismissed IMF's claims of copyright infringement, since many porn films have parodied mainstream films.

Documentary filmmaker

Lucas has also worked as a documentarian. In 2012, he released his first documentary film about the thriving Israeli LGBT community. Titled Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land, the film includes footage of Tel Aviv's vibrant nightlife, a same-sex wedding, and candid interviews with a diverse range of local Israeli gays and lesbians, including a gay MP, an openly gay Army trainer, a drag queen, a transvestite, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and same-sex parents raising their children and a number of artists and activists. In 2014, Lucas released his second documentary, Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda, which investigates the current anti-gay climate in Russian politics and society.

Writer, speaker and activist

I couldn't talk about anything in Russia. I was growing up in a very strict regime. But I rebelled.

— Michael Lucas

In the 2000s, Lucas attracted attention for his views on politics and culture through a series of columns, speaking events and his increasing activism. He is a vocal opponent of drug use and an advocate for safe sex, both in the porn industry and the gay community at large. In August 2004, The Advocate published an interview by Harvey Fierstein with Lucas about his full-page public service announcements in several national publications warning of the dangers of unprotected sex.

Increasingly Lucas gained attention for his politics, and in particular his views on Israel and Muslims. In March 2008 he was profiled in The New Republic as "Gay porn's neocon kingpin". The article explored his background and a controversy over his writings on Islam that surrounded a lecture he gave at Stanford University.

In an interview with Michael Musto in April 2009, Lucas remarked that his stifled upbringing in Soviet Russia influenced how vocal he is about his opinions.

Lucas wrote about the need for LGBT people to reassess conservatives in August 2010, citing Ann Coulter as an example of a gay-friendly conservative leader.

Columnist

On April 20, 2007, The New York Blade began to publish regular opinion columns by Lucas, who had previously had a number of comments published in the Blade's opinion section. In October 2009, Lucas wrote a column for The Advocate decrying the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism. In March 2010 Lucas began writing a column for The Advocate. His columns have focused on Israel, Russia's confronting homosexuality, and the Park51 controversy. In 2011 he started writing a column for Huffington Post. As of 2024, Lucas has also contributed opinion writing to The Jerusalem Post.

Islam

His writings on Islam have been controversial. In a 2007 New York Blade column, Lucas expressed support for artist Charles Merrill's burning of a Koran that was estimated at $60,000. He has condemned Islam and accused it of creating negative attitudes that lead to the persecution of homosexuals and discrimination of women.

As a columnist for The Advocate, Lucas continued to explore Islamic topics. In a heavily debated column, he called the Cordoba House, a proposed Islamic community center and mosque controversially located near the World Trade Center site, a 'monument to Muslim terrorism' and an example of "political Islam's ascendancy." After the 2011 Egyptian revolution he wrote that the Muslim Brotherhood would fill a power vacuum, asserting that it would be a problem for the discreet Egyptian gay community that has lived with relatively little government persecution.

University lectures

In April 2005, Lucas was invited to speak before a Calhoun College Master's Tea at Yale University. The speech was organized with the assistance of gaYalies, a campus group for gay and bisexual men. He spoke about his life history and his views on pornography. In February 2006 he participated in a symposium on adult entertainment that was sponsored by the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, which later published Lucas' discussion in its Spring issue.

The Speakers Bureau at Stanford University invited Lucas to speak in Cubberley Auditorium on February 14, 2008, about the role the adult entertainment industry plays in AIDS prevention. The appearance sparked debate about his political columns for the New York Blade, particularly his assertions that "the Qur'an is today's Mein Kampf" and that its teachings inspire Muslims to kill gay people.

Lucas, who grew up in the Soviet Union and experienced its antisemitism and Homophobia, was on a panel at The New School on the state of gay rights and acceptability in Eastern Europe.

Activism

Lucas' criticism of drug use and his sponsorship of public service ad campaigns about the dangers of unprotected sex in the gay community led Harvey Fierstein to interview him for The Advocate. His New York Blade columns on Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Islam sparked a campus debate at Stanford University in February 2008 when Lucas was invited to give a speech to students. In 2010, he debated Peter Tatchell and Sue Sanders at England's Oxford University on whether the gay rights movement has undermined family values.

Documentarian

2012 marked another turning point in Lucas' career—he released his first documentary film, "Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land." The official film synopsis explains Lucas' mission in creating the film: "When many people think of Israel, it is often in terms of modern war or ancient religion. But there is much more to the Jewish state than missiles and prayers. In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, adult-film entrepreneur and political columnist Michael Lucas examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked: its thriving gay community. Undressing Israel features interviews with a diverse range of local men, including a gay member of Israel's parliament, a trainer who served openly in the army, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and a pair of dads raising their kids. Lucas also visits Tel Aviv's vibrant nightlife scene—and even attends a same-sex wedding—in this guided tour of a country that has emerged as a pioneer for gay integration and equality." Lucas released his second documentary, "Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda," in 2014 with co-director and co-producer Scott Stern.

PrEP

In 2013 Lucas wrote an op-ed column at Out.com where he discussed his use of Truvada (which he began using in June of that year), the medication used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent contracting the HIV virus. In his column Lucas wrote:

The more I learn about PrEP, the more shocked I'm becoming that gay men are not shouting from the rooftops about this potential game changer in the fight to prevent new HIV infections, which we're losing badly. I'm ready to shout about it. Here's what helped convince me: Dr. Robert Grant of UCSF, the researcher who led the multinational study on PrEP, was quoted at an AIDS conference as saying that 'No one in iPrEx acquired HIV infection with a drug level that would have been expected with daily dosing.' Was this really possible? Whether they used condoms or not, people who took Truvada, as prescribed, were protected from the virus?

Lucas continues to advocate the use and understanding of PrEP in an effort to end the AIDS epidemic. In September 2015 he created his first public-service announcement where he explains the importance of PrEP. In September 2015 he followed up with his original Out.com writing by saying that PrEP works, and the backlash against the medication's use needs to stop. Lucas wrote the following in his column: "Despite all the attempted distractions, the focus must remain on the simple message in the new study: If you take PrEP, you will not get HIV. Period. It is time to wake up, stop the endless debating, and take action. The war against HIV rages on, and when scientists actually win a battle, we must avail ourselves of the powerful weapon they have developed." On February 24, 2016, PrEP was formally approved in Israel.

Israel

See also: Men of Israel
Lucas, under the microphone, on the set of the 2009 release Men of Israel, the first adult film to use exclusively Jewish models; none of the actors were Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The core of Lucas' worldview is his Jewish identity, and particularly his deep affinity for the state of Israel. His time growing up in the Soviet Union, which was notorious for its antisemitism, meant that like many Russian Jews, Lucas had to repress his identity. Lucas has claimed that he was given his mother's maiden name at birth specifically because Treivas sounded less Jewish than his father's surname Bregman.

Hezbollah's attacks in the 2006 Lebanon war affected Lucas, who in the midst of the fighting announced his plans to go to Israel to entertain gay soldiers (who are allowed to serve openly in the military). Lucas received a positive response to the trip; however, some religious segments of Israeli society had expressed less enthusiasm for the arrival of a gay porn magnate. In an article, "Lucas responds," Lucas characterized some of the reaction as homophobic and in an interview said, "Israel is my country as much as it is yours. To come to Israel is my birthright." In September 2009, Lucas was granted Israeli citizenship. In 2010, he renounced his Russian citizenship.

Lucas followed his production Men of Israel with a gay tour of Israel.

The next summer in a New York Blade column Lucas brought up his disapproval of Haredi Judaism in Israel once again. In "Trouble With Ultra-Orthodox," Lucas referred to the Ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem as "religious goons" and parasites for his belief that they take advantage of state welfare programs.

New York LGBT Community Center

In February 2011, Lucas created a controversy over a pro-Palestinian group that planned to hold a meeting at New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. The group, Siegebusters, had planned to hold a fundraising party on March 5 at the center to help fund another vessel to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, as well as to train activists. Lucas protested and claimed that Israel is the only gay-friendly country in the Middle East, that the group was anti-Semitic, and that LGBT people in the Palestinian territories are tortured and killed. After Lucas's calls for a boycott, the Center backed down and decided that Siegebusters was not an LGBT-related group, and so they should not use their space for the Israeli Apartheid Week event. Siegebusters protested the decision by organizing an online petition; Lucas told The Jerusalem Post that his success with the event's cancellation was a "landmark moment" in his life.

The controversy arose again in May 2011 after the center agreed to let the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid meet in their building, triggering Lucas to again call for a boycott and an end to the center's funding. In a statement defending the move, the center said that it "provides space for a variety of LGBT voices in our community to engage in conversations on a range of topics." In a press release, Lucas responded that the center had become an accomplice of an "anti-Semitic hate group whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel". In the beginning of June 2011, the center decided to place a "moratorium" on renting space to "groups that organize around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Controversy

Endorsement of rocket used to bomb Gaza

Lucas' reply on X picturing an Israeli bomb signed "From Michael Lucas to Gaza"

On December 16, 2023, former UFC / MMA fighter Jake Shields tweeted a photo of Israeli rockets on which IDF soldiers had written his name and those of others speaking out against alleged IDF war crimes in Gaza. Lucas, who was in Israel at the time, responded to the tweet, attaching a photo of an Israeli rocket signed "From Michael Lucas to Gaza" and writing:

Hahaha I actually asked to write my name. Got a pic before and after. Did you get them too? Amazing difference!

Lucas later claimed that a female friend of his, an IDF soldier, had written his name on the bomb.

Lucas told Israeli channel Ynet that he believed that the boycott was due to antisemitism, rather than, as many critics stated, that the missile was likely to kill Palestinian civilians: "I'm the only Jewish owner of an adult company in the gay side of the industry. So is it a coincidence that I'm being boycotted?"

In an article for the American Jewish magazine Tablet, Ross Anderson questions if pro-Palestine adult film performers are using the Israel–Hamas conflict as a means of gaining popularity and earning new followers. Meanwhile, Anderson points out that Lucas is the only Jewish owner of a traditional gay adult studio, has directed and produced hundreds of films, and is an industry veteran with a place in the GayVN Hall of Fame. Anderson goes on to note that Lucas operates his company, Lucas Entertainment, in the "pre-influencer model of the porn economy," writing the following: " films that require actors and a crew to produce. His comments have made his name better known—unintentionally, of course—but only insofar as he is becoming a notorious pariah in the porn industry for his stance on Israel."

On December 24, 2023, porn star Sean Xavier, who had previously worked with Lucas Entertainment, wrote on X:

I find both saddening and reprehensible. For those that are inquiring, I will no longer be promoting my work with that studio, nor accepting future offers to work with them.

Removing pro-LGBTQ-Palestinian flag

In June 2024, the gay activist group ACT-UP removed a flag honoring House Representative Ritchie Torres, who is the first openly gay member of Congress with black and Latino heritage, from an area recognizing the contributions of LGBTQ history makers in Fire Island Pines' Trailblazer Park. ACT-UP replaced it with two flags of its own, one of which was in recognition of queer Palestinians.

Lucas removed the pro-Palestinian flag in response. As in the reaction to the missile-related boycott, he stated his belief that the motivation was "classic, textbook antisemitism," as opposed to Israel's (per the ICJ) war crimes and killing of tens of thousands of civilians. Lucas went on to question why, according to him, ACT-UP is "quiet" on incidents of "abuse" of and "danger" to gay people in Arab countries, but "rant about a war started by Hamas they know nothing about, simply because it involves Jews." Lucas recorded himself carrying a ladder to Trailblazer Park, removing the flag (which included the ACT-UP slogan Silence=Death), and tossing it into a trash bin. The written caption Lucas included with the video stated “we don’t need Hamas propaganda dividing us. Otherwise, this open and diverse community will be to Jews."

In popular culture

Lucas appeared in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' 2004 book XXX: 30 Porn Star Photographs and the accompanying HBO documentary Thinking XXX. Greenfield-Sanders asked Lucas for a list of his ten favorite films; the ten films he listed are all films from his own production company. In May 2007, Kensington Books published Naked: The Life and Times of Michael Lucas, a biography of Lucas. Lucas asserts the book was published without his involvement or approval.

Awards

Filmography

Adult films

A complete list of film performance and model credits can be found at Lucas Entertainment.com, including those directed, written or produced by Lucas.

Documentaries

See also

References

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