Johnny Dawes (born Brian Lee; March 22, 1955 â July 25, 1989) was an American actor, filmmaker, and model. A leading star in gay adult cinema during the 1970s and 1980s, Dawes was celebrated for his athletic "boy next door" aesthetic. Beyond his film career, he was a prolific model, a respected opera historian, and a contributor to the Los Angeles arts scene. He was a recognizable face of the "pre-condom" era of the 1980s, known for his distinctive mop of blond curly hair.
Dawes was born Brian Lee in Akron, Ohio, as one of five children. He graduated from high school in 1971 and moved to Los Angeles shortly after to pursue a career in film and the arts.
Dawes began his professional career in 1973 as a dancer in an all-male erotic revue at the Beverly Cinema. He entered the adult film industry in 1974, eventually becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the "pre-condom" era.
In addition to his film work, Dawes was a prominent model. He appeared extensively in gay magazines and erotic publications, working with various adult publishers to establish his image as a quintessential 1980s blond icon.
In 1984, Dawes won the Best Actor award at the Gay Producers Association (GPA) Awards for his lead role in Pleasure Beach (1983), directed by Arthur J. Bressan Jr. Though he retired in 1986, he returned briefly to the industry in 1989 to complete several more projects before his death.
Dawes was a multifaceted intellectual whose work extended into traditional media. He was an esteemed opera historian, contributing scholarly articles to Opera Digest. He performed in the Los Angeles production of Night Sweats, a play by Robert Chesley addressing the early AIDS crisis. He directed the documentary A Dance with Death and maintained a career as a professional portrait photographer.
Dawes was diagnosed with AIDS in June 1989 following several months of illness. He died of complications from the disease on July 25, 1989, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 34.