John Nelson Gaines, professionally known as Jon King, was a prominent American gay adult film actor and model born on January 12, 1963, in Jacksonville, Florida. He rose to fame in the early 1980s with his boy-next-door looks and athletic build, debuting in the 1981 film Brothers Should Do It opposite J. W.
King. Discovered at a Los Angeles car wash, he quickly became one of the biggest names in 1980s gay cinema, appearing in titles like These Bases Are Loaded and working with major studios including Falcon. His career faced a setback in 1982 when he served eleven months in prison for car theft and robbery.
Despite challenges, he continued performing until the early 1990s. Tragically, Gaines died of AIDS complications on March 8, 1995, at age 32 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He remains remembered as a key figure in the era's adult entertainment industry.