Rick Cassidy, born Richard Edward Ciezniak Jr. on July 22, 1943, in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, was an iconic American pornographic actor, model, and bodybuilder. He appeared in both straight and gay adult films from 1969 to 1985, using the stage name Jim Cassidy for gay roles. After Navy service, he modeled in New York for Jim French before moving to Los Angeles. Cassidy debuted in Pat Rocco’s *Mondo Rocco* (1970) and starred in *Drilled Deep* with Dakota, earning the nickname 'Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald of gay porn.' He featured in straight films, stage plays like *Tubstrip*, and wrote a bodybuilding column for *In Touch*. Returning in 1984, he worked with Marilyn Chambers and Ginger Lynn in *New Wave Hookers* (1985), retiring after the Traci Lords scandal. Later a real estate agent, he died on December 23, 2013, at age 70 in Moscow, Pennsylvania.
