Bill Cable
Born
William Laurence Cumpanas

(1946-05-02)May 2, 1946
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 1998(1998-03-07) (aged 51)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names'Stoner'
Occupations
  • Model
  • Actor
  • Stuntman
Years active1970–1996

Bill Cable (born William Laurence Cumpanas;[1] May 2, 1946 – March 7, 1998) was an American model, actor and stunt performer.

Early life

Born William Laurence Cumpanas in Gary, Indiana, he was the grandchild of Katherine Pezo and Thomas Ante. His grandfather was a Croatian immigrant, originally from the village of Klenovac in Dalmatia, who moved to the United States in 1914.[1][2] He became a member of the former Hrvatski Sinovi CFU Lodge 396 and would eventually serve as the lodge's president. After Cable's grandfather died in 1950, his family moved to Southern California.

Cable was a standout football player for North Hollywood High School as an offensive tackle, and became a varsity captain in his senior year. He continued playing football after enrolling at the University of Nevada, but eventually stopped after a serious head injury. His other hobbies included motorcycles and guns.

Career

Model

From 1970, Cable was a model for COLT Studio Group, a producer of gay male erotica and pornography, where he was photographed by Jim French.[3] He was also photographed by Bob Mizer for the Athletic Model Guild.[4] During this time, he used the alias “Stoner”.

Cable later posed for the book More Nudes, photographed by Kenn Duncan, whose collection was donated to the New York Public Library by Kenn Duncan's brother and sister in 2003.[5] He was also photographed by Tommy Marshall, Ray Allen, Robert Scott Hooper, Dave Sands, Jeff Dunas and for Playgirl by David Meyer, Raul Vega and Mr. Blackwell. He also appeared in straight softcore pictorials, published in Hollywood Hotline, Star Nudes, and Hollywood Rated X in the 1970s.

Photos of him have been published in many magazines and catalogues, such as: Vanity Fair, Playgirl, Playboy, Oui, Ah Men catalog, That Look! catalog, Frederick's of Hollywood catalog, QQ Magazine, After Dark, California Scene, Honcho, The Best of Gallery, Manpower!, David, In Touch, Blueboy, Barfly, Groovy Guy, Vector, Celebrity Sleuth, H.E.L.P. Drummer, Drummer, Body, Q International, Entertainment West, Hit & Fun, Scream Queens, Playgirl Advisor, Torso, Olympus (first edition in January 1972)[6][7] and Mandate (first edition in April 1975).[8]

Actor

Through his associations with the gay erotica scene, Cable found work in both straight and gay erotic films (both softcore and hardcore), as well as a stunt performer and body double in mainstream productions.

His first appearance as a whip-wielding leatherman in Bijou (1972),[9] was directed by Wakefield Poole.[10] Cable starred in the short erotic gay film Cooling It in 1973.[11] Though he appeared in several hardcore films, Cable rarely, if ever, performed in the unsimulated sex scenes, which were performed by body doubles (including John Holmes) via insert shots.

Cable made a handful of mainstream acting appearances, including in Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988). His best-known role was as rock star Johnny Boz in the Paul Verhoeven erotic thriller Basic Instinct (1992), where he is memorably murdered in the opening scene, mid-coitus, with an ice pick.[12]

He worked on Elvira's Movie Macabre in 1984 (Episode: Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks).[13] Cable also appeared in the films Pee-wee's Big Adventure,[14] Elvira, Mistress of the Dark,[15] La Posta in Gioco,[16] The Deadly Cure[17] and in 4 films with director Carlos Tobalina: The Last Tango in Acapulco,[18][19] Jungle Blue,[20] Flesh and Bullets[21][22] and What's Love.[23][24]

Personal life

He married Shirley Cumpanas in Nevada in 1985[25] and she had an affair with Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, which led to their divorce, according to an interview and essay with Shirley to Penthouse magazine.[26][27][28][29] He and Cable remained friends.[30][31] A few years earlier, they were both interviewed by Skip E. Lowe on the Skip E. Lowe Globe.[32][33][34][35][36] He was later in a relationship with Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira.

Health issues and death

In October 1996, Cable was involved in a motorcycle accident in Laurel Canyon in which he sustained a fractured vertebra in his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Cable died of these injuries on March 7, 1998, at the age of 51. His funeral was attended by his former co-stars Cassandra Peterson and Paul Reubens. Cable was cremated. The William Laurence Cumpanas Fund[37] was established after his death, supporting the Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 170 in Merrillville, Indiana.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Bill Cable Untitled making of, posing nude with a motorcycle for Bob Mizer
1972 Bijou Bearded man with whip Using the pseudonym Cable
1973 Cooling It Stoner Using the pseudonym Stoner. Reissued in the collection Sex Rated Home Movies (Colt, 1989)
1973 The Last Tango in Acapulco Miguel Torres Released in Europe in VHS with the titles Quella Viziosa di Susan and Susan et les Hommes
1978 Jungle Blue Evor Not credited
1984 Elvira's Movie Macabre The Hunk Season 4, Episode 3 #110 - (Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks)
1985 Flesh and Bullets Policeman Released in Europe in VHS with the title The Wife Contract
1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure Policeman #1
1987 What’s Love Bill Cable also wrote the screenplay
1988 La Posta in Gioco Captain Calò With his ex-wife Shirley Cumpanas and Christian Brando in the cast
1988 Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Cop
1992 Basic Instinct Johnny Boz
1996 The Deadly Cure Alex Relaunched on DVD in 2007

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 "CUMPANAS, WILLIAM L. Actor". croatia.org.
  2. ↑ Eterovich, Adam S. (2000). "Croatians in California, 1849-1999". Ragusan Press. ISBN 9780918660985.
  3. ↑ "Bill Cable AKA Stoner for COLT Studio Group". coltstudiogroup.com.
  4. ↑ "Bill Cable for Athletic Model Guild". bobmizer.org.
  5. ↑ "Kenn Duncan's Collection". nypl.org/.
  6. ↑ "Olympus magazine". gayeroticarchives.com.
  7. ↑ "Olympus first edition". gayeroticarchives.com.
  8. ↑ "Mandate's first edition". gayeroticarchives.com.
  9. ↑ "Bijou". imdb.com.
  10. ↑ Poole, Wakefield (2011). "Dirty Poole: A Sensual Memoir". Lethe Press. ISBN 9781590212295.
  11. ↑ "Bill Cable AKA Stoner in Cooling It movie for COLT Studio Group". coltstudiogroup.com.
  12. ↑ "Basic Instinct crime scene". Youtube.com. September 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Elvira Mistress Of The Dark Guide to Making a Man". Youtube.com. March 11, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Bill Cable - Pee wee's big adventure". Youtube.com. October 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Bill Cable in Elvira's movie". Youtube.com. July 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Bill Cable, Shirley Cumpanas and Christian Brando in film set in Italy 1987". Youtube.com. December 24, 2022.
  17. ↑ "The Deadly Cure". diedangerdiediekill.blogspot.com. October 1, 2014.
  18. ↑ "The Last Tango in Acapulco". imdb.com.
  19. ↑ Riera, Emilio García (1987). "México visto por el cine extranjero". Ediciones Era. ISBN 9789684111639.
  20. ↑ "Jungle blue". imdb.com.
  21. ↑ "Flesh and Bullets". dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/fleshandbullets.htm.
  22. ↑ "Flesh and Bullets". mondo-digital.com/fleshbullets.html. August 29, 2015.
  23. ↑ "What's Love". tcm.com.
  24. ↑ "What's Love". imdb.com.
  25. ↑ "My Heritage". .myheritage.com.
  26. ↑ "Shirley Cumpanas for Penthouse". penthousegold.com.
  27. ↑ Trott, William C. (November 1, 1990). "Brando Story". United Press International.
  28. ↑ Wayne, Renee Lucas (November 5, 1990). "Opportunity Knocks". Daily News.
  29. ↑ Njos, Shirley Anni (July 18, 2013). No Coincidences Only Miracles. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1482338645.
  30. ↑ Kunen, James S.; Micheli, Robin; Knapp, Dan; Bentley, Logan (June 4, 1990). "Brando's Son Faces Murder Charge". People.
  31. ↑ Manso, Peter (August 1990). "The Brando demons". Vanity Fair.
  32. ↑ "Christian Brando, Christina Crawford and Bill Cable - Rare TV Interview, on the Skip E. Lowe Globe". Youtube.com. December 16, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Marlon Brando's Son, Christian Brando! Christina Crawford & Bill Cable Rare Skip E. Lowe Interview". Youtube.com. December 24, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Judy Crawford, Christian Brando on Skip E. Lowe". Youtube.com. July 7, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Christian Brando interview with Skipe Lowe 1985". Youtube.com. September 22, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Marlon Brando's son, Christian, on the Skip E. Lowe Globe". Youtube.com. July 11, 2007.
  37. ↑ "William Laurence Cumpanas Fund". croatianfraternalunion.org.
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