#hiram keller

[twixnmix]

Members of the original cast of "Hair" on May 2, 1968: Melba Moore, Diane Keaton, Hiram Keller, Ronald Dyson, James Rado, Lynn Kellogg and Gerome Ragni.

Photos by Richard Avedon

[mudwerks]

(via SATYRICON - Capucine - Hiram Keller)

[100gayicons]

Hiram Keller was a 24-year-old unemployed actor in 1968 who worked as a runway and print model. He also performed in the New York underground scene with Andy Warhol’s “Factory” where he met Belgian movie actress Monique van Vooren.

Van Vooren was an investor in the original production of “Hair” (1968). She asked one of the producers to cast Keller as a member of the on-stage “tribe”. Keller was willing to pose nude for publicity shots, which made a sensation when they were released.

The photos caught the attention of Italian filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli knew director Federico Fellini was looking for fresh faces for his film production of “Satyricon”. Zeffirelli shared the photos of Keller with Fellini, who immediately flew Keller to Rome for an audition.

“Satyricon” was a surreal story set in Ancient Rome during the reign of Nero. The story involved a gay threesome, with two young men seeking the attention of a third. The role of Ascyltus made Keller an international star. Keller described his character:

"He's vulgar. He lived for his own self-satisfaction. He's a product of the time. He's me."

The film’s screenwriter Bernardino Zapponi described Keller as:

"He has a very photogenic smile and is full of knowledge as required by his role."

Keller was bisexual. In addition to his relationship with Monique van Vooren, he was involved with photographer Richard Avedon, actor Anthony Perkins, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and film director Wallace Potts (who also had been Nureyev’s lover).

Keller was also in a two-year relationship with Jackie Curtis (1972/1973). Curtis was a member of Andy Warhol’s entourage—the Superstars. They were known for casual sex, public nudity, and flaunting homosexuality. They came to symbolize the sexual revolution of the time.

Vogue Editor Mary Russell described her encounter with Keller in the 1970s:

“Hiram was the most beautiful male animal ever. Hiram rivaled Nureyev as the most desirable creature of the period. He whisked me off to Mykonos for a romantic weekend. Hiram was bisexual and had affairs with people that I can never reveal.“

After “Satyricon,” Keller continued to act (mostly in Italy). He appeared in 15 films between 1969 and 1982. He married Kristina St. Clair, his costar in “Countryman” (1982). Although they later divorced, they had a daughter, Serena Keller.

After leaving acting, Keller became an antique dealer specializing in Navajo blankets. Keller died of liver cancer at age 52 in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 20, 1997.

[moviesmoodboards]

Satyricon (1969) dir.Federico Fellini

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[sacredwhores]

Catherine Breillat - A Real Young Girl (1976)

[gatutor]

Hiram Keller-Capucine "Satiricón" (Satyricon) 1969, de Federico Fellini.

[thwarthistory]

Andy Warhol, Hirmam Keller (Polaroid), 1973