In the mid 1970s, Leslie relocated to the Mill Valley area in California and began performing in adult films. His first film was Coming Attractions (1976). He was a performer in almost 300 adult films and won numerous awards during his days as a performer. He appeared with some of the era’s most noted porn stars, including Traci Lords and John Holmes, as well as Seka, Kay Parker, and Annette Haven. His most noteworthy roles were in Obsessed (1977), Desires Within Young Girls (1977), A Coming of Angels (1977), Dracula Sucks (aka Lust At First Bite) (1978), Pretty Peaches (1979), Insatiable (1980), Nothing To Hide (1981), and Talk Dirty To Me, Part II (1982).
He was one of the first porn actors to make the transition from performing to directing, beginning with 1987’s Nightshift Nurses. Since then, he directed more than 90 adult movies, including The Chameleon (1989), Curse of the Catwoman (1992), Dog Walker (1994), and Drop Sex (1997), along with the Voyeur’ ‘, Fresh Meat, and Crack Her Jack series. He won many awards for his work behind the cameras as well. Though much of his later work, in keeping with current trends in adult video, was in the gonzo genre, such as the “Fresh Meat” and “Crack Her Jack” series, Leslie continued to make feature films, or “sex dramas”; most recently, in 2007 he directed the film Brianna Love, Her Fine, Sexy Self.
He was a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.
John Leslie died of a heart attack at the age of 65 on December 5, 2010, at his home in Mill Valley, California.
Awards as a Performer:
1977 AFAA Award – Best Supporting Actor (Coming of Angels)
1980 AFAA Award – Best Actor (Talk Dirty to Me)
1980 CAFA Award – Best Actor (Talk Dirty to Me)
1981 AFAA Award – Best Actor (Wicked Sensations)
1982 AFAA Award – Best Actor (Talk Dirty to Me 2)
1982 CAFA Award – Best Actor (Talk Dirty to Me 2)
1984 AFAA Award – Best Actor (Dixie Ray & Every Woman has a Fantasy) – tied with himself for both movies
1984 XRCO Award – Best Copulation Scene (Every Woman has a Fantasy)
1985 AFAA Award – Best Supporting Actor (Taboo 4)
1985 AVN Award – Best Supporting Actor, Film (Firestorm)
1986 XRCO Award – Best Actor (Every Woman has a Fantasy 2)
1988 AVN Award – Best Actor, Film (Firestorm 2)
1988 XRCO Award – Best Actor (Beauty and the Beast)
Awards as a Director:
1987 XRCO Award – Best Director, Video (Nightshift Nurses)
1988 XRCO Award – Best Director (Catwoman)
1989 AVN Award – Best Director, Video (Catwoman)
1992 XRCO Award – Best Film (Chameleons: Not The Sequel)
1994 XRCO Award – Best Film (Dog Walker)
1994 XRCO Award – Best Director
1995 AVN Award – Best Director, Film (Dog Walker)
1995 AVN Award – Best Director, Video (Bad Habits)[13]
1997 AVN Award – Best All-Sex Release (John Leslie’s Fresh Meat 3)
1997 XRCO Award – Best Director
1998 AVN Award – Best All-Sex Release (John Leslie’s Fresh Meat 4)
1998 XRCO Award – Best Director
1999 AVN Award – Best All-Sex Release (John Leslie’s Fresh Meat 5)
1999 AVN Award – Best Director, Video (The Lecher 2)
2000 AVN Award – Best All-Sex Release (The Voyeur 12)
Other awards:
1989 AVN Award – Best Screenplay, Video (Catwoman) with Mark Weiss
1995 AVN Award – Best Screenplay, Film (Dog Walker)