Bill Cable

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

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.
OccupationModel, actor and film stuntman
Years active1970–1996

Biography

Cable was the grandchild of Thomas Ante and Katherine Pezo.[1][2] In 1914 his grandfather left the village of Klenovac in Dalmatia, Croatia, and moved to Gary, Indiana. 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 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.

He married Shirley Cumpanas in Nevada in 1985[3] and she had an affair with Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, which led to their divorce,[4] according to an interview and essay with Cumpanas to Penthouse magazine.[5][6][7] He and Cable remained friends.[8] In 1987, both were interviewed by Skip E. Lowe on the Skip E. Lowe Globe.[9][10]

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 Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman). Cable was cremated. The William Laurence Cumpanas Fund[11] was established after his death, supporting the Croatian Sons CFU Lodge 170 in Merrillville, Indiana.

Model

From 1970, Cable was a model for COLT Studio Group, where he was photographed by Jim French.[12] He was photographed by Bob Mizer for the Athletic Model Guild.[13] 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.[14] 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. Pornographic pictures of Cable having sex with women were published in Hollywood Hotline, Star Nudes, and Hollywood Rated X in the 1970s.

Photos of him were also published in Playgirl, Playboy, OUI, Ah Men - Clothing Catalog, That Look! - Clothing Catalog, Frederick's of Hollywood - Clothing Catalog, QQ Magazine, After Dark, California Scene, Honcho, The Best of Gallery, MANPOWER!, DAVID, In Touch, Blue Boy, BARFLY, GROOVY GUY, VECTOR, Celebrity Sleuth, H.E.L.P. Drummer, DRUMMER, BODY, International, Entertainment West, HIT & FUN, Scream Queens, Olympus (first edition in January 1972) and Mandate (first edition in April 1975).

Actor

Cable acted in mainstream films, including gay and straight erotic films, as a film stuntman and apparitions for TV productions. His first cinematic movie, Bijou (1972),[15] was directed by Wakefield Poole.[16] Cable starred in the short erotic gay film Cooling It in 1973. Cable's most famous role in mainstream film was as the '60s rock star Johnny Boz, who is murdered with an ice pick in the opening scene of the suspense film Basic Instinct.

He worked on Elvira's Movie Macabre in 1984 (Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks - 1974, won a new cult audience when it aired on the horror series). Cable also appeared in the films Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, La Posta in Gioco, The Last Tango in Acapulco,[17][18] Jungle Blue,[19] What's Love,[20][21] Flesh and Bullets[22][23] and The Deadly Cure.[24]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
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
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
1988 La Posta in Gioco Policeman 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. "CUMPANAS, WILLIAM L. Actor". croatia.org.
  2. Eterovich, Adam S. "Croatians in California, 1849-1999".
  3. "My Heritage". .myheritage.com.
  4. "Vanity Fair, Volume 53".
  5. Trott, William C. (November 1, 1990). "Brando Story". United Press International.
  6. Wayne, Renee Lucas (November 5, 1990). "Opportunity Knocks". Daily News.
  7. Njos, Shirley Anni (July 18, 2013). No Coincidences Only Miracles. ISBN 978-1482338645.
  8. Kunen, James S.; Micheli, Robin; Knapp, Dan; Bentley, Logan (June 4, 1990). "Brando's Son Faces Murder Charge". Time Magazine.
  9. "Marlon Brando's son, Christian, on the Skip E. Lowe Globe". Youtube.com. July 11, 2007.
  10. "Christian Brando, Christina Crawford and Bill Cable - Rare TV Interview, on the Skip E. Lowe Globe". Youtube.com. December 16, 2016.
  11. "William Laurence Cumpanas Fund". croatianfraternalunion.org.
  12. "Bill Cable AKA Stoner". coltstudiogroup.com.
  13. "Bill Cable for Athletic Model Guild". bobmizerfoundation.org.
  14. "Kenn Duncan's Collection". nypl.org/.
  15. "Bijou". imdb.com.
  16. Poole, Wakefield. "Dirty Poole: A Sensual Memoir".
  17. "The Last Tango in Acapulco". imdb.com.
  18. Riera, Emilio García. "México visto por el cine extranjero".
  19. "Jungle blue". imdb.com.
  20. "What's Love". tcm.com.
  21. "What's Love". imdb.com.
  22. "Flesh and Bullets". dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/fleshandbullets.htm.
  23. "Flesh and Bullets". mondo-digital.com/fleshbullets.html. August 29, 2015.
  24. "The Deadly Cure". diedangerdiediekill.blogspot.com. October 1, 2014.
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