'Another of his favourite tricks was this: 'I learned this from the male model Rick Edwards,' he offers by way of preface, as if the technique he is about to describe were so fine it should not go uncredited. 'I'd be there with Steven Meisel or whoever, all the money and the ad people are there, some beautiful girl's posing and I'd rip out the loudest fart you ever heard. The whole room would stop! And you're just sittin' there like nothin's happened!'
If you have any memories of the eighties, you'll remember the face, the blonde hair and the hairy chest of model Rick Edwards. Edwards graced the covers of countless magazines including numerous appearance on the cover, and in GQ. Edwards went on to a modest acting career on daytime (Santa Barbara) and prime time (High Performance).
The man behind the face, a Northfiled Massachusetts native, is highly personable, articulate, and devoid of egoism, perhaps because there's more going in his life than modeling. A University of Massachusetts graduate, Edwards majored in exercise science with the aim of becoming a sports physiologist. After school, Edwards settled in Manhattan, coaching the New York Athletic Club's oarsmen, rowing for its lightweight crew and picking up a few dollars making buoys and painting boats for the club.
On his way home a chance encounter with a woman at London's Heathrow Airport brought Edwards an introduction to her modeling agent, subsequently propelling him into a few TV Commercials. Still filling his off-camera hours with rowing, he impressed photographer Bruce Weber with his oarsmanship and wound up demonstrating it in GQ's February 1981 issue, the rest is history.
Below: Edwards with Santa Barbara co-stars Todd McKee and Christopher Mayer
I think that I vaguely remember watching Edwards on Santa Barbara as a kid, but remember that hairy chest more than his acting ability. During the 80's Edwards poster graced the walls of many teen girls bedroom, and many gay teen boys fantasy's.
