Sexualizing teen idols isn't new, we see it all the time. Pop stars like One Direction, Justin Bieber and Britany Spears were all still in their teens when provocative lyrics and images were used to sell their brand. Teen magazines, especially back in the 70's and 80's try to get everyone shirtless. Lief Garrett, Matthew Labyorteaux and so many others were photographed in sexually suggestive poses at a very young age.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a young male star as sexualized to quite the same degree as British actor Mark Lester. So... let's back up. Before appearing in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo, Lester was already a huge child star thanks to his lead role in the 1968 musical Oliver. Lester was 10 when Oliver was filmed, but he began working professionally at the age of 4.
Oliver (1968)
With his blonde hair and beautiful face, Lester became an instant teen idol, and he and Oliver co-star Jack Wild (The Artful Dodger) began appearing in teen magazines all over Europe and Asia. Although both were still barely teens, they were often photographed shirtless or in bathing suits. Although the images were on the surface quite innocent, the underlying message to fans seemed pretty clear.
Mark with Oliver co-star Jack Wild
When I typed 'Mark Lester nude' into my search engine, I hoped to find a few nude scene of the actor when he got older. I found three. Unfortunately, although they were all in films after Auntie Roo, they also were all filmed before Lester turned 18.
How did I learn this... well, as I said, I ended up down a Rabbit Hole, to sites, I wish were not in my browser history. Nothing too bad really, but a couple of of message boards focused on images of young actors under the age of 20. Now Lester didn't appear in anything illegal, nor anything too explicit, but he did did appear in three European films which took advantage of the the perceived appeal of the young actor.
First off, let me say that all three films were main stream films, all released on the big screen in Europe. All three are also easily obtainable, all are for sale on Amazon and various other movie sites. They all featured relatively known actors, and there was one that I especially enjoyed.
Lester's nudity is quite tame, except for the fact he was a teenager. It's interesting, and a bit sad, that Lester's film career actually ended at the same time his teen years did. His last major film was 1977's The Prince and the Pauper which was filmed when Lester was 19.
The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
I'm not sure if the end of Lester's film career ended when he began to look older, but he did retire from the business shortly after turning 20. Lester then trained as an osteopath, specialising in sport injuries. I see he came out of retirement in 2011 to do a short film, (Metered) and appears to have two films in post production for future release.
La prima volta, sull'erba (1975)
So,,, I mentioned that this is one of my riskier 12 days, but it was an interesting one to take. Without posting any images or clips that could be considered inappropriate, I take a safe look at three of Lester's films, and discuss the actors on-screen nudity in the Actors & SKIN part of the story below. It's fascinating to look at how nudity was handled in the 70's. Although each of the three films I spotlight were all European, America also dipped their toes in similar waters (think Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby) in the 70's.
