Dirk Shafer
Encyclopedia
Dirk Alan Shafer is an American
model, actor, screenwriter and director. He is most noted in the modeling world for being Playgirl
magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1992. He did Playgirl for "validation" as a model because he never believed himself to be attractive. Shafer would go on to write, direct and star in Man of the Year
, a mockumentary
about his time as a semi-closet
ed gay
man in the role of a heterosexual sex symbol. Shafer's next directorial project was Circuit
, a fictional look at the world of gay male circuit parties
.
Starring Jonathan Wade-Drahos
, the film was poorly received by critics and currently has a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
. V.A. Mussetto's review in the New York Post
writes that, "Shafer's feature doesn't offer much in terms of plot or acting." Loren King of the Chicago Tribune
furthers in writing that the film is "too soap opera-ish to carry the heavy weight of the morality play Shafer has fashioned."
As of 2008 Shafer was working as a fitness trainer and certified Pilates
instructor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model, actor, screenwriter and director. He is most noted in the modeling world for being Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1992. He did Playgirl for "validation" as a model because he never believed himself to be attractive. Shafer would go on to write, direct and star in Man of the Year
Man of the Year (1995 film)
Man of the Year is a mockumentary written, directed by, and starring Dirk Shafer. The film is a fictionalized account of Shafer's reign as Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year" and his struggle with reconciling his public persona as a sex symbol to women with his identity as a gay man...
, a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about his time as a semi-closet
Closet
A closet is a small and enclosed space, a cabinet, or a cupboard in a house or building used for general storage or hanging clothes. A closet for food storage is usually referred to as a pantry...
ed gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man in the role of a heterosexual sex symbol. Shafer's next directorial project was Circuit
Circuit (film)
Circuit is a 2001 gay-themed independent film set in the world of gay circuit parties. Written by Dirk Shafer and Gregory Hinton and directed by Shafer, Circuit follows the lives of several people involved in the circuit party scene. Shot on digital video over a period of six months, Shafer was...
, a fictional look at the world of gay male circuit parties
Circuit party
A circuit party is a large dance event, extending through a night and into the following day, almost always with a number of affiliated events in the days leading up to and following the main event...
.
Starring Jonathan Wade-Drahos
Jonathan Wade-Drahos
Jonathan Wade-Drahos is an American film and television actor who is most famous for his lead role as John Webster in Dirk Shafer's 2001 film Circuit...
, the film was poorly received by critics and currently has a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. V.A. Mussetto's review in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
writes that, "Shafer's feature doesn't offer much in terms of plot or acting." Loren King of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
furthers in writing that the film is "too soap opera-ish to carry the heavy weight of the morality play Shafer has fashioned."
As of 2008 Shafer was working as a fitness trainer and certified Pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
instructor.
As actor
- Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
episode "Cheaters" - Blaze (2001) - Man of the YearMan of the Year (1995 film)Man of the Year is a mockumentary written, directed by, and starring Dirk Shafer. The film is a fictionalized account of Shafer's reign as Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year" and his struggle with reconciling his public persona as a sex symbol to women with his identity as a gay man...
- Himself (1995)
As director
- CircuitCircuit (film)Circuit is a 2001 gay-themed independent film set in the world of gay circuit parties. Written by Dirk Shafer and Gregory Hinton and directed by Shafer, Circuit follows the lives of several people involved in the circuit party scene. Shot on digital video over a period of six months, Shafer was...
(2001) - Man of the YearMan of the Year (1995 film)Man of the Year is a mockumentary written, directed by, and starring Dirk Shafer. The film is a fictionalized account of Shafer's reign as Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year" and his struggle with reconciling his public persona as a sex symbol to women with his identity as a gay man...
(1995)
As writer
- CircuitCircuit (film)Circuit is a 2001 gay-themed independent film set in the world of gay circuit parties. Written by Dirk Shafer and Gregory Hinton and directed by Shafer, Circuit follows the lives of several people involved in the circuit party scene. Shot on digital video over a period of six months, Shafer was...
(2001) (with Gregory Hinton) - Man of the YearMan of the Year (1995 film)Man of the Year is a mockumentary written, directed by, and starring Dirk Shafer. The film is a fictionalized account of Shafer's reign as Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year" and his struggle with reconciling his public persona as a sex symbol to women with his identity as a gay man...
(1995) - Inside Out II (segment "Double Vision") (1992)