Theme: Mystery Blond Cover Model
For years his face on romance novels has mesmerized me.
Okay, maybe it’s the face plus the terrific, full head of hair. I’ve seen this man pictured on occasion as a brunet or with black hair. Most of the time, though, he’s blond, which I believe is his natural color. He’s one of the rare romance cover models who looks fantastic that way. This dude probably did shampoo advertisements in his day. He could have been a tv anchorman in the 1980s!
He was a prolific model from the 1980s to the early 1990s. I’ve seen him on lots of category and historical romance covers. The artists who painted his image most frequently were Ron Lesser, Elaine Gignilliat, and Elaine Duillo, who had a great rapport with her models.
I have a Pinterest page dedicated to this guy, with over 35 covers that I’m confident depict his image.
Who is he?
The Covers
For the week of Monday, December 6, 2021, to Sunday, December 12, 2021, I’ve chosen a selection of category and historical romances illustrated by big-name authors, featuring a mysterious male cover model whose name I’ve yet to discover.
If any of our readers have any idea who he is, I would love to know!
Search For the Rainbow, Sharon Brondos, Harlequin, 1987, Ron Lesser cover art
Devil’s Daughter, Catherine Coulter, Signet, 1985, Elaine Gignilliat cover art
My Heart’s Undoing, Phyllis Halldorson, Silhouette, 1986, Robert Maguire cover art
Secret Fire, Johanna Lindsey, Avon, 1987, Elaine Duillo cover art
Great post and images and I want to know too. There’s always the hope that someone will stumble upon your post or encounter his image on another platform you’re posting on and reveal all. In my cover artist research I’ve seen a number of years old posts of the “hey that work was done by my uncle Frank” variety.
Hello Iris,
Sorry I missed this comment. I think I found out who this model is! And I can’t believe I didn’t realize it, because it’s not like he was some no-name guy. It’s Steve Holland, who did tons of pulp, sci-fi, and action covers. He played Flash Gordon on tv and was called by one of his publishers The World’s Greatest Male Model. He seems to have been a brunet, not a blond, though in any color his hair was amazing. So glad I found who it was!