Dirk Shafer, a charismatic individual, was born in Carbondale, Illinois, but spent most of his formative years in Oklahoma. His life took a dramatic turn when he appeared in a photo-spread in Playgirl Magazine's "Holiday 1990" issue at the age of 27. This exposure catapulted him to fame, and readers overwhelmingly voted him "Man of the Year" in 1992, beating out eleven other candidates.
As a result of his newfound popularity, Shafer posed for another photo-spread in Playgirl's February 1992 issue, which led to a plethora of personal appearances, press interviews, and television talk show guest spots. He drew inspiration from these experiences to create a theatrical film titled "Man of the Year" (1995),in which he played himself. The "mockumentary" humorously chronicled the challenges a gay man might face when presented as a sex symbol. The film received positive reviews and was widely released in major markets, also performing well at gay film festivals.
Shafer continued to explore his passion for filmmaking by writing and directing "Circuit" (2001/I),which delved into the life of a gay man. This film won several awards at film festivals, had a theatrical release worldwide, and remains one of the best-selling gay DVD titles on record.
In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Shafer was a dedicated fitness trainer and Pilates instructor. He released "Swapout Workout," a fitness instructional video, in 2012. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of his original Playgirl layout, Shafer returned to the magazine for another spread in 2012.
Sadly, Shafer's life was cut short when he was found dead in his car near his home in West Hollywood, California, on March 5, 2015. An autopsy revealed that his death was the result of an overdose on cocaine and methamphetamine, with hypertension potentially being a contributing factor.
