John Edward Heys was born, raised and educated in the Garden State of New Jersey. Upon graduation, he moved to Miami
Beach, Florida, residing with three aunts until it became so oppressive, combined with his loathing of Miami and her environs,
that he fled to New York City. In 1969 he founded the first bi -weekly GLBTG newspaper called Gay Power in America. After
editing 24 issues for a year, he decided politics was no longer his primary interest, and fell in with the hoi poloi, the
underground, remnants of the avant garde, and in general the venerable old Lower East Side art scene and began his acting
career.
He credits the playright Charles Ludlam to a great degree for bringing his talents out, along with many other luminaries
including Bill Vehr, Ethyl Eichelberger, H. M. Koutoukis and Ellen Stewart, as well as the photographer Peter Hujar for guiding
him quite often when he was lost. As well he has created many one man performance pieces. John Heys has made to date 11
films, and now considers himself primarily a video-filmmaker. He resides in Berlin and a 13century Baroque Cloister directly
on the border to Poland.