William Margold was born on October 2, 1943 in Washington, D.C. Margold was the son of Nathan Margold, who was a Harvard Law School graduate who served as the Solicitor General of the Department of Interior under President Harry S. Truman. William attended Alexander Hamilton High School in West Los Angeles and graduated from California State University at Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. Margold started out in the adult entertainment industry with agent 'Reb' Sawitz working in the office of the Reb's Pretty Girls modeling agency. William acted in his first hardcore movie in 1972 and worked on numerous X-rated films over the course of several decades in a variety of capacities that include actor, director, writer, and producer. Margold subsequently became the head of the trade advocacy group the Free Speech Coalition. In addition, William also either founded or co-founded the X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO), Fans of X-Rated Entertainment (FOXE), and the charity group Protecting Adult Welfare Foundation (PAW). A noted porn historian and staunch advocate of free speech, Margold was interviewed in a handful of documentaries about the adult film industry. William died of a heart attack at age 73 while hosting a live radio show on January 17, 2017.