March 3, 1998

Gillian Head Mistress of Bogus X-Rated Pics

Gillian Anderson has the dubious distinction of being Queen of the Fake Nude Photos, says a man who searches the Internet for bogus celebrity shots.

"There are at least 500 nude fakes of Gillian Anderson out there, and she'd never pose in the nude," says Ed Lake, a 60-year-old Wisconsin man who calls himself the Fake Detective. In his spare time, Lake has proved that more than 170 nude photos of stars on the Net - from Neve Campbell to Elizabeth Taylor - are phony. Generally, forgers create the photos by taking a head shot of the star and putting it on the body of a nude model. Lake has a simple method for proving the pics are counterfeit: "I find the head shots, and people around the world send me the body shots," he explains.

The X-Files star actually inspired Lake's detective work. "One day I came across some pictures of Gillian Anderson that didn't look real," he says. "I couldn't believe she would pose that way. I looked them over and found out that three of them had the same head shot. I decided to let everybody else in the world know about it, and I created the Fake Detective."

Lake posts his findings to various Usenet newsgroups, and one of his fans collects the "cases" on his Fake Detective web site. Each case file includes the fake nude photo with the "real body shot" from which it came, and explains why the naughty pic is a fraud. A sample: "This fake of Sandra Bullock apparently fooled a few people - but not The Fake Detective, of course. The Fake Detective immediately noticed that the head doesn't sit quite right on the neck."

Phonies are pretty easy to spot, according to Lake. "Basically, it's a matter of knowing your celebrities," he says. "Nine out of 10 will not pose in the nude."

Why is Anderson such a huge target for the fakers? "I think it's because of the role she plays on The X-Files," says Lake. "It appeals to the right demographic - young men from 15 to 35, or whatever. Also, in this particular show, she's always dressed in a suit, so that makes people's imaginations run."

Anderson, for her part, doesn't let the pics bother her. "She has no feelings about it, fortunately," says her publicist. "She doesn't relate to it at all. It's not her. You have to let go of so much, and this is not hard." - Susan Campbell Beachy

Photo credits: Gillian Anderson by Greg Lavy/Outline