Butler initially tried his luck at mainstream acting, performing in a variety of Off-Broadway plays. He also had a few walk-on appearances on the soap opera One Life to Live in 1978 and made an uncredited appearance in Frank Henenlotter's 1982 horror film Basket Case. He was generally unhappy with the constant pressure to sleep with men in exchange for parts, and began to slowly grow tired of the wasted effort.

His stage name was inspired from hearing the Jerry Butler song "Only the Strong Survive" on the radio while he was picking up his first paycheck. Butler was touted as the most talented male actor in his day with turns in Chuck Vincent's bigger budget adult efforts Roommates (1981) and In Love (1983), the latter winning him Hustler's Best Actor Award.

During his adult film career, Butler made appearances in three more mainstream films, playing a comedic role in Preppies (1984), the dramatic lead in psychological thriller Deranged (1987) both directed by Chuck Vincent, and in the horror film Evils of the Night (1985).

In 1987, Butler married former child Actress Lisa Loring, who was best known for playing Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family television show in the 1960s. They met on the set of the adult film Traci's Big Trick (1987), where Lisa was working as a make-up Artist.

Butler released an autobiography in 1989, as told to Robert Rimmer and Catherine Tavel, called Raw Talent. The book gave an insider's account of the porn scene. He was very forthcoming in the book, giving very intimate details of some of his fellow co-workers in the Business, and citing the existence of widespread drug abuse in the industry. Butler re-surfaced in 2003 in a non-sex role in a porn film titled Sexy Sluts: Been There, Done That, released that year, which was directed by underground Rapper Necro. Butler was also a featured guest on Necro's album The Sexorcist (2005).

In an interview with NBC's Dateline in the 1990s Butler described himself as "addicted to the lifestyle" but claimed to be ashamed of his clandestine behavior and its effect on his marriage. The couple later appeared on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show, again discussing the damage Butler's porn career was causing to their marriage. Butler and Loring divorced in 1992.

Butler had been diagnosed with a tumour some months previously (which had been removed in an operation), but a check-up following a cycling accident revealed the cancer had spread throughout his body and was inoperable. He died in Brooklyn, New York, aged 58, on January 27, 2018.