[3] He was one of few adult performers to have an appreciable mainstream acting career, with a leading role as Professor Harold Monroe in the controversial horror film Cannibal Holocaust (1980).

Although his professional career began in adult films, Kerman was a trained actor who played minor parts in such mainstream productions such as The Goodbye Girl (1977) and Concorde Affaire '79.

[5] Still, he remained active in pornography throughout the first half of the decade, with roles including Lawyer Quim in Liquid A$$ets (1982), and Fritz von Holenwohl in the Henri Pachard directed Public Affairs (1984).

[3][6] In the DVD commentary for Cannibal Holocaust (in interview with Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski), Kerman described film director Ruggero Deodato as "remorseless" and "uncaring".

[8] In the 2000s, Kerman played a sea captain in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, and Dr. Monroe in the drama short Vic, directed by Sage Stallone.