Hollywood's Gay Shame

To tie-in with the upcoming premiere of the Homotopia/Glasgay! theatre production, "ROCK" - the April 2008 issue of outnorthwest looks at the secret gay history of Hollywood and we speak to actor Bette Bourne on his portrayal of Rock Hudson's manager Henry Willson in the new play.

We also compare the current generation of actors who are trying to juggle a successful career often in spite of their rumoured homo/bi-sexuality, and reflect on the gossip which still surrounds stars on both sides of the atlantic just as much as it did in the golden age of the silver screen when celebrity magazines could ruin lives by the merest whiff of gay scandal.

Here is a little more info on both Rock Hudson and Henry Willson, together with a list of actors from over a century of filmmaking who have endured persecution because of their real (or perceived) sexual orientation

MEN

Charles Laughton (1899- 1962)
The Oscar winner had a long marriage to actress Elsa Lanchester who remained married to him despite her ‘shock’ at learning of his homosexuality. However, she claims as a result of this, she decided not to have children with him.

William Haines (1900-1973)
In 1933, Haines was arrested in a YMCA with a sailor. The studio head at MGM, ordered Haines to choose between a lavender marriage, or his relationship with his male partner whom he had lived with since 1926. Haines chose his partner and his contract was terminated. The couple were together for 50 years.

Clark Gable (1901-1960)
In 2007 a book claimed that Gable had relationships with openly homosexual men and was "gay for pay" in his early career. It claims that Gable was branded a "sissy" by his father as a child, prompting him to adopt a macho image and denounce homosexuality.

Cary Grant (1904-1986)
Even though he was married five times rumors persisted regarding his sexual orientation. Grant's third wife, commented, " Maybe he was bisexual. He lived 43 years before he met me. I don't know what he did."

Sir John Gielgud (1904 – 2000)
Gielgud was convicted of cottaging in 1953. While he never denied being gay, he always felt humiliated by the ordeal. Gielgud would avoid Hollywood for over a decade for fear of being denied entry to the US because of the arrest.

Danny Kaye (1913 –1987)
According to one biographer Kaye and Laurence Olivier had a 10-year affair in the 1950s, when Olivier was still married to Vivien Leigh. A biography of Leigh states that their affair caused her to have a breakdown.

Raymond Burr (1917-1993)
Rumored to be gay at a time that would have been ruinous for a popular TV star. His hit TV show "Perry Mason" premiered in 1957 shortly after actor Tab Hunter was arrested in an infamous homosexual raid.

Patrick Cargill (1918- 1996)
Never made any public acknowledgment of his private life as he felt that to admit to being gay would damage his professional image. Cargill was happy being gay in his private life and his wit when not in the spotlight reflected that.

Montgomery Clift (1920-1966)
Before a near fatal car crash that affected his looks, Clift had drifted into countless affairs with a variety of partners both men and women. His post-accident career has been referred to as the "longest suicide in Hollywood" because of his alleged substance abuse.

Dirk Bogarde (1921 – 1999)
For many years he shared his homes with his manager but repeatedly denied that their relationship was anything other than friendship. His brother however confirmed in 2004 that Bogarde was engaging in gay sex at a time when such acts were illegal.

George Nader (1921-2002)
In the mid-1950s Confidential magazine threatened to publish details of Nader's supposed relationship with Rock Hudson. It was whispered at the time that the studio cut a deal and agreed to fire Nader if information about Hudson was kept quiet. Nader's career in Hollywood was ended.

Marlon Brando (1924-2004)
David Niven is reported to have once discovered Brando and Laurence Olivier kissing in a swimming pool. A recent biography also alleges affairs with Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and Stewart Granger.

Farley Granger (1925-)
Talking about his sexuality: "I never hid it or felt guilt about being who I was, but I didn’t blare it out either." Even his most acclaimed work had homosexual undertones or gay charecters such as Hitchcock classics ‘Strangers on a Train and ‘Rope’.

Kenneth Williams (1926-1988)
Publicly insisted that he was celibate, but in private found his homosexuality difficult to deal with. His diaries contain many references to unconsummated or barely consummated relationships, described in code as "traditional matters" or "tradiola".

George Maharis (1928-)
In 1974, Maharis was arrested and charged with Commission of a Lewd Act after being caught having sex in the men's room of a Los Angeles gas station. Maharis had also been arrested in 1967 by a vice officer who said the actor had made a pass at him in the men's room of a Hollywood restaurant.

Sir Nigel Hawthorne (1929 –2001)
He was deeply saddened when he was involuntarily "outed" as gay in the run-up to the Oscars but nevertheless attended the ceremonies with his long-time partner and spoke openly about being gay in interviews and his autobiography.

James Dean (1931-1955)
It has been said that Dean avoided the U.S Army draft by registering as homosexual. When questioned about his orientation, he is reported to have said, "Well, I'm certainly not going through life with one hand tied behind my back”.

Nick Adams (1931-1968)
Some writers have claimed Adams may have been gay or bisexual and may have had intimate relationships with both James Dean and Elvis Presley. Adams has also been referred to as a "Hollywood hustler".

John Fraser (1931-)
He underwent psycho-analysis in the hope he might be 'cured' and lived a double life to avoid wrecking his career. Fraser ended a brief and passionate affair with Rudolf Nureyev because his agent told him that he was committing professional suicide.

Anthony Perkins (1932-1992)
Perkins was bisexual, having had affairs with a number of men, including Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. He claimed to have been exclusively gay until his late 30s.

Robert Reed (1932-1992)
Reed was secretive about his sexuality. Several of his partners have come out and stated that he threatened them after sex, that he wanted his homosexuality to remain hidden.

Tab Hunter (1932-)
During Hollywood's studio era, Hunter says, " it was difficult for me, because I was living two lives at that time. The star emphasizes that the word 'gay' "wasn't even around in those days. "There was a lot written about my sexuality, and the press was pretty darn cruel," but what "moviegoers wanted to hold in their hearts were the boy-next-door marines, cowboys and swoon-bait sweethearts” he portrayed.

Peter Wyngarde (1933- )
In 1975, he was arrested and convicted for an act of "gross indecency" with a truck driver in the toilets of Gloucester bus station. His homosexuality was well known in acting circles, because of a ten-year-long relationship he had from 1956 with Alan Bates.

Sir Alan Bates, (1934 –2003)
In May 2007 several articles were published with people from Bates' past asserting that he had engaged in numerous homosexual affairs. These included fellow actor Peter Wyngarde and Olympic skater John Curry.

Richard Chamberlain (1934-)
Although it was generally known that Chamberlain was gay, it was not until 2003, at age 69, that he came out as he felt obliged to hide his sexuality in order to have an acting career. He has lived with his partner since the mid-1970s.

George Takei (1937-)
After he came out in 2005 Takei was asked whether his character in Star Trek, Sulu was gay, Takei's response was that he would like to believe that sexual orientation would not even be an issue in the twenty-third century.

Sal Mineo (1939-1976)
In 1976 the actor was stabbed to death under circumstances that suggested "a homosexual motive" for his murder. Mineo identified himself as bisexual but his biography notes that he dated men exclusively in the last years of his life.

Sir Ian McKellen (1939 -)
Claimed that his career in mainstream films 'really took off' when he came out but has said: 'the film industry is very old-fashioned in California. 'It's very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality. 'It's even more difficult for a woman if she's lesbian.

Dack Rambo (1941-1994)
Complained about industry prejudice against gay men and said the role he took in 1985 as Jack Ewing on "Dallas" began to shrink because he was single and suspected of being gay. Rambo described himself as bisexual.

Simon Callow CBE (1949)
One of the first actors publicly to declare his homosexuality (in 1984) " I think my coming out as a gay man was probably one of the most valuable things I've done in my life. I don't think any actor had done so voluntarily, and I think it helped to change the culture."

Anthony Hamilton (1952-1995)
In 1987, Hamilton was reportedly a finalist for the role of James Bond which was ultimately awarded to Timothy Dalton. He allegedly lost the role because of his open homosexuality and at the time it was believed audiences would not accept him as Bond due to his blonde hair.

Harvey Fierstein (1952-)
He was openly gay at a time when very few celebrities were. Because of this he never needed to "come out," as it was simply "known" that he was gay.

Nathan Lane (1956-)
When he was asked once by a reporter whether he was gay, rather than providing a blunt yes-or-no answer, he famously declared, "I'm 40, single and I work a lot in the musical theatre. You do the math.

Rupert Everett (1959-)
In his memoir, ‘Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins’, Rupert Everett describes losing jobs in About a Boy and Basic Instinct 2 specifically because he’s openly gay.

Tom Cruise (1962-)
In 1998, Cruise sued the Daily Express that alleged that his marriage to Nicole Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality. Cruise's lawyers also threatened to sue over a book that discussed Cruise's appeal to both men and women .He has also sued magazines over alleged affairs with a gay porn star and various photographs that would prove he was gay.

John Barrowman (1967-)
Was under consideration for the role of Will in Will and Grace but the producers felt he was "too straight" and the role went to Eric McCormack, who is straight. He later expressed contempt at the idea that all gay men act the same way.

Sean Hayes (1970-)
Hayes refuses to discuss his sexual orientation in public. “When you see me play Jack, I want you to believe that that's a gay character. After Will & Grace is over, when I play a straight character, I want you to believe that, too. ”

WOMEN

Alla Nazimova (1879 – 1943)
Was involved in an affair with fellow actress Jean Acker. There were also rumors that Nazimova and Natacha Rambova (wife of Rudolph Valentino) were involved in a lesbian affair.

Dame Judith Anderson (1897 –1992)
Anderson was married and divorced twice but despite her marriages, Anderson was subject to speculation about her sexuality throughout her career, some have stated matter-of-factly that Anderson was gay.

Agnes Moorhead (1900-1974)
In the years since her death, rumors about Moorehead's being a lesbian have been widespread. However, her biographer interviewed several of the actress's closest friends, including some who are openly gay, who all stated the rumour is untrue.

Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)
Lived with both men and women lovers in the 1930s and was very open about it. Glamorous and bisexual, she cross dressed to appeal to both men and women.

Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968)
Rumors about her sex life have linked her romantically with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Eva Le Gallienne, Laurette Taylor, Hattie McDaniel, and Alla Nazimova, as well as writer Mercedes de Acosta, and singer Billie Holiday.

Miriam Hopkins (1902-1972)
Married and divorced four times she was also known for throwing wild parties that bordered on orgies and engaging in a bisexual lifestyle, as chronicled in The Sewing Circle, a book about lesbians in Hollywood.

Greta Garbo (1905-1990)
Garbo's personal letters indicate that actress Mimi Pollak was the love of her life although it has been suggested that Garbo struggled greatly with her sexuality, only becoming involved with other women in affairs that she could control.

Barbara Stanwyck (1907 – 1990)
Rumours suggest that she was lesbian or bisexual, and that she'd had an affair with Tallulah Bankhead, during the same time that Bankhead was having an affair with actress Patsy Kelly. While Stanwyck never confirmed such rumors, similar stories about her are featured in books about lesbians in Hollywood.

Patsy Kelly (1910-1981)
On occasion she would uninhibitedly admit, in public to being a "dyke". By 1943 movie producers had distanced themselves from her and she could only find work at the smallest and cheapest of the movie studios.

Lily Tomlin (1939-)
Before she officially "came out," she was known for her involvement in feminist and gay-friendly film productions, she has mocked straight actors who make a point of distancing themselves from their gay characters.

Miriam Margolyes OBE (1941-)
Margolyes keeps her personal life private, but she has not seen any reason to keep it a secret that she is a lesbian, or as she playfully says "deliberately never been married or had children".

Fannie Flagg (1944-)
Openly lesbian but despite her openness, Flagg removed a substantial portion of the lesbian content in her book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe in order to make the film Fried Green Tomatoes more commercially viable.

Maria Schneider (1952-)
In 1974, Schneider came out as bisexual. Schneider did not work in film for several years, though she eventually resumed her career, appearing in over 30, mostly European films.

Ellen DeGeneres (1958-)
After Ellen came out as a lesbian, a televangelist referred to her in a sermon as "Ellen DeGenerate." Ellen responded dismissively: "Really, he called me that? Ellen DeGenerate? I've been getting that since the fourth grade.

Rosie O'Donnell (1962-)
Has cited reasons for coming out as the need to put a face to gays and to bring attention to the gay adoption issue. O'Donnell is a foster and adoptive mother.

Cynthia Nixon (1966-)
Nixon has stated that she never felt any struggle with her sexuality: "I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me around that woke up or that came out of the closet; there wasn't a struggle, there wasn't an attempt to suppress. I met this woman, I fell in love with her, and I'm a public figure.

Lucy Liu (1967-)
“How many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay? Everybody wants to label people. Sometimes you just fall in love with somebody, and you're really not thinking about what gender or whatever they happen to be. If I happen to fall in love with a woman, everyone's going to make a big deal out of it. But if I happen to fall in love with a man, nobody cares."

Anne Heche (1969-)
Has said she does not give a label to her own sexual orientation "I have been very clear to everybody that just because I'm getting married does not mean I call myself a straight."

Queen Latifah (1970-)
"It's insulting when someone asks, 'Are you gay?' A woman cannot be strong, outspoken, competent at running her own business, handle herself physically, play a very convincing role in a movie, know what she wants—and go for it—without being gay? Come on."

Leisha Hailey (1971-)
Came out as a lesbian in 1991. In 2007, Hailey was named the sexiest woman in the AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list . She responded to topping the list with: "Wow, I don't even know what to say. I'll try and keep up my hottness."

Portia de Rossi (1973 -)
In 2005, de Rossi officially came out and said that most of her family and Ally McBeal cast mates learned she was gay because of tabloid pictures of herself and a former girlfriend. de Rossi now dates Ellen DeGeneres.

Chloe Sevigny (1974-)
"I've questioned issues of gender and sexuality since I was a teenager, and I did some experimenting." Chloe has said, also: "I always ended up getting involved with my close girlfriends, and that was really bad". "I love women - they're beautiful. What more can I say?”

Drew Barrymore (1975-)
In 2003 Barrymore stated that she considered herself bisexual, but added: "I don't think I could ever just solely be with a woman...It's just not enough for me."

Angelina Jolie (1975-)
Has long acknowledged that she had a sexual relationship with actress Jenny Shimizu, "I would probably have married Jenny if I hadn't married my husband. I fell in love with her the first second I saw her”

Kristanna Loken (1979)
"I have dated and have had sex with men and women and have to say that the relationships I have had with certain women have been much more fulfilling, sexually and emotionally, than of those with certain men... “