The star of Hollywood Squar ma a bchy, mp sensibily mastream — and spired a generatn of gay performers. But he paid a high price for beg different. The fascatg story and plex legacy of a troubled ic geni.
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GAY HISTORY: PL LYN 1926–1982
* hollywood squares gay comedian *
| Photo: Getty ImagPAUL LYNDE WAS GAYLyn was a picture-perfect image of a edic geni on mera, but much of his personal life was shroud mystery. One of such securi was his was gay at a time when was owned upon and wily unaccepted. He feared that if his fans knew he was gay, would end his reer.
He land gay rol, and beg gay real life ma even easier for the in to give an outstandg performance. | Photo: Getty ImagPAUL LYNDE ON "BEWITCHED" AND "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES"One of his gay rol was the 1960s classic ABC s, "Bewched. " In the seri, Lyn acted as Uncle Arthur — a gay man and uncle of the wch Samantha.
Not long after, the edian land another gay role which was arguably the highlight of his had tried to save his iend when he lost his grip by sperately grabbg his arm but uld not hold Lyn appearg the Walt Disney Televisn TV seri 'The Pl Lyn Show' cir 1972. Some clud playg gay rol, which the actor quickly turned down out of Lyn appearg the Walt Disney Televisn TV seri 'The Pl Lyn Show' cir 1972.
COMEDIAN BCE VILANCH ON BEG MORE THAN A GAY RITURE
Throughout his reer, Lyn’s humor was built on mp and a flamboyant persona; durg Hollywood Squar, his jok were often thly veiled referenc to his own homosexualy. But although he ma subversive gay humor palatable for Amerin hom, he never actually me out, except to close iends.
Dpe the entertament dtry beg hred for years portrayg explicly homosexual characters, those “ the know” were well aware of how this rtrictn was subverted by the very prence of certa actors and celebri whose outrageo, cidly “unmanly” personas uld be terpreted as vertly gay. Fellow gays cherished Lyn for hong to perfectn what uld only be scribed as “the bchy queen, ” lobbg a wherg retort at straight-laced Ameri, who lghed as well at what they perceived to be nothg more than a “quirky” edian, sce there was no thought of stg Lyn rol that were liberately gay.