Tab Hunter Opens Up About Life As a Closeted Gay Star Durg Hollywood’s Goln Age – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• A REVELATORY DISSECTN OF WHAT IT WAS TO BE A GAY MOVIE STAR
• SXSW: TAB HUNTER OPENS UP ABOUT LIFE AS A CLOSETED GAY STAR DURG HOLLYWOOD’S GOLN AGE

A REVELATORY DISSECTN OF WHAT IT WAS TO BE A GAY MOVIE STAR

His public relatns team at the time explaed that the actor had been diagnosed wh a ser liver disease, while they tried to avoid mors about his HIV stat and his until-then-alleged homosexualy. It was only after his ath that beme wily known that the actor had fact always been gay and had romanced many of his male -stars.

Ined, the surge of AIDS related aths the late ‘80s and early ‘90s opened up a vlt of secrets that Hollywood had fought to keep silent sce s very ceptn; some of the most popular screen actors who sced women and ma female fans fat om excement had all along been homosexuals. There was one man particular who not only disvered and nurtured actors like Rock Hudson and Guy Madison, but who turned beg gay to a secret liftyle that clud some of the most powerful men the dtry.

Bee is the first om the perspective of a major movie star who lived through as a closeted gay man but is now open about his sexualy. Hunter rells first realizg that he was “different” his early teens, but says he’d “have gone crazy” if someone had asked him if he was homosexual (the word “gay” wasn’t really around then). Willson, a big-time agent and “gay svengali” who also disvered and/or reprented Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun and Rock Hudson, changed Gelien’s name to Tab Hunter after tryg to “tab” him somethg new and rellg that he was fond of huntg and jumpg on hors.

SXSW: TAB HUNTER OPENS UP ABOUT LIFE AS A CLOSETED GAY STAR DURG HOLLYWOOD’S GOLN AGE

Hunter’s reer was jeopardized jt as was takg off when Confintial, the rare publitn that didn’t operate wh the studs, published a story about how Hunter had been arrted at a “pajama party” — a party attend by many gay people — shortly after arrivg Hollywood. Wh much greater utn, Hunter still managed to engage hh-hh relatnships wh other gay men the ensug years. For me, ” the actor not, addg how much he enjoyed workg wh his stars, the assistant director Stanley Donen and the choreographer Bob Fosse, if not the homophobic director Gee Abbott, on the 1958 picture.

When I brg up how much Hollywood and much of Ameri have changed, terms of their views about gay people, he says gratifi him — but don’t change his own preference to keep his private life mostly to himself.

Here we ntue our seri celebratg gay, bisexual, and straight movie stars wearg next to nothg at all. Gay actor Sal Meo was the go-to boy to play a troubled teen — and never more overtly gay than Rebel Whout a Cse. 1950s heartthrob Tab Hunter was another gay hunk whose reer was built (and then stroyed) by agent Henry Willson.