Article by Maya Vukovska
Although even during the most homophobic periods of American history, gay people were found thriving in the arts, it wasn’t until recently that the world witnessed a real-ass queer takeover on all artistic fronts. Gender and masculinity, as we now know, are as fluid as running water, and more and more male stars choose to assimilate gay codes and styles. And if seeing Neil Patrick Harris kissing his hubby on the red carpet, or Brad Pitt rocking a skirt is something normal today, it definitely wasn’t like that some fifty years ago. Due to the interests of the entertainment industry and the social stereotypes, Hollywood stars had to keep their true, “inconvenient” sexuality a secret, and instead had to offer to the audience an exaggerated image of the alpha-male hero.
Here are just a few of the biggest stars of the 50s, 60s, and 70s who you, and everyone watching their movies at the time, probably didn’t know were gay.
Marlon Brando (1924-2004)
If sexiness was a crime, Marlon Brando would have spent the prime years of his life in jail instead of in front of the camera. The iconic actor was ravishingly handsome and with an insatiable libido. Off and on screen, he’d wear tight jeans, leather boots, and t-shirts with rolled-up sleeves revealing his formidable biceps. He was the epitome of toughness and raw masculinity. Yet, his bisexuality was not exactly a secret in Hollywood or among Broadway circles. His greatest love affair was with the fellow actor Wally Cox. Besides being lovers, the two were of a like mind and the best of friends. When Cox died in 1973 of a heart attack, his widow asked Brando to spread the ashes in the area where her late husband liked to hike. However, Brando kept the ashes in a drawer. When 30 years later, he also died, the ashes of the two lifelong friends were mixed together and scattered in Tahiti and Death Valley.
James Dean (1931 - 1955)
When asked by a journalist whether he was gay Dean replied, “I am not a homosexual. But I’m also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back.”
And he didn’t.
If he had lived today, he would have perfectly fit the image of the ultimate Gen Z kid - he had a soft spot for the arts, was both arrogant and not afraid to cry in public, and would never get tired of taking selfies in the mirror. To his teenage admirers back then, he represented the freedom they were denied by social conformities. To many of the adult audience, though, he was unpleasant and too effeminate. Allegedly, he had a sexual relationship with Marlon Brando, which the latter denied being true in his memoir.
In the mid-1970s, a couple of biographers revealed that Dean have sexual involvement with many men, and one guy would even claim he was a gay sex worker in his youth. Posthumously, the rebel kid of Hollywood was hugely celebrated by the gay community, and his pictures adorn the walls of gay bars around the country.
Paul Winfield (1939 - 2004)
This classy method actor who will always be remembered for his long and varied career remained discreet about his sexuality until his death. In the 70s, when he was at the peak of his career (in 1973, he became only the third African-American man nominated for Oscar for his role in Sounder), homophobia was still running rampant in Hollywood. Understandably, it would have been absolutely scandalous to come out as gay - in addition to being black and famous! It wasn’t before Winfield’s death in 2004 that his family and friends let his secret out and were finally able to celebrate his relationship with his partner of thirty years, architect Charles Gillan.
Rock Hudson (1925 - 1985)
He was one of the most popular movie stars of his time and a notorious heartthrob - girls would kiss his photo goodnight and then tuck it under the pillow hoping it'd bring them sweet dreams. However, this hugely successful and charismatic actor had to work hard to keep a low profile in regard to his sexuality. But when you are that famous it is almost impossible to hide who you are for long before some tabloid exposes you. In Hudson’s case, it was Confidential magazine that smelled something “rotten” about this all-American screen idol. In order to avoid the scandal, he took a desperate step and married interior decorator Phyllis Gates who, by the way, was aware that Rock was gay. The marriage lasted only three years. In 1962, Hudson met the young film extra Lee Garlington with whom he had an intimate relationship until 1965. The reason for the breakup, according to Garlington himself, was that he wanted a father figure, but Rock was a gentle giant rather than a strong personality. In 1985, the actor became the first known celebrity to have died from AIDS complications.
