Rock Hudson

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE · June 29, 2010

Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. (November 17, 1925 …quot; October 2, 1985) known professionally as Rock Hudson was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with his most famous co-star, Doris Day. Hudson was voted "Star of the Year", "Favorite Leading Man", and similar titles by numerous movie magazines. The 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall actor was unquestionably one of the most popular and well-known movie stars of the time. He completed nearly 70 motion pictures and starred in several television productions during a career that spanned over four decades. Hudson was also one of the first major Hollywood celebrities to die from an AIDS-related illness.^[2]

^{Life and career}

^{Early life}

^{Hudson was born}^{Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.}^{, in}^{Winnetka, Illinois}^{, the only child of Katherine Wood (of}^English^and^Irish^{descent), a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer, Sr.,(of}^German^and^Swiss^{descent) an auto mechanic who abandoned the family during the depths of the}^{Great Depression}^{. His mother remarried and his stepfather Wallace "Wally" Fitzgerald adopted him, changing his last name to Fitzgerald. Hudson's years at}^{New Trier High School}^{were unremarkable. He sang in the school's}^{glee club}^{and was remembered as a shy boy who delivered newspapers, ran errands and worked as a golf caddy.}

^{After graduating from high school, he served in the}^Philippines^{as an aircraft mechanic for the}^{United States Navy}^during^{World War II}^{. In 1946, Hudson moved to the}^{Los Angeles}^{area to pursue an acting career and applied to the}^{University of Southern California}^{'s dramatics program, but he was rejected owing to poor grades. Hudson worked for a time as a truck driver, longing to be an actor but with no success in breaking into the movies. A fortunate meeting with Hollywood talent scout}^{Henry Willson}^{in 1948 got Hudson his start in the business.}

^{Early career}

^{Hudson made his debut with a small part in the 1948}^{Warner Bros.}^.'^{Fighter Squadron}^{. Hudson needed no fewer than 38 takes before successfully delivering his only line[}^{clarification needed}^{] in the film.}^[3]

^{Hudson was further coached in}^acting^,^singing^,^dancing^,^fencing^{, and}^{horseback riding}^{, and he began to feature in film}^magazines^{where he was promoted, possibly on the basis of his good looks. Success and recognition came in 1954 with}^{Magnificent Obsession}^{in which Hudson plays a bad boy who is redeemed opposite the popular star}^{Jane Wyman}^{. The film received rave reviews, with}^{Modern Screen Magazine}^{citing Hudson as the most popular actor of the year. Hudson's popularity soared with}^{George Stevens}^'s^Giant^{, based on}^{Edna Ferber}^{'s novel and co-starring}^{Elizabeth Taylor}^and^{James Dean}^{. Hudson and Dean both were nominated for}^Oscars^{in the}^{Best Actor}^category.

^Following^{Richard Brooks}^{' notable}^{Something of Value}^{(1957) was a moving performance in}^{Charles Vidor}^{'s box office failure}^{A Farewell to Arms}^{, based on}^{Ernest Hemingway}^{'s novel. In order to make}^{A Farewell to Arms}^{he had reportedly turned down}^{Marlon Brando}^{'s role in}^Sayonara^,^{William Holden}^{'s role in}^{The Bridge on the River Kwai}^{, and}^{Charlton Heston}^{'s role in}^Ben-Hur^{. Those films went on to become hugely successful and critically acclaimed, while}^{A Farewell to Arms}^{proved to be one of the biggest flops in cinema history.}

^{Hudson sailed through the 1960s on a wave of romantic comedies. He portrayed humorous characters in}^{Pillow Talk}^{, the first of several profitable co-starring performances with}^{Doris Day}^{. This was followed by}^{Lover Come Back}^,^{Come September}^,^{Send Me No Flowers}^,^{Man's Favorite Sport?}^,^{The Spiral Road}^{, and}^{Strange Bedfellows}^{, and along with}^{Cary Grant}^{was regarded as one of the best-dressed male stars in Hollywood, and received "Top 10 Stars of the Year" a record eight times from 1957 to 1964. He worked outside his usual range on the science-fiction thriller}^Seconds^{(1966). The film flopped but it later gained cult status, and Hudson's performance is often regarded as one of his best.}^[4][5]^{He also tried his hand in the action genre with}^Tobruk^{(1967), the lead in 1968's spy thriller}^{Ice Station Zebra}^{, a role which he had actively sought and remained his personal favorite, and westerns with}^{The Undefeated}^{(1969) opposite}^{John Wayne}^.

^{Later career}

^{Hudson's popularity on the big screen diminished after the 1960s. He starred in a number of made-for-TV movies. His most successful series was}^{McMillan & Wife}^opposite^{Susan Saint James}^{from 1971 to 1977. In it, Hudson played}^{police commissioner}^{Stewart "Mac" McMillan with Saint James as his wife Sally. Their on-screen chemistry helped make the show a hit.}

^{In the early 1980s, following years of heavy drinking and smoking, Hudson began having health problems. Emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery in November 1981 sidelined Hudson and his new TV show}^{The Devlin Connection}^{for a year; the show was canceled not long after it returned to the air in December 1982. Hudson recovered from the surgery but continued to smoke. He was ill while filming}^{The Ambassador}^{in 1983 with}^{Robert Mitchum}^{. The two stars reportedly did not like each other, Mitchum himself having a serious drinking problem.}^[6]^{A couple of years later, Hudson's health grew worse, prompting different rumors.}

^{From 1984 to 1985, Hudson landed a recurring role on the}^ABC^{prime time}^{soap opera}^Dynasty^{as Daniel Reece, a love interest for Krystle Carrington (played by}^{Linda Evans}^{) and biological father of the character Sammy Jo Carrington (}^{Heather Locklear}^{). While he had long been known to have difficulty memorizing lines which resulted in his use of}^{cue cards}^{, on}^Dynasty^{it was Hudson's speech itself that began to deteriorate.}

^{Personal life}

^{Hudson never publicly revealed any specifics regarding his sexuality. While Hudson's career was blooming as he epitomized wholesome manliness, he and his agent}^{Henry Willson}^{kept his personal life out of the headlines. In 1955,}^Confidential^{magazine threatened to publish an exposé about Hudson's secret}^homosexual^{life; Willson covered this by disclosing information about two of his other clients, in the form of}^{Rory Calhoun}^{'s years in}^prison^and^{Tab Hunter}^{'s arrest at a gay party in 1950.}

^{Soon afterward, Hudson married Willson's secretary}^{Phyllis Gates}^{. In Gates' 1987 autobiography}^{My Husband, Rock Hudson}^{, the book she wrote with veteran Hollywood chronicler}^{Bob Thomas}^{, Gates states that she dated Hudson for several months and lived with him for two months before his surprise marriage proposal. She claims to have married Hudson out of love and not, as it was later purported, to stave off a major exposure of Hudson's}^{sexual orientation}^{. The news of the wedding was made known by all the major gossip magazines. One story, headlined "When Day Is Done, Heaven Is Waiting," quoted Hudson as saying, "When I count my blessings, my marriage tops the list." The union lasted three years; Gates filed for divorce in April 1958, charging mental cruelty. Hudson did not contest the divorce, and Gates received an}^alimony^{of US$250 a week for 10 years.}^[7]^{After her death from}^{lung cancer}^{in January 2006, some informants reportedly stated that she was actually a}^lesbian^{who married Hudson for his money, knowing from the beginning of their relationship that he was}^gay^.^[8]^{She never remarried.}

^{According to the 1986 biography,}^{Rock Hudson: His Story}^{, by Hudson and}^{Sara Davidson}^{, Rock was good friends with American}^novelist^{Armistead Maupin}^{and a few of Hudson's lovers were: Jack Coates (born 1944); Hollywood publicist Tom Clark (1933…quot;1995), who also later published a memoir about Hudson,}^{Rock Hudson: Friend of Mine}^{; and Marc Christian, who later won a suit against the Hudson estate. In Maupin's}^{Further Tales of the City}^,^{Michael Tolliver links up with a closeted macho icon referred to as Blank Blank, which has been interpreted as a thinly disguised caricature of Hudson.}

^{The book,}^{The Thin Thirty}^{, by Shannon Ragland, chronicles Hudson's involvement in a 1962 sex scandal at the}^{University of Kentucky}^{involving the}^football^team^{. Ragland writes that}^{Jim Barnett}^{, a wrestling promoter, engaged in}^prostitution^{with members of the team, and that Hudson was one of Barnett's customers.}^[9]

^{A popular}^{urban legend}^{states that Hudson married}^{Jim Nabors}^{in the 1970s. The two, however, never had anything beyond a friendship; the legend originated with a group of "middle-aged}^homosexuals^{who live in}^{Huntington Beach}^{," as Hudson put it, who would send out joke invitations for their annual get-together. One year, the group invited its members to witness "the marriage of Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors;" the punchline of the joke was that Hudson would take the name of Nabors's most famous character,}^{Gomer Pyle}^{, and would henceforth be named "}^{Rock Pyle}^{." Despite the obvious impossibility of such an event, the joke was lost on many, and the Hudson-Nabors marriage was, in a few circles, taken seriously. As a result of the false rumor, Nabors and Hudson never spoke to each other again.}^[10]

^{AIDS and death}

^{Hudson (left) with President}^{Ronald Reagan}^{and first lady}^{Nancy Reagan}^{at a White House state dinner, May 1984In July 1985, Hudson joined his old friend}^{Doris Day}^{for the launch of her new TV cable show,}^{Doris Day's Best Friends}^{. His gaunt appearance, and his nearly incoherent speech, were so shocking it was broadcast again all over the national news shows that night and for weeks to come. Day herself stared at him throughout their appearance.}

^{Hudson had been diagnosed with}^HIV^{on June 5, 1984, but when the signs of illness became apparent, his publicity staff and doctors told the public he had inoperable}^{liver cancer}^{. It was not until July 25, 1985, while in Paris for treatment, that Hudson issued a press release announcing that he was dying of}^AIDS^{. In a later press release, Hudson speculated he might have contracted HIV through transfused blood from an infected donor during the multiple blood transfusions he received as part of his heart bypass procedure in 1981. Hudson flew back to Los Angeles on July 31, where he was so physically weak he was taken off by stretcher from an Air France Boeing 747, which he chartered and upon which he was the sole passenger, along with his medical attendants.}^[11]^{He was flown by helicopter to}^{Cedars Sinai Hospital}^{, where he spent nearly a month undergoing further treatment. When the doctors told him there was no hope of saving his life, since the disease had progressed into the advanced stages, Hudson returned to his house, 'The Castle', in}^{Beverly Hills}^{, where he remained in seclusion until his death on October 2 at 08:37}^PST^.

^{After Hudson's death, Doris Day, widely thought to be a close off-screen friend, said she never knew of Hudson engaging in any homosexual behaviour.}^{Carol Burnett}^{, who often worked on television and in live theatre with Hudson, was a staunch defender of her friend, telling an interviewer that she knew about his sexuality and did not care. As}^{Morgan Fairchild}^{said, "Rock Hudson's death gave AIDS a face."}^[12]

^{Hudson was}^cremated^{and his ashes scattered at sea. Following his funeral, Marc Christian sued Hudson's estate on grounds of "intentional infliction of emotional distress."}^[13]^{Christian tested negative for HIV but claimed Hudson continued having sex with him until February 1985, more than eight months after Hudson knew he had HIV. Hudson biographer}^{Sara Davidson}^{later stated that, by the time she had met Hudson, Christian was living in the guest house, and Tom Clark, who had allegedly been Hudson's partner for many years before, was living in the house.}^[14]

^{Following his death,}^{Elizabeth Taylor}^{, his co-star in the film}^Giant^{, purchased a bronze plaque for Hudson on the}^{West Hollywood Memorial Walk}^.^[15]

^{Hudson was the subject of a play,}^Rock^{, by}^{Tim Fountain}^{starring Michael Xavier as Rock and Bette Bourne as his agent Henry Willson. It was staged at London's Oval House Theatre in 2008.}

^{Hudson was the subject of a play, "For Roy," by Nambi E. Kelley starring}^{Richard Henzel}^{as Roy and Hannah Gomez as Caregiver. It was staged at American Theatre Company in Chicago in 2010.}

^Filmography

^{Fighter Squadron}⁽¹⁹⁴⁸⁾
^Undertow⁽¹⁹⁴⁹⁾
^{One Way Street}⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^{I Was a Shoplifter}⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^Peggy⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^{Winchester '73}⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^{The Desert Hawk}⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^Shakedown⁽¹⁹⁵⁰⁾
^Tomahawk⁽¹⁹⁵¹⁾
^{Air Cadet}⁽¹⁹⁵¹⁾
^{The Fat Man}^{(1951) (radio show)}
^{Bright Victory}⁽¹⁹⁵¹⁾
^{Iron Man}⁽¹⁹⁵¹⁾
^{Bend of the River}⁽¹⁹⁵²⁾
^{Here Come the Nelsons}⁽¹⁹⁵²⁾
^{Scarlet Angel}⁽¹⁹⁵²⁾
^{Has Anybody Seen My Gal?}⁽¹⁹⁵²⁾
^{Horizons West}⁽¹⁹⁵²⁾
^{The Lawless Breed}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^Seminole⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{Beneath the 12-Mile Reef}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{Back to God's Country}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{Gun Fury}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{The Golden Blade}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{Sea Devils}⁽¹⁹⁵³⁾
^{Bengal Brigade}⁽¹⁹⁵⁴⁾
^{Magnificent Obsession}⁽¹⁹⁵⁴⁾
^{Taza, Son of Cochise}⁽¹⁹⁵⁴⁾
^{I Love Lucy (1 episode, guest star)}⁽¹⁹⁵⁵⁾
^{All That Heaven Allows}⁽¹⁹⁵⁵⁾
^{One Desire}^{(1955) .... Clint Saunders}
^{Captain Lightfoot}⁽¹⁹⁵⁵⁾
^{Written on the Wind}⁽¹⁹⁵⁶⁾
^Giant⁽¹⁹⁵⁶⁾
^{Never Say Goodbye}⁽¹⁹⁵⁶⁾
^{A Farewell to Arms}⁽¹⁹⁵⁷⁾
^{Something of Value}⁽¹⁹⁵⁷⁾
^{Battle Hymn}⁽¹⁹⁵⁷⁾

^{Twilight for the Gods}⁽¹⁹⁵⁸⁾
^{The Tarnished Angels}⁽¹⁹⁵⁸⁾
^{Pillow Talk}⁽¹⁹⁵⁹⁾
^{This Earth Is Mine}⁽¹⁹⁵⁹⁾
^{Lover Come Back}⁽¹⁹⁶¹⁾
^{Come September}⁽¹⁹⁶¹⁾
^{The Last Sunset}⁽¹⁹⁶¹⁾
^{The Spiral Road}⁽¹⁹⁶²⁾
^"^Marilyn^"(1963)
^{A Gathering of Eagles}⁽¹⁹⁶³⁾
^{Send Me No Flowers}⁽¹⁹⁶⁴⁾
^{Man's Favorite Sport?}⁽¹⁹⁶⁴⁾
^Blindfold⁽¹⁹⁶⁵⁾
^{A Very Special Favor}⁽¹⁹⁶⁵⁾
^{Strange Bedfellows}⁽¹⁹⁶⁵⁾
^Seconds⁽¹⁹⁶⁶⁾
^Tobruk⁽¹⁹⁶⁷⁾
^{Ice Station Zebra}⁽¹⁹⁶⁸⁾
^{The Undefeated}⁽¹⁹⁶⁹⁾
^{Ruba al prossimo tuo}⁽¹⁹⁶⁹⁾
^{Hornets' Nest}⁽¹⁹⁷⁰⁾
^{Darling Lili}⁽¹⁹⁷⁰⁾
^{Once Upon a Dead Man}^{(1971) (TV)}
^{Pretty Maids All in a Row}⁽¹⁹⁷¹⁾
^Showdown⁽¹⁹⁷³⁾
^Embryo⁽¹⁹⁷⁶⁾
^{McMillan & Wife}^{(29 episodes, 1971…quot;1977)}
^Avalanche⁽¹⁹⁷⁸⁾
^Wheels^{(1978) TV mini-series}
^{The Martian Chronicles}^{(1979) TV mini-series}
^{The Mirror Crack'd}⁽¹⁹⁸⁰⁾
^{Superstunt II}⁽¹⁹⁸⁰⁾
^{NBC Family Christmas}⁽¹⁹⁸¹⁾
^{The Star Maker}⁽¹⁹⁸¹⁾
^{The Devlin Connection}^{(13 episodes, 1982)}
^{World War III}^{(1982) TV mini-series}
^{The Vegas Strip War}⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾
^{The Ambassador}⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾
^Dynasty^{(14 episodes, 1984…quot;1985)}

^Awards

^{Academy Award: Nominated 1956 Best Actor for}^Giant
^{Golden Globe: Winner 1959 World Film Favorite: Male actor}
^{Golden Globe: Winner 1960 World Film Favorite: Male actor}
^{Golden Globe: co-Winner with}^{Tony Curtis}^{1961 World Film Favorite: Male actor}
^{Golden Globe: Winner 1963 World Film Favorite: Male actor}
^{Hudson received a star on the}^{Hollywood Walk of Fame}^at^{6104 Hollywood Boulevard}^.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE · June 29, 2010

66Lucy · July 2, 2010

Oh my god, you just pick the best actors LMS Thank you so much :clap:

COP11 · July 16, 2010

66Lucy · July 16, 2010

Thank you Cop11, he was so handsome :brows:

COP11 · July 16, 2010

Yes he was!!

bardotek · November 4, 2010

snmkytkn · November 21, 2010

he is very very good looking. thanks for the pictures.

Roxane · Tuesday at 11:23 PM

Closer 4/15/24

Sign In

Rock Hudson

Recommended Posts

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

66Lucy

COP11

Login to View

COP11

66Lucy

COP11

bardotek

snmkytkn

Roxane

Join the conversation

Recently Browsing 0 members

Browse

Activity