Classic hollywood gay actors


When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Keep Their Sexuality a Secret

Valentino also married costume designer Natacha Rambova in , at a time when his career was starting to accept off and the roles he played were seen as less typically masculine, such as in the film “Monsieur Beaucaire” in His marriage to Rambova ended in , which left some speculating that the marriages of the “pink powder puff” (a nickname Valentino acquired after playing effeminate roles on screen) were coverups to keep the sex symbol’s reputation intact.

Identifying how many Hollywood couples tied the knot to cloak their sexuality is, of course problematic since it’s primarily based on speculation_._

“I contemplate the hardest thing for a historian is to kind of sift through what the rumor [is] and what is actually factual," says Tropiano.

One commonly cited source for speculation is the memoir of Scotty Bowers, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. Bowers’ account details sexual encounters, gay and straight, that he claims he both arranged and took pa

For many, June represents the month of pride; a time to celebrate, educate and communicate all that is queer, gay and fabulous. Although today being gay isn&#;t much of a deal, back in the 50&#;s it was a dangerous label to have. Throughout history, thousands own lost their lives because they were labeled as &#;gay&#; or &#;queer&#; and many lived out their true sexual preferences in secrecy. As it&#;s almost the end of Pride month, I wanted to have a gaze at some celebrities from the golden age of Hollywood who were gay, or at least thats what the rumours said. It&#;s difficult to know if all these celebrities, and of course many more, were truly gay, but I wanted to share a few stories just so see how far we&#;ve come. Happy pride everyone.

*Disclaimer: Please note that some of the following stories may depict graphic descriptions and behaviours which some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Katherine Hepburn

Iconic Hollywood actress and Academy Award-winning performer in films such as Guess Who&#;s Coming to DinnerThe Lion in Winter, and O

The Real LGBT Stars of Antique Hollywood

The gay subculture of preliminary Hollywood has gained more attention recently thanks to the Netflix series Hollywood. While the present does feature portrayals of some real celebrity characters, its main focus is on the fictional minority characters and the made-up success story of their diverse film. Many stars in Hollywood from the s suppressed their sexuality. They didn&#;t get the freedom that LGBT performers own now, but that doesn&#;t imply their lives needed a wrong happy ending in order to be recognized and appreciated.

Knowing the complete history of LGBT stars in the first decade of Hollywood is difficult since, in order to appeal to the public, publicists believed that aspect of their lives needed to be hidden. Knowing as much as we do about some LGBT stars is a feat considering how much rewriting and covering up the Hollywood studio heads did to everyone they managed, whether gay or straight. Biographies were changed to sound more interesting or relatable to fans, and relationships were deliberately orchestrated to publicize a movie

Old Hollywood Stars You Didn't Verb Were Gay

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Let's declare the obvious: Being a gay celebrity during the days of Adj Hollywood was no walk in the park. Behind Tinseltown's glitzy facade loomed the specter of Hollywood's "sexual gestapo," a term coined by Matt Tyrnauer, director of the documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (via NPR). "It was very difficult," he said, "for people to have authentic lives." And Tyrnauer should know: His film profiled L.A. personality Scotty Bowers, who reportedly acted as a "confidante, friend, and pimp for Hollywood's closeted movie stars." 

The threat of exposure was real and ever-present for these entertainers. Per Tyrnauer, studio contracts contained so-called "moral clauses" that could instantly vaporize a lucrative career. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department's vice squad were all too willing to bust celebrities, often working in cahoots with the press in their quest to hobble reputations. 

Definitively name-checking these stars is impossible, as they were all in the closet through