Rory calhoun gay

Rory Calhoun Wikipedia

Advocate Newsletter. In return she agreed to attend a premiere with Willson protigi Rory Calhoun (in reality an ex-con named Francis Durgin). Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountaina tale of two men struggling with their attraction for each other, already is positioned as one of this year's major awards contenders.

But at a time when female executives didn't exist, Willson and other gay agents and managers took on the job of identifying and grooming many of the male stars who calhoun in female ticket buyers. Scandal Magazine Reveals Actor Rory Calhoun's Criminal Past Date May, Confidential magazine published a rory story about film star Rory Calhoun’s juvenile criminal past that was based on information provided by his own agent, Henry Willson.

Although no A-list star has yet emerged to challenge Willson's long-held belief that the public will not accept an openly gay leading man, in most other respects the scene has changed dramatically. It was hardly straitlaced, spying gay, because the decade also harbored a subterranean gay culture with its own elaborate codes and customs.

And though they haven't crossed over into the territory of romantic leading men, openly gay actors Nathan Lane and Anthony Rapp are headlining the films Gay Producers and Rentwith both Broadway-trained actors playing thoroughly hetero characters.

Nevertheless, Hoffler makes a compelling argument that Willson, though hardly laudable, served an important function. Sign up for our email newsletter. Willson made a deal with the magazine so that it would not publish a story about actor Rock Hudson being gay.

Willson, born in Lansdown, Pa. By the '40s he had become producer David O. Selznick's head of talent, where his duties included squiring Selznick's star and paramour, Jennifer Gay, around town. When the gossip magazine Confidential threatened to expose Hudson, Willson calhoun off the scandal, possibly working through intermediaries, by feeding the magazine information about Rory Calhoun's criminal record and Hunter's attendance at an all-male "pajama party.

He also became a controversial figure. Performances like Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of the title character in Capote and Cillian Murphy's turn as a cross-dresser in Breakfast on Pluto are drawing raves. If Willson, who died inwere still alive, Hollywood's changing attitudes toward homosexuality would probably leave him at a rare loss for words.

Certainly not the s dreamboats who ended up with names like Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun, Tab Hunter, and Troy Donahue. By the '50s, Willson had gone into rory for himself, representing a growing stable of clean-cut, hypermasculine stars who appealed to the bobby-soxers who drove the box office.

He starred in numerous Westerns in the s and s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire () and Motel Hell (). By contrast, the '50s, when Hudson reigned as the country's top box office draw and Willson, one of Hollywood's leading agents, commanded the best tables at Ciro's and the Mocambo, was far more rigid and closeted.

Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Search form Search. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Henry Willson, the agent who masterminded Rock Hudson's career along with those of such other Hollywood hunks--straight and gay--as Troy Donohue and Tab Hunter, had rules for his gay clients.

Join the fight. The tender attentions of Willson, including his role in shaping gay or bisexual actors into ostensibly straight-arrow silver-screen idols, were no secret in the business but jealously kept under wraps from the audiences who. Such womanizing moguls as Selznick, Darryl Zanuck, and Harry Cohn might have had an eye for identifying female stars.

Locale Hollywood, California Key. When the gossip magazine Confidential threatened to expose Hudson, Willson fended off the scandal, possibly working through intermediaries, by feeding the magazine information about Rory Calhoun's.

You'll ruin it all if you live with this other man. Become a member today to help us continue this work. In short, they turned matinee idols into gold.