Film actor, born in Winnetka, Illinois, USA. He had had no acting experience before being given his first chance in films, but he underwent intensive grooming to become one of the biggest box-office idols of the 1950s, starring with Doris Day in the comedy hit Pillow Talk (1959). Other films include A Farewell to Arms (1958), Tobruk (1967), and Ice Station Zebra (1968). In the 1970s he went on to have a successful television career in McMillan and Wife.
| Rock Hudson | |
|
Rock Hudson - Universal Promo Photo |
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| Birth name | Leroy Harold Scherer Jr. |
| Born |
November 17, 1925 Winnetka, Illinois |
| Died |
October 2, 1985 Beverly Hills, California |
| Height | 6' 4" (1.93 cm) |
| Other name(s) | Roy Fitzgerald |
| Notable roles |
Dr. Bob Merrick Magnificent Obsession Jordan 'Bick' Benedict Jr. Giant Robert L. Talbot Come September |
|
Academy Awards |
Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite) (win) 1959 Golden Globe Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite) (win) 1962 Golden Globe Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite) (win) 1960 Golden Globe. |
| Spouse(s) | Phyllis Gates (1955 - 1958) |
Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was a popular American film and television actor, noted for his stunning looks and most remembered as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s.
Biography
Early life
Hudson was born Leroy Harold Scherer Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, the son of Katherine Wood, a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer Sr., an auto mechanic who abandoned the family during the depths of the Great Depression, in the early 1930s.
Early career
Willson coined Roy's new name, a combination of the Rock of Gibraltar and Hudson River, and Hudson made his debut with a small part in the 1948 Warner Bros' Fighter Squadron. The film received rave reviews, with Modern Screen Magazine citing Hudson as the most popular actor of the year. Heart by-pass surgery sidelined Hudson and his then-new TV show, The Devlin Connection, for a year;
Personal life
While Hudson's career was blooming, he was struggling to keep his personal life out of the headlines. Hudson did not contest the divorce, and Gates received an alimony of $250 a week for 10 years. She claims to have married Hudson out of love and not, as it was later purported, to stave off a major expose of Hudson's sexual orientation. One magazine story, headlined When Day Is Done, Heaven Is Waiting, quoted Hudson as saying, When I count my blessings, my marriage tops the list.
According to the 1986 biography, Rock Hudson: His Story, by Hudson and Sara Davidson, Hudson's other (some more, some less) significant relationships were with American novelist Armistead Maupin, Jack Coates, Hollywood publicist Tom Clark, who also later published a memoir about Hudson, Rock Hudson: Friend of Mine;
Later years
In 1985, Hudson joined his old friend Doris Day for the launch of her new cable show, Doris Day's Best Friends. His gaunt visage, and his nearly-incoherent speech, was so shocking that it was broadcast again all over the national news shows that night and for weeks to come.
In a later press release, Hudson speculated that he may have contracted HIV through transfused blood from an infected donor during the multiple blood transfusions he received as part of his heart bypass procedure.
Shortly before his death Hudson stated, "I am not happy that I am sick. After Hudson's death in 1985, Doris Day, widely thought to be a close off-screen friend, said she never knew that he was gay. 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. Following the funeral, his partner Marc Christian sued Hudson’s estate on grounds of intentional infliction of emotional distress. Christian tested negative, but according to Christian, Hudson continued having sex with him for a year after Hudson knew he had AIDS. Hudson biographer, Sara Davidson, later stated that by the time she had met Rock Hudson, Christian was living in the guest house (a converted garage made into a play room - living room ) and Tom Clark, who had been Hudson's life partner for many years before, was living in the house.
Hudson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6104 Hollywood Boulevard. In the early 1990s, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased and demolished The Castle, Hudson's house, in 9402 Beverly Crest Drive, Beverly Hills.
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