Rock Hudson was born and raised at a time when many practises that are now widely accepted were formerly seen as very unacceptable.
His parents split up when he was ten years old, and he moved in with his mom and step-dad, who made fun of him for wanting to be an actor. Unfortunately, this, along with his poor short-term memory as a kid, kept him from really considering a job choice until far later in life.
In his latter years, Hudson served in the military as an aircraft mechanic during World War II. After the war, he became a truck driver and advertised himself on movie set backlots by handing out his photo and contact details.
Fortunately, Hudson caught the eye of talent scout and future manager Henry Willson, who volunteered to help him break into the Hollywood industry. His breakout part in Fighter Squadron came about because of Hudson’s attractiveness.
Photo: Universal Pictures / Wikipedia Commons
After Hudson established himself as a household figure, acting opportunities poured in. He was successful professionally, but struggled in his personal life.
Confidential magazine had threatened to disclose his sexuality, which he had attempted to conceal from the public, during the height of his success.
The fact that Hudson was a homosexual was frowned upon at the time.
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He married his agent’s secretary, Phyllis Gates, to silence his critics. They married professing to be much in love, but Gates filed for divorce three years later, citing mental abuse as the reason. Since then, Gates has not remarried, and Hudson has continued to pay her alimony for the whole 10 years.
He dated Lee Garlington from 1962 to 1965, but it wasn’t until Hudson’s book came out that Garlington realised he was the actor’s “true love.”
I used to leave the house at 6 in the morning in my Chevy Nova and drive silently down the street so as not to wake anybody. Garlington said, “We felt we were so incredibly brilliant. After a fan broke into his house looking for gay photos, Hudson decided to end the relationship.
On a couch, smiling and holding drinks around 1960, are Rock Hudson (1925-1985), an American actor, in white slacks and a light blue short-sleeved shirt, and Doris Day, an American singer and actress, in a pink gingham dress.
This picture was taken by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images.
Christian, a 28-year-old actor famous for his work in films like 1988’s Deadly Addiction, was Hudson’s significant other and one of the youngest men he had ever dated.
They met at a political fundraiser and hit it off immediately; however, just as their relationship was flourishing, Hudson began having unusual symptoms including weight loss, severe sweating, and open sores on his body. AIDS, whose symptoms were only vaguely understood at the time, was to blame.
Since Hudson knew that there was a strong association between homosexuality and AIDS, he debated keeping the news to himself for long time. Even from his partner, he kept the condition a secret.
Filmed in 1959, ‘Pillow Talk’ stars Rock Hudson (1925-1985) as Brad Allen and Doris Day as Jan Morrow, both American actresses. (Image by Getty Images/Silver Screen Collection))
Christian, Hudson’s girlfriend, found out the actor had AIDS after reading a public statement he released.
Christian filed a lawsuit against Hudson for causing him mental anguish and fear of infection after Hudson’s death in 1985.
The jury first awarded Christian 21.7 million dollars after hearing his case, but the sum was reduced to 5.5 million dollars when appeals were made.
Images by Getty
Great actor Rock Hudson had a troubled personal life. He had many fans and admirers, though, such as Doris Day and Elizabeth Taylor, who watched out for him.
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