Rock Hudson was a matinee idol during the '50s and '60s and appeared in various romantic
comedies, several of which included the personable Doris Day as his co-star.
He was also secretly gay in a time when homosexuality was taboo.
This is the untold truth of Rock Hudson.
Born Roy Scherer Jr.
Rock Hudson's original name was Roy Scherer Jr., and he was born on November 17, 1925,
in an apartment in Winnetka, Illinois.
His auto mechanic father didn't stick around, and his mother eventually married a man named
Wallace Fitzgerald.
Roy then took Fitzgerald's last name, graduated from New Trier High School, and joined the
Navy during World War II, during which he worked as an aircraft mechanic.
After he left the military, Roy traveled to California, where he made a living driving
trucks.
Roy then set his eyes on Hollywood, investing $55 in a new suit and trying to make his presence
known to Hollywood executives by spending time around studio lots.
Eventually, an agent named Henry Willson came upon his headshot and was impressed by Fitzgerald's
look.
At 6'4", Roy was tall, dark, and handsome — all the right ingredients for a celebrity.
Unfortunately, Roy's name lacked that star quality that so many actors possessed.
Plus, Willson had successfully turned a man named Arthur Gelien into Tab Hunter, so he
knew a thing or two about the importance of a good name.
Legend has it that Wilson came up with the name "Rock Hudson" by borrowing from the Rock
of Gibraltar and the Hudson River.
Hudson reportedly disliked the moniker, but he eventually came around and even called
his production company Gibraltar.
Stepfather abused him
According to Mark Griffin, author of the Rock Hudson biography All That Heaven Allows, young
Roy Fitzgerald's stepfather physically abused him.
One thing he disapproved of was his stepson expressing interest in being an actor.
Roy's stepfather was a former Marine and an alcoholic, as Griffin revealed in an interview
with NPR.
He reportedly took toys away from Roy that he believed were effeminate and tried to squash
Roy's dreams of acting.
When he got older, Roy-turned-Rock was a closeted gay man during an era in which it was taboo
for a matinee idol to identify as homosexual.
He had to make his relationships with onscreen stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall,
and Doris Day believable, so he hid who he truly was on the inside.
According to Griffin, this behavior stemmed from his childhood.
Griffin wrote in his biography of Hudson:
"Long before he landed in Hollywood, he understood that if he wanted to be accepted, the very
essence of who he was would have to be edited out of the frame."
However, most of Rock's co-stars, directors, and others knew he was gay.
And since he was such a likable guy, they kept his secret.
Griffin told NPR:
"So it is sort of a conspiracy of silence.
But it's interesting that they're doing this because they really love this person that
they're working with and feel protective of him."
First screen test was a disaster
When Rock Hudson began his Hollywood career, it didn't go very smoothly.
In fact, during his first screen test, it took him 27 takes to properly say one line.
Hudson was one of the subjects in the 2020 Netflix series Hollywood, and producer Ryan
Murphy explained that Rock struggled with insecurity, was nervous, and inexperienced.
Murphy told the New York Post,
"When he started out, he was filled with self-hatred as many gay people are and were.
All of that takes a while to get rid of."
Studio executives apparently had faith in the burgeoning actor despite his embarrassing
screen test, and Hudson had time to cultivate some self-confidence because Hollywood made
so many films.
Hudson made nearly 70 films, including 1956’s, Giant.
He also made movies with Doris Day, such as 1959's Pillow Talk and 1961's Lover Come Back.
Other well-known films include Magnificent Obsession, Never Say Goodbye, and A Farewell
to Arms.
Turned down pretty significant films
While Rock Hudson's filmography is fairly impressive, he did end up turning down some
significant parts.
According to Classic Movie Hub, because he chose to make 1957's A Farewell to Arms, he
was unable to take the role offered to Marlon Brando in Sayonara, or Charlton Heston's famous
role in Ben-Hur.
These two films were massively successful both critically and commercially.
Sayonara won four Academy Awards, and Brando was nominated for Best Actor.
Meanwhile, Ben-Hur won 11 Academy Awards.
Unfortunately, A Farewell to Arms was a giant flop.
The film centered on the love affair between an English nurse and an American soldier in
Italy during World War I. Hudson later confessed that making the movie was the biggest mistake
of his career.
The film was received so badly that David O. Selznick stopped producing movies after
its release.
Ironically, despite its failure, Hudson was still the number-one box office attraction
in 1957.
Detested James Dean
In the book Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making
of a Legendary American Film by Don Graham, the author reveals some juicy details about
the 1956 film that centered on a Texas cattle rancher.
The film starred Hudson and James Dean, who butted heads on set.
During an interview with Fox News, Graham had this to say:
"Rock Hudson absolutely hated James Dean and vice versa."
The pair clashed the entire time, and co-star Elizabeth Taylor tried to get the two to make
peace between one another.
In the process, Taylor and Hudson became very close.
She was also friends with Dean.
Graham pointed out in his Fox News interview,
"In a way, the two of them were competing for her affections, just as in the film."
The biggest point of contention was that people on set didn't like Dean's different acting
style and antics.
He didn't hit the right marks, he mumbled his words, and his way of embodying the character
was contrary to Hudson's and Taylor's way of acting.
Graham explained,
"James just blew that all off.
And that made them really mad."
In addition, Hudson enjoyed spending time drinking and hanging out with Taylor into
the early morning, and Dean tried to cut in and disturb their friendship.
Hudson was afraid Dean was monopolizing both his friend and the film.
Co-invented the chocolate martini
Author Don Graham wrote in his book Giant that Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed spending
their nights eating chocolate and drinking vodka.
Even though they needed to be on set by 6 a.m., they would often enjoy each other's
company until 3 a.m.
The pair also reportedly came up with a signature drink during these visits: the chocolate martini.
According to the book Rock Hudson: His Story, the close friends concocted the cocktail in
Marfa, Texas, during their downtime.
Since they loved martinis as well as chocolate, it made sense to combine chocolate liqueur,
chocolate syrup, and vodka to make a martini.
They loved the taste but also had to deal with a little indigestion as a result.
Hudson said in the book,
"We were really just kids, we could eat and drink anything and we never needed sleep."
May have had children
In his biography about Rock Hudson, author Mark Griffin indicates that the actor may
have had a daughter, or two, that no one knew about.
In 2014, a woman named Susan Dent claimed that she was Hudson's biological daughter
and sued the actor's estate.
She allegedly didn't want any financial compensation but wanted to be recognized as his offspring.
Hudson's adoptive sister was reportedly in possession of a letter about the situation
written by Rock, and the author claimed that more than one person he interviewed for his
book said that Hudson had two daughters by two different women.
However, Griffin did not find or receive any evidence to support this.
Meanwhile, Dent allegedly convinced some of Hudson's relatives to submit to a DNA test
so she could prove she was biologically Hudson's daughter.
She spent years in court trying to establish paternity, but it was never conclusively proven
that she was his child.
After Hudson's death in 1985, his estate was purportedly transferred to The Motion Picture
& Television Country House and Hospital.
Close to Doris Day
In addition to Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson was also close with his frequent co-star Doris
Day.
They pair starred in 1959's Pillow Talk and had a friendship that endured until his death,
according to People.
In 2011, the actress revealed that she didn't know anything about her handsome co-star before
they met.
She thought his name was odd, but once she got to know him, she enjoyed his company because
he was funny and had a good sense of humor.
He would jokingly call her "Eunice" and other names.
Doris recalled that she and Hudson had a, quote, "marvelous time" together.
"We've certainly had wonderful times, haven't we?"
"So wonderful."
Their film Pillow Talk was a huge success and earned Day her only Best Actress Academy
Award nomination.
They also starred in the 1961 film Lover Come Back and 1964's Send Me No Flowers.
Even after Hudson received his AIDS diagnosis, he chose to appear on Day's variety show in
July 1985.
"And you know what?
I am thrilled that you're going to do my show.
You're my… you're my first guest."
This was before Hudson went public with the news of his diagnosis.
Day was shocked by his emaciated appearance but embraced her friend when they got together.
During their last visit, the actor was very sick and weak, and Day even offered to feed
him.
Day explained,
"I think the reason people liked our movies is because they could tell how much we liked
each other.
It came across that way on screen.
He was a good friend."
Loved gardening and admired Katharine Hepburn
Journalist Randa Handler interviewed Rock Hudson in 1985, just a couple days before
he revealed to the world that he had AIDS and was admitted to the hospital for a liver
infection.
She visited him at his Southern California estate near Coldwater Canyon.
When Handler waited for Hudson to change out of his swimsuit, she checked out his library,
where she observed hundreds of classic novels.
During their conversation, the actor talked about his love for antiquing and his desire
to see the film Cocoon by director Ron Howard.
When Handler asked him about famous women in Hollywood, including Elizabeth Taylor,
Doris Day, and Jane Wyman, he said that the one who impacted him the most was Katharine
Hepburn.
Hudson had a tremendous admiration for Hepburn and dubbed her "a legend."
He loved how she was able to express her emotions and bring the characters she played on screen
to life.
As for whether he would change anything about his life, Hudson said he wouldn't.
However, he did say that if he wasn't an actor, he would have become a gardener because he
loved to, quote, "watch things grow and bloom."
From 1962 to 1985, Hudson lived in "The Castle" in Beverly Hills.
He spent two decades restoring the Spanish-style home, which sat on 3.5 acres and contained
a greenhouse with orchids.
Nancy Reagan wouldn't help him
In July 1985, Hudson collapsed at the Ritz hotel in Paris, and he was admitted to the
American Hospital of Paris to cope with complications from AIDS.
The actor was in France to meet French Army doctor Dominique Dormant, who'd secretly treated
Hudson several months earlier.
Hudson's publicist, Dale Olson, sent a telegram to the Reagan White House in an attempt to
get the actor transferred to the military hospital, where he could receive necessary
medical treatment.
The commanding officer would not admit Hudson, but Olson thought a request from the White
House would help.
First Lady Nancy Reagan denied the request.
White House staff member Mark Weinberg explained to The Guardian,
"The Reagans were very conscious of not making exceptions for people just because they were
friends of theirs or celebrities or things of that kind."
But there is strong speculation that the nature of the virus kept Reagan from intervening
and helping the actor.
At the time, the Reagan administration was dealing with a lot of criticism related to
its anti-LGBTQ response to the AIDS crisis.
"The only thing that can halt the spread of AIDS right now is a change in the behavior
of those Americans who are at risk."
Eventually, Hudson was admitted to the military hospital with some help from French defense
minister Charles Hernu.
Unfortunately, he died on October 2, 1985.
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