Actors & Actresses . Hudson said that Christian would 'destroy me' if he found out so he decided not to tell him. Ive known Ive had it for ten years. He would later join the US Navy as an Apprentice Seaman (pictured right with his father), Rock Hudson, posing with his arms around his mother and father at their home, 1954. In January 1944 Hudson voluntarily enlisted in the US Navy as an Apprentice Seaman. ET. The Ongoing Legal Battle. He 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. (His friend) George Nader mailed the letters from Palm Springs so that they recipients wouldnt immediately connect the dots as to who the sender was. He doesn't perspire. He had tested negative several times for AIDS. Then there was Jack Coates, a 23-year-old who he wooed one afternoon over mint juleps but it fell apart because he got fed up with being what Griffin calls 'Mrs Rock Hudson'. Rock Hudson's Daughter Judy Dent. They revealed he once snapped at them in frustration and fear saying: 'I don't have AIDS! GOOD MORNING: George Nader, who died Monday at age 80, was the sole heir of (the interest from) Rock Hudson's estate. Griffin writes that Hudson began to take whites, or amphetamines, to help him on the long shoots. The pair also reportedly came up with a signature drink during these visits: the chocolate martini. Griffin writes that Hudson began to take 'whites', or amphetamines, to help him on the long shoots. Miller, Hudson's close friend, said that Christian even confessed to him that he had been working as a male escort in the past which caused further tension. He would jokingly call her "Eunice" and other names. Hudson replies: 'Oh I don't know. Hudson's other hits in the 1950s included Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows - the book's title - which was directed by melodrama maestro Douglas Sirk. Now, according to court documents obtained by The Blast, the Court of Appeal of the State of California has ruled in her favor and overturned the lower courts ruling. Alice Waier, Hudsons adoptive sister, claimed she has a letter Hudson wrote to a friend in November 1945 which proves he had a secret child but with a schoolmate, not a school friends mother. Hudson later met his next serious boyfriend, Jack Navaar, a 22-year-old Korean War veteran who was willowy and a blue-eyed blond. When Dean was killed in a car crash in September 1955 before filming had finished Hudson was shattered, Gates said, and his huge frame convulsed with sobs. Then there was Jack Coates, a 23-year-old who he wooed one afternoon over mint juleps but it fell apart because he got fed up with being what Griffin calls Mrs Rock Hudson. Marilyn Monroe and Hudson bonded over their troubled upbringings and his friend Lois Rupert recalled how in the early 1960s he used to get late night distress calls from her. On June 5, 1984 Hudson revealed to his closest friends his dark secret - he had AIDS, and maybe cancer too. Stake in Outcome. But according to some of Hudson's former employees, there were warning signs from the start that he was taking advantage of him. ', Hudson struggled to balance his secret life and his Hollywood persona - a handsome red -blooded heterosexual male pin up. Ironically, some say Gates could have been a closeted lesbian and Navaar recalled how once at a bar in Los Angeles she met a woman and disappeared for the rest of the weekend with her. 'Marilyn would call one night and Judy the next. Unfortunately, Rock Hudson's relationships with women were complicated. At the time AIDS was considered a disease that fairies on Santa Monica Boulevard got, as Miller put it, and was deeply misunderstood by the wider public. According to our sources, Hudsons estate then transferred toThe Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. Of course it did not stop Hudson seeing other men, including another of Willson's clients, Cragill Fowler, a blond, blue-eyed former lifeguard. I dont think he would have ever, ever come out.. With fame came more attention from the tabloid press and Universal became increasingly anxious about Hudson's personal life. In lieu of a funeral, Hudson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor held a memorial service that took place at Hudson's estate. The marriage only lasted three years. Hodge was 33 when they met and Hudson was 21 evidently he saw a father figure he never had. The film was an instant classic and Hudson became the biggest star in the world on the back of it. In 1952, Playboy did a spread of Hudson in bed with the headline, 'Rip Van Hudson' but the suggestion about his sexuality was way off the mark. In 2014, a woman called Susan Dent, 69, sued Hudson's estate seeking an order establishing paternity - she did not seek any money. Rock Hudson & Susan Saint James In McMillan & Wife Gates gave her version of events in the book, My Husband, Rock Hudson, which she published two years after his death and said it was nightmarish to discover he had AIDS. He smells of milk. Then pour the drink into a chilled glass. Willson also gave him his name, Rock Hudson, which he came to by combining the Rock of Gibraltar with the Hudson River in New York. According to the book, Hudson was so tormented by his diagnosis that he told a close friend that he felt 'so filthy' for being infected. In letters published in author Mark Griffin'sAll That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson, the actor wrote: 'We have recently had sex together and I have been informed by my doctor that I may have AIDS. 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. If Im dying its from liver cancer. His appeal was summed up by Look magazine: Hes wholesome. In 2011, the actress revealed that she didn't know anything about her handsome co-star before they met. Hudson told Miller he had cried for a week after he got the diagnosis from a Beverly Hills dermatologist who had done a biopsy on a lesion on his neck and identified it as Kaposi's sarcoma, a type of cancer. He will be laid to rest beside his beloved father Gordon Dent in a plot in a small country graveyard in Thurso, Quebec, which he has lovingly maintained for many years. He also made visits to the first gay bar in Lexington, Kentucky, called The Gilded Cage, and through his connections there attended parties where he was believed to have slept with college football players. Police and security officers closed off the street to prevent the media and others from attempting to get into the event. Hudsons other lovers included Tom Clark, who became a long term boyfriend and moved in for a decade. With fame came more attention from the tabloid press and Universal became increasingly anxious about Hudsons personal life. In 2014, a woman called Susan Dent, 69, sued Hudson's estate seeking an order establishing paternity - she did not seek any money. He reportedly took toys away from Roy that he believed were effeminate and tried to squash Roy's dreams of acting. When Handler asked him about famous women in Hollywood, including Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Jane Wyman, Linda Evans, and Claudia Cardinale, he said that the one who impacted him the most was Katharine Hepburn. But according to some of Hudsons former employees, there were warning signs from the start that he was taking advantage of him. Nader died in 2002 and Miller passed away in 2015. As Flaherty saw it, Hudson was getting older and had scored this hot, young trophy boyfriend he really thought he was in love.. I was jealous of him because I was afraid he was stealing the picture from me.. Hudson was was so giddy and smitten he bought Christian a new Mercedes Benz, presents for him and his friends, and acting lessons. When he returned home from Tel Aviv in January 1984 Christian was shocked by his physical condition. Another issue was that Confidential, a tabloid magazine which exposed the personal lives of Hollywood stars, was planning to out Hudson as gay, or as a 'Lavender Lad' as it called homosexuals. The commanding officer would not admit Hudson, but Olson thought a request from the White House would help. At one of Hodge's parties he threw to help Hudson make connections, he was introduced to the infamous agent Henry Willson who would take him on as a client. 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. Hudsons estate manager Marty Flaherty said that at the beginning it was basically shopping sprees for Marc Christian.. Hudson asked Miler to accompany him to see his personal physician and an AIDS specialist from UCLA, Dr Michael Gottlieb. This all came to a head in 2014 when a woman named Susan Dent tried to sue the Hudson estate claiming that he was her real father. The memorial service was restricted to those who were personally invited and included approximately 150 people in total. Pinterest. Saint James is set to reunite with actress Jane Curtin, with whom she starred on Kate & Allie from 1984-1989, for a Stars in the House event, which will live-stream on YouTube Friday at 8 p.m. According to the book, Hudson was so tormented by his diagnosis that he told a close friend that he felt so filthy for being infected. To add salt to injury, in December 2014, a Canadian woman Susan Dent filed a petition to establish paternity. Were told Dents attorneys did not submit the DNA test as evidence with the court in their initial filing, but they will for the new trial, which begins later this month. But their friend Stockton Briggle described it as an arranged marriage that obviously was never going to work., Briggle said: One of the few things (Hudson) ever said to me about that was that he always resented being manipulated like that and it was a very dark period in his life.. But their friend Stockton Briggle described it as an 'arranged marriage' that 'obviously was never going to work. Shortly before he died Hudson donated $250,000 to amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which helped to launch it and make it the fundraising powerhouse it is today. Our sources say Dent has told the estate she wants to do something in his memory, but they have no idea what that might entail. ', Briggle said: 'One of the few things (Hudson) ever said to me about that was that he always resented being manipulated like that and it was a very dark period in his life.'. A prominent heartthrob in the Golden Age of Hollywood, he achieved stardom with his role in Magnificent Obsession (1954), followed by All That Heaven Allows (1955), and Giant (1956), for . At the time AIDS was considered a disease that 'fairies on Santa Monica Boulevard got', as Miller put it, and was deeply misunderstood by the wider public. He died that October from AIDS-related complications. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Hudson's friend Mark Miller said: 'Kenny liked sailors and often had them lined up in his living room. At the time of his death, Hudson was worth $10 million, the equivalent of $23 million today if adjusted for inflation, reports Celebrity Net Worth. Dean recognized that Taylor was drawn to outcasts and so played up his lost boy routine to draw her in. ", When Rock Hudson began his Hollywood career, it didn't go very smoothly. They pair starred in 1959's "Pillow Talk" and had a friendship that endured until his death, according toPeople. Willson sought to put the rumors about his sexuality to bed by marrying him off at speed, which he did to his secretary, Phyllis Gates, a beautiful 30-year-old from Minnesota who had once caught the eye of Marlon Brando. Dent then hired attorneys and began the legal process with her goal being to change her birth certificate to reflect her updated lineage. Author Don Graham wrote in his book "Giant" that Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed spending their nights eating chocolate and drinking vodka (via Fox News). Hudson told her: 'I wanted him to die, I hated him. By 1965 Hollywood was in on the joke of his sexuality and in A Very Special Favor, he played a man trying to woo a woman by pretending to be gay. 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The next day the man found out he had AIDS and sold his story to a tabloid for $10,000. Susan Dent just wants one thing: to officially establish that Rock Hudson is her father. His whole appeal is cleanliness and respectability - this boy is pure.'. Don't miss your year-ahead forecast, Hundreds of migrants who have just stepped foot in the US CHEER as Biden thunders past but President is oblivious to their presence after illegal immigrants are cleared from the path of his three-hour Texas visit, Biden lands in Mexico for 'Three Amigos' summit after his three-hour tour of the border - with plans act on immigration and illegal drugs following government arrest of kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman's son in violent clash, Texas Gov. Do not sell or share my personal information. Touch device users can . There was a hiccup, however. Even in 2021, Susan Saint James thinks famously closeted Rock Hudson would have "never ever come out.". She is not after fame, either, or else you would have heard this story already. 'In this letter he tells his friend everythingI am sure (his mother) Kay handled the whole thing because he wasn't even at home.'. In his final months, he flew to Paris for treatment with an experimental drug called HPA-23, but his close friends said Hudson was in denial. Gates later claimed she had been manipulated into marrying Hudson and painted herself as a victim of a ploy. The book reveals Hudsons inner pain due to decades of living in the closet while publicly playing the role of a red-blooded, heterosexual male pin-up. But oh, it gets juicier. Hudson and Gates were married two months later in a bungalow at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara, eight days before Hudson turned 30. The film was an instant classic and Hudson became the biggest star in the world on the back of it. By 1965 Hollywood was in on the joke of his sexuality and in A Very Special Favor, he played a man trying to woo a woman by pretending to be gay. With nothing more than her mothers story, Dent contacted Hudsons relatives and they agreed to submit to a DNA test. It sounds like they had a one time fling. According to one account, he had a weekend fling while back home with the mother of a high school classmate. Hudson starred in Giant alongside James Dean - both got Oscar nominations - with Hudson playing Texas oilman Jordan 'Bick' Benedict Jr. 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. 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. With nothing more than her mothers story, Dent contacted Hudsons relatives and they agreed to submit to a DNA test. Saint James, who played the Hollywood heartthrob's onscreen wife on the hit . Instead Hudson returned to the US to star in the TV series Dynasty and returned to Paris for more treatment, but by then his condition deteriorated so much he was beyond help. The actor was in France to meet French Army doctor Dominique Dormant, who'd secretly treated Hudson several months earlier. What is all this AIDS s***?'. Our agents called us and said, Come on, you dont want to do that, because they had other deals with [the network], so we went back and they never did fix it.. Hudson spent the next months denying he had AIDS as he did not want to tarnish his image. Things had deteriorated to the point where Gates had hired a private detective to secretly record Hudson in their home where she had invited him to talk about their marital problems - and taped him admitting he was gay. Upon his death, Hudson left everything toGeorge Nader, an actor friend, and Naders partner, Mark Miller. "', Actress Mamie Van Doren said that Hudson saw it as a 'challenge' to see if he could 'swing' a straight guy, adding,'And I'm sure he did.'. Watch. Willson's pitch for Hudson was as a simple Midwestern hunk, a former truck driver who had turned to acting. Now he finds out this girl is pregnant and that she plans to give the child up for adoption. Now, according to court documents obtained by The Blast, the Court of Appeal of the State of California has ruled in her favor and overturned the lower courts ruling. Dent says she . She initially filed her petition to establish paternity on December 23, 2014. Day was shocked by his emaciated appearance but embraced her friend when they got together. Hudson was seen with a male Italian actor in public on several occasions - their response was to put out a press release saying he was dating Jill Clifford, a British heiress. The film centered on the love affair between an English nurse and an American soldier in Italy during World War I. 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