It’s hard for us to understand what it’s like to hide certain aspects of ourselves from the public.
Unfortunately, this famous actor has spent most of his life doing just that. In the 1950s and 1960s, Tab Hunter, known for his blond hair and good looks, became a major figure in Hollywood, appearing in numerous films. He drew the ire of Bobby Soxers in the 1950s, and his most famous film was Damn Yankees. Some people know him from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.
He was born in Manhattan, New York in 1931. He lied about his age when he enlisted in the US Coast Guard at age 15. Tab’s passion for movies earned him the nickname Hollywood during his time in the Coast Guard. Tab stayed home and watched a movie while his colleagues went to the bar after work.
When Tab was 17, he met Henry Wilson, the famous agent who created the beefcake trend in the 1950s. Rock Hudson and Robert Wagner were two of the superstars Wilson discovered early on.
In his book Tab Hunter Confidential, Hunter discussed Willson’s requirements and claimed that “acting skill was secondary to chiseled features and a fine physique.”
With his “Malibu beach boy looks,” Tab Hunter was the ideal Hollywood fit and went on to become one of the era’s most beloved adolescent idols.
“I suppose I was a product of. I wondered where one serves their apprenticeship after being pushed into it. I was one of those individuals who had to learn by experience. I picked up skills on the job,” he remarked.
But Tab’s sudden rise to fame has not been without its challenges. In the 1950s, it was impossible to be a gay actor because America was so conservative at the time. Veteran actor Tab Hunter who has a large fan base is well received for his skills and good looks.
He was considered the man of Hollywood at the time and had many female fans. Unfortunately, like many other gay actors of his era, he had to hide his true identity and sexuality to protect his job.
She had to go through several relationships to keep it hidden from the public before she finally came out and met her future partner. When Tab Hunter was older and much lighter, he talked about working as an undercover gay man in Hollywood in the 1940s.
At one point, Hunter told The Hollywood Reporter that it was preferable to “get it from the horse’s mouth.”
Later in life, the late actor wed Allan Glaser, his lifelong partner.
Film producers Glaser and Hunter enjoyed a successful and happy marriage. He had been dating Glaser in the past. Hunter did, however, have a covert relationship with actor Anthony Perkins.
After hearing rumors of the contentious romance between the two Hollywood heartthrobs for years, Tab finally decided to come clean.
We started chatting and grew close, and soon we were beginning to see one other. However, it was challenging since we couldn’t just go out to dinner or the movies because we were both becoming so well-known then. I never discussed my personal life with anyone back then. It was nobody’s dang business, in my opinion, he said.
His husband, Allan Glaser, had told him that a book about Hunter’s life would be written, which was one of the main reasons he decided to become public. The actor decided that he would prefer to be the one to reveal his private relationships to the public.
The movie actor said in his interview that he had known from his teen years that he favored guys. But given the era, he would never have acknowledged or been OK with the label “gay.”
His life was revolutionized throughout his career when a friend and fellow performer Dick Clayton advised him to meet with Henry Wilson, a “gay svengali” agent connected to other gay performers, including Rock Hudson.
Wilson assisted Hunter in acquiring several parts before he eventually found himself in the 1955 film “Battle Cry,” which catapulted the budding star to fame. He became Hollywood’s bad boy, whose image could be seen on the covers of magazines all over the nation.
Due to his fame, Warner Bros. offered him a unique seven-year contract. At the business, he first met Natalie Wood, his “Burning Hills” co-star.
Warner Bros. paired off the two young celebrities, and they gave off the impression of being romantically involved in public. They were sent to numerous events and award shows together. Hunter was reputedly good friends with Debbie Reynolds then, and he was inundated with female fans’ letters.
Of all, all of his appearances and alleged partnerships were marketing gimmicks. During the height of his career, Hunter was even scandalously detained at a pajama party where most attendees were gay males.
Hunter was having an affair with Anthony Perkins, an actor best remembered for his lead role in “Psycho,” while he pretended to date Wood. When discussing the connection, Hunter said:
“Tony and I got along incredibly well. We did a lot of double dating.
Over the years, he had numerous discreet relationships, but no rumors or controversies seemed to impact his work. Eventually, there were suspicions that Hunter’s former agent Wilson was the one who told the media the star was gay.
After they wed, Hunter and Glaser resided in a modest cottage outside Santa Barbara.
They lived a quiet life after Hunter’s reputation waned in the 1960s. They were content with their decision to lead a modest life far from Hollywood. Hunter explained that achievement is not the only aspect of life in a 2005 interview with the New York Times.
Sadly, Hunter passed away at the wonderful house he lived with Glaser. It was determined that the 86-year-old celebrity’s heart attack-related death occurred when a blood clot got lodged in his lungs.
