Rock hudson

Young years

Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. was born November 17, 1925 in the village of Winnetka , Illinois . He was the only child in the family. Father abandoned the family during the Great Depression . The mother of the future actor got married again, and his stepfather adopted him. During the Second World War, Rock Hudson served in the Navy, was an aircraft mechanic.

After the war, Roy tried to study, but left school due to poor academic performance. At the age of eight, the boy saw a film with Jackie Cooper and decided to become a movie star to buy a new bike. Dreams of cinema did not leave him in a more mature age. While working as a truck driver, a postman, he tried to become an actor, but only in 1948 received a small role in the film “Fighter Squadron” (“Fighter Squadron”). According to Nigel Cawthorne's biographical sketch about Rock Hudson, it took 36 doubles for the Rock scene, consisting of a single cue. Experienced director Raul Walsh left the guy in the film, while hiring him to paint the house. And yet, the character and texture of the actor did not go unnoticed ^[1] .

Movie Debut

Then, in 1948 , Scherer took the pseudonym. According to one version, the “talent seeker” Henry Wilson (agent of Rock Hudson), who worked for David Salsnik and was one of the first to note the actor’s bright appearance, suggested that he replace his real name with a combination of the names of the rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River ^[2] . According to another legend, the name “Rock” was chosen by the actor’s close friend theater producer Ken Hodge. It seemed to him "cool." The Hudson surname turned up from the Long Beach phone book ^[3] .

At the studio, they decided to make a star out of Hudson. At that time, he had to study not only acting, but also dancing, singing, horseback riding. As a result: in 1954 , after the film “Magnificent Obsession” (“Charming Obsession”), the success came from the audience. Subsequently, Hudson played in many famous films, including such as “The Giant ”, “The Mirror Cracked”, “ When September Comes ”, “ Winchester 73 ”, “ Intimate Talk ”.

Hollywood Success

Rock Hudson was an image of an American man of the 1950s: large, grinning, handsome, confident, not very smart, but knowledgeable. Starting with war films, the actor went beyond their scope after roles in the films Winchester 73 ( 1950 ) and Bright Victory ( 1951 ). In the already mentioned “Charming Obsession” ( 1954 ) by Douglas Serk, he played the object of passion Jane Wyman . The film “Everything That Heaven Will Allow” ( 1955 ) was also popular. The "age" role of the Texas oilman in the film "Giant" ( 1956 ) earned him an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Actor".

Collaboration with Doris Day in the films Intimate Conversation ( 1959 ), Come Back My Love ( 1961 ) and Do Not Send Me Flowers ( 1964 ) made the Hudson Day tandem one of the brightest pairs of the screen. On his own (without Day), the actor showed his comedic talents in the films “ When September Comes ” ( 1961 ), “Man's Favorite Sport?” ( 1964 ), “Strange Spouses” ( 1965 ) and many others. Hudson’s filming partners include Gene Lollobrigida , Bobby Darin , Sandra Dee , Joel Gray , Angela Lansbury , Elizabeth Taylor , Tony Curtis , Kim Novak , Julie Andrews and many others ^[2] .

Personal life

From 1955 to 1958, Rock Hudson was married to Phyllis Gates , actress and former secretary of Henry Wilson, but even then he was aware of his homosexuality . In his own words, even during military service, he felt attracted to men. Nevertheless, the orientation of the actor was carefully hidden from the press and fans. Before marriage, the studio regularly supplied the actor with companions (for example, then-popular actresses Marilyn Maxwell and Lori Anderson ) to maintain the image.

The marriage did not last long. And it was rumored that the superstar's wife was a lesbian. Trying to save face, it was more and more difficult for a married couple to maintain the attention of the public and the press. When the Phyllis got hepatitis, Rock did not come to her from filming in Italy . After the divorce, the actor for some time maintained close relations with actress Marilyn Maxwell. He even wanted to get married again and have children. But this did not happen ^[4] .

In the life of the stars, changes followed. He fired his agent Henry Wilson, who soon drank himself and ended up living in a shelter. Meanwhile, proposals for Hudson year after year became less and less. One of the last successes for the actor was the film by Blake Edwards "Dear Lily" (1970). It was followed by years of creative stagnation and rare episodes on television.

Illness

In the early 80s of the XX century, when a new disease was discovered, which was called AIDS , it turned out that Rock Hudson was also ill with it. Hudson's health deteriorated sharply back in 1983, when he starred in Israel in the movie "Ambassador" with Robert Mitch . On June 8, 1983, a tumor on the actor’s neck was diagnosed as Kaposi’s sarcoma , which is usually called one of the signs of AIDS. Other tests and studies have confirmed a terrible diagnosis. The actor hid this information from relatives, including from his last partner, Mark Christian, with whom he continued to maintain the closest relations until February 1985.

Hudson hurriedly went on a “vacation” to Paris . In fact, he was undergoing treatment with Dr. Dominic Dormont for eight weeks, hoping to defeat the disease. The treatment had to be interrupted in connection with the contract for filming in the television series " Dynasty ". The actor was involved in 10 episodes, 9 of which were shown. After information about the state of Rock Hudson became well-known, a heated discussion touched on an episode in the series in which the hero of Hudson kisses the heroine of Linda Evans.

The last public appearance of the actor took place on July 15, 1985 in Carmel ( California ), near the house of Doris Day . He kept his promise and presented her new show, "Doris Day's Best Friends." Journalists and the public noted a noticeable deterioration in the health and appearance of Hudson, who looked much older than his 59 years.

The actor returned to Paris on July 20, 1985. According to Jerry Oppenheimer and Jack Witek, which is quoted in Norman Donaldson's book How They Died, Hudson did not even want to be allowed on the plane. At the Ritz Hotel, he became completely ill and was sent for examination to the American Hospital. On July 23, the world spread the news that Rock Hudson was sick with AIDS, and official confirmation was received on July 25.

July 30 for 250 000. 250 000 dollars was chartered by a Boeing 747 , on which Rock Hudson, his secretary and a group of doctors were taken to Los Angeles . Until August 24, the dying actor stayed at the medical center, after which he was allowed to return home. There, Tom Clark, his longtime partner with whom Hudson lived for 17 years, looked after him. The presence of Mark Christian was considered undesirable.

Death

Early in the morning of October 2, 1985, the nurse, delighted at Hudson's well-being, which, as she later explained to the actor’s relatives, came after “several days of her prayers over the patient,” dressed the barely alive actor and sat him on a chair. Seeing this, Tom Clark was horrified and instantly put Hudson to bed. When asked if he wants coffee, the actor replied: "It seems to me that not." These were his last words. He immediately fell asleep, and after an hour - at 8.30 local time - Hudson died in a dream.

Rock Hudson passed away on October 2, 1985 , becoming one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS . In the death report, the immediate cause was “cessation of cardiac and pulmonary activity”, and “inflammation of the lymphatic system and AIDS” were named as the root cause.

The actor’s body was transported in a van without identification marks to the crematorium of the Glendale Park, where journalists had already gathered with the hope of a sensational photo material.

There was no funeral service. On October 20, 1985, Tom Clark dispelled the actor’s ashes over the Pacific Ocean ^[5] .

Marc Christian, in consultation with lawyer Marvin Michelson, sued the heirs of the actor. He claimed to have earned compensation for the risk of being infected with immunodeficiency virus during contact with the deceased. He was sued, claiming that Christian was pumping money out of Rock under the threat of publishing love letters proving his sexual orientation. For the damage caused to him, Mark Christian nevertheless received in court 14 500 000 dollars ^[6] .