Rock Hudson was at the height of his fame in the early ’60s, though his public image was decidedly different than the private life he shared with boyfriend Lee Garlington.
The two dated form 1962-1965, and now nearly 30 years after Hudson’s death from AIDS at age 59, Garlington recalls his memories of the chiseled star.
“He was a sweetheart,” Garlington, 77, tells People. “I adored him.”
Garlington was a film extra in 1962, and after hearing rumors about Hudson, decided to stage a meeting.
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“He was the biggest movie star in the world and the rumors were that he was gay,” he says. “So I thought ‘Let me get an eye on him.’ I stood outside his cottage on the Universal lot, pretending to read Variety, which was probably upside down at the time. He walked out and down the street. He looked back once. That was it.”
A year passed (a year?!) and Garlington got a phone call from one of Hudson’s friends, asking if he’d like to meet the actor.
Garlington drove to Hudson’s Beverly Hills mansion for their first meeting. “Of course, he was 6-foot-4, a monster. He offered me a beer but nothing happened. Literally. I was too scared. He said ‘Well, let’s get together’ and we did.”
We suppose “let’s get together” was as good a pickup line as any for Hudson.
“I’d come over after work, spend the night and leave the next morning,” Garlington recalls to People. “I’d sneak out at 6 a.m. in my Chevy Nova and coast down the street without turning on the engine so the neighbors wouldn’t hear. We thought we were being so clever.”
They may have kept the secret from the public, but Paul Newman was another story.
“Nobody in their right mind came out. It was career suicide. We all pretended to be straight. Once we met Paul Newman and his wife [Joanne Woodward] at a premiere. He looked at me and smiled. I just read in his face – that maybe he knew Rock and I were together. We kind of laughed about it.”
Eventually, though, the passion died down and the two found they weren’t able to meet each other’s needs.
“One of the reasons we went our own way because in a way I wanted a father figure and he was not strong enough,” he says. “Rock wasn’t a real strong personality. He was a gentle giant.”
After Hudson’s death, Garlington read the actor’s autobiography in which Hudson refers to Garlington as his “true love.”
“I broke down and cried,” he recalls. “I just lost it. He said his mother and I were the only people he ever loved. I had no idea I meant that much to him.”
For the full interview, head to People.
Jay Saltz
I met him once and he was a gentleman.
Curty
Rock was crazy about Lee but Lee probably thought rock was more the dominant one in a relationship and he wasn’t. That’s what I got from reading Hudson’s book and david brets book. Regardless it seems Rock never had that one special someone because all.of his relationships were open or both parties cheated. I find int interesting how famous gay people dated back then. Having to be so closeted.
Joe Payer
HOTT
Steven Shelton
I was a bar tender long time ago and i saw him at the bar just before he died , beautyful man
Jeff Eiselman
He was my “type” all of my life. My gaydar was infallible, even at 12 years old.
tomnhk
Classically handsome – a rare trait today
Anthony Burgos
Wow; what a hunk. I feel like the style guys had back then was so attractive and still is as I look at pictures of guys from the 50’s and 60’s. Oh, what beauty. This is the kind of story I feel both happy and sad about though.
Desert Boy
I love Rock Hudson in ‘Giant’.
polarisfashion
Interesting article. Rock sure was a good looking, I mean great looking man. Too bad he couldn’t be with the love of his life.
jamih
“One of the reasons we went our own way because in a way I wanted a father figure and he was not strong enough” Yeah i agree. A guy should really be able to keep his fag on a lease for use and abuse, what’s this sissy Hollywood shit lol.
Realitycheck
I suspect it must have been much harder then we think, to have steady long term relationship at the time.
When society was 100% against gay men and in Hudson case, he was constantly under press scrutiny.
Realitycheck
Is this Hudson naked? Or a look alike?
http://poseygarten.tumblr.com/image/77547355258
Jaroslaw
@polarisfashion: If you read Rock’s book – the one that was completed after his death, it is clear he wanted to be a movie star more than anything. And I do mean anything. Even if he didn’t have to be in the closet, not sure if that ego of his would have been suited for a long term relationship. One of his Gay buddies also an actor chose true love over fame (George can’t think of his last name now) so it was his choice. True enough, not fair he had to make that choice but in the Gay world, many of us never get even one true love………..
Oliver Cox
Sam
Billy Budd
Rock Hudson was a BIG man, classically handsome and he was totally masculine. All these are positive things in my book.
Mark Klein
Sad they had to hide.
Jaroslaw
@Billy Budd: Alcoholism, extreme promiscuity and lying to your boyfriend about having AIDS – all negative things in my book.
ridgelineranger
@ Realitycheck Not Mr Hudson. He was un-cut.
dvlaries
From 1962 to 1965, Hudson was probably still rather easy to love. But even in the Sara Davidson biography Hudson contributed to in the months before his death, in the 1970s and 80s, he becomes quite a nasty drunk.
*
Davidson’s narrative decimates that stupid rumor about Hudson and Jim Nabors as well. Not only did Hudson always prefer blonds, but his outsized ego would never have tolerated a lover with fame and following of their own. We can see with our own eyes how good looking he was, we have no clue how good in bed he was, but Davidson’s portrait of Hudson considerably mutes any envy of Rock’s various lovers, given the high-maintenance investment required of them all.
McShane
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-actor-rock-hudon-leans-against-a-sea-foam-green-news-photo/1587721
This is one of my favorite photos of all time. We have it framed in the guest bathroom. He was smoking hot in, Lover Come Back. Man could he rock a beard.
cflekken
Am I the only one who completely lost it when I read that Lee found out that Rock saw him as his true love and yet they were not together?
dbmyers
After comparing RealityCheck’s naked picture of a supposed Rock Hudson with McShane’s actual Rock Hudson picture (zoomed in close) I am inclined to believe that the naked photo is of Rock Hudson. Compare not only his nose, eyes, eyebrows, hairline, and parts, . . . . but also the veins in the crook of their left arms (opposite the elbow)as well as the two veins running down the forearms.
winemaker
I come from a show business family in los Angeles. There were rumors many years ago of Rock Hudson and Montgomery Clift were ‘lovers’ I don’t know if this was true, this being in the 1950’s – early 1960’s. Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day both were good friends of Rock Hudson and knew his ‘secret’ Shortly after Rock Hudson passed away, I recall Doris Day saying he told her he wanted to meet her privately, one last time. Liz and Doris were probably the only Hollywood ‘A Listers’ who knew his ‘secret’, and maintained the confidence to his death. When Rock Hudson publicly stated he had AIDS, rumors flew and his gayness was revealed, once and for all. So sad, that Hollywood had such a stupid double standard, and in some ways, it still exists today. Like this article stated, if the public found out you were gay, you basically could kiss your career goodbye. There are so many of us in showbusiness that are closeted and still feel the need to lead a double life, fearing that ‘coming out’ would spell career doom.
winemaker
An addendum to my previous post re. Rock Hudson. His real Name was Roy Fitzgerald. He was born in Champlain Illinois in 1925, making him 90 years old this year, if he was alive today !
Realitycheck
@ridgelineranger:
Thanks 🙂
jason smeds
Men were so much better looking back then, don’t you think? I don’t know what it is but perhaps it’s a classiness and suave masculinity that is missing from today’s Hollywood actors.
I mean, Vin Diesel of the Fast and Furious movies isn’t exactly handsome, is he? He looks like Divine.
Ronbo
@jason smeds: Poor fella, the grass is always greener where you are not. Change your name to Eeyore and the poor attitude will fit.
Curty
@dvlaries: That is true later in life alcohol ruled his life, he got into car accidents because of it. She painted a sorta murky image of a sex obsessed, Ultra career driven, drunk man. Another romance that should be explored is jack Coates, he and Rock seemed to get along very well.
Curty
@Jaroslaw: You said it. Right on.
jantheman4903
@Realitycheck: no..and i base it on that man has the classic “v” and not a long torso. if you look at rock even when he was the most fit..he was too tall with too long of a body to have that build. that is my assessment.wasn’t he sixfootfour? you know how much muscle he would have to develop/carry to have that build. does that make sense? have a good day all.
Maude
@Realitycheck:
Looks ‘photo-shoped’.
Maude
@Jaroslaw:
I think you’re thinking of ‘George Nader’ who was credited to have been Rock Hudson’s first ‘lover’ after he arrived in Hollywood.
jsmu
There is a lovely reminiscence, in the form of fiction, of Hudson in one of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City books. Hudson is referred to as ‘The Star’ and is portrayed as one of the nicest, most gracious men imaginable–which he was.
Captain Obvious
It’s a little weird that boyfriend left because he wanted a daddy and now looks back like he didn’t know how Hudson felt about him before he broke it off with him…
That dumb wandering eye and the assumption that all big guys want to be someone’s dominant top.
Zachary King
Diego Alcala
Jaroslaw
@Curty: I wasn’t trying to disparage Rock as much as I wss trying to point out how asinine the “positive” comment was.
Texan78730
@Jaroslaw: Nadar. Another hunk of the first order. Guy Madison was one of my favorites. Stunning looking man. Paul Newman was the real surprise for me. He and Steve McQueen were an item for a long time.
Jaroslaw
@Texan78730: Wow, Guy Madison – never heard of him. There are two pictures of him with full chest hair on the net. I like him – he’s a mixture of cute, handsome, moderately masculine, but not “pretty” handsome. Is it absolutely verified Paul & Steve were an item? This is news to me as well. Thanks.
Jaroslaw
@Maude: Yes, George Nader, thanks.
stanhope
@Curty: two bottoms still need a top…imagine that dyamic here…they bring a top in who is enamored with “doing” Rock Hudson but Lee is the pretty one. That could get challenging fast. Looks like Lee left and didn’t look back whereas Rock pined away the rest of his life. Sad. Wasn’t Tab Hunter the only top around in those circles?