Was roddy mcdowell gay

He represented gay Hollywood excel than most. Everyone suspected Roddy was gay from the time he was a child actor. In observing him one might say well, if he's not gay, then he must be English. As it turns out, he was both. He never hid his gayness from his profession, never made up stories about himself but neither did he make a public announcement... not back in those days. He just was. Few actors, gay or not, were ever as popular with the acting community as Roddy McDowall.

I occasionally drove by his house in Studio Capital, California, hoping to notice him or the many friends who came and went most days and most hours unless he was working. He was the host with the most at his frequent parties, many of them elaborate affairs, some just having 8-10 people over for brunch and a swim. He did, of course, have his all-male soirees but more were probably mixed.

He was enjoy the father confessor to his many friends and he took most of the secrets to his grave. He was recognizable for being very modest except, perhaps if it involved his closest female friends, Maureen O'Hara and Elizabeth Taylor. It seems he told them

Roddy McDowallborn 17 September 1928 (d. 1998)

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowallwas born in London on to a Scottish father and an Irish mother. His mother, who had herself aspired to be an actress, enrolled him in elocution lessons at the age of five; and at the age of ten he had his first major motion picture role as the youngest son in Murder in the Family(1938). Over the next two years he appeared in a dozen British films, in parts large and small.

McDowall's movie career was interrupted, however, by the German bombardment of London in World War II. Accompanied by his sister and his mother, he was one of many London children evacuated to places abroad.

As a result, he arrived in Hollywood in 1940, and the charming new English lad soon landed a major role as the youngest son in How Green Was My Valley (1941). The film made him a celebrity at thirteen, and he appeared as an endearing lad in numerous Hollywood movies throughout the war years, most notably Lassie, Appear Home(1943), with fellow English child luminary and lifelong ally Elizabeth Taylor, and My Friend Flicka(1943).

By his late teens, McDowall had outgrown the parts in which he had been most victorious . Accordi

Roddy McDowall was a child actor who made his Hollywood breakthrough in “How Green Was My Valley” (1941). He soon met his life long comrade Elizabeth Taylor when they co-starred in “Lassie Come Home” (1943).

Among his friends growing up in Hollywood were Tab Hunter and Farley Granger. Both of whom would later come out as gay.

He successfully transitioned to adult roles, appearing on Broadway as Mordred in the musical “Camelot” starring Richard Burton (1960). And as Ariel in the “Tempest” with future Apes costar Maurice Evans. He also co-starred with both Taylor and Burton in the epic movie “Cleopatra” (1963).

His career included a variety of roles in comedies and dramas - including the villain Bookworm in the Batman 66 series. And scifi fans will remember him as Cornelius and Caesar in the “Planet of the Apes” series (he starred in 4 of the 5 films between 1968 and 1973).

Roddy McDowell never married, and searches on the internet say a version of this: “(McDowall) was discreetly homosexual.”

“(Roddy’s) relationships with other men were poorly-kept secrets”.

It’s difficult to locate actual names. Scott Bower, the infamous gas station pimp, claims McDow

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It's been over twenty-five years since actor/photographer Roddy McDowall died of lung cancer in 1998. McDowall, despite some career challenges, was one of that breed of rare former child actors who successfully transitioned into Hollywood adulthood. He was also, however, one of the industry's "openly closeted" actors, which came with its own sense of issues. This is his story.

A Closer Look

Roddy McDowall was born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude on September 17, 1928, in London, England. In 1941, he appeared in movies like How Green Was My Valley and toured in vaudeville and summer stock before moving to New York in 1954.

The versatile performer was then featured in memorable Broadway productions, including Compulsion (1957) and The Fighting Cock (1959). The latter earned him a Supporting Actor Tony Award.

In 1963, he returned to the big screen in Cleopatra, which starred his dear friend Elizabeth Taylor.

Legendary Performances

In the 1960s and 1970s, Roddy McDowall made several TV-movies and guest-star appearances on shows appreciate Batman (in which he played the Bookworm) Hotel (co-starring once more, w