27 Gay TV Actors
I’m on the fence about a few of these actors because there’s never really been any proof that they were gay. If they were, they lived quiet, discreet lives because they didn’t have any other choices. They were victims of their times and circumstances. But it’s an interesting list anyway, and even if it’s not accurate I see nothing wrong with being called gay because there’s no shame or harm in that. In other words, it doesn’t really matter.
Most we know were gay for certain, but this one is questionable, at least from all I’ve read.
Joseph Kearns, Dennis the Menace
The grouchy next-door neighbor Mr. Wilson, always being bothered by tyke Dennis, was first brought to delightful life by character star Kearns, who also leant his talents to shows from The Jack Benny Program to Our Miss Brooks. Never married, he died during the show’s run.
This one surprised me because I didn’t know anything about him at all.
Jack Larson, Adventures of Superman
Alive and well at 86, Larson is remembered as cub reporter Jimmy Olson on the ’50s serial Adventures of Superman. Never closeted, Larson was in relationships with actor Montgomery Clift and director James Bridges, the latter lasting 35 years.
You can check out the rest here. As I said, even if it’s not accurate there shouldn’t be any shame attached to being referred to as gay. We tend to misunderstand this sometimes and I think it’s time to stop.
Suzie Orman Pushed Out
Even though this article is mainly about Tim Cook coming out, it also mentions how Suzie Orman was terrified that someone would ask her if she was gay up until 2007. It’s a good example of how gay people live in fear, and also a good example of how much has changed in only seven or eight years.
While Orman is now one of the most well-known lesbians in the US, she was not ready to be outed publicly in 2007 in an article that appeared in The New York Times Magazine and didn’t like the way it all went down.
‘The interview was really supposed to be about my book that was coming out called Women and Money which was a really important book. Now (writer Deborah Soloman is) announcing to everybody that I’m gay and what I didn’t want was for people to think that I had staged that! I didn’t want them to think that it was a marketing thing.’
This is how many of us think and I can understand her completely. I see gay people using their sexuality all the time as marketing ploys (especially gay authors) and I always find it cringe-worthy at best. Trashy at the worst. It’s the main reason I don’t talk about my personal life with my husband as often as I probably should. I don’t want people thinking I’m exploiting our lives just to sell books, even if I knew it would sell more books…at least not the same way I see other gay people doing it around me.
Tyler Ritter Plays Gay
I’ve always been a fan of Jason Ritter, Tyler Ritter’s older brother. Both are the sons of the late John Ritter. If I’m correct, I think the grandfather was Tex Ritter. And now Tyler Ritter is playing a gay role in a new CBS sitcom called The McCarthy’s.
‘The show starts out with him already having come out a few years before, and the family is totally OK and accepting of him,’ Ritter tells The Wrap.
‘Aside from the fact that he’s in the dating world and meeting new guys, it really isn’t that big of a plot, because these guys could easily be girls. The actual sexuality in and of itself isn’t what makes this show tick. It’s the characters themselves, it’s the conflicts they run into.’
I think the premise sounds interesting. It’s time to start making gay characters just plain old people like everyone else. I’m in the planning stages of making a few changes to my writing career and this is one of them that’s going to take top priority.
There’s also some interesting background info about Tyler Ritter, which you can read more about here.
