501:
In his later years, Willson struggled with drug addiction, alcoholism, paranoia, and weight problems. As his own homosexuality had become public knowledge, many of his clients, both gay and straight, distanced themselves from him for fear of being branded the same.
463:
confirms that "some of the would-be actors
Willson represented were heterosexual, but a disproportionate number were homosexual, bisexual, or 'co-operated' with Willson 'to get gigs,' in the observation of Natalie 's costar
426:
Willson eventually opened his own talent agency, where he nurtured the careers of his young finds, frequently coercing them into sexual relationships in exchange for publicity and film roles. In his book,
435:
writes, "talent agent Henry
Willson... had a singular knack for discovering and renaming young actors whose visual appeal transcended any lack of ability. Under his tutelage, Robert Mosely became
489:'s years in prison and Tab Hunter's arrest at a gay party in 1950 in exchange for the tabloid not printing the Hudson story. At his agent's urging, Hudson married Willson's secretary
276:, where he hoped the school's many team sports and rugged weekend activities, such as rock climbing and backpacking, would have a positive influence on the boy. He later attended
455:
aspect of this enterprise, and so widely recognized was
Willson's sexuality, that it was often, and often inaccurately, assumed that all of his clients were gay. In her book
506:
468:. ..." "if a young, handsome actor had Henry Willson for an agent, 'it was almost assumed he was gay, like it was written across his forehead,' recalls
701:
During his youth in Forest Hills, N.Y., Willson was close to his father, a man who both enabled his showbiz obsession and hindered his personal development.
595:
432:
568:
479:-born truck driver named Roy Scherer into one of Hollywood's most popular leading men. The two were teamed professionally until 1966. In 1955,
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magazine threatened to publish an exposé about Hudson's secret gay life, and
Willson disclosed information about
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hired
Willson to head the talent division of his newly formed Vanguard Pictures. The first film he cast was the
987:
858:
713:
150:
24:
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gay bars, where he wooed young men for both professional and personal reasons. One of his first clients was
493:
in order to put the rumors to rest and maintain a macho image, but the union dissolved after three years.
521:
120:
76:
596:"'The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson' Is a Revelatory Dissection of What It Was To Be a Gay Movie Star"
569:"True Crime Podcast 'Variety Confidential' Unveils the Talent Agent Who Invented the Beefcake Craze"
884:
734:"Who was Henry Willson? Shrewd and predatory talent agent who 'made' Rock Hudson and Lana Turner"
481:
281:
214:
57:
542:
404:
330:
687:
524:. A headstone was eventually placed at his burial site with the epitaph "Star - Star Maker".
416:
370:
20:
760:
Queers in
History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals
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967:
250:
8:
516:
With no money to cover the cost of a gravestone, he was interred in an unmarked grave in
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325:
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88:
789:
683:"Oh, Henry Oh, Henry: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deeds of Hollywood Agent Henry Willson"
294:
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628:
475:
His most prominent client was Rock Hudson, whom he transformed from a clumsy, naive,
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386:
910:"The Heartbreaking True Story About Rock Hudson That Netflix's 'Hollywood' Left Out"
350:, whose career was cut short when he died in an automobile accident on May 4, 1935.
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269:
258:
226:
222:
943:
The Man Who
Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson
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460:
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and advanced to the presidency in 1922. Willson came in close contact with many
408:
366:
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158:
961:
859:"Henry Willson, Rock Hudson's Agent, Was as Complicated as Hollywood Depicts"
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338:, became a junior agent at the Joyce & Polimer Agency, moved into a
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318:, who introduced him to the Hollywood elite and secured him a job with
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936:
Screened Out: Playing Gay in
Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall
429:
Screened Out: Playing Gay in
Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall
289:
230:
832:"The Real-Life Story of Hollywood Super Agent Henry Willson"
306:
In 1933, Willson traveled to
Hollywood by steamship via the
505:
In 1974, the unemployed and destitute agent moved into the
507:
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
377:" and got cast in small roles, finally introducing her to
249:
numbered among the family's friends, after they moved to
119:(July 31, 1911 – November 2, 1978) was an American
785:"Review: 'Tab Hunter Confidential,' About a Heartthrob"
342:
home purchased by his father, and became a regular at
221:. His father, Horace, was the vice-president of the
624:
Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star
423:(billed as Dare Harris) in small supporting roles.
959:
324:, where his first article was about the newborn
762:. Dallas, Texas: BenBella Books. p. 493.
691:. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009
439:, Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr. was renamed
19:For the Canadian journalist and author, see
310:. On board he cultivated a friendship with
268:, the elder Willson enrolled Henry in the
126:who played a large role in developing the
825:
823:
776:
727:
725:
723:
546:, a counterfactual re-imagining of post
496:
472:, one of Willson's few female clients."
656:"Horace Willson, 88, Recording Pioneer"
369:. He was introduced to Julia Turner, a
357:Agency, where he represented newcomers
77:Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
960:
820:
815:Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood
782:
681:Ferber, Lawrence (November 17, 2005).
680:
620:
457:Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood
264:Concerned about his son's interest in
829:
757:
720:
527:
1013:20th-century American businesspeople
856:
978:People from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
783:Holden, Stephen (15 October 2015).
513:of the liver. He was 67 years old.
373:student, in 1937, whom he renamed "
13:
1018:20th-century American LGBTQ people
731:
301:
209:Willson was born into a prominent
14:
1029:
621:Hunter, Tab (September 8, 2006).
593:
253:, an upscale neighborhood in the
16:American talent agent (1911–1978)
998:People from Forest Hills, Queens
566:
902:
877:
850:
627:. Algonquin Books. p. 43.
518:Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
443:, Arthur Gelien was changed to
1008:LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania
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751:
674:
648:
614:
587:
560:
447:, and Roy Scherer turned into
1:
928:
204:
945:. Carroll & Graf, 2005,
838:. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc
7:
522:North Hollywood, California
223:Columbia Phonograph Company
10:
1034:
1003:Wesleyan University alumni
575:. Penske Media Corporation
18:
712:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
102:
94:
84:
65:
39:
32:
23:. For similar names, see
553:
532:Willson is portrayed by
451:. So successful was the
288:, where he wrote weekly
993:Hollywood talent agents
602:. PopMatters Media, Inc
328:. He began writing for
284:, spending weekends in
282:Middletown, Connecticut
58:Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
983:American talent agents
331:The Hollywood Reporter
988:Deaths from cirrhosis
885:"Henry Leroy Willson"
758:Stern, Keith (2009).
688:Gay and Lesbian Times
509:until his death from
497:Later years and death
371:Hollywood High School
133:His clients included
21:Henry Beckles Willson
130:craze of the 1950s.
396:Since You Went Away
353:Willson joined the
278:Wesleyan University
117:Henry Leroy Willson
89:Wesleyan University
44:Henry Leroy Willson
790:The New York Times
528:In popular culture
336:New Movie Magazine
110:craze of the 1950s
934:Richard Barrios,
865:. Oprah Daily LLC
857:Nicolaou, Elena.
830:Adebowale, Temi.
660:Asbury Park Press
401:Claudette Colbert
387:David O. Selznick
114:
113:
106:Popularizing the
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811:Finstad, Suzanne
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662:. April 24, 1967
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270:Asheville School
227:Broadway theatre
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69:November 2, 1978
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567:Ames, Lauren.
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409:Shirley Temple
405:Jennifer Jones
367:William T. Orr
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159:Kerwin Mathews
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73:(aged 67)
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211:show business
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147:Robert Wagner
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54:July 31, 1911
42:
38:
34:Henry Willson
31:
26:
22:
942:
935:
914:. Retrieved
912:. 8 May 2020
904:
892:. Retrieved
889:Find a Grave
888:
879:
867:. Retrieved
862:
852:
840:. Retrieved
836:Men's Health
835:
814:
806:
794:. Retrieved
788:
778:
759:
753:
741:. Retrieved
737:
700:
693:. Retrieved
686:
676:
664:. Retrieved
659:
650:
638:. Retrieved
623:
616:
604:. Retrieved
599:
589:
577:. Retrieved
572:
562:
548:World War II
541:
536:in the 2020
531:
515:
504:
500:
487:Rory Calhoun
482:Confidential
480:
474:
456:
428:
425:
411:. He placed
399:(1944) with
394:
391:World War II
383:Warner Bros.
379:Mervyn LeRoy
352:
344:Sunset Strip
335:
329:
319:
308:Panama Canal
305:
293:
292:columns for
263:
251:Forest Hills
237:performers.
219:Pennsylvania
208:
187:Doug McClure
183:Clint Walker
179:Yale Summers
171:Rory Calhoun
167:Mike Connors
163:Troy Donahue
143:Chad Everett
132:
124:talent agent
116:
115:
98:Talent agent
71:(1978-11-02)
25:Henry Wilson
973:1978 deaths
968:1911 births
863:Oprah Daily
550:Hollywood.
540:miniseries
534:Jim Parsons
466:Bobby Hyatt
449:Rock Hudson
437:Guy Madison
413:Guy Madison
375:Lana Turner
326:Gary Crosby
312:Bing Crosby
257:borough of
243:Fanny Brice
239:Will Rogers
155:Guy Madison
135:Rock Hudson
962:Categories
929:References
894:29 January
869:29 January
842:29 January
743:29 January
738:The Mirror
666:29 January
640:29 January
606:29 January
600:PopMatters
579:29 January
445:Tab Hunter
421:John Derek
355:Zeppo Marx
247:Fred Stone
235:vaudeville
213:family in
205:Early life
199:John Derek
191:Dack Rambo
175:John Saxon
151:Nick Adams
139:Tab Hunter
95:Occupation
50:1911-07-31
817:. p. 140.
543:Hollywood
511:cirrhosis
470:Ann Doran
441:Ty Hardin
385:In 1943,
321:Photoplay
316:Dixie Lee
314:'s wife,
286:Manhattan
266:tap dance
215:Lansdowne
195:Ty Hardin
121:Hollywood
813:(2001).
708:cite web
695:June 18,
453:beefcake
363:Jon Hall
334:and the
128:beefcake
108:beefcake
938:(2002).
916:May 10,
573:Variety
538:Netflix
477:Chicago
295:Variety
949:
796:12 May
766:
631:
419:, and
407:, and
393:drama
365:, and
290:gossip
259:Queens
245:, and
233:, and
197:, and
79:, U.S.
60:, U.S.
554:Notes
231:opera
947:ISBN
918:2020
896:2024
871:2024
844:2024
798:2020
764:ISBN
745:2024
714:link
697:2009
668:2024
642:2024
629:ISBN
608:2024
581:2024
66:Died
40:Born
520:in
381:at
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