It may be hard to believe but last week marked the 20th anniversary of the death of cinematic icon Rock Hudson. From the start Rock Hudson and Hollywood were a marriage made in heaven.
Hudson was introduced to film as the heir to Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. His unmistakable masculinity made him the screen idol of the 1950s and the 1960s.
His broad shouldered, 6ft frame and dark brooding eyes gave him an enormous screen presence.
Rock Hudson was born Roy Scherer, JR, on 17 November 1925 in Winnetka, Illinois, the son of an auto mechanic and a telephone operator. His inspiration to become an actor came in 1937 when he saw The Hurricane directed by John Ford. After graduating from high school and military service in 1946, Hudson moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and applied for the University of Southern California but was rejected due to poor grades. This did not hamper his dream to become a film star as Hudson sent out numerous resumes and photographs to movie studios.
Hudson received only one response from renowned talent scout Henry Wilson and the rest as they say is history….. Wilson renamed him ‘Rock Hudson’ Rock for the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ and ‘Hudson’ for the famous New York River.
When Hudson was introduced to Hollywood, he did not make a lasting impression due to his shyness. In fact his screen test for Twentieth-Century Fox was so bad that it was shown to beginning classes as a classic example of poor acting.
In 1948 Hudson landed his first acting job, in a one line part in Raoul Walsh’s Fighter Squadron. According to Hollywood legend, Hudson needed thirty-eight takes to get his line: “Pretty soon you’re going to have to write small numbers” correct. But soon enough, Rock learnt to act on the job and within six years he had appeared in six pictures.
Success and recognition were to come in 1954 in Magnificent Obsession in which Hudson played a bad boy who is redeemed. The film received rave reviews, with Modern Screen Magazine citing Hudson as the most popular actor of the year. Hudson’s popularity soared in Giant directed by George Stevens. Based on Edna Ferber’s novel Giant covers two generations of Texan rivalry. Co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean Giant was spearheaded by Hudson’s performance as Texas rancher Bick Benedict. As a result of their powerful performances both Rock Hudson and Jimmy Dean were nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars with Dean played the supporting role of Jet Rink who strikes oil and whose financial empire grows to rival Hudson’s. Giant will be forever famous for its off-screen rivalry between the two main actors. Dean and Hudson argued constantly as Hudson found Dean’s long preparations before a scene to be a waste of time and was disturbed to see Jimmy’s ability to steal a scene from him.
After Richard Brook’s notable Something of Value (1957) and a moving performance in Charles Vidor’s A Farewell to Arms, Hudson moved into comedy roles. While the films varied in quality they allowed Hudson the opportunity to explore his comic talents.
From 1959 to 1965 he portrayed humorous characters in Pillow Talk (1959), Come September (1961), Lover Come Back (1961), Send me no Flowers (1964), Man’s Favourite Sport (1964) and Strange Bedfellows (1964).
Rumours were starting to spread regarding Hudson’s sexuality and this led to his arranged marriage in 1955 to Wilson’s secretary Phyllis Gates. The news was made known by all the major gossip magazines and is widely thought that the studio used this as a publicity stunt to cover up Rock’s homosexuality. Had the truth surfaced at the time it would have put his box office draw in jeopardy. The couple divorced in 1958 but Gates still insists that for her, the marriage was real.
By the 1960s Hudson was at the peak of his career and he would spend most of the decade starring in acclaimed Universal Pictures like 1961s The Last Sunset, Come September Lover, Come Back, The Spiral Road, A Gathering of Eagles and Man’s Favourite Sport.
Out of all of these films, many consider Hudson’s performance as the young Malibu painter Tony Wilson, in John Frankenheimer’s science fiction film Seconds, as his finest. Although the film did not get good reviews at the time, it went on to become a cult classic.
Many consider his two all time greatest films to have come at the end of the 1960s when Hudson starred in Ice Station Zebra and in The Undefeated opposite John Wayne.
Sadly, the 1970s saw the descent of Hudson’s cinematic career and he was faced with a dilemma about whether to pursue a fading film career or take roles on the small screen. Initially Hudson was not interested in a television career, but the series McMillan and Wife in which he starred as the police commissioner proved to be a hit.
Hudson then followed the success of the police series with his role of Col. John Wilder in the cult science-fiction series The Martian Chronicles. In 1978 filming of the series brought him to Malta’s shores alongside Space 1999’s Barry Morse.
At the time of his stay in Malta the rumour mill as to whether he was gay or not started spinning again. Hudson became accustomed to interviewers questioning his sexuality. The answer was always ‘next question’.
As a result of this enigma, being introduced to women became an uncomfortable experience for Hudson. My colleague and film journalist Lino Cassar recalls the day he went on set and introduced Hudson to a female friend of his, who was an ardent admirer. Hudson simply shook hands and went on his way, a clear sign that he wanted to keep his distance from female fans; a far cry from his heyday in the 1950s when he used to revel in his new found fame.
Rock Hudson’s last recurring television role was in Dynasty as the suave horse breeder Daniel Reece. By 1981 the Aids virus was slowly consuming him. Before long, he was suffering memory loss and was forced to use cue cards. He also had difficulty in speaking. Soon appearing in what would be his last series the screen idol was a shadow of his former self especially during an episode when he passionately kissed co-star Linda Evans.
Rumours of grave illness had surrounded Rock Hudson in the months before 25 July 1985 when he finally announced he was diagnosed with Aids. Friends stated that he was diagnosed in mid-1984 but chose to continue acting while secretly undergoing treatment.
For years Hudson, his manager and the studios had avoided the issue of homosexuality, but his illness forced him to come out.
On screen, Rock Hudson will be remembered as the epitome of the male movie star: upright, virile and strong. His screen image of a wolfish playboy with a mischievous boyish charm boosted his popularity. However, it was his real life persona that revealed the horrifying truth of Aids in its vivid detail as he became the first celebrity to declare he had Aids.
Before his death Hudson said: “I am not happy that I am sick, I am not happy that I have Aids but if this is helping others, I can at least know that my own misfortune has had some positive worth.” Rock Hudson passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California on 2 October 1985.