1. Rock Hudson found continued success with a string of romantic comedies co-starring Doris Day: Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and Send Me No Flowers.
69 Facts About Rock Hudson
1. 2.
Rock Hudson was the first major American celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness, on October 2,1985, at age 59.
3.
Rock Hudson's father was of German and Swiss descent, while his mother had English and Irish ancestry.
4.
Rock Hudson's parents divorced when he was four years old; a few years later, in 1932, his mother married Wallace Fitzgerald, a former Marine Corps officer whom young Roy despised.
5.
Rock Hudson attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, the same high school as fellow movie stars Charlton Heston and Ann-Margret.
6.
Rock Hudson tried out for a number of school plays, but failed to win any roles because he could not remember his lines, a problem that continued to occur through his early acting career.
7.
Rock Hudson graduated from high school in 1943, and the following year enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.
8.
Rock Hudson then moved to Los Angeles to live with his biological father and to pursue an acting career.
9.
Rock Hudson applied to the University of Southern California's dramatics program, but was rejected because of poor grades.
10.
Rock Hudson later named his independent film production company Gibraltar Productions.
11.
In 1948, Rock Hudson made his acting debut with a small part in the Warner Bros.
12.
In 1949, Rock Hudson received his first film credit, as Roc Rock Hudson, in William Castle's Undertow, made by Universal.
13.
In 1951, Rock Hudson was billed third in William Castle's The Fat Man.
14.
Rock Hudson played an important role as a boxer in Joseph Pevney's Iron Man.
15.
Rock Hudson was promoted to leading man for Scarlet Angel, opposite Yvonne De Carlo.
16.
Rock Hudson appeared as a gambler in Bend of the River.
17.
Rock Hudson supported the Nelson family in Here Come the Nelsons.
18.
In Horizons West Rock Hudson supported Robert Ryan, but he was star again for The Lawless Breed and Seminole.
19.
Rock Hudson had the title role in Taza, Son of Cochise, directed by Sirk and produced by Ross Hunter.
20.
Rock Hudson was by now firmly established as a leading man in adventure films.
21.
Rock Hudson returned to adventure films with Bengal Brigade, set during the Indian Mutiny, and Captain Lightfoot, produced by Hunter and directed by Sirk.
22.
On September 9,1955, Rock Hudson formed his first film production company, 7 Pictures Corporation, with partners producer Henry Ginsberg, his agent Henry Willson, and his lawyer Greg Bautzer.
23.
When forming 7 Pictures Corporation, the agreement between partners called for Rock Hudson to appear in five films over seven years for the company, regardless of his commitment with Universal-International Pictures.
24.
Rock Hudson was borrowed by MGM to appear in Richard Brooks' Something of Value, a box-office disappointment.
25.
Rock Hudson was reunited with the producer, director and two stars of Written on the Wind in The Tarnished Angels, at Universal.
26.
Rock Hudson then made Twilight for the Gods and This Earth Is Mine.
27.
Ross Hunter teamed Rock Hudson with Doris Day in the romantic comedy Pillow Talk, which was a massive hit.
28.
Rock Hudson was voted the most popular star in the country for 1959 and was the second most popular for the next three years.
29.
Rock Hudson told the press that he wanted to co-star in Let's Make Love with Marilyn Monroe but Universal-International Pictures denied him permission; the role went to Yves Montand.
30.
In late 1959, Rock Hudson formed a new film production company, Gibraltar Productions.
31.
Rock Hudson made two dramas: The Spiral Road, directed by Mulligan, and A Gathering of Eagles, directed by Delbert Mann.
32.
Rock Hudson was still voted the third most popular star in 1963.
33.
Rock Hudson tried his hand in the action genre with Tobruk, directed by Arthur Hiller.
34.
In November 1969, Andrew V McLaglen's The Undefeated, a western with Hudson starring opposite John Wayne, was released.
35.
Rock Hudson co-starred as a World War I flier opposite Julie Andrews in the Blake Edwards musical Darling Lili, a film notorious for its bloated budget.
36.
Rock Hudson played police commissioner Stewart "Mac" McMillan, with Saint James as his wife Sally, and their on-screen chemistry helped make the show a hit.
37.
Rock Hudson was one of several stars in The Mirror Crack'd and co-starred in The Beatrice Arthur Special.
38.
Rock Hudson was the first to narrate for Disney's Candlelight Processional at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World for its opening year in 1971.
39.
Rock Hudson recovered from the heart surgery but did not quit smoking.
40.
Rock Hudson continued to work, appearing in several TV movies such as World War III.
41.
Rock Hudson was in ill health while filming the action-drama The Ambassador in Israel during the winter months from late 1983 to early 1984.
42.
Rock Hudson reportedly did not get along with his co-star Robert Mitchum, who had a serious drinking problem and often clashed off-camera with Hudson and other cast and crew members.
43.
From December 1984 to April 1985, Rock Hudson appeared in a recurring role on the prime time soap opera Dynasty as Daniel Reece, a wealthy horse breeder and a potential love interest for Krystle Carrington, and biological father of the character Sammy Jo Carrington.
44.
Rock Hudson was slated to appear for the duration of the second half of its fifth season; however because of his progressing ill health, his character was abruptly written out of the show and died off-screen.
45.
Rock Hudson did not contest the divorce and Gates received alimony of $250 per week for 10 years.
46.
Rock Hudson owned assets in Hudson's independent film production company, 7 Pictures Corporation, which was formed during their marriage, and later sued the actor to obtain shares in his new film production company, Gibraltar Productions, which he had formed after their divorce.
47.
Rock Hudson told The Village Voice that Phyllis Gates attempted to blackmail Hudson about his homosexual activities.
48.
An urban legend has it that Rock Hudson "married" Jim Nabors in the early 1970s.
49.
Rock Hudson made a deathbed confession, received communion, and was administered the last rites.
50.
Politically, Rock Hudson was a conservative Republican; he campaigned and voted for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.
51.
Unknown to the public, Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS on June 5,1984, three years after the emergence of the first cluster of symptomatic patients in the United States, and one year after the initial conclusion by scientists that HIV causes AIDS.
52.
On July 16,1985, Rock Hudson joined Doris Day for a Hollywood press conference, announcing the launch of her new cable TV show Doris Day's Best Friends, for which Rock Hudson was the inaugural guest.
53.
Two days later, Rock Hudson traveled to Paris, France, for another round of treatment.
54.
Olson denied reports that Rock Hudson had AIDS and said only that he was undergoing tests for "everything" at the American Hospital of Paris.
55.
Rock Hudson was among the earliest mainstream celebrities to have been diagnosed with the disease.
56.
Rock Hudson was so weak that he was moved by stretcher from the Air France Boeing 747 he had chartered; he and his medical attendants were the only passengers.
57.
Rock Hudson was flown by helicopter to UCLA Medical Center, where he spent nearly a month undergoing further treatment.
58.
Rock Hudson was released from the hospital in late August 1985 and returned to his home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles for private hospice care.
59.
At around 9 am on October 2,1985, Rock Hudson died in his sleep from AIDS-related complications at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 59.
60.
Rock Hudson's body was cremated hours after his death and a cenotaph later was established at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.
61.
Rock Hudson's ashes were scattered in the channel between Wilmington, Los Angeles and Santa Catalina Island.
62.
In Logical Family: A Memoir, gay author Armistead Maupin, who was a friend of Rock Hudson, writes that he was the first person to confirm to the press that Rock Hudson was gay in 1985.
63.
Rock Hudson's revelation had an immediate impact on the visibility of AIDS and on the funding of medical research related to the disease.
64.
Rock Hudson's admission is a horrendous way to bring AIDS to the attention of the American public, but by doing so, Rock Hudson, in his life, has helped millions in the process.
65.
However, Rock Hudson's revelation did not immediately dispel the stigma of AIDS.
66.
When filming the scene, Rock Hudson was aware that he had AIDS but did not inform Evans.
67.
Linda Evans appears not to have been angry at Rock Hudson, and asked to introduce the segment of the 1985 Commitment to Life benefit that was dedicated to Rock Hudson.
68.
The story of Hudson's marriage was depicted in the 1990 TV film Rock Hudson, starring Daphne Ashbrook as Gates and Thomas Ian Griffith as Hudson.
69.
Rock Hudson is portrayed by Jake Picking in the 2020 miniseries Hollywood, a revisionist tale of post-World War II Hollywood.