When Elizabeth Taylor, last of the great movie stars, passed away this week the world lost an icon, but for gay men, we lost a friend. No other star of her era befriended and supported the gay community as she did. Her last major movie role was in the sixties, yet she was still a major star and loved the world over when she made her last known public appearance in a gay bar in West Hollywood in 2008.
During her lifetime she shared the screen with several major gay and bi movie actors and befriended several of them off screen. She genuinely loved the handsome and talented, yet troubled actor Montgomery Clift. When he crashed his vehicle shortly after leaving her house, crushing his face, she ran down the road, climbed through the back of the car and cradled him in her lap, even pulling the two teeth he lost out of his throat before he choked to death. Then she stood guard over him as the papparzzi arrived, vowing any of them print a picture of his face and they'll never work in Hollywood again. In her life she also acted with and befriended Rock Hudson and James Dean and worked with many other gay actors of note in her movies. Even though Rock Hudson who was gay and James Dean who was Bi disliked each other, the charms of Elizabeth won over both their hearts.
Elizabeth Taylor, like many of her gay friends of the day, found love to be fleeting and heartbreaking. She was married 8 times to 7 different men. She almost died several times throughout her life and was loved and hated at different times of her life for the way she lived her life.
Her work in the eighties as an AIDS activist when no other star would go near the cause only increased her icon status in the gay community. When Rock Hudson was dying of AIDS and many supporters turned away, it was Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day who were two of the few celebrities to stand beside him with love and support for their dying friend.
So while the world mourns a movie star, we mourn our friend. Rest in Peace dear lady of ours. Thank you for being a friend.
I had the honor of meeting Elizabeth Taylor once when I was younger. She came to Norfolk, VA, for the annual Charity Fund Raiser for the Childrens' Hospital of the King's Daughters and was married to John Warner. I picked her up at Norfolk International Airport and drove her to the Sheraton Inn at Military Circle. She was indeed beautiful and I felt like I was in the presence of royalty. She stayed in Norfolk several days and was joined by Senator Warner. Then she was back off to her life in the Hollywood Hills.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute to a complicated, beautiful woman!
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