Rock Hudson

Born: 17 November 1925 Birthplace: Winnetka, Illinois Death: 2 October 1985 (Complications from AIDS) Best Known As: Hunky movie star of the 1950s and '60s Name at birth: Leroy Harold Scherer, Jr. Rock Hudson grew up as Roy Fitzgerald, the name he took after he was adopted by his step-father. Tall and handsome, he was "discovered" and molded into a movie star, appearing as Rock Hudson in dramas such as Magnificent Obsession and, later, Giant (for which he received an Oscar nomination). Then he turned to romantic comedy, and Hudson became one of the top box office stars of the late 1950s and early '60s, frequently appearing in films with Doris Day. In the 1970s Hudson became a TV star, appearing for six years in the hit show McMillan and Wife. In 1985 it was announced that he was dying as a result of AIDS. Since Hudson had been a Hollywood leading man for three decades, the revelation that he was gay was just as shocking to the public as was his terminal illness.