Tab Hunter had a secret romance with a famous actor before he came out and married Allan Glaser
It’s hard for us to imagine what it’s like to have to hide things about ourselves from the entire world.
Sadly, that’s what this iconic star had to do for most of his life…
Tab HUNTER (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)
Tab Hunter, known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, starred in many movies and became a huge Hollywood heartthrob in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the rave of the ’50s bobbysoxers, and his biggest flick was Damn Yankees – some people also might recognize him from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.
He was born in 1931 in Manhattan, New York City. When he turned 15, he lied about his age to be able to enlist in the United States Coast Guard. While working with the Coast Guard, Tab earned the nickname Hollywood because of his love of movies. When his colleagues went to the bar after work, Tab stayed home and watched films.
When Tab turned 17, he was introduced to the legendary agent Henry Willson – the mastermind behind developing the beefcake craze of the 1950s. Willson had previously found male superstars like Robert Wagner and Rock Hudson.
“Acting skill was secondary to chiseled features and a fine physique,” Hunter said while discussing Willson’s standards in his book Tab Hunter Confidential.
With his ”Malibu beach boy looks,” Tab Hunter was the perfect match for Hollywood and the dazzling handsome actor became one of the most popular teen idols of the 1950s.
”I was sort of a product of. I was thrown into it, and kind of wondered where does one serve one’s apprenticeship. I was one of those people who had to learn while doing. I learned on the job,” he said.
