- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRoy Harold Scherer Jr.
- Nicknames
- Roy
- Leroy
- Rock Pyle
- Fitz
- Mr Beefcake
- Ernie
- Height6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
- Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, to Katherine (Wood), a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer, an auto mechanic. He was of German, Swiss-German, English, and Irish descent. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. He failed to obtain parts in
school plays because he couldn't remember lines. After high school he
was a postal employee and during WW II served as a Navy airplane
mechanic. After the war he was a truck driver. His size and good looks
got him into movies. His name was changed to Rock Hudson, his teeth
were capped, he took lessons in acting, singing, fencing and riding.
One line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron (1948), needed 38 takes. In 1956 he
received an Oscar nomination for Giant (1956) and two years later Look
magazine named him Star of the Year. He starred in a number of bedroom
comedies, many with Doris Day, and had his own popular TV series McMillan & Wife (1971).
He had a recurring role in TV's Dynasty (1981) (1984-5). He was the first
major public figure to announce he had AIDS, and his worldwide search
for a cure drew international attention. After his death his long-time
lover Marc Christian successfully sued his estate, again calling attention to
the homosexuality Rock had hidden from most throughout his
career.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan < stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
- SpousePhyllis Gates(November 9, 1955 - August 13, 1958) (divorced)
- ParentsKatherine WoodWallace Fitzgerald
- Deep, sensous voice
- Thick black hair
- Moved from westerns to sob stories to sosphisticated comedies
- Towering height and sculpted frame
- Ideal leading-man good looks
- Although commonly listed as 6'4", he is believed to have downplayed his height. His character is repeatedly referred to as being 6'6" in the film Pillow Talk (1959) and, upon co-starring with John Wayne and James Stewart, he was clearly taller than those very tall stars. Many sources list him 6'5", which would put him as equal to Vince Vaughn, Tim Robbins and, the tallest leading man per the Guinness Book of World Records, Christopher Lee as the tallest leading men.
- In order to make A Farewell to Arms (1957), he turned down Marlon Brando's role in Sayonara (1957), William Holden's role in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Charlton Heston's role in Ben-Hur (1959). The three films he had turned down went on to become hugely successful and were critically acclaimed, while A Farewell to Arms (1957) proved to be one of the biggest flops in history.
- Hudson was the original choice to play Jason Colby in the Dynasty (1981) spin off The Colbys (1985), but had to turn it down due to his declining health. The part went to Charlton Heston instead. By the time he had taken the guest role of Daniel Reece on Dynasty (1981) in late 1984, the AIDS virus was consuming him. Before long, he was suffering from memory loss and was forced to use cue cards to read his lines. He also had difficulty speaking. When he went to Carmel, California, in July 1985 to help his Pillow Talk (1959) co-star Doris Day launch her cable series, Doris Day's Best Friends (1985), his gaunt appearance and obvious disorientation suddenly became the media focus of what was meant to be a joyous reunion of one of Hollywood's favorite on-screen couples. He died just three months later.
- Early in his career he had surgery on his vocal chords to make his voice deeper, and had his teeth capped. The surgery had the unfortunate side effect of making it impossible for Hudson to learn to sing. Therefore when he played King Arthur in "Camelot" he had to talk his way through the songs, just as Rex Harrison did in My Fair Lady (1964).
- Although Hudson never publicly came out as gay during his lifetime, he did authorize a biography by Sara Davidson, "Rock Hudson: His Story" (1986), which discussed his private life in great detail.
- His legal name was Roy Fitzgerald. When meeting John F. Kennedy, the American
president remarked: "They say all Fitzgeralds are related", to which Hudson replied, "I guess that would make Ella happy". - I had to overcome the name Rock. If I'd been as hip then as I am now,
I would have never consented to be named Rock. - John Wayne was then the Hollywood legend, and I was on screen with him.
The guy is an angel. He saved my life back then when no other film
maker wanted to know me. - On The Undefeated (1969) - I did a movie [The Undefeated (1969)] with Duke Wayne [John Wayne] and was very surprised to find out he had small feet, wore lifts, and a corset. Hollywood is seldom what it seems.
- I can't play a loser - I don't look like one.
- Dynasty (1981) - $100,000 per episode
- McMillan & Wife (1971) - $120,000 /episode
- McMillan & Wife (1971) - $120,000 /episode (first season)
- McMillan & Wife (1971) - $75,000 per 90 minutes episode
- A Farewell to Arms (1957) - $17,000 per week
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