If I had come out during my acting career in the 1950s, I would not have had a career.
I said, God, the press and people, they just really hate me and I'm really trying. Geraldine Page said, Listen to this, Tab. If people don't like you, that's their bad taste.
Unless you're of a certain age, you may not know my name, but you can Google it - I was a pretty big movie star in the 1950s. Oh, and another thing: I was - am - gay.
I never mentioned my sexuality to Warner Bros. at all, and they never mentioned it to me, thank God.
My nickname, when I was 15 years old in the Coast Guard, they called me 'Hollywood' because I went to the movies all the time. It was such great escapism. That's why I ran away from home.
Without a doubt, my sexuality was something that I just never discussed, especially in the 1950s.
I lived in those old movie houses as a kid. I just loved them. What total escapism for someone.
Rock Hudson wasn't my type. He's a great guy and had a great sense of humor.
I turned into a workaholic to the point of where my health was in jeopardy.
I'd work for John Waters again, because he's so off the wall.
John Wayne treated me fine, but that macho stuff turns me off. It's not real.
A person's life is hopefully more than just one thing.
I was born in New York. I grew up in San Francisco, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.
I've been a very, very fortunate man. I've had a lot of highs - and a great deal of lows.
I wasn't an actor. They they take the externals. Here I was, a kid thrown into Hollywood with a brand-new name, starring in motion pictures.
I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.
I believe one's sexuality is one's own business. I really don't go around discussing it. Call me 'old school' on that topic.
I did Polyester, and I don't regret one minute of it. It was wonderful.
A lot has been written about Tony Perkins and myself and I figured, Let's get it straight. I had a relationship with Tony for two to three years, but those are only threads in the tapestry of my whole life.
I don't care whether people like me or dislike me. I'm not on earth to win a popularity contest. I'm here to be the best human being I possibly can be.
