The Golden Age of Hollywood produced many of the most prominent figures of the 20th century. Here are some Old Hollywood LGBTQ stars you may not have known. 

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor, who married eight times to seven men, including Richard Burton twice, allegedly had relations with Marilyn Monroe. However, she became a celebrated gay icon not because of

this but because of her dedicated and passionate activism regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Liz had many close relationships with gay men.

Sir Alec Guinness.

Sir Alec Guinness is famous for portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope. Biographers have since revealed this aspect of his life.

However, it was not publicly known until after his death that he was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Guinness kept his sexual orientation private throughout his seven-decade career, although his family and close friends were aware of it.

Rudolph Valentino.

Legend has it that Rudolph Valentino, the world’s most fantastic lover, was married off to rumored lesbian actress Jean Acker in 1919 to cover up his homosexuality. However, according to The New York Times, Jean regretted the marriage within hours and locked Rudolph out of their hotel room. They quickly divorced.

Despite accepting more effeminate roles, Valentino denied being gay and entered into a second lavender marriage with costume designer Natacha Rambova. Rudolph passed away in 1926 at the young age of 31 after having encounters with author Samuel Steward.

Spencer Tracy.

Spencer Tracy was known for his tough-guy persona and womanizing ways during his 40-year career. He was linked to Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, Myrna Loy, and Gene Tierney. However, for the last 25 years, he had a long, studio-engineered romantic relationship with Katharine Hepburn, which they never consummated.

Tracy frequently stayed at George Cukor’s house for extended periods, where he became intimately involved with the director’s male friends. Rumors suggest that Tracy was in a long-term relationship with John Derek, who starred in All the King’s Men.

Anthony Perkins.

Anthony Perkins is renowned for his chilling portrayal of Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho (1960). Later in life, Anthony Perkins married actress Berry Berenson and had two children. However, he was in a relationship with Tab Hunter for four years and actor and dancer Grover Dale for seven years.

Scotty Bowers.

Scotty Bowers claimed that Perkins always sought out someone different, asking, ‘Who do you have for me for tomorrow night that will surprise me? Anything new?’ Anthony passed away in 1992 after keeping his illness a secret.

Charles Laughton.

Actor and director Charles Laughton married fellow actress Elsa Lanchester in 1929. They were together for over thirty years. However, Laughton had a relationship with David Roberts from 1941 to 1950. 

In a memoir written after Charles passed away, Elsa said they never had children because Laughton was gay. Several of his contemporaries and Hollywood historians agree with Elsa.

Barbara Stanwyck.

Barbara Stanwyck was one of the most famous actresses in old Hollywood, appearing in almost 85 films over a 60-year career. She was married twice, but both marriages have been studio-backed lavender unions to hide the truth. Stanwyck’s second husband, Robert Taylor, stated that she was a lesbian and admitted that they didn’t share a bed.

Stanwyck refused to discuss the topic but lived with her publicist, Helen Ferguson. Dietrich was also rumored to have had relationships with women. According to biographer Axl Madsen, she was rumored to be Hollywood’s biggest closeted lesbian.

Marlene Dietrich.

In addition to James Dean, another icon Madonna sang about in ‘Vogue’ was Marlene Dietrich, whose look Madgesty even emulated. From the LGBTQ+-friendly Weimar arts culture, Marlene made it to Hollywood and changed the world by wearing pants and tuxes.

Fearlessly unapologetic about her love for men and women, she even kissed women on screen in the 1930s. She was romantically linked with Kay Francis, Edith Piaf, Mercedes de Acosta, and Greta Garbo. Marlene referred to Hollywood’s underground network of closeted actresses as her ‘sewing circle.’

Raymond Burr.

Canadian actor Raymond Burr played two iconic television characters: Perry Mason, a brilliant defense attorney, and Ironside, a brilliant disabled detective. Burr married Isabella Ward in 1948, and they shared a house with Burr’s mother and grandparents. However, the marriage ended after just a few months.

In 1960, Burr met Robert Benevides, an actor and veteran, on the set of Perry Mason. In the 1980s, the couple started a vineyard in Sonoma County, California. Burr passed away in 1993.

Marilyn Monroe.

She was also a secret member of the LGBTQ+ community and loved men almost as much as she loved diamonds. Before becoming famous, Marilyn Monroe had relationships with her acting coaches, Natasha Lytess and Paula Strasberg. Actress Jane Lawrence’s book My Little Secret reveals that she also had a relationship with the iconic blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe.

Monroe admitted to having encounters with Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot, and even Elizabeth Taylor. So, while gentlemen prefer blondes, Marilyn doesn’t mind if they are blonde or brunette!