10 Old Hollywood Stars You Probably Didn’t Know Were LGBTQ

Hollywood made many of the 20th century's biggest icons. The film industry's queer culture existed before the famous HOLLYWOODLAND sign went up in 1923. Many in Tinseltown kept their identities a secret to safeguard their careers. Here are some Old Hollywood stars who were LGBTQ. Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor married seven times to six men, including Richard Burton twice. She's also said to have had relations with Marilyn Monroe. That's not why she's a gay icon. The English actress is loved for her activism regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Liz had many gay friends, but she married a lot of straight men. Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins is known for playing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). Later in life, he married actress Berry Berenson and had two children. Perkins was with Tab Hunter for four years and actor and dancer Grover Dale for seven years. Perkins "always wanted someone different," according to Scotty Bowers. "Who's different, Scott?" "Who will surprise me tomorrow night?" "Anything new?" Anthony died in 1992 after keeping his illness a secret. Marlene Dietrich Madonna also sang about another icon in "Vogue": Marlene Dietrich. Madonna copied the blonde screen siren's look. Marlene came from the LGBTQ+-friendly Weimar arts culture and changed the world by wearing pants and tuxes. Marlene kissed women on screen in the 1930s. She was linked with Kay Francis, Edith Piaf, Mercedes de Acosta, and Greta Garbo. Montgomery Clift Montgomery Clift had affairs with Roddy McDowall, Marlon Brando, Jerome Robbins, and Marilyn Monroe. Clift had a bad car crash in Elizabeth Taylor's driveway, scarring his face and ending his career. Clift died of a heart attack at 45 in 1963. After he died, his mother said she knew he was gay from when he was young. Liz Taylor noted Monty was gay at the 2000 GLAAD Awards. His brother agreed. Greta Garbo Greta Garbo is another Madonna "Vogue" entry. Once called the most beautiful woman in the world, the stunning Swedish-American actress was known for her lovely face, melancholy, and subtle performances. But most of all, she wanted to be alone. Garbo had affairs with Dietrich, Holiday, Bankhead, and de Acosta. The latter would fall into Marlene Dietrich's arms whenever Greta moved on. Garbo called her love affairs with women "secrets." She died six weeks after Madonna's "Vogue" came out. Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe loved men and diamonds. The world's most iconic maneater was gay. Before becoming famous, Marilyn had relationships with her acting coaches, Natasha Lytess and Paula Strasberg. Jane Lawrence's book My Little Secret says the actress had relations with Monroe. Monroe encountered Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot, and Elizabeth Taylor. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn is open to blondes and brunettes. Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor is known for her role in the 1927 film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. That year, she also won Best Actress for two other films: 7th Heaven and Street Angel. Janet retired from acting in 1939, married a famous costume designer, and had a son. In William Mann's book Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969, actor Bob Cummings said, "Janet Gaynor's husband was Adrian, the MGM fashion designer." But her wife was Mary Martin. Adrian Greenburg Adrian Greenburg was an MGM fashion designer. Rudolph Valentino's wife, Natacha Rambova, brought him to Hollywood in 1924. He designed costumes for The Wizard of Oz and stars like Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and Katharine Hepburn. He was so good he was known as Adrian, like Madonna and Beyoncé. Diana McLellan's book The Girls says Adrian and Janet were married in a "lavender" marriage to prove they weren't LGBTQ+. Vivien Leigh English actress Vivien Leigh starred in Gone With the Wind and married fellow English thespian Laurence Olivier, who mistreated her. Darwin Porter's book says Leigh and Olivier's marriage was a smokescreen. They cheated on each other often. Vivien had three lesbian affairs, including one with Isabel Jeans. Dirk Bogarde Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde was an English actor, novelist, and screenwriter. He was gay but kept it a secret. Back then, being gay was illegal in England. Rank Studio contracts included morality clauses, so he would have been fired if the truth came out.He was in a relationship with Anthony Forwood. Bogarde lived with his male lover for nearly four decades, first in England and then France.