The actor was the ideal picture of masculinity in the 1950s and 1960s. He played heterosexual roles, starring in several comedy and romantic drama films.

For many years, he fit the role of being one of Hollywood’s top leading men in its Golden Age. From Elizabeth Taylor to Jane Wyman to Doris Day, Hudson was partnered with the industry’s biggest stars.

Little did people know Hudson wasn’t into women. Behind the scenes, Hudson was dating men, including Lee Garlington. They rarely got their picture taken together because then people would suspect them of being gay.

At one point in Hudson’s career, he even married his agent’s female secretary, Phyllis Gates. Their marriage lasted three years, and throughout that time, he continued to play straight roles.

Living With a Secret Disease

For years, he went from the big screen to the small screen, starring in the hit series “McMillan & Wife.” However, this all changed when the actor became one of the first to publicly disclose their HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

At the time, people saw the disease as something dark. People were filled with fear and denial. When Hudson got sick, he coped with it by working and denying that anything was wrong with him.

While everyone in the world seemed to turn their backs on the actor, one woman stayed by his side and gave the world a loud statement: Elizabeth Taylor.

Unfortunately, his health continued to decline. His last role was alongside Linda Evans on “Dynasty,” and at the time, he kept his diagnosis a secret – even to his co-star.

In the 1980s, people believed that kissing someone with AIDS would give you the disease. While it wasn’t true, Evans recently revealed that she later realized that Hudson was kissing her so unpassionately in “Dynasty” to protect her, saying:

“It makes me cry because I know he was protecting me. I didn’t know that at the time, I was confused at the time. But in thinking back, part of the reason that I get so upset is he was doing everything he could do to make it all right for me.”

Things started to unravel after “Dynasty,” and when everyone discovered his AIDS diagnosis through a press release, they shunned him. His good friend, Nancy Reagan, reportedly even denied him support when he needed it the most.

Hudson was awaiting admission to France’s Percy Army Training Hospital when he asked Reagan to pull some strings. They were close friends, but when he needed her the most, Reagan’s team denied Hudson’s request, as they claimed she did not want to get involved.

While everyone in the world seemed to turn their backs on the actor, one woman stayed by his side and gave the world a loud statement: Elizabeth Taylor. She thought everyone’s silent treatment was ridiculous, and she crawled into bed with Hudson to cuddle him to make a statement about everyone’s judgment.

After Hudson’s death, Taylor became one of the most vocal celebrities in the fight against AIDS. Her life was forever changed by knowing Hudson, and afterward, Hudson changed millions of lives by making AIDS a non-taboo topic.

New Documentary Reveals His Double Life

Now, HBO made a lucrative deal with Hudson’s estate, which gave them access to his personal belongings. They unearthed many treasures, including never-published 1963 photos of Hudson and his boyfriend Lee Garlington posing in tiny swimming trunks by the beach.

HBO made a documentary about the things they discovered, and now, people are discovering the “double life” the actor lived. One revelation was that Hudson and James Dean couldn’t care less about one another.

In a 1983 interview recorded in Hudson’s home, he looked back at his time starring alongside Dean in “Giant.” According to Hudson’s biographer, Dean didn’t like how Hudson kept a heterosexual facade in public while hitting on him behind closed doors.

The documentary also disclosed that Hudson’s ex-wife, Phyllis Gates, never knew he was gay. She told the press she was “duped,” having no idea that her ex-husband was homosexual.

Hudson’s double life wasn’t just between himself and the industry. Within his circle of friends and boyfriends, he was openly known as a “man-izer,” a term coined from the word “womanizer.”

While he was in stable relationships, the actor would go on dates with several other men who were both gorgeous and young. He even had a number to call whenever he needed someone to acquaint him with these men.

After being diagnosed with HIV in June 1984, he died of AIDS complications over a year later in October 1985. On the day of his diagnosis, the movie star requested for only one thing: silence.

In July 1985, however, Hudson scrapped his first request and released a statement on his diagnosis. He was the most famous person in the world to ever admit an HIV-AIDS diagnosis at the time.

Decades after his death, people continue to see Hudson as an icon. Many, including his co-star Linda Evans, wished he didn’t feel so alone during the time of his death, when people were afraid to be around him.

The actor played a pivotal role in the fight against AIDS, after being one of the first influential people to admit having the disease. He started the conversation on AIDS, one that many people were at first uncomfortable talking about.