System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Rock Hudson, Actor
November 17, 1922 - October 02, 1985
Born Roy Harold Scherer Jr., on November 17, 1925, in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson served in the United States Navy during World War II as an airplane mechanic. His good looks and strapping size got him a Hollywood audition, and some capped teeth and a name change got him a small part in the forgettable 1948 film Fighter Squadron. His one line took 38 takes, because he kept forgetting it.
Hudson made many films in the 1950s, many of them Westerns. In 1956 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and two years later, Look Magazine named him "Star of the Year". Hudson’s popularity soared in the 60s, with his slightly suggestive comedies opposite Doris Day. Their hits included "Lover Come Back," and "Send Me No Flowers." The Hudson and Day team was the top box office draw in the 1960s for several years running. His defining role was in "Pillow Talk," as a handsome ad man on the make, opposite Doris Day. His other notable films include: "Giant," for which he received his only Oscar nomination, "Ice Station Zebra," and "The Mirror Crack'd."
Hudson married studio employee Phyllis Gates in 1955, and the news was made known by all the major gossip magazines. The couple divorced in 1958. The truth was that the studio was using this sham marriage in order to cover Hudson's homosexuality, which would have made him box office poison at the time if it were made known.
Rock's popular TV series include: "McMillan & Wife" and "McMillan." In the early 1980s he starred on the TV series "The Devlin Connection." Production on the series was suspended for a year while Rock recovered from quintuple bypass heart surgery necessitated by his years of cigarette smoking and heavy drinking.
By the time Rock had taken the role of a suave horse breeder on the TV series "Dynasty," the AIDS virus was consuming him. Hudson suffered memory loss and was forced to use cue cards. He also had difficulty speaking. He was the first major public figure to announce he was a homosexual with AIDS, and his worldwide search for a cure drew international attention. After his death on October 2, 1985, at age 59, his companion Marc Christian successfully sued his estate, again calling attention to the homosexuality Rock had hidden from most of his career. Hudson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6104 Hollywood Blvd.
