Gay actors playing heterosexuals in shows

[Yong Fang]

Upon the sad death of Jim Nabors I wanted to post about gay actors playing straight actors on television and how it worked or didn't. On Gomer Pyle USMC, Gomer had a girlfriend named Louanne Poovey, played by Elizabeth McRae. Now, my opinion, but McRae was a sexy, beautiful woman and her southern accent just added to that. But to me it didn't work because Pyle the character was childish and probably didn't know much about sex, while adults all knew that Nabors was gay, and we 1970's kids heard jokes about Nabors and Rock Hudson and all that nonsense.

Paul Lynde. Lynde actually had an eponymous television show called The Paul Lynde Show where he was married and had children (two daughters?). That in and of itself was a catalyst of killing that show, Paul Lynde as a family man. Didn't work with him at all. Can you imagine Lynde in bed with a woman? Actually as Uncle Arthur, he had a (hot) girlfriend who got angry and broke up with him which made Arthur sad. But really. Although it was fifty years ago, people were not stupid to who was probably gay.

In modern television, Jim Parson's character on The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon with a girlfriend, even a homely, geeky one like Amy? It even went well beyond the realm of possibility when the two characters had sex. Since homosexuality is more or less accepted and mainstreamed now, why not make Sheldon gay? Or that Amy was a "beard" who is a cover person of the opposite sex for someone in the closet?

But some gay actors played heterosexuals fine and the public never really knew they were gay. Richard Deacon who played in both the Dick Van Dyke Show and Leave it to Beaver among lots of other stuff was not recognized as a homosexual. Neither was Robert Reed. Mr. Brady was gay? No way. But we could believe that Mel Cooley and Mike Brady were straight family men (and really Reed was bisexual since he had an ex wife and children).

But most all adults except for the real gullible knew Lynde was gay, and most knew or figured out that Nabors was too. What other examples are there of gay actors and actresses playing straight, with those who were obviously gay.

Goodbye Gomer and Jim Nabors, you were a favorite actor of mine as a child and you made many people happy. Bless.

[Adamantium]

Neil Patrick Harris came out as gay during maybe the second season of "How I Met Your Mother." His character, Barney Stinson, was not only straight, but a womanizer. However, he's such a good actor, when watching the show I'd forget he's gay and just bought him as a womanizer.

[MRPITT]

A few that come to mind that I think worked were

Meredith Baxter-Birney (Family Ties)
Sherman Hemsley (The Jeffersons)
Reginald VelJohnson(Family Matters)

[Lee]

Originally Posted by MRPITT

A few that come to mind that I think worked were

Meredith Baxter-Birney (Family Ties)
Sherman Hemsley (The Jeffersons)
Reginald VelJohnson(Family Matters)

Reginald I would believe, but Sherman gay?

[superpsych]

Danny Pintauro on Who's The Boss? Anthony Clark on Boston Common and Yes, Dear.

[Yong Fang]

Sherman Hemsley was never married or had children. Supposedly he was a very eccentric individual, who was a drug user of psychedelic substances and pot and a lover of progressive rock bands. His favorite band was something called "Gong" and also the more famous band "Yes".

There is a story online about either a member of Gong or someone else spending the day with Sherman Hemsley, including his weird house, people making LSD and other strangeness. Didn't note of he was gay or anything. But he was the opposite of (arguably conservative) George Jefferson.

[Nanoose]

The guy that plays Sheldon Copper on the Big Bang Theory. Cheers!

[Fontaine]

David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane. The Niles/Daphne pairing went on for 11 years, so I guess it worked.

[WilliamHBonney]

Jane Lynch - Party Down
Portia De Rossi - Arrested Development
Robert Reed - The Brady Bunch
Raven Symone - That's So Raven
T.R. Knight-Grey's Anatomy
Vincent Rodriguez III-Crazy Ex Girlfriend
Dan Butler-Frasier

[stevea]

There are stories about Florence Henderson's dealing with Robert Reed being gay...nothing bad (not that it would be, but the times were totally different)...does anyone recall any of that? I don't remember the details. I think even a few of the kids knew, as well.

I never heard about Raven. She's now in a new Disney sitcom.

[TV Guy]

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason

I didn’t know about Richard Deacon.

Let’s face it: as Danny Pintauro got older on Who’s the Boss, he was not convincing as a straight character.

Chris Eigemann played Lorelei’s boyfriend Jason on Gilmore Girls, and he was not convincing as a straight character at all. Not as bad a Paul Lynde, but pretty bad.

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by stevea

There are stories about Florence Henderson's dealing with Robert Reed being gay...nothing bad (not that it would be, but the times were totally different)...does anyone recall any of that? I don't remember the details. I think even a few of the kids knew, as well.

There was some mention in Barry Williams' book Growing Up Brady, indicating that Florence figured it out early on. She knew something was up when a good-looking guy like Robert was not interested, whether playful come-ons or whatever.

[MA]

John Mahoney as Martin Crane

[glickmam]

Rahsaan Patterson as Kid (Kids Incorporated)
Jerry Sharell as Mickey (Kids Incorporated)
Jon Polito as Steve Crosetti (Homicide: Life on the Street)

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

John Mahoney as Martin Crane

John Mahoney was never proven to be gay. He had some sort of accident that prevented him from being able to have sex. He likes women and wanted to get married but never found the right woman. This all came from Mahoney's mouth.