Born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, he was the son of a motor mechanic and a telephone operator who divorced when he was eight years old. He failed to obtain parts in school plays because he couldn't remember lines. After high school he was a postal employee. During World War II he served in the Philippines as an aircraft mechanic for the Navy.
After being discharged from the Navy, Roy became a truck driver, although he dreamed of becoming an actor and sent many photos of himself to acting agencies etc. in the hope of being discovered.
Finally, his size and good looks got him into movies. He was discovered by gay agent Henry Wilson and his name became Rock Hudson for his debut in Warner Bros., in 1948. His teeth were capped, he took lessons in acting, singing, fencing and riding. Still, it took no less than 38 takes before he could successfully complete one line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron.
The peak of his career was in the fifties and early sixties. Films like Giant (1956 with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean) brought him respect as a film star, but it was the pictures where he starred opposite everybody's home-made apple-pie, Doris Day, that made him one of the industry's most popular leading men.
Rumors about his homosexuality had surfaced occasionally since the 1950s, when his film studio supposedly paid off "Confidential" magazine to prevent them from spilling the beans. To quell the rumors, in 1955 Hudson married his agent's secretary, Nancy Gates. The marriage lasted three years.
The rumours continued after the marriage and Hudson decided to ignore them; keeping his private life as quiet as possible and separate from his career. He had a love story with Marc Christian. Another of his lovers was Roy Fitzgerald.
Rock Hudson was the first Hollywood star to let it be known that he had AIDS, and his worldwide search for a cure drew international attention. Before he died, Hudson courageously went public with details of the disease and how he caught it: Rock Hudson, the romantic idol of millions, had been a closet homosexual; his earlier marriage had been a union of convenience.
He died in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, of an AIDS related illness and his estate still contributes to AIDS charities. After his death his long-time lover Marc Christian successfully sued his estate, again calling attention to the homosexuality Rock had hidden from most throughout his career.
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