Gay american actors
Top 20 Famous Gay Actors of Hollywood 2024 [LGBTQ+ Icons]
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen is an acclaimed actor established for his versatile performances on stage and screen. Beyond his acting prowess, McKellen is also known for his activism, particularly in LGBTQIA+ rights. His career did not undergo post-coming out. Instead, it flourished, with McKellen taking on a range of more emotionally resonant roles that resonated with audiences worldwide. McKellen came out during a BBC radio broadcast in 1988 as an act of complain against Section 28, a proposed law in the UK that sought to prohibit the "promotion of homosexuality." His spontaneous truth was a bold advance during a time when gay rights faced significant legal and societal challenges. Reflecting on the impact of his coming out, McKellen noted that it changed his life "for the better," enhancing his relationships, personal satisfaction, and even his approach to acting, allowing him to embody characters with greater authenticity.
Ian McKellen's contributions to LGBTQIA+ culture and history extend far beyond his personal coming out story. He co-founded Stonewall, a UK-based LGBTQIA+ rights organiz
14 Straight Actors Who Won Oscars For Playing Queer Roles
While we love seeing LGBTQ+ characters on giant screen, we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up that a lot of the most awarded—queer roles have gone to non-queer actors….
Peter Finch was the first to be nominated by the Academy for his role as a gay doctor in the 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday and the groundbreaking nomination paved the way for dozens of straight thespians to accept nods for taking on gay, lesbian and transsexual roles. Before the 94th annual Academy Awards obtain place on Sunday Protest 27, here’s a stare back at 14 standout performances (from straight actors) of LGBTQ+ characters that won Oscar gold.
William Wound for Kiss of the Spider Woman
(Released: 1985)
William Wound was the first thespian to win an Oscar for playing a lgbtq+ character on the enormous screen. Hurt portrayed Luis Molina, an incarcerated queer man, in the 1985 film Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Tom Hanks for Philadelphia
(Released: 1993)
Tom Hanks took home the Best Performer for his role in Philadelphia. The film was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to explicitly address HIV/AIDS and homophobia.
Hilary After being criticized for her casting on HBO Max's show Legendary, Jameela Jamil shared a lengthy message on Twitter about her sexuality, clarifying that she has never concealed the fact that she identifies as queer. "This is why I never officially came out as homosexual. I added a rainbow to my name when I felt ready a few years ago, as it's not easy within the south Asian society to be accepted, and I always answered honestly if ever straight-up asked about it on Twitter," Jamil wrote. Speaking about her casting on the vogueing show (about a style of dance/expression spearheaded by New York's Dark and Latinx queer and trans communities), she also wrote, "I know that my being queer doesn't qualify me as ballroom. But I have privilege and power and a big following to bring to this show (as does the absolutely iconic Megan Thee Stallion), and it's beautiful contestants and ballroom hosts." In this message, Jamil also announced that she would be taking a break from Twitter monitoring the backlash. .
It's been an ~interesting~ journey for queer people in the movie and television industry. Once upon a time, gay and female homosexual actors, specifically, had to stay in the closet, and there were next-to-no gay parts on screen.
The idea that openly male lover actors can play het characters is a relatively new phenomenon. Previously, out gay actors could only really work when roles for them a) existed, and b) weren't entity given to heterosexual actors.
Now it seems much more acceptable for an openly gay actor play a straight character. In evidence, here are 18 times an actor has played a straight character on screen, despite being openly gay or queer in real life...
4.Andrew Scott as The Priest in Fleabag
5.Amandla Stenberg as Ruby Daly in The Darkest Minds
6.Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in Bridgerton
7.B.D. Wong as Wally Lin in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
8.Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Funke in Arrested Development
9.Ben Platt as Evan Hansen in the Dear Evan Hansen movie
10.Justice Smith as Simon Aumar in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
11.Luke Evans as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast
12.Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks in