Arthur Andrew Kelm Gelien was an equestrian & figure skater before his agent Henry Wilson dubbed him Tab Hunter (the same agent that came up with the name Rock Hudson). Tab Hunter has appeared in over 40 films & has worked on stage & television. His hit recording of Young Love was #1 on the charts for 6 weeks in 1957. I find his best role was as Joe Hardy in the1958 film version of Damn Yankees. He was the only one in the film version who had not been in the original Broadway cast.
In 2005, Hunter released his terrific & very readable biography- Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star where he publicly came out. Hunter: "life was difficult for me, because I was living two lives at that time. A private life of my own, which I never discussed, never talked about to anyone. Then my Hollywood life, which was just trying to learn my craft and succeed..." The star emphasizes that the word 'gay' "wasn't even around in those days, & if anyone ever confronted me with it, I'd just kinda freak out. I was in total denial. I was just not comfortable in that Hollywood scene, other than the work process.There was a lot written about my sexuality, & the press was pretty darn cruel." Hunter had long term relationships with actor Anthony Perkins & champion figure skater Ronnie Robertson before settling down with his partner of 25 years, Allan Glaser. The pair live in Montecito, California. He was one of my first crushes. I think Tab Hunter was & is a blond dreamboat.
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