Rock Hudson

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Birthday:

17 November 1925, Winnetka, Illinois, USA

Birth Name:

Roy Harold Scherer Jr.

Height:

196 cm

Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, to Katherine (Wood), a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer, an auto mechanic. He was of German, Swiss-German, English, and Irish descent. His parents 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 and during WW II served as a Navy airplane mechanic. After the war he was a truck driver. His size and good looks got him into movies. His name was changed to Rock Hudson, his teeth were capped, he took lessons in acting, singing, fencing and riding. One line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron (1948), needed 38 takes. In 1956 he received an Oscar nomination for Giant (1956) and two years later Look magazine named him Star of the Year. He starred in a number of bedroom comedies, many with Doris Day, and had his own popular TV series McMillan & Wife (1971). He had a recurring role in TV's Dynasty (1981) (1984-5). He was the first major public figure to announce he had AIDS, and his worldwide search for a cure drew international attention. 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. Show less «

His legal name was Roy Fitzgerald. When meeting John F. Kennedy, the American president remarked: "They say all Fitzgeralds are related", to...Show more »

His legal name was Roy Fitzgerald. When meeting John F. Kennedy, the American president remarked: "They say all Fitzgeralds are related", to which Hudson replied, "I guess that would make Ella happy". Show less «

I had to overcome the name Rock. If I'd been as hip then as I am now, I would have never consented to be named Rock.

John Wayne was then the Hollywood legend, and I was on screen with him. The guy is an angel. He saved my life back then when no other film m...Show more »

John Wayne was then the Hollywood legend, and I was on screen with him. The guy is an angel. He saved my life back then when no other film maker wanted to know me. - On The Undefeated (1969) Show less «

I did a movie [The Undefeated (1969)] with Duke Wayne [John Wayne] and was very surprised to find out he had small feet, wore lifts, and a c...Show more »

I did a movie [The Undefeated (1969)] with Duke Wayne [John Wayne] and was very surprised to find out he had small feet, wore lifts, and a corset. Hollywood is seldom what it seems. Show less «

I can't play a loser - I don't look like one.

I have no philosophy about acting or anything else. You just do it. And I mean that. You just do it. However, I can say that with ease after...Show more »

I have no philosophy about acting or anything else. You just do it. And I mean that. You just do it. However, I can say that with ease after thirty-five years. Show less «

"I am not happy that I am sick. I am not happy that I have AIDS. But if that is helping others, I can at least know that my own misfortune h...Show more »

"I am not happy that I am sick. I am not happy that I have AIDS. But if that is helping others, I can at least know that my own misfortune has had some positive worth." (1985) Show less «

(In the early 1980s, before his sickness was publicly known) " I always consider my job just as someone working in an office. Past 5 P.M., I...Show more »

(In the early 1980s, before his sickness was publicly known) " I always consider my job just as someone working in an office. Past 5 P.M., I lead my very own existence far from the cameras. It's essential for an actor to clearly separate private life from work... essential for me, anyway." Show less «

I also remember meeting Gary Cooper at a party. I was so impressed that I blurted out that all the stars I had met before had been terrific ...Show more »

I also remember meeting Gary Cooper at a party. I was so impressed that I blurted out that all the stars I had met before had been terrific people. Cooper thought about it for a minute, then said, "Yes, I suppose we are, the ones who are on top. But watch out for the ones who haven't quite made it, or are past it." It was valuable advice. Show less «

[on Elizabeth Taylor] She's indestructible.

Someone asked me once what my philosophy of life was, and I said some crazy thing. I should have said, how the hell do I know?

I love to smoke. I keep hoping someone will discover it's a healthy habit because the smoke kills all the germs in your system. I love to dr...Show more »

I love to smoke. I keep hoping someone will discover it's a healthy habit because the smoke kills all the germs in your system. I love to drink, and I hate exercise. I don't mind going out on the side of a hill and chopping down a tree, but I hate organized exercise. I built a gym in my house but I never use it. I don't even like to walk through it. Show less «

Nobody is discovered. Ever. Publicity departments loved to say that Lana Turner was discovered sitting at a soda fountain counter, drinking ...Show more »

Nobody is discovered. Ever. Publicity departments loved to say that Lana Turner was discovered sitting at a soda fountain counter, drinking a chocolate soda ... It isn't true. I mean, there are too many interesting-looking people on Earth for that to ever happen. Show less «

It was the biggest mistake of my career. - On A Farewell to Arms (1957)

It was better than I thought. Why didn't I put more into it? - On McMillan & Wife (1971)

I welcome my birthdays. Relish them, as a matter of fact. I have confidence now and can look forward to trying new things. I don't think fif...Show more »

I welcome my birthdays. Relish them, as a matter of fact. I have confidence now and can look forward to trying new things. I don't think fifty was a crucial age. Forty was, and thirty-nine because I was facing forty. But lately everything has fallen into place. (1983) Show less «

I've heard that rumor for years and I just don't care about it. I know lots of gays in Hollywood. Some have tried it on with me, but I've al...Show more »

I've heard that rumor for years and I just don't care about it. I know lots of gays in Hollywood. Some have tried it on with me, but I've always said, 'Come on, you've got the wrong guy!' As soon as they know that, it's okay! (1978) Show less «

Television is the monster of all time that eats everything and everybody. When they wanted McMillan & Wife (1971) to go to two hours I s...Show more »

Television is the monster of all time that eats everything and everybody. When they wanted McMillan & Wife (1971) to go to two hours I said, 'Why? The thing doesn't even hold up for ninety minutes!'. Show less «

Right from the start, I hated the script. I just didn't believe in that man for one minute. Making fun of death is difficult and dangerous. ...Show more »

Right from the start, I hated the script. I just didn't believe in that man for one minute. Making fun of death is difficult and dangerous. That scene where I went out and bought a plot for myself in the cemetery - to me it was completely distasteful. - On Send Me No Flowers (1964) Show less «

If you're cast in crap like Taza, Son of Cochise (1954), it doesn't matter if you experiment with a scene and it goes wrong. Who's gonna not...Show more »

If you're cast in crap like Taza, Son of Cochise (1954), it doesn't matter if you experiment with a scene and it goes wrong. Who's gonna notice? But if it works, you can use it in a better film. Like Giant (1956), perhaps. Show less «

Do you want to know the secret of my second youth? Well, it must have something to do with my being surrounded by men. Women put too much of...Show more »

Do you want to know the secret of my second youth? Well, it must have something to do with my being surrounded by men. Women put too much of a strain on the heart! (1984) Show less «

[After walking out of Los Angeles premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)] Will someone tell me what the hell this is about?

He was like ol' Dad to me, and I was like a son to him, I think. When you're scared and new and you're trying to figure out this thing, and ...Show more »

He was like ol' Dad to me, and I was like a son to him, I think. When you're scared and new and you're trying to figure out this thing, and suddenly an older man will reach out and say, 'There, there, it's okay,' that was Douglas Sirk. Show less «

[on the scene in Pillow Talk (1959) in which he carries Doris Day through the streets of Manhattan] "I could have managed if only one take h...Show more »

[on the scene in Pillow Talk (1959) in which he carries Doris Day through the streets of Manhattan] "I could have managed if only one take had been involved, but we went on endlessly, primarily because there was a bit actor who played a cop on the street, and as we passed him, Doris' line was 'Officer, arrest this man,' and the cop was supposed to say to me, 'How you doing, Brad?' but that stupid actor kept calling me Rock. So back to our marks we went for another take and another and another. I'll bet we did that scene twenty times. That's why we had the shelf for Doris to sit on." (Hudson ultimately had to carry Day on a shelf after numerous takes.) Show less «