Tab Hunter, the blond heartthrob for millions of teenage girls in the 1950s who later became a gay icon, dies at age 86.
Tab Hunter, the blond actor and singer who was a heartthrob for millions of teenage girls in the 1950s with such films as “Battle Cry” and “Damn Yankees!” and received new attention decades later when he revealed that he was gay, has died. He was 86.
Producer and longtime partner Allan Glaser said Hunter died Sunday of a blood clot in his leg that caused cardiac arrest. Glaser called the death “sudden and unexpected.”
Hunter was a star for several years. In addition to his hit movies, his recording of “Young Love” topped the Billboard pop chart in 1957.
But in his 2005 memoir, “Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star,” Hunter recounted the stresses of being a love object to millions of young women when he was, in reality, a gay man.
“I believed, wholeheartedly — still do — that a person’s happiness depends on being true to themselves,” he wrote. “The dilemma, of course, that was being true to myself — and I’m talking sexually now — was impossible in 1953.”
Born Arthur Andrew Kelm, his screen tab (slang for “name” at the time) was fabricated by Henry Willson, the same agent who came up with the names Rock Hudson and Rory Calhoun.
With no dramatic training, Hunter was cast in a minor role in the 1950 drama “The Lawless.” The fuss over the young actor began two years later when he appeared bare-chested opposite Linda Darnell in the British-made “Island of Desire.” Soon his handsome face and muscular build appeared on magazine covers. Warner Bros., alert to the increasingly important youth market, signed him to a contract.
Hunter made a flurry of movies in the latter half of the 1950s, aimed at capitalizing on his popularity with girls. The films included such war dramas as “Battle Cry” (with Van Heflin) and “Lafayette Escadrille” (Clint Eastwood in a small role). He made the Westerns “The Burning Hills” (Natalie Wood) and “They Came to Cordura” (Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth). And he made romantic comedies like “The Pleasure of His Company” (Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds.)
A highlight was the 1958 “Damn Yankees!” — an adaptation of the Broadway musical with Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston in their Tony-winning New York roles and the original director, George Abbott, directing with Stanley Donen.
As with so many pop idols, his fans grew up and a new generation sought other favorites. His slide followed the classic pattern: to a television series (“The Tab Hunter Show,” on NBC, 1960-62); European films (“The Golden Arrow”) and cheap kid flicks (“Ride the Wild Surf.”)
In the 1980s, he won new fans by appearing in cult movies with Divine, notably John Waters’ 1981 “Polyester” and Paul Bartel’s 1985 “Lust in the Dust,” co-produced by Hunter himself.
Hunter was born in 1931 in New York City, the second son of a mechanic and his German immigrant wife. His father left the family two years later, and the boy took his mother’s name, Gelien. Young Arthur Gelien grew up in San Francisco and Long Beach, Calif., and joined the Coast Guard at 15, lying about his age.
While in New York, he saw Broadway plays and became interested in acting. Back in California, Willson arranged for a two-word role in a small Western, “The Lawless.” He got $500 and a new name.
In recent years, Hunter appeared in dinner theaters and organized film projects. He didn’t dwell on his career or regret losing it.
“I had my fling, and I was very fortunate,” he said. “But that’s all in my past.”