Biography
Real Name: Leroy Harold Scherer, Jr.
Birth: 17 November 1925, Winnetka, Illinois
Death: 2 October 1985, Beverly Hills, California
Height: 6'4 Weight: 190 - 210
Spouse: Phyllis Gates (1955 - 1958), agent's secretary
Good Friend: Elizabeth Taylor
Academy Award: Nominated 1957 Best Actor for 'Giant'
Golden Globe: Winner 1959 World Film Favorite: Male
Golden Globe: Winner 1960 World Film Favorite: Male
Golden Globe: Co-Winner 1961 World Film Favorite: Male, Tony Curtis
Golden Globe: Winner 1963 World Film Favorite: Male
Biography: "My Story" by Rock Hudson with Sara Davidson



"Rock Hudson was the engagingly handsome star of Hollywood films of the 50s and 60s. He was the son of an auto mechanic and a telephone operator, who divorced when he was eight. Although he tried out for roles in school plays, he failed to win any because he could not remember lines. After graduating from high school, he worked as a mail carrier and was a Navy airplane mechanic during WW II.

Returning to civilian life, he drove a truck, among other odd jobs, before breaking into films through the efforts of a persistent agent. He had never acted before, but his height and manly good looks made him a promising prospect. His name was changed from Roy Fitzgerald (he took his stepfather's name when his mother remarried) to the more vigorous-sounding Rock Hudson. His teeth were capped and he was coached intensively in acting, singing, dancing, fencing, and riding. He learned on the job. No less than 38 takes had to be filmed before he could successfully complete one line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron (1948).

With time and practice he prevailed and by the mid-50s, after 'Magnificent Obsession', was among the leading stars on the Universal lot. In 1956 he was nominated for an Oscar for 'Giant' and in 1958 he won 'Look' magazine's award as Star of the Year. He was twice voted Hollywood's top box-office draw.

In the 60s Hudson displayed a surprising gift for comedy, supplementing his repertory of tearful melodramas and adventure films with glossy bedroom farces, often opposite Doris Day. In the 70s he starred on TV in the popular light police series `McMillan and Wife' (1971---77). He started another series, `The Devlin Connection,' in 1981, but its production was suspended for a year while Hudson was recovering from quintuple-bypass heart surgery. In 1984---85 he played a recurring role in `Dynasty.'Throughout his career, Hudson epitomized wholesome manliness. In 1955 he married Phyllis Gates, the secretary of his agent, Henry Wilson. The union lasted three years. His death at 59 of complications from AIDS astounded many of his fans, who were unaware of his homosexuality. His search for a cure focused worldwide attention on AIDS. He was the first major public figure to acknowledge openly that he was suffering from the disease. "
Date of birth (location)
17 November 1925
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
Date of death (details)
2 October 1985
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA. (AIDS)
Mini biography
He was the son of an auto mechanic and a telephone operator who divorced... (show more)
Sometimes Credited As:
Roc Hudson



Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage, Notable TV Guest Appearances

Actor - filmography
(1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s) (1940s)

"Dynasty" (1981) TV Series .... Daniel Reece (1984-1985)
The Vegas Strip War (1984) (TV) .... Neil Chaine
... aka Las Vegas Strip War
The Ambassador (1984) .... Frank Stevenson
... aka Peacemaker
"The Devlin Connection" (1982) TV Series .... Brian Devlin
World War III (1982) (TV) .... President Thomas McKenna
The Star Maker (1981) (TV) .... Danny Youngblood
The Mirror Crack'd (1980) .... Jason Rudd
"The Martian Chronicles" (1980) (mini) TV Series .... Col. John Wilder
Superstunt II (1980) (TV)


Avalanche (1978) .... David Shelby
"Wheels" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Adam Trenton
... aka Arthur Hailey's Wheels
Embryo (1976) .... Dr. Paul Holliston
... aka Created to Kill (USA: reissue title)
Showdown (1973) .... Chuck Jarvis
"McMillan and Wife" (1971) TV Series .... Commissioner Stewart McMillan
... aka McMillan (USA: sixth season title)
Once Upon a Dead Man (1971) (TV) .... Commissioner Stewart McMillan
Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) .... Michael 'Tiger' McDrew
Hornets' Nest (1970) .... Captain Turner
... aka Lupi attaccano in branco, I (Italy)
... aka Vespaio, Il
Darling Lili (1970) .... Maj. William Larrabee


The Undefeated (1969) .... Col. James Langdon
Ruba al prossimo tuo (1969) .... Capt. Mike Harmon
... aka A Fine Pair (USA)
Ice Station Zebra (1968) .... Cmdr. James Ferraday
Tobruk (1967) .... Maj. Donald Craig
Seconds (1966) .... Antiochus 'Tony' Wilson
Blindfold (1965) .... Dr. Bartholomew Snow
A Very Special Favor (1965) .... Paul Chadwick
Strange Bedfellows (1965) .... Carter Harrison
Send Me No Flowers (1964) .... George Kimball
Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) .... Roger Willoughby
A Gathering of Eagles (1963) .... Col. Jim Caldwell
The Spiral Road (1962) .... Dr. Anton Drager
Lover Come Back (1961) .... Jerry Webster/Doctor Linus Tyler
Come September (1961) .... Robert L. Talbot
The Last Sunset (1961) .... Dana Stribling


Pillow Talk (1959) .... Brad Allen/Rex Stetson
This Earth Is Mine (1959) .... John Rambeau
Twilight for the Gods (1958) .... Captain David Bell
The Tarnished Angels (1958) .... Burke Devlin
A Farewell to Arms (1957) .... Lieutenant Frederick Henry
Something of Value (1957) .... Peter McKenzie
... aka Africa Ablaze (USA: reissue title)
Battle Hymn (1956) .... Col. Dean Hess
Written on the Wind (1956) .... Mitch Wayne
Giant (1956) .... Jordan Benedict
Never Say Goodbye (1956) .... Dr. Michael Parker
All That Heaven Allows (1955) .... Ron Kirby
One Desire (1955) .... Clint Saunders
Captain Lightfoot (1955) .... Michael Martin
Bengal Brigade (1954) .... Capt. Jeffrey Claybourne
... aka Bengal Rifles (UK)
Magnificent Obsession (1954) .... Dr. Bob Merrick
Taza, Son of Cochise (1954) .... Taza
... aka Son of Cochise (USA)
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) (uncredited) .... Narrator At Opening Underwater Scenes
Back to God's Country (1953) .... Peter Keith
Gun Fury (1953) .... Ben Warren
The Golden Blade (1953) .... Harun
Sea Devils (1953) .... Gilliatt
Seminole (1953) .... Lt. Lance Caldwell
The Lawless Breed (1953) .... John Wesley Hardin
Horizons West (1952) .... Neil Hammond
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952) .... Dan
Scarlet Angel (1952) .... Frank Truscott
Here Come the Nelsons (1952) .... Charles Jones
... aka Meet the Nelsons
Bend of the River (1952) .... Trey Wilson, Gambler
... aka Where the River Bends (UK)
Iron Man (1951) .... Tommy 'Speed' O'Keefe
Bright Victory (1951) .... Dudek
... aka Lights Out (UK)
The Fat Man (1951) .... Roy Clark aka Roy Chevlon aka Ray (Roger) Considine
Air Cadet (1951) .... Upperclassman
... aka Jet Men of the Air (UK)
Tomahawk (1951) .... Cpl. Burt Hanna
... aka Battle of Powder River (UK)
Shakedown (1950) .... Ted, the Night Club Doorman
The Desert Hawk (1950) .... Captain Ras
Winchester '73 (1950) .... Young Bull
Peggy (1950) .... Johnny Higgins
I Was a Shoplifter (1950) .... Store Detective
One Way Street (1950) (uncredited) .... Truck Driver


Undertow (1949) .... Detective talking with Reckling about gun
Fighter Squadron (1948) (uncredited) .... Second Lieutenant (pilot)



Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage, Notable TV Guest Appearances

Miscellaneous Crew - filmography

The 30th Annual Academy Awards (1958) (TV) (singer: "Baby, It's Cold Outside")



Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage, Notable TV Guest Appearances

Himself - filmography
(1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s)

James Dean: A Portrait (1996) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (1955 behind the scenes footage)
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic (1993) (V) .... Himself (photo)


The 56th Annual Academy Awards (1984) (TV) .... Himself - Co-presenter: Best Actress
Circus of the Stars #5 (1980) (TV) .... Ringmaster
The Beatrice Arthur Special (1980) (TV) .... Himself


Elizabeth Taylor: Hollywood's Child (1975) (TV) .... Himself
... aka Elizabeth Taylor: An Intimate Biography (USA)
The 45th Annual Academy Awards (1973) (TV) .... Himself - Co-host
The Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff Special (1971) (TV) (uncredited) .... Roy Fitzgerald


Hollywood: The Selznick Years (1969) (TV) .... Himself
The 40th Annual Academy Awards (1968) (TV) .... Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
The Man Who Makes the Difference (1968) (uncredited) .... Himself
"The Kraft Music Hall" (1967) TV Series .... Himself (1967)
The 39th Annual Academy Awards (1967) (TV) .... Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
The 37th Annual Academy Awards (1965) (TV) .... Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Cinematography
Marilyn (1963) .... Narrator
The 34th Annual Academy Awards (1962) (TV) .... Himself - Presenter: Best Supporting Actress
The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (1960) (TV) .... Himself - Presenter: Best Actress


The 31st Annual Academy Awards (1959) (TV) .... Himself - Co-Presenter: Cinematography Awards
The 30th Annual Academy Awards (1958) (TV) .... Himself - Performer: 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' & Co-Presenter: Short Subjects Awards
The James Dean Story (1957) (uncredited) .... Himself ('Giant' premier footage)
The 29th Annual Academy Awards (1957) (TV) .... Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Presenter: Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture




Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage, Notable TV Guest Appearances

Archive Footage


Hollywood Legenden (2004) (TV) .... Himself
101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment (2003) (TV) .... Himself
Return to 'Giant' (2003) (V) (uncredited) .... Himself
The Making of 'Far From Heaven' (2002) (TV) (uncredited) .... Ron Kirby in "All That Heaven Allows"
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Elizabeth Taylor: England's Other Elizabeth (2000) (TV)
Elizabeth Taylor: A Musical Celebration (2000) (TV) (uncredited)
A&E Biography: Rock Hudson - Acting the Part (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 (1999) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Elizabeth Taylor: The E! True Hollywood Story (1998) (TV) .... Himself
The Best of Hollywood (1998) (TV) .... Interview
Memories of 'Giant' (1998) (V) .... Himself
Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1997) (uncredited) .... Himself
Laugh-In Past Christmas Present (1993) (TV) .... Himself
And the Band Played On (1993) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (epilogue sequence)
"Fame in the Twentieth Century" (1993) (uncredited) .... Himself
Peter's Friends (1992) (uncredited) .... Himself (with Photoplay Gold Medal, 1950s)
Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992) .... Himself
Rock Hudson (1990) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989) .... Himself
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (1984) .... Clip from 'Giant'
Sixty Years of Seduction (1981) (TV)
Lionpower From MGM (1967) (uncredited)
Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage, Notable TV Guest Appearances

Notable TV Guest Appearances

"Doris Day's Best Friends" playing "Himself" (episode # 1.1)
"The Carol Burnett Show" playing "Himself" (episode # 11.12) 11 December 1977
"The Carol Burnett Show" playing "Himself" (episode # 10.16) 29 January 1977
"The Carol Burnett Show" playing "Himself" (episode # 8.18) 15 February 1975
"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" playing "Himself" (episode # 2.21) 24 February 1969
"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" playing "Himself" (episode # 2.12) 16 December 1968
"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" playing "Himself" (episode # 2.8) 11 November 1968
"The Beverly Hillbillies" playing "George Kimball" in episode: "Jed Becomes a Movie Mogul" (episode # 3.1) 23 September 1964
"The Jack Benny Program" playing "Himself" in episode: "Rock Hudson Show" (episode # 12.18) 18 February 1962
"Toast of the Town" playing "Himself" (archive footage) (episode # 10.4) 14 October 1956
"I Love Lucy" playing "Himself" in episode: "In Palm Springs" (episode # 4.26) 25 April 1955
"This Is Your Life" playing "Himself" in episode: "Rock Hudson" 17 December 1952