# Examples of straight actor playing gay role? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063 "2003-02-24T02:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/21 "2003-02-24T06:10:24Z")
Robert Preston played an openly gay character in _Victor/Victoria_ but is usually remembered as the straight Prof. Hill in _The Music Man_. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/22 "2003-02-24T06:13:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*Oh, wait, the _movie_ was gay, not him. \*\* I really hope I’m missing something. ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/23 "2003-02-24T08:28:48Z")
How about Patrick Stewart as the delightfully fussy old Sterling in JEFFREY? ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/24 "2003-02-24T08:47:31Z")
Laurence Olivier played gay in _Spartacus_ and straight in _The Entertainer_. Hume Cronyn played gay in _There Was A Crooked Man_ and straight in pretty much anything else, like _Cocoon_. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/25 "2003-02-24T09:02:34Z")
Russel Crowe played a gay man in [_The Sum of Us_](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0111309) (pretty good, btw), and a straight man in _L.A. Confidential_, _Proof of Life_ and most of his other recent movies. Hugo Weaving’s roles as Agent Smith and Elrond were pretty asexual, but he does play a gay man (or a drag queen, at least) in _The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_ ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/26 "2003-02-24T09:11:27Z")
Otto… What makes you say Roy Schnieder played a gay man in **Marathon Man**? I must have missed something there. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/27 "2003-02-24T10:28:07Z")
If you believe Gore Vidal, Charlton Heston played a bisexual man in _Ben-Hur_… ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/28 "2003-02-24T12:17:59Z")
And Tony Curtis in _Spartacus_ ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/29 "2003-02-24T12:36:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cholo \* > What makes you say Roy Schnieder played a gay man in **Marathon Man**? I must have missed something there. I’m not sure how it plays out in Goldman’s book, which I keep meaning to read but never have. But in the movie it is strongly hinted that Scheider and his boss are an item. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/30 "2003-02-24T12:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scablet \* > \*\* > Guy Pearce: drag queen Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow in _Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_, then Lieutenant Exley in _LA Confidential_. > \*\* Actually, all three of the main characters in that movie - Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, and Terence Stamp - are straight. When I saw the movie, I thought for sure that not only were they gay, but wondered if Guy and Hugo really _were_ drag queens in Sidney (this was before either of them were very well known actors). Their acting was incredible. Terence Stamp has been in too many movies to list (check [IMDB.com](http://IMDB.com)), and Hugo Weaving has since gone on to play Mr. Smith in the Matrix, and Elrod in LoTR, among other “straight” parts. (that is, if you can consider playing the King of the Elves a “straight” part!) ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/31 "2003-02-24T13:00:48Z")
IIRC, Michael Caine and Christopher Reeves played lovers, a bisexual and a homosexual respectively, Death Trap. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/32 "2003-02-24T13:31:32Z")
Anthony Hopkins played a gay Richard the Lionhearted in **The Lion in Winter**. ---
**Author:** ![GloriaMundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ee59a6/32.png) [@GloriaMundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloriaMundi)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/33 "2003-02-24T14:40:28Z")
I’m wondering - how can you compare differences in vocabulary, pronounciation, etc. if the actor is playing a role? You’d be comparing how the actor chooses to portray a role/character, wouldn’t you? How can you compare two different roles 😕 ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/34 "2003-02-24T14:48:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tamerlane \* > \*\*I’m not sure how it plays out in Goldman’s book, which I keep meaning to read but never have. But in the movie it is strongly hinted that Scheider and his boss are an item. > > - Tamerlane \*\* The book explicitly states the homosexuality of Scheider’s character. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/35 "2003-02-24T14:52:25Z")
Billy Crystal played a gay character in _Soap_… -Rav ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/36 "2003-02-24T15:37:58Z")
Kathy Bates played a Lesbian in Primary Colors and a straight in Titanic, at about the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/37 "2003-02-24T17:51:15Z")
Michael McKean played gay in “Best in Show”, but straight in “Spinal Tap”. Christopher Guest played gay in “Waiting for Guffman” but is married to Jamie Lee Curtis in real life. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/38 "2003-02-24T18:12:38Z")
Derek Jacobi played gay in _Breaking the Code_ (1996) and _Love is the Devil_ (1998). I don’t know if he’s gay or straight in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/39 "2003-02-24T18:15:15Z")
Is Anthony Daniels straight? (If not, nevermind) ---
**Author:** ![ion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f1d935/32.png) [@ion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ion)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063/40 "2003-02-24T18:23:37Z")
Jude Law plays Oscar Wilde’s lover in “Wilde”, and a straight snob in “The talented mr Ripley”. (The reason why I mention his straight role in “Mr Ripley” is because I don’t think the two characters he creates in the respective films differ very much.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-straight-actor-playing-gay-role/157063.md?page=3)