or simon callow in four weddings versus simon callow in most other things.
Maurice has been mentioned regarding Hugh Grant, but I don’t believe either James Wilby or the actor playing Scudder is gay.
Daniel Day Lewis plays the gay Johnny in My Beautiful Laundrette. I don’t believe he’s gay in reality.
Dermot Mulroney plays a gay kid in Longtime Companion.
Nope. When Laurence Olivier tries to seduce in the bath, Curtis is out of there.
Sorry, the actor Simon Callow is openly gay.
No, not John Mahoney. You’re thinking of openly gay actor Dan Butler, who played the straight sportscaster Bulldog on Frasier.
Since the original poster hasn’t answered your question, I’ll venture to say that’s exactly the point: comparing how the actor chooses to portray two different roles.
The real problem is limiting yourself to straight actors. Most of the responses seem to assume that any actor not known to be homosexual or bisexual is exclusively heterosexual, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Since the original poster hasn’t answered your question, I’ll venture to say that’s exactly the point: comparing how the actor chooses to portray two different roles.
The real problem is limiting yourself to straight actors. Most of the responses seem to assume that any actor not known to be homosexual or bisexual is exclusively heterosexual, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Actually, as the discussion about The Marathon man indicates, it’s not even safe to assume a character is straight just because there’s no direct reference to homosexuality. Not only do you have the writer’s intent to consider, but actors frequently invent detailed back stories for their roles to give them greater dimension.
That’s assuming that by “straight” you mean exclusively heterosexual. If not, you may want to limit yourself to actors and characters that fall within a defined segment on a scale of sexual preferences and/or behavior, although this will be difficult without knowing an awful lot about the persons/personae in question.
I think that was my point also. The roles may be homo- and hetero, but the portrayed roles are so much more than the sexuality, and to me it would be like comparing apples to oranges.
Good point. I was confused about the nature of your confusion.
Martin Donovan (II), Ivan Sergei, and Johnny Galecki all played gay (or bi) men in The Opposite of Sex. Not sure about the sexual orientation of any of them IRL, or of any other work from the first two, but Galecki is best known as David, Darlene’s husband on Roseanne.
Josh Charles was gay in Threesome, straight in Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. Again, not sure of sexual orientation IRL.
Josh Charles used to be engaged to Jennifer Connelly, but they broke up. I don’t know if that means he’s straight or not, but I just thought I’d put it out there.
Kevin Spacey - Jim Williams, Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil.
Michael McKean - also played a gay man in The Tracy Ullman Show on HBO.
Great! 
Whaddaya think then??
He also portrayed the gay man Quentin Crisp in “The Naked Civil Servant”.
So, you’re saying this is an example of a straight actor playing a gay role?
Philip Seymour Hofman: gay in Flawless and Boogie Nights; straight in 25th Hour and State And Main.
Matt Damon: gay in The Talented Mr. Ripley; straight in everything else (I think).
Brian Cox: gay in L.I.E.; straight in The Ring. I’m not sure about Hannibal Lektor’s sexuality, so I can’t say what he was in Manhunter.
Gina Gershon: gay in Bound; straight in Palmetto.
I don’t know if Kevin Spacey is straight, I just know that Jim Williams was gay.
yeah, i know Simon Callow is gay, i meant to add it to the stephen fry as a foot note, and forgot.
I saw it tonight. Watch for the scene where a concerned William Devane is stroking Roy Scheider’s bandages.