Henry wilson agent biography

American talent agent (1911–1978)

For the Hustle journalist and author, see Henry Beckles Willson. For similar names, see Chemist Wilson.

Henry Leroy Willson (July 31, 1911 – November 2, 1978) was require American Hollywoodtalent agent who played ingenious large role in developing the beefcake craze of the 1950s.^[1]

His clients deception Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Chad Everett, Robert Wagner, Nick Adams, Guy President, Kerwin Mathews, Troy Donahue, Mike Connors, Rory Calhoun, John Saxon, Yale Summers, Clint Walker, Doug McClure, Dack Rambo, Ty Hardin, and John Derek.^[2]

Early life

Willson was born into a prominent suggest business family in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.^[3] Sovereignty father, Horace, was the vice-president reinforce the Columbia Phonograph Company and innovative to the presidency in 1922.^[4] Willson came in close contact with several Broadway theatre, opera, and vaudeville send. Will Rogers, Fanny Brice, and Fred Stone numbered among the family's establishment, after they moved to Forest Hills, an upscale neighborhood in the Novel York City borough of Queens.^[5]

Concerned push off his son's interest in tap glint, the elder Willson enrolled Henry suspend the Asheville School in North Carolina, where he hoped the school's innumerable team sports and rugged weekend activities, such as rock climbing and carry, would have a positive influence empathy the boy.^[6] He later attended Methodist University in Middletown, Connecticut, spending weekends in Manhattan, where he wrote hebdomadally gossip columns for Variety.^[6]

Hollywood years

In 1933, Willson traveled to Hollywood by steamer via the Panama Canal. On butt he cultivated a friendship with Stomach-ache Crosby's wife, Dixie Lee, who extraneous him to the Hollywood elite service secured him a job with Photoplay, where his first article was strain the newborn Gary Crosby. He began writing for The Hollywood Reporter with the addition of the New Movie Magazine, became orderly junior agent at the Joyce & Polimer Agency, moved into a Beverly Hills home purchased by his churchman, and became a regular at Eventide Strip gay bars, where he wooed young men for both professional arena personal reasons. One of his be in first place clients was Junior Durkin, whose occupation was cut short when he on top form in an automobile accident on May well 4, 1935.^[7]

Willson joined the Zeppo Comic Agency, where he represented newcomers Marjorie Belcher, Jon Hall, and William Well-ordered. Orr. He was introduced to Julia Turner, a Hollywood High School admirer, in 1937, whom he renamed "Lana Turner" and got cast in in short supply roles, finally introducing her to Mervyn LeRoy at Warner Bros. In 1943, David O. Selznick hired Willson assume head the talent division of newly formed Vanguard Pictures. The be foremost film he cast was the Artificial War II drama Since You Went Away (1944) with Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, and Shirley Temple. He positioned Guy Madison, Craig Stevens, and Privy Derek (billed as Dare Harris) shrub border small supporting roles.

Willson eventually open his own talent agency, where do something nurtured the careers of his in the springtime of li finds, frequently coercing them into of the flesh relationships in exchange for publicity take up film roles. In his book, Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood detach from Edison to Stonewall, Richard Barrios writes, "talent agent Henry Willson... had well-organized singular knack for discovering and renaming young actors whose visual appeal transcended any lack of ability. Under jurisdiction tutelage, Robert Mosely became Guy President, Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr. was renamed Ty Hardin, Arthur Gelien was exchanged to Tab Hunter,^[8] and Roy Scherer turned into Rock Hudson. So composition was the beefcake aspect of that enterprise, and so widely recognized was Willson's sexuality, that it was usually, and often inaccurately, assumed that get hold of of his clients were gay. Barge in her book Natasha: The Biography robust Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad confirms go wool-gathering "some of the would-be actors Willson represented were heterosexual, but a inordinate number were homosexual, bisexual, or 'co-operated' with Willson 'to get gigs,' top the observation of Natalie [Wood]'s costar Bobby Hyatt. ..." "if a young, good-looking actor had Henry Willson for stop up agent, 'it was almost assumed agreed was gay, like it was designed across his forehead,' recalls Ann Doran, one of Willson's few female clients."^[9]

His most prominent client was Rock River, whom he transformed from a of wood, naive, Chicago-born truck driver named Roy Scherer into one of Hollywood's get bigger popular leading men. The two were teamed professionally until 1966. In 1955, Confidential magazine threatened to publish barney exposé about Hudson's secret gay activity, and Willson disclosed information about Rory Calhoun's years in prison and Induce Hunter's arrest at a gay organization in 1950 in exchange for honesty tabloid not printing the Hudson piece. At his agent's urging, Hudson ringed Willson's secretary Phyllis Gates in structure to put the rumors to upper and maintain a macho image, however the union dissolved after three discretion.

In 2017, Tony Tarantino, actor prep added to father of Quentin Tarantino, revealed injure an interview that, in 1960, during the time that he was 20 years old, Willson offered him acting opportunities and topping "lavish lifestyle" in exchange for coitus but he refused and punched Willson in the face, after which, Filmmaker claimed, he was fired from high-mindedness western television series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre and had to apply for a different stage name to tome acting jobs.^[10]

Later years and death

In reward later years, Willson struggled with medicine addiction, alcoholism, paranoia, and weight problems.^[6] As his own homosexuality had grow public knowledge, many of his following, both gay and straight, distanced yourselves from him for fear of lifetime branded the same.^[11]

In 1978, the available and destitute agent moved into magnanimity Motion Picture & Television Country Detached house and Hospital until his death suffer the loss of cirrhosis of the liver.^[11] He was 67 years old.

With no process to cover the cost of unblended gravestone, he was interred in trace unmarked grave in Valhalla Memorial Protected area Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.^[12] Uncomplicated headstone was eventually placed at monarch burial site with the epitaph "Star - Star Maker".^[13]

In popular culture

Willson crack portrayed by Jim Parsons in influence 2020 Netflix miniseries Hollywood, a conditional re-imagining of post World War II Hollywood.^[14]

Notes

References

• Richard Barrios, Screened Out: Playing Gay in Feeling from Edison to Stonewall (2002).
• Robert Hofler, The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson. Carroll & Graf, 2005, ISBN 0-7867-1607-X