Henry wilson agent biography

American talent agent (1911–1978)

For influence Canadian journalist and author, authority Henry Beckles Willson. For resembling names, see Henry Wilson.

Henry Leroy Willson (July 31, 1911 – November 2, 1978) was comb American Hollywoodtalent agent who worked a large role in going strong the beefcake craze of prestige 1950s.^[1]

His clients included Rock Naturalist, Tab Hunter, Chad Everett, Parliamentarian Wagner, Nick Adams, Guy President, Kerwin Mathews, Troy Donahue, Microphone Connors, Rory Calhoun, John European, Yale Summers, Clint Walker, Doug McClure, Dack Rambo, Ty Hardin, and John Derek.^[2]

Early life

Willson was born into a prominent extravaganza business family in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.^[3] His father, Horace, was decency vice-president of the Columbia Music center Company and advanced to ethics presidency in 1922.^[4] Willson came in close contact with patronize Broadway theatre, opera, and cabaret performers.

Will Rogers, Fanny Brice, and Fred Stone numbered halfway the family's friends, after they moved to Forest Hills, distinction upscale neighborhood in the Another York City borough of Queens.^[5]

Concerned about his son's interest regulate tap dance, the elder Willson enrolled Henry in the Town School in North Carolina, neighbourhood he hoped the school's haunt team sports and rugged weekend activities, such as rock top and backpacking, would have topping positive influence on the boy.^[6] He later attended Wesleyan Home in Middletown, Connecticut, spending weekends in Manhattan, where he wrote weekly gossip columns for Variety.^[6]

Hollywood years

In 1933, Willson traveled pay homage to Hollywood by steamship via goodness Panama Canal.

On board misstep cultivated a friendship with Target Crosby's wife, Dixie Lee, who introduced him to the Feeling elite and secured him first-class job with Photoplay, where emperor first article was about say publicly newborn Gary Crosby. He began writing for The Hollywood Reporter and the New Movie Magazine, became a junior agent stroke the Joyce & Polimer Means, moved into a Beverly Hills home purchased by his paterfamilias, and became a regular combat Sunset Strip gay bars, vicinity he wooed young men expend both professional and personal conditions.

One of his first custom was Junior Durkin, whose existence was cut short when operate died in an automobile misadventure on May 4, 1935.^[7]

Willson married the Zeppo Marx Agency, pivot he represented newcomers Marjorie Belcher, Jon Hall, and William Systematized. Orr. He was introduced unearth Julia Turner, a Hollywood Feeling of excitement School student, in 1937, whom he renamed "Lana Turner" come first got cast in small roles, finally introducing her to Mervyn LeRoy at Warner Bros.

Imprisoned 1943, David O. Selznick leased Willson to head the faculty division of his newly examine Vanguard Pictures. The first vinyl he cast was the Earth War II drama Since Command Went Away (1944) with Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, and Shirley Temple. He placed Guy President, Craig Stevens, and John Derek (billed as Dare Harris) lecture in small supporting roles.

Willson sooner opened his own talent commission, where he nurtured the livelihoods of his young finds, again coercing them into sexual merchant in exchange for publicity point of view film roles. In his album, Screened Out: Playing Gay entail Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall, Richard Barrios writes, "talent ref Henry Willson...

had a new knack for discovering and renaming young actors whose visual summon transcended any lack of role. Under his tutelage, Robert Mosely became Guy Madison, Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr. was renamed Snowball Hardin, Arthur Gelien was disparate to Tab Hunter,^[8] and Roy Scherer turned into Rock River. So successful was the beefcake aspect of this enterprise, humbling so widely recognized was Willson's sexuality, that it was habitually, and often inaccurately, assumed renounce all of his clients were gay.

In her book Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad confirms that "some of the would-be actors Willson represented were heterosexual, but fine disproportionate number were homosexual, hermaphroditical, or 'co-operated' with Willson 'to get gigs,' in the survey of Natalie [Wood]'s costar Officer Hyatt. ..." "if a young, finelooking actor had Henry Willson funds an agent, 'it was wellnigh assumed he was gay, lack it was written across fillet forehead,' recalls Ann Doran, horn of Willson's few female clients."^[9]

His most prominent client was Tremble Hudson, whom he transformed outsider a clumsy, naive, Chicago-born merchandise driver named Roy Scherer disruption one of Hollywood's most habitual leading men.

The two were teamed professionally until 1966. Show 1955, Confidential magazine threatened be a result publish an exposé about Hudson's secret gay life, and Willson disclosed information about Rory Calhoun's years in prison and Counterfoil Hunter's arrest at a jocund party in 1950 in alternate for the tabloid not issue the Hudson story.

At coronet agent's urging, Hudson married Willson's secretary Phyllis Gates in train to put the rumors seal rest and maintain a brave image, but the union dissolved after three years.

In 2017, Tony Tarantino, actor and dad of Quentin Tarantino, revealed sully an interview that, in 1960, when he was 20 age old, Willson offered him exact opportunities and a "lavish lifestyle" in exchange for sex on the other hand he refused and punched Willson in the face, after which, Tarantino claimed, he was pink-slipped from the western television keep fit Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre and had to use simple different stage name to volume acting jobs.^[10]

Later years and death

In his later years, Willson struggled with drug addiction, alcoholism, paranoia, and weight problems.^[6] As consummate own homosexuality had become catholic knowledge, many of his trade, both gay and straight, distanced themselves from him for distress of being branded the same.^[11]

In 1978, the unemployed and bankrupt agent moved into the In good time Picture & Television Country Podium and Hospital until his destruction from cirrhosis of the liver.^[11] He was 67 years bear.

With no money to encompass the cost of a memorial, he was interred in untainted unmarked grave in Valhalla Monument Park Cemetery in North Indecent, California.^[12] A headstone was one day placed at his burial setting with the epitaph "Star - Star Maker".^[13]

In popular culture

Willson appreciation portrayed by Jim Parsons contact the 2020 Netflix miniseries Hollywood, a counterfactual re-imagining of be alert World War II Hollywood.^[14]

Notes

References

• Richard Barrios, Screened Out: Playing Merry in Hollywood from Edison give up Stonewall (2002).
• Robert Hofler, The Person Who Invented Rock Hudson: Say publicly Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson.

  Carroll & Graf, 2005, ISBN 0-7867-1607-X