A few years ago I posted a list of actors who publicly announced they are HIV+. Here is an updated list. For more on World AIDS Day, you can click here, and for a list of all celebrities in every field who have announced publicly they are HIV+, click here.
Amanda Blake
(1929–1989)
American actress best remembered for her role as Kitty Russell in the television series Gunsmoke.
Jim J. Bullock
(born 1955)
American actor who starred in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort.
Merritt Butrick
(1959-1989)
American actor best remembered for playing Captain Kirk's son in the films Star Trek II and III.
Ian Charleson
(1949–1990)
British actor whose best-known role was the part of athlete Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire.
Brad Davis
(1949–1991)
American actor, played the part of Billy Hayes in the film Midnight Express.
Robert Drivas
(1938–1986)
American film, television and stage actor.
Denholm Elliott
(1922–1992)
British actor; won three BAFTA awards as best supporting actor for Trading Places, A Private Function and Defence of the Realm, as well as an Academy Award nomination for A Room with a View.
Peter Evans
(1950–1989)
American film, television and stage actor.
Richard Frank
(1953–1995)
American television and motion picture actor best known as Father Vogler in the film Amadeus
Leonard Frey
(1938–1988)
American Broadway and film actor, earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof.
Tom Fuccello
(1936–1993)
American actor, known for his role as Dave Culver in the television series Dallas.
Kevin Peter Hall
(1955–1991)
American actor, played in Predator and Harry and the Hendersons.
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Christian Haren
(1935-1997)
American actor and model best known for portraying the Marlboro Man in print advertisements.
Rock Hudson
(1925–1985)
American actor, first major American celebrity to publicly disclose HIV status.
Michael Jeter
(1952–2003)
American film and theatre, won a Tony Award in 1990 for the musical Grand Hotel.
Larry Kert
(1930–1991)
American film and theatre actor
Irving Allen Lee
(1948–1992)
American soap opera and musical actor.
Tom McBride
(1952–1995)
American actor and model; best known for his role in Friday the 13th Part 2 and for his modeling stint as the Marlboro Man
John Megna
(1952–1995)
American former child actor, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Cookie Mueller
(1949–1989)
American actor and writer who featured in many of filmmaker John Waters' early films.
Timothy Patrick Murphy
(1959–1988)
American actor, played the role of Mickey Trotter in the television series Dallas
David Oliver
(1962–1991)
American actor, played in Another World and A Year in the Life
Ilka Tanya Payán
(1943–1996)
Dominican born American actress, attorney and activist. She was one of the first Latino celebrities to publicly disclose her status.
Fernando Peña
(1963-2009)
Uruguayan-Argentine television and motion picture actor
Anthony Perkins
(1932–1992)
American actor best known for his role as Norman Bates in the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.
Keith Prentice
(1940–1992)
American theatre and soap opera actor.
Kurt Raab
(1941–1988)
German actor known for his work with cult film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Dack Rambo
(1941–1994)
American actor who played Jack Ewing in the television series Dallas.
Gene Anthony Ray
(1962–2003)
American actor and dancer; best known for his portrayal of the street smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 motion picture Fame and the television spin-off.
Robert Reed
(1932–1992)
American actor; played the role of Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch.
Tony Richardson
(1928–1991)
British film director; received two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture) for Tom Jones (1963).
Larry Riley
(1952–1992)
American actor; played the role of Frank Williams in the soap opera Knots Landing
Howard Rollins
(1950–1996)
American actor, nominated for the 1981 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film Ragtime
Tommy Sexton
(1955–1993)
Canadian actor and comedian.
Ray Sharkey
(1952–1993)
American actor; won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in The Idolmaker.
Paul Shenar
(1936–1989)
American film and theatre actor; played in the film Scarface.
Stephen Stucker
(1947–1986)
American actor and comedian; best known for the Airplane! films.
Tom Villard
(1953–1994)
American actor.
Guy Willoughby
(1957–2009)
South African actor.
I had no idea "Leroy" form Fae dies. I loved him and that show =(
ReplyDeletePedro Zamora from The Real World. That show was on when I was in my young teens and I will always remember that he was one of the first real people that I saw living with AIDS. He passed away a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteRock Hudson really paved the way in this regard for all people suffering from this horrible disease.
ReplyDeleteI remember when i was very young my mother saying "now THERE'S a true example of courage". Everyone was so in the dark about HIV and AIDS at the time and he really helped bring it to the forefront.
Such a sad list for an incredibly terrible disease.
ReplyDeleteRIP- Mr. Noodle's brother
ReplyDeleteHIV is still a devastating diagnosis, however in noting the years of death there are far fewer in recent years. HIV/AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, but a managable condition, at least in the western world.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Issac Asismov had died of this disease.
Where's Liberace?
Wow I didn't Leroy (Gene Anthony Rae) from Fame died. What a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteOh and thanks for the recognition and the list Enty.
ReplyDeleteIt's very thoughtful of you to pay tribute to the actors who have suffered from this disease.
I was shocked by Amanda Blake from Gunsmoke. Such a sad disease.
ReplyDelete@amazonblue, am I missing something? I don't see Isaac Asimov on the list...?
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the toll this disease has taken on African families, especially in the furthest south countries, is beyond tragic. All the children left parentless? It's heartbreaking.
Wow. I had no idea that some of these people were even dead, let alone HIV positive. What a sad, sad waste.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Enty.
ReplyDeleteFor the time to put the list up and the recognition of who we've lost.
@empyrios - Rock Hudson did put a face on the disease for the American public, however he fought tooth and nail not to have his diagnosis disclosed. At the time, he was doing a story arc on "Dynasty" that clearly showed he was ravaged by something, however it wasn't until after filming and an even more severe decline in his health which prompted his treatment in Paris that the diagnosis of AIDS was announced.
That announcement served to trigger AIDS-hysteria on the set of Dynasty because Linda Evans had kissed him as part of the storyline, and the tabs went wild with conjecture and misinformation.
Add to that the fact that we had a President (Reagan) who could not bring himself to even say the word AIDS.
Okay... I'm off my soapbox now.
Even after all these years, this is still a hot button topic with me. I've lost too many people to it for it not to be.
And Enty, thank you for allowing me to hijack the commentary for my rant. I apologize.
I echo the others who thank you for putting faces to this horrible disease, Enty. Wow, Dack Rambo...Dallas was the first and only soap I ever watched (every Friday at nine with my mom!) and I had such a crush on Dack Rambo. RIP to them all..
ReplyDeletei get what you're saying Merlin and you're right.
ReplyDeleteit shouldn't be miscounted though that at the end of the day he had the final decision to come out with something like that publicly...
also, i was making more of a personal statement in how the event affected me being at an age when i questioned everything. the point my mother was making was that, no matter what the circumstances or M.O. it IS a brave thing to declare to an ignorant world something so intensely personal.
you can stand on your soap box all you want- it still won't take that away from me.
There has been a scary silence around this disease for the past few years and because of it, more and more young people get infected each year. It may be more manageable nowadays than it was in the 80's, but it is still around...and it is still spreading.
ReplyDeleteFiggy,
ReplyDeleteClick on the second "click here" above the names,and it takes you to a wiki page with dozens more names in numerous fields.
Thanks for doing this, Enty. I used to have a big crush on Anthony Perkins. Not from 'Psycho' but from 'Green Mansions.' :)
ReplyDeleteHarriet, there's an interesting coinciding of the popularity of "abstinence based education" and the rise of all STIs amongst teenagers. :(
ReplyDeletewhat an important reminder...thx, enty.
ReplyDeleteRQ, i had a crush on dack rambo too! he was the hotness.
(In my high school sex ed classes, they showed us tons of pictures of the sores/growths you could get from various STIs, and I would be surprised if anyone had unprotected sex after that. :) It was like the driver's ed movies with all the decapitations and manglings.)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Anthony Perkins had died of Aids. I remember when Rock Hudson came out and all the gossip about the kiss with Linda Evans. Used to watch Dallas never considered it a soap opera since they would show it at night.
ReplyDeleteMooshki, we had that too, and these disgusting posters in the nurses office with pictures of warts and sores *gag*.
ReplyDeleteThey worked for me though, I have to say! *L*
Denholm Elliott will always be Marcus Brody. Especially in Raiders where he was just like Indiana Jones only older, not in the later movies where they turned him into comic relief.
ReplyDeleteMy mother died of AIDS in 1994. Nasty way to go.
ReplyDeleteIsaac Asimov died of AIDS from a transfusion. His widow has only recently released the case of death.
Anthony Perkins claimed he only had gay sex once but mysteriously contracted AIDS from it. Whatever.
My mother kept the true nature of her illness a secret. My grandparents told me after she died.
my brother died of HIV & drug use related issues. his diognosis led him to a spiral of drug use that ended with heroin. had he been more educated, he wouldn't have seen it as a death sentence.
ReplyDeleteKevin- talented stylist,makeup artist and animal acitvist.
1969-1997.
cheryl, that's one thing i wish we didnt have in common. sorry for your loss and anyone else who has lost a loved one to HIV/AIDS.
ReplyDeleteCarol and Jax, I am so sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea "Miss Kitty" died of AIDS. Nor did I have an idea about a lot of the others. This is a sad list.
Sorry for your loss, Jax. Sad to say, I think most people still see this disease as a death sentence.
ReplyDeleteJax, I'm sorry for your loss. AIDS has hit so many of us and has devastated the artistic community. It's not a gay thing or an African thing or a drug thing like people said back in the day.
ReplyDeleteRIP to all of your loved ones and to the many who have died of this debilitating disease.
ReplyDeleteMy sympathy to all who have lost someone to this awful disease.
ReplyDeleteI lost my uncle in '95.
Thank you Enty.
awww....guys...i'm so sorry this horrible disease has hit so close to the cdan family. :(
ReplyDeleteYou forgot the most famous makeup artist in the world - Way Bandy. One of the first celebs to die of Aids. I think he died in 1986.
ReplyDeleteFreddy Mercury and Peter Allen too
ReplyDeleteInstead of the photos of the day maybe Enty could put up the pictures of all these people? Tom Villard was in the film My Girl and did a lot of Sitcoms in the 80's
Jax, I have no adequate words. I am SO sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteBless you for posting this, Enty, and also bless this list of great, courageous entertainers.
Thanks, Enty, for the post. I lost my grandpa to AIDS in 1986 but didn't find out it was AIDS until 1992. I recently lost a friend due to major complications. AIDS awareness is a cause incredibly close to my heart.
ReplyDeleteMy wish is for every 5 pink ribbons I see splashed on merchandise that we see one red one...and that we reverse this "forgetting" trend.
Ah yes - much love for Freddie Mercury. Not many people in the world have had a voice like his, in my own humble opinion, of course. He hid his sexuality for so long - we can only keep fighting to make sure no one has to hide ever again.
ReplyDeletei'm so sorry for you Jax and Carol
ReplyDeletei remember a rapper Easy-E!
Captian Kirk's son had AIDS. So did Dack Rambo from Dallas and a film called Ultra Warrior which is the cinematic version of AIDS.
ReplyDeleteTo all who have lost loved ones, here and everywhere... I am so sorry, I cannot imagine the heartbreak..
ReplyDeleteI did not know Leroy from Fame died...
I did not know Peter Allen died... (Favorite song: "Quiet, Please, There's A Lady On Stage")
And, lord yes, Dack Rambo was HOT
I think we need more red ribbons *and* pink ribbons.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts go out to everyone in the thread who has lost someone to this. My niece's uncle (her dad's brother) died of AIDS but that and the HIV+ status of a couple of friends were the closest I'd come to it until I sat on a Wiseguy panel with Ray Sharkey. He was a very friendly, very nice man (though apparently not exactly ethical in his sexual behavior). The day after the panel, it was announced that he had active AIDS. He was dead four months later. That's how it happened in those days.
Thank you Enty for recognizing World Aids Day. Between 1985 and 1998, I lost a dozen friends to Aids. For the most part, my friends died horrible, protracted deaths. It was just beyond... After a while I got numb and quit hanging-out with my crowd. Glad treatments are better now. And FUCK Ronald Reagan!
ReplyDeleteThe number of people lost is staggering. Additionally, there's Michael Bennett and Michael Peters, and special tribute to my friends Stanley, Hubert, Gary, Tom, Marc, Wesley, Melvin, Mervin, Stephen, Avon, D.J., Michel, David, and John. RIP and love to you all.
ReplyDeleteThank you Enty.
ReplyDeleteI've lost so many friends to this disease that I honestly don't know how many. I'm sorry to everyone else who has lost people-- keep their memory alive through research and prevention.