The Real-Life Horror of the AIDS Crisis: 10 LGBTQ Horror Movie Performers Taken Too Soon
In recognizing Pride Month, I would be remiss if I didn’t reflect on some of our LGBTQ family members that we have lost along the way. The HIV/AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s ravaged the community, and tragically took so many far before their time, including some actors that have made names for themselves in some of our favorite horror movies. I felt it was important to highlight some of those performers that we tragically lost way too soon and the impact their legacy leaves on LGBTQ and horror history. Please join me as we remember and celebrate these icons.
Anthony Perkins (Psycho) 1932-1992
Probably the most well-known in the horror community on the list, Anthony Perkins cemented his place in most people’s brains as the unforgettable Norman Bates in the Psycho franchise. Perkins also wrestled with his sexuality for most of his life, even going so far as to subject himself to electroshock therapy to “turn him straight”. Perkins was unfortunately diagnosed with HIV while filming Psycho IV: The Beginning and hid his disease from the public for two years. He passed away from AIDS-related Pneumonia in 1992. Even though he had a long career, I think we all could have used more of Perkins in his golden years.
Rock Hudson (Embryo) 1925-1985
Maybe not as known in horror circles, Rock Hudson is easily one of the most famous on the list. Dabbling in all genres, from dramas and romantic comedies, his versatility made Hudson a literal superstar and top leading man during his career. Hudson finally made the leap to horror in 1976 with the science fiction movie Embryo. Although rumors abounded that he had a relationship with Jim Nabors of Andy Griffith fame, they maintained to only be friends. Hudson was diagnosed with HIV in 1984 which quickly led to AIDS which took his life in 1985 in his California home at the age of 59. Later after his death, his biography, which he co-wrote, revealed his many relationships, including many with men.
Tom McBride (Friday the 13th Part 2) 1952-1995
Every little gay horror fan knows where they were when we first laid eyes on the hunky Tom McBride when he showed up as the wheelchair-bound Mark in Friday the 13th Part 2. And we were equally taken aback when he was dispatched in one of the most memorable deaths of the Friday franchise. Only starring in three movies in his short career, McBride was an openly gay man who reveled in his good looks. He lost his battle with AIDS just two weeks before his 43rd birthday.
Merritt Butrick (Death Spa) 1959-1989
Coming up through the sitcom circuit, Butrick quickly made a name for himself on the show Square Pegs. This also led to a career that included such movies as Zapped, Star Trek II and III, and even a bit part in the largely forgotten horror sequel Fright Night 2. While he had a quick and tragically short career, most horror fans will remember Butrick as the puppet master and wildly deranged David in the aerobic-themed Death Spa which was his last performance before he died of toxoplasmosis complicated by AIDS in 1989. He was only 29 years old.
Michael Jeter (The Green Mile) 1952-2003
Although his death was ultimately attributed to an epileptic seizure, Jeeter was openly HIV positive and remained with his partner Sean Blue until his death in 2003. A character actor if there ever was one, he was known later in life as portraying Mr. Noodle and his siblings on Sesame Street, and earlier in life in such classics as The Fisher King and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But, he really gets his cred in horror circles for his performance in The Green Mile where he played an inmate housed in the Cold Mountain Penitentiary alongside the also gone-too-soon Michael Clarke Duncan. Actively working up until his death, it’s clear Jeter would have had a long career if not taken before his time.
David Oliver (Night of the Creeps) 1962-1992
Mostly recognized in television circles, Oliver was most known for his roles in Another World and for portraying Sam Gardner in the 1986 miniseries A Year in the Life. However, most horror fans will recognize him as one of the fraternity brothers in the space slug classic Night of the Creeps where he is seen at a party talking with our protagonist’s love interest played by the beautiful Jill Whitlow. One of his biggest contributions to his craft, however, is that he was one of the founding members of Young Artists United, a politically active group comprised of such talent as Laura Dern, Judd Nelson, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The organization set out to use its fame to address social injustices and inequities of the time. At only 30 years old, Oliver lost his battle with AIDS in 1986.
Tom Villard (Popcorn) 1953-1994
Villard had quite the career in his cut-too-short life with roles is such classics as One Crazy Summer, Grease 2, and even on an episode of LGBTQ celebrated classic The Golden Girls entitled “Rose: Portrait of a Woman”. However, we horror fans know him as the psychotic face-swapping killer Toby, in the movie house classic Popcorn. While closeted for much of his early career, Villard made the conscious decision in the early 1990s to live his truth as a gay man, even going so far as to make a very controversial appearance on Entertainment Tonight where he claimed that he was gay and had AIDS. Villard was taken just five days before his 41st birthday from AIDS-related pneumonia. But he lived on through The Tom Villard Foundation which was set up in his honor to convince businesses to provide products and services to those living with HIV/AIDS.
Alexis Arquette (Bride of Chucky) 1969-2016
Sibling of Rosanna, Patricia, and David Arquette, Alexis was no stranger to horror with appearances in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sometimes They Come Back…Again. But because we are children of a certain age, we recognize Alexis as Jennifer Tilly’s short-lived love interest at the beginning of 1998’s Bride of Chucky. Alexis started their career as a female impersonator, and ultimately transitioned in 2004. They were known as a staunch supporter of the transgender community, including big support for Chaz Bono when he decided to also transition. Alexis’ health ultimately suffered due to complications of HIV and was placed in a medically induced coma in 2016 where they were serenaded into end of life by David Bowie’s “Starman”. Alexis was only 47.
Kenneth Nelson (Hellraiser and Nightbreed) 1930-1993
Mostly known as a stage actor, Kenneth Nelson came to fame through performances in such shows as Annie, Showboat, and most famously, and most controversially The Boys in the Band.” He also starred in the show’s movie adaptation in 1970. Ultimately fed up with the American stage politics, Nelson eventually moved to London where he met and befriended a young Clive Barker which led to appearances in horror classics Hellraiser and Nightbreed. Nelson died from HIV complications in 1993 at the age of 63.
Gary Bond (Wake in Fright a.k.a. Outback) 1940-1995
Bond was most famous for some very high-profile performances in London’s West End including a lauded performance of“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Bond made his way to the horror screen through the once thought lost film Wake in Fright (a.k.a. Outback). After the film was recovered this seminal Australian outback horror screened at the Cannes film festival in 2009 making it one of only two films to screen twice at the festival. Bond died of AIDS in 1995 leaving behind his partner of 16 years.
For more on how real-life horror ties into your favorite horror movies, listen to FriGay the 13th Horror Podcast on the Dread Podcast network.
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