All that heaven allows : a biography of Rock Hudson
(Book)

Soon to be a major motion picture.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 415-455) and index.

The worshiped by moviegoers and beloved by colleagues, he appeared to have it all. Yet beneath the suave and commanding star persona, Rock Hudson was an insecure, deeply conflicted, and all-too-vulnerable human being. Growing up poor, abandoned by his biological father, abused by an alcoholic stepfather, and controlled by his domineering mother, Hudson was determined to become an actor at all costs. After signing with the powerful-but-predatory agent Henry Willson, the young hopeful was transformed from a clumsy truck driver into Universal's resident Adonis. Hudson's wholesome, straight-arrow screen image was at odds with his closeted homosexuality. Continually threatened with exposure by scandal sheets and his own partners, Hudson dodged questions concerning his private life for years. But in 1985, the disclosure that such a revered public figure had contracted HIV/AIDS focused worldwide attention on the epidemic. Drawing on more than 100 interviews, Griffin delivers, finally, a complete and nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating stars in cinema history.