Most heterosexuals go about their daily lives as if they are alone in the universe. If asked, they will say "Sure, some men are gay, which means they're into men, not women," but in the next moment, they'll announce "There's not a man alive who wouldn't want a date with Angelina Jolie or whoever.
The IMDB biography of Dennis Cole assures us that "Females couldn't get enough of him," while males idolized his athleticism. That's right, every woman and no man swooned over him.
What about his early modeling in beefcake magazines, notably the gay-oriented Physique Pictorial and Bob Mizner's Athletic Model Guild?
Or his work as the hustler Cowboy in a San Diego production of the gay-themed Boys in the Band?
Or King Marchand, the man who falls in love with a woman he thinks is a drag queen, in the national touring company of Victor/Victoria?.
He didn't play any gay characters on tv, but really, between 1965 and 1995, there weren't many gay characters to play, especially if you were too muscular to pull off a thin, willowy queen. But he played around gay and LGBT characters:
"Star Struck," an episode of Three's Company (1983), with Jack Tripper pretending to be gay.
Dennis was married three times, for a few years each (his second wife was Jacyln Smith of Charlie's Angels.) When his son Joey was killed in a robbery attempt in 1991, he refused to be associated with any violence in movie or tv productions, which limited his options. He acted on screen only a few more times before his death in 2009, though he continued to work in theater.
I never saw "Bearcats" but the photo could not be gayer
ReplyDeleteAlso, bodybuilders and such were often gay-coded. Think Beach Blanket Bingo: The gays are taking over the beach!
ReplyDeleteOh, DC has a new event soon, Dark Crisis. (Geddit?) So, the JLA are (save for Black Adam) dead (or stuck in the Matrix) and the theme is legacy, with younger generations uniting behind Dick Grayson. A major villain will be Deathstroke the Terminator, which, finally, stop trying to turn the dude who brainwashed, drugged, and raped more than one teenage girl, and killed his own son, and nuked a city just because he was angry at one of its residents, into a hero. He's like what if Batman were an even worse parent.
I bring it up because like four members of the new JLA are queer. I mean, of course, the old JLA is coming back eventually.
Cole was a beautiful young man- classic All American jock looks
ReplyDeleteI went looking for Dennis Cole info about a year ago. Saw some of his Playgirl (or Ultra as it was) shots and read up on him. Always thought he was a real good-looking guy back in the 70's and 80's. I guess after his son died, he had a problem with alcohol (sounds like he blamed Henry Rollins, the singer, for his son's death). Although he later became a successful real estate agent in Ft. Lauderdale later in life, his drinking got worse. Thanks much for posting .
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