Old Hollywood Stars Who Were Forced to Live a Double Life

After Rudolph Valentino died, MGM needed another romantic star who could be sold as an irresistible “Latin lover.” Mexican-born Ramon Novarro filled that role through silent hits such as Scaramouche and Ben-Hur, becoming a major box-office attraction and a fantasy figure for countless female moviegoers.

Novarro was gay, but his studio-built image depended on audiences viewing him as a heterosexual seducer. He kept relationships with men outside public view while fan magazines celebrated his appeal to women. The glamorous lover onscreen could not safely reveal the man living behind him.