Editing Tab Hunter (section)

==Career==
===1950s===
[[File:TabHUNTER2.jpg|thumb|upright|Hunter in the 1950s]]
Dick Clayton introduced Gelien to agent [[Henry Willson]], who specialized in representing [[beefcake]] male stars such as [[Robert Wagner]] and [[Rock Hudson]]. It was Willson who named him "Tab Hunter".<ref>{{cite book|last=Hofler|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eTR0idJByUcC&q=The+Man+Who+Invented+Rock+Hudson:+The+Pretty+Boys+and+Dirty+Deals+of+Henry+Willson|title=The Man who Invented Rock Hudson: The pretty boys and dirty deals of Henry Willson|publisher=Carroll & Graf|year=2005|isbn=978-0786716074|url-access=subscription|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Hunter's first film role was a minor part in a [[film noir]], ''[[The Lawless]]'' (1950). Hunter was a friend of character actor [[Paul Guilfoyle (actor, born 1902)|Paul Guilfoyle]], who suggested him to director [[Stuart Heisler]]; Heisler was looking for an unknown to play the lead in ''[[Saturday Island|Island of Desire]]'' (1952) opposite [[Linda Darnell]]. The film, essentially a [[two-hander]] between Hunter and Darnell, was a hit.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hopper|first=Hedda|date=February 13, 1955|title=A critic's remark and hard work put Tab Hunter on top: Critic and work spur Tab Hunter|page=D1|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=A+Critic%27s+Remark+and+Hard+Work+Put+Tab+Hunter+on+Top&lnd=1&t=4312&p_place=CA|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>

Hunter supported [[George Montgomery (actor)|George Montgomery]] in ''[[Gun Belt]]'' (1953), a Western produced by [[Edward Small]]. Small used him again for a war film, ''[[The Steel Lady]]'' (1953), supporting [[Rod Cameron (actor)|Rod Cameron]], and as the lead in an adventure tale, ''[[Return to Treasure Island (1954 film)|Return to Treasure Island]]'' (1954). He began acting on stage, appearing in a production of ''[[Our Town]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Scheuer|first=Philip K.|date=November 5, 1953|title=Drama: Skip homeier returns, Murvyn vye with U-I; MGM rushes POW job|page=B11|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=Drama%3A+Skip+Homeier+Returns%2C+Murvyn+Vye+With+U-I%3B+MGM+Rushes+POW+Job&lnd=1|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Hunter was then offered, and accepted, a contract at [[Warner Bros.]]
[[File:TabHunter.jpg|thumb|upright|Hunter in a promotional portrait for ''Battle Cry'' (1955)]]
[[File:Natalie Wood and Tab Hunter arriving at the 28th Academy Awards 1956 cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Hunter with [[Natalie Wood]] at the [[28th Academy Awards]] in 1956]]
One of Hunter's first films for Warner Bros. was ''[[The Sea Chase]]'' (1955), supporting [[John Wayne]] and [[Lana Turner]]. It was a big hit, but Hunter's part was relatively small. Rushes were seen by [[William A. Wellman]], who cast Hunter to play the younger brother of [[Robert Mitchum]] in ''[[Track of the Cat (film)|Track of the Cat]]'' (1954). It was a solid hit and Hunter began to get more notice.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

His breakthrough role came when he was cast as the young [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] Danny in 1955's [[World War II]] drama ''[[Battle Cry (film)|Battle Cry]]'', which was [[1955 in film|the year's third most financially successful film]]. His character has an affair with an older woman, but ends up marrying the [[girl next door]]. It was based on a bestseller by [[Leon Uris]] and became Warner Bros.' largest grossing film that year, cementing Hunter's position as one of Hollywood's top young romantic leads.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

In September&nbsp;1955, the tabloid magazine ''[[Confidential (magazine)|Confidential]]'' reported that Hunter had been arrested for disorderly conduct in 1950. The innuendo-laced article, and a second one focusing on [[Rory Calhoun]]'s prison record, were the result of a deal Henry Willson had brokered with the scandal rag in exchange for not revealing to the public the sexual orientation of his more prominent client, Rock Hudson.{{sfn|Hunter|2005|page=172}} The report had no negative effect on Hunter's career. A few months later, he was named Most Promising New Personality in a nationwide poll sponsored by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations.{{sfn|Hunter|2005|pages=116–118}} In 1956, he received 62,000&nbsp;valentines. Hunter, [[James Dean]], and [[Natalie Wood]] were the last actors to be placed under an exclusive studio contract at Warner Bros. Warner decided to promote him to star status, teaming him with Natalie Wood in two films, a Western, ''[[The Burning Hills]]'' (1956), directed by Heisler, and ''[[The Girl He Left Behind]]'' (1956), a service comedy. These films also proved to be a hit with audiences. Warners planned a third teaming of Hunter and Wood but Hunter rejected the third picture, thus ending Warners' attempt to make Hunter and Wood the [[William Powell]] and [[Myrna Loy]] of the 1950s. Hunter was Warner Bros.' most popular male star from 1955 until 1959.

[[File:Juke Box Jury May 1957.jpg|thumb|upright|Hunter (right) with [[Anthony Perkins]] and Peter Potter on the TV show ''Juke Box Jury'' (1957)]]Hunter received strong critical acclaim for a television performance he gave in the debut episode of ''[[Playhouse 90]]'' ("[[Forbidden Area]]", 1956) written by [[Rod Serling]] and directed by [[John Frankenheimer]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Wolters|first=Larry|date=March 17, 1957|title=Playhouse&nbsp;90 – And why it is a great series: Key to success is its young producer|page=78|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|url=https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/372277250/?terms=Playhouse%2B90%2Band%2Bwhy%2Bits%2Ba%2Bsuccess|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Hunter's acting career was at its peak. William Wellman used him again in a war film, ''[[Lafayette Escadrille (film)|Lafayette Escadrille]]'' (1958). Columbia Pictures borrowed him for a Western, ''[[Gunman's Walk]]'' (1958). Hunter claimed, "When Gunman's Walk premiered the following summer, it was one of the proudest moments of my career."{{sfn|Hunter|2005|p=193}} Hunter starred in the musical film ''[[Damn Yankees (film)|Damn Yankees]]'' (1958), in which he played Joe Hardy of Washington, D.C.'s [[American League]] baseball club. The film had originally been a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, and Hunter was the only one in the film version who had not appeared in the original cast. The show was based on the best-selling 1954&nbsp;book ''[[The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant]]'' by [[Douglass Wallop]]. Hunter later said the filming was hellish because director [[George Abbott]] was interested only in recreating the stage version word for word. He also appeared in the western ''[[They Came to Cordura]]'' (1959) (with [[Gary Cooper]] and [[Rita Hayworth]]) and starred in the romantic drama ''[[That Kind of Woman]]'' (1959) (with [[Sophia Loren]]).{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

====Music career====
Hunter had a 1957 hit record with the song "[[Young Love (1956 song)|Young Love]]," which was No.&nbsp;1 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart]] for six weeks (seven weeks on the UK Chart), and became one of the larger hits of the [[Rock 'n' Roll]] era.<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/> It sold more than two million copies, and was awarded a [[gold disc]] by the [[RIAA]].<ref name="Discs">{{cite book|last=Murrells|first=Joseph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UxRAAAAAMAAJ&q=Tab+Hunter|title=The Book of Golden Discs|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|year=1978|isbn=978-0214204807|edition=2nd|location=London|page=92|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Hunter had another hit single, "Ninety-Nine Ways", which peaked at No.&nbsp;11 in the United States and No.&nbsp;5 in the United Kingdom. His success prompted [[Jack L. Warner]] to enforce the actor's contract with the [[Warner Bros.]] studio by banning [[Dot Records]], the label for which Hunter had recorded the single (and which was owned by rival [[Paramount Pictures]]), from releasing a follow-up album he had recorded for them. He established [[Warner Bros. Records]] specifically for Hunter.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===1960s===
Hunter's failure to win the role of Tony in the film adaptation of ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' (1961) prompted him to agree to star in a weekly television sitcom. ''[[The Tab Hunter Show]]'' had moderate ratings (due to being scheduled opposite ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'') and lasted for one season (1960–61) of 32&nbsp;episodes. It was a hit in the United Kingdom, where it ranked as one of the most watched situation comedies of the year. Hunter's costars in the series included [[Richard Erdman]], [[Jerome Cowan]], and [[Reta Shaw]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053542/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm 'The Tab Hunter Show', IMDb. Full cast and credits]</ref>

Hunter had a starring role as [[Debbie Reynolds]]' love interest in the romantic comedy ''[[The Pleasure of His Company]]'' (1961). He played the lead in an Italian swashbuckler shot in Egypt, ''[[The Golden Arrow (1962 film)|The Golden Arrow]]'' (1962). He was in a war movie for [[American International Pictures]], ''[[Operation Bikini]]'' (1963).
In 1964, he starred on Broadway opposite [[Tallulah Bankhead]] in [[Tennessee Williams]]' ''[[The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore – Broadway Play – 1964 Revival|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-milk-train-doesnt-stop-here-anymore-2805#OpeningNightCast|website=IBDB}}</ref>

He had a starring role in ''[[Ride the Wild Surf]]'' (1964), a surf film for Columbia, followed by a movie in Britain, the crime drama ''[[Troubled Waters (1964 film)|Troubled Waters]]'' (1964). He stayed in England to make another picture for AIP, the science fiction film ''[[War Gods of the Deep]]'' (1965) starring [[Vincent Price]]. Back in Hollywood, he had a supporting role in the comedies ''[[The Loved One (film)|The Loved One]]'' (1965) and ''[[Birds Do It]]'' (1966). He starred in a film directed by [[Richard Rush (director)|Richard Rush]], the low budget comedy ''[[The Fickle Finger of Fate]]'' (1967).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Fickle Finger of Fate (1966) - Richard Rush &#124; AllMovie|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-fickle-finger-of-fate-v91237/cast-crew|publisher=AllMovie}}</ref>

For a short time in the late 1960s, after several seasons of starring in [[summer stock]] and [[dinner theater]] in shows such as ''Bye Bye Birdie'', ''The Tender Trap'', ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'',{{sfn|Hunter|2005|page=297}} and ''West Side Story'' with some of the New York cast, Hunter settled in the south of France and acted in some Italian films including ''[[Vengeance Is My Forgiveness]]'' (1968), ''[[The Last Chance (1968 film)|The Last Chance]]'' (1968), and ''[[Bridge over the Elbe]]'' (1969).<ref name="slant">{{cite web|last=Raymond|first=Gerard|date=October 21, 2015|title=Interview with Tab Hunter|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/interview-tab-hunter|access-date=February 25, 2019|website=Slant}}</ref>

===1970s===
Hunter had the lead role in the psychological horror film ''[[Sweet Kill]]'' (1973), the first movie from director [[Curtis Hanson]]. His performance earned good reviews. He won a co-starring role in the successful western film ''[[The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean]]'' (1972), starring [[Paul Newman]]. He had small roles in ''[[Timber Tramps]]'' (1975), ''[[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' (1976) and ''[[Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold]]'' (1978). In 1977 he played George Shumway, the father of Mary Hartman (played by [[Louise Lasser]]) on ''[[Forever Fernwood]]'', a spinoff of the soap-like sitcom ''[[Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===1980s===
Hunter's career was revived in the 1980s,<ref name="NewYorkTimes" /> when he starred opposite actor [[Divine (performer)|Divine]] in [[John Waters]]' ''[[Polyester (film)|Polyester]]'' (1981) and [[Paul Bartel]]'s ''[[Lust in the Dust]]'' (1985). Both of these films were hits with audiences. He played Mr.&nbsp;Stuart, the substitute teacher in the musical ''[[Grease 2]]'' (1982), who sang "Reproduction". Hunter had a major role in the horror film ''[[Cameron's Closet]]'' (1989).{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===Later career===
[[File:Tab Hunter 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Hunter in 2008, aged 77]]
Hunter's last film role came in the horse-themed [[family film]] ''[[Dark Horse (1992 film)|Dark Horse]]'' (1992). Hunter, a longstanding horse owner,<ref name="C&I_Conversation">{{cite web|author1=Leydon, Joe|date=July 9, 2018|title=A C&I Conversation with Tab Hunter|url=https://www.cowboysindians.com/2018/07/live-from-montecito-california-with-tab-hunter/|website=Cowboys & Indians}}</ref> wrote the original story and co-produced the film with his life partner, [[Allan Glaser]].

Hunter's autobiography, ''Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star'' (2005), co-written with [[Eddie Muller]], became a ''[[New York Times]]'' bestseller,<ref>{{cite news|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=June 6, 2018|title=JJ Abrams, Zachary Quinto Developing Tab Hunter-Anthony Perkins Movie|newspaper=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/jj-abrams-zachary-quinto-tab-hunter-anthony-perkins-love-story-1202834923/}}</ref> as did the paperback edition in 2007. In his memoir, Hunter officially came out as gay, confirming rumors that had circulated since the height of his fame.<ref name=Hamilton/> The book was nominated for several awards. It entered the ''New York Times''{{'}} bestseller list for a third time on June 28, 2015, upon the release of ''[[Tab Hunter Confidential]]'', an award-winning documentary based upon the memoir. The documentary was directed by [[Jeffrey Schwarz]] and produced by Allan Glaser.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tab Hunter Confidential|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1533089|access-date=August 17, 2015|publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref> As of June 2022, a feature film about Hunter to be produced by Glaser, [[J. J. Abrams]] and [[Zachary Quinto]] was in development at Paramount Pictures. Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning writer Doug Wright is attached to create the screenplay.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Feinberg|first1=Scott|last2=Kit|first2=Borys|date=June 6, 2018|title=Tab Hunter, Anthony Perkins forbidden love drama in the works from J.J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|department=Exclusive|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jj-abrams-zachary-quinto-making-film-tab-hunter-anthony-perkins-1117878}}</ref>

Hunter has a star for his contributions to the music industry on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at [[Hollywood Boulevard|6320 Hollywood Blvd.]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Tab Hunter|url=https://www.flimfun.com/search?q=hollywoodstar-walk/tab-hunter|access-date=March 8, 2016|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|department=Hollywood Star Walk}}</ref> In 2007, the [[Palm Springs Walk of Stars]] dedicated a Golden Palm Star to him.<ref>{{cite web|title=Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated|url=https://www.flimfun.com/search?q=hollywood/web-storage/Stars/Stars%20dedicated%20by%20date.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013165655/https://www.flimfun.com/search?q=hollywood|archive-date=October 13, 2012|access-date=August 17, 2018|publisher=Palmspringswalkofstars.com}}</ref>