Damon Charles: 1st List of Gay/Lesbian/Bi Actors and Industry People, Both in Front and Behind the Camera

Storytelling found several pathways of expression through multi-disciplinary artist Hunter Lee Hughes, culminating in his debut feature film "Guys Reading Poems," a mixture of dreamlike poetry, traditional character-driven narrative and experimental film.

As a nerdy 12-year old, Hunter booked his first role in a low-budget horror film, shot in his hometown of Houston, Texas. After graduating magna cum laude from Trinity University, Hunter moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry, learning the craft of acting from luminaries like Ivana Chubbuck, David Farkas, and Jean-Louis Rodrigue.

To pay bills along the way, Hunter served as a freelance story analyst for Paramount Classics/Vantage and later worked as a writer's assistant to the late Mardik Martin (co-writer, "Mean Streets"). Buoyed by this on-the-job training and unsatisfied with the roles traditional Hollywood had to offer at the time, Hunter wrote and performed "Fate of the Monarchs," a theater piece that explored the migration patterns of monarch butterflies as a metaphor for a closeted aspiring artist coming to terms with his sexuality.

Hunter fully committed to "the road less traveled" in 2008, when he founded Fatelink to produce his second play, "The Sermons of John Bradley." The mission of the company is to develop compelling three-dimensional characters in projects that emphasize the great potential of the creative process for spiritual and psychological growth. Since then, Fatelink has produced a number of plays, films, and series, including "Guys Reading Poems."

In his spare time, Hunter loves playing poker, watching tennis and spending time with his French bulldog, Luca.

Todd Hughes was born on 13 August 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is a producer and director, known for My Name Is Lopez (2021), House of Cardin (2019) and Mansfield 66/67 (2017). He has been married to P. David Ebersole since 18 June 2008.

Peter Hujar was born on 11 October 1934 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He died on 26 November 1987 in New York City, New York, USA.

Thomas Edward Hulce was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Plymouth, MI, where he was raised with his two sisters and older brother. He is the son of Joanna (Winkleman), who had sung professionally, and Raymond Albert Hulce, who worked for Ford. He has English, German, and Irish ancestry. Wanting to be a singer, Tom had to make a switch in plans when his voice began changing. Knowing that if he wanted to be in show business he needed to become an actor, Tom began taking the necessary steps almost immediately.

When asked once why he chose acting Tom replied, "Because someone told me I couldn't." It is determination like this that has helped him achieve his respected position in the acting community to this day. Tom set goals early on. Graduating from school at 19 years old, he gave himself a decade to succeed as an actor. Working in Ann Arbor as usher and ticket seller with a small theatrical company was a start. It was around this time he saw the first play and actor that made him realize that acting was "cool." Christopher Walken was in a play in Stratford, Ontario. The performance made quite an impression on Tom.

While Mr. and Mrs. Hulce weren't totally sold on the idea of their son becoming a thespian, Tom had determination and headed off for the training he knew he'd need if he was going to achieve his goal. He studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem; at Booth Bay Harbor, Maine; Sarasota, Florida; and spent a summer in England before heading off to New York City to try his hand at Broadway. Within a month after his arrival, Tom was chosen to understudy the role being performed by Peter Firth in the Broadway play "Equus." He had originally been hired to play one of the horses, but it was decided that his time was better spent learning the understudy role and so he never donned the horse's attire.

Tom had pangs of guilt where this role was concerned. On one hand he wanted the role ... badly. On the other hand he wondered what would happen if Peter left the role; could he fill those shoes? When the time came, nine months after being hired, Tom found out that it was up to him to play the role as his own. He wasn't expected to be another Peter Firth... he had been hired to play the role his way. "... it actually went quite well, " Tom recalled. "I realized I was a different actor and that I would tackle the part in my own way." And tackle it he did! Equus has a few "firsts" for Tom. One, it was his first big role; two, it was his first Broadway role and third, it was his first nude performance. For nine minutes Tom and his costar, Roberta Maxwell, were naked in a scene that seemed impossible for the stage a decade earlier (1960s). In a past interview Tom reflected, "It's so skillfully written and developed that it doesn't seem an unusual thing to do. There's no embarrassment, I just don't think about it at all." During the run of "Equus," Tom turned down a big television offer, to the delight of the director and cast. At that time in Tom's life the stage was all there was, and he was going to do it right! Other plays that followed "Equus" were George S. Kaufman's "Butter and Egg Man," Arthur Miller's "Memory of Two Mondays," along with such works as "Julius Caesar," "Romeo and Juliet," Shaw's "Candida," and Chekhov's "The Sea Gull," and, again on Broadway in his Tony nominated role in Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good Men."

Tom has even directed the off-Broadway musical "Sleep Around Town" at Playwrights Horizon. Back in 1977 Tom landed his first motion picture role in the film about the day James Dean died, September 30, 1955 (1977). This was to be the first of a long line of period films. His next was National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). Set in the 1960's, Tom played "Pinto" along with such comedy alumni as 'John Belushi', Tim Matheson, and Donald Sutherland.

1984 gave him the role that put him on the map. The title role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Oscar-winner Amadeus (1984) was such a wonder that it even boosted the sales of Mozart's music by 30%! Filmed in Prague, it was eerie for Tom to actually be standing in the very spot where the original Amadeus had stood conducting the opera Tom was recreating for the film. Dressed in a purple velvet jacket, knickers, and white hose, wearing a bushy white wig and doling out a hilarious laugh (often likened to that of a hyena's) Tom's portrayal of the "man-child" musical genius was an Oscar-nominated performance.

Tom has been in many more films set in the past: Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980)(1950s), Shadowman (1988) (World War II), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) (1800s), Wings of Courage (1995)(1930's), and Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)(1500s). Tom appeared in Echo Park (1985) with Susan Dey, a film that had a struggle to get released remains one of Tom's best performances and one that he is quite proud of. Another film that Tom feels a lot of pride for is Dominick and Eugene (1988). Starring with Ray Liotta and Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom played Dominick Luciano, a mentally handicapped twin brother to Liotta's Eugene. The young man works as a garbage collector to help put his brother through medical school so he can become a "rich doctor" and they can afford to get a "house by a lake." Tom spent time studying people in a Pittsburgh neighborhood and handicapped people in an occupational training center so he could master the innocence and determination that the lead role required. He received the Best Actor award at the Seattle Fest for his performance.

Murder in Mississippi (1990) was Tom's second television movie (the first was Forget-Me-Not-Lane (1974) (aka "Neli, Neli"), a Hallmark Hall of Fame production). Playing the role of Michael Schwerner, the New York social worker and Freedom Fighter who is murdered by K.K.K. members in 1964 during Freedom Summer, Tom received an Emmy nomination and his third Golden Globe nomination.

The Inner Circle (1991) (aka "The Projectionist") took Tom to Russia where he was Ivan Sanshin, the private film projectionist to Stalin within the Kremlin walls. Based on a true story, Ivan was a perfect example of how many were blinded to the horrific conditions that men like Stalin conducted and followed in ignorant loyalty. While there, Tom was fortunate to meet and spend time with Alexander Ganshin, upon whose life the film was based.

The next three years held special items for Tom. His portrayal of Peter Patrone, in T.N.T.'s The Heidi Chronicles (1995), earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special, and 1994 and 1996 brought two of Tom's last period pieces. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) had Tom playing opposite Kenneth Branagh as Victor Frankenstein's college chum, Henry. And 1996 was a whole new experience for Tom. Disney was looking for someone special to portray their gentle Quasimodo in their newest full feature animation motion picture, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).

Tom had never done voiceover work for a full film; to sing before a microphone was one thing, but to do song and voice for someone that he couldn't watch while performing was a whole new experience for him. Herecalled that when he first auditioned he thought it strange that the producers and director stood looking at the floor while he sang...until he noticed they were looking at sketches of Quasimodo and were trying to "feel" if he sounded like their bell ringer.

1998 saw Tom returning to the stage but this time as director again, as he undertook the enormous task of bringing John Irving's 1985 novel, "The Cider House Rules", to the stage. An 8-hour production which required the audience two days to see the whole performance, it was quite an undertaking. Co-directing with Jane Jones (of "BookIt" in Seattle, Washington) Tom took the play from its Seattle opening to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California where it received wonderful reviews.

During the past recent years Tom has resided in Seattle, Washington where he owns his own home. He figures he could live in Los Angeles or New York - the acting hubs - but in Seattle, he's near the things he loves. "Up in Seattle people look after their lives in a way you can't do in New York or Los Angeles," he says. But no matter where he calls home, we can always count on Tom for bringing us into a world that will thrill, excite, fascinate, move and inspire us either through his films, the stage, or his beautiful singing.

Andy Humm is known for Gay USA (1985), Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023) and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (2015).

Linda Hunt is a veteran character actress who had only just begun acting in motion pictures when director Peter Weir required her peculiarities to animate one of cinema's most esoteric characters, Billy Kwan, the intellectual and virtuous Chinese-Australian dwarf and photographer, in the Australian romantic drama, The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). Hunt's work in the film earned an Oscar, among many critic awards, all for Best Supporting Actress.

Richard Hunt did not have a face known to many -- his voice was known more than anything else. He was a major stronghold behind Jim Henson's "Muppets". 'Scooter', 'Janice', 'Sweetums' and a few others, were some of the "Muppets" that Richard was a performer and puppeteer of. He helped pave the way for Jim Henson and his company from the 1970s through the early 90s, until his surprising death in 1992 of AIDS.

Noted Hollywood producer Ross Hunter served in Army intelligence during World War II. After the war he signed with Columbia Pictures and appeared in a number of forgettable B-movies. He then became a producer and produced more than 60 films. Most of his films tended to be bright confections, many for Universal Pictures, with stars such as Debbie Reynolds and Julie Andrews. He also produced his share of "three-hankie weepers", including such fare as Imitation of Life (1959), a remake of an earlier film (Imitation of Life (1934)) that resurrected the career of Lana Turner. His production principle was that audiences should leave the theater either laughing or crying. His biggest success was Airport (1970), for which he received his only Oscar nomination. It was such a hit that in 1973 he remarked, "For three years, Universal's been living on 'Airport'." He ended his long career at Universal, joining Columbia in 1971 and then Paramount in 1974, where he produced made-for-TV movies.

Dreamy Tab Hunter stood out in film history as one of the hottest teen idols of the 1950s era. With blond, tanned, surfer-boy good looks, he was artificially groomed and nicknamed "The Sigh Guy" by the Hollywood studio system, yet managed to continue his career long after his "golden boy" prime.

Hunter was born Arthur Kelm on July 11, 1931 in New York City, to Gertrude (Gelien) and Charles Kelm. His father was Jewish and his mother was a German Catholic immigrant. Following his parents' divorce, Hunter grew up in California with his mother, older brother Walter, and maternal grandparents, Ida (Sonnenfleth) and John Henry Gelien. His mother changed her sons' surnames to her maiden name, Gelien. Leaving school and joining the Coast Guard at age fifteen (he lied about his age), he was eventually discharged when the age deception was revealed. Returning home, his life-long passion for horseback riding led to a job with a riding academy.

Hunter's fetching handsomeness and trim, athletic physique eventually steered the Californian toward the idea of acting. An introduction to famed agent Henry Willson had Tab signing on the dotted line and what emerged, along with a major career, was the stage moniker of "Tab Hunter." Willson was also responsible with pointing hopeful Roy Fitzgerald towards stardom under the pseudonym Rock Hudson. With no previous experience Tab made his first, albeit minor, film debut in the racially trenchant drama The Lawless (1950) starring Gail Russell and Macdonald Carey. His only line in the movie was eventually cut upon release. It didn't seem to make a difference for he co-starred in his very next film, the British-made Island of Desire (1952) opposite a somewhat older (by ten years) Linda Darnell, which was set during WWII on a deserted, tropical South Seas isle. His shirt remained off for a good portion of the film, which certainly did not go unnoticed by his ever-growing legion of female (and male) fans.

Signed by Warner Bros., stardom was clinched a few years later with another WWII epic Battle Cry (1955), based on the Leon Uris novel, in which he again played a boyish soldier sharing torrid scenes with an older woman (this time Dorothy Malone, playing a love-starved Navy wife). Thoroughly primed as one of Hollywood's top beefcake commodities, the tabloid magazines had a field day initiating an aggressive campaign to "out" Hunter as gay, which would have ruined him. To combat the destructive tactics, Tab was seen escorting a number of Hollywood's lovelies at premieres and parties. In the meantime, he was seldom out of his military fatigues on film, keeping his fans satisfied in such popular dramas as The Sea Chase (1955), The Burning Hills (1956) and The Girl He Left Behind (1956)--the last two opposite the equally popular Natalie Wood. At around this time, Hunter managed to parlay his boy-next-door film celebrity into a singing career. He topped the charts for over a month with the single "Young Love" in 1957 and produced other "top 40" singles as well.

Like other fortunate celebrity-based singers such as Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen, his musical reign was brief. Out of it, however, came the most notable success of his film career top-billing as baseball fan Joe Hardy in the classic Faustian musical Damn Yankees (1958) opposite Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston, who recreated their devil-making Broadway roles. Musically, Tab may have been overshadowed but he brought with him major star power and the film became a crowd pleaser. He continued on with the William A. Wellman-directed Lafayette Escadrille (1958) as, yet again, a wholesome soldier, this time in World War I. More spicy love scenes came with That Kind of Woman (1959), an adult comedy-drama which focused on soldier Hunter and va-va-voom mistress Sophia Loren demonstrating some sexual chemistry on a train.

Seldom a favorite with the film critics, the 1960s brought about a career change for Tab. He begged out of his restrictive contract with Warners and ultimately paid the price. With no studio to protect him, he was at the mercy of several trumped-up lawsuits. Worse yet, handsome Troy Donahue had replaced him as the new beefcake on the block. With no film offers coming his way, he starred in his own series The Tab Hunter Show (1960), a rather featherweight sitcom that centered around his swinging bachelor pad. The series last only one season. On the positive side he clocked in with over 200 TV programs over the long stretch and was nominated for an Emmy award for his outstanding performance opposite Geraldine Page in a Playhouse 90 episode. Following the sparkling film comedy The Pleasure of His Company (1961) opposite Debbie Reynolds, the quality of his films fell off drastically as he found himself top-lining such innocuous fare as Operation Bikini (1963), Ride the Wild Surf (1964) (1965), City in the Sea (1965) [aka War-Gods of the Deep], and Birds Do It (1966) both here and overseas.

As for stage, a brief chance to star on Broadway happened in 1964 alongside the highly volatile Tallulah Bankhead in Tennessee Williams's "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore." It lasted five performances. He then started to travel the dinner theater circuit. Enduring a severe lull, Tab bounced back in the 1980s and 1990s -- more mature, less wholesome, but ever the looker. He gamely spoofed his old clean-cut image by appearing in delightfully tasteless John Waters' films as a romantic dangling carrot to heavyset transvestite "actress" Divine. Polyester (1981) was the first mainstream hit for Waters and Tab went on to team up with Allan Glaser to co-produce and co-star a Waters-like western spoof Lust in the Dust (1984).

Co-starring with "Exorcist" star Linda Blair in the bizarre horror film Grotesque (1988), Tab's last on-camera appearance would be in a small role in the film Dark Horse (1992), which he produced. He preferred spending most of his time secluded on his ranch and breeding horses. In 2005, he returned to the limelight when he "came out" with a tell-all memoir on his Hollywood years. His long-time partner was film producer Allan Glaser.

Tab died on July 8, 2018, in Santa Barbara, California, three days shy of his 87th birthday.

Paul Huntley was born on 2 July 1933 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Requiem for a Dream (2000), 101 Dalmatians (1996) and The Cell (2000). He died on 9 July 2021 in London, England, UK.

Wes Hurley (born Vasili Naumenko) is a Russian-born Seattle-based filmmaker, writer and actor. He wrote, directed and produced two features - the queer pop-art comedy musical "Fallen Jewel" and a documentary "Waxie Moon" - in addition to over a dozen shorts. Hurley is also the creator of the critically-acclaimed "Capitol Hill" TV/web series which was produced in partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Hurley is Advocate Magazine's Person to Watch, City Arts Magazine's Artist of the Year and a recipient of Seattle Mayor's Artist Grant. His autobiographical "Little Potato" - co-directed with Nathan Miller - won Best Short Documentary Jury Prize at 2017 SXSW.

After graduating with a BA in Drama from Binghamton University in NY, studying under Julliard professor Gene Lesser, Adam Huss moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career doing what he loves most, acting in film and television, where he landed the series regular role of Joshua Kantos on the hit STARZ show, "Power". Adam has also starred on shows such as "General Hospital", NBC's "Ironside", "CSI:NY", "NCIS", "NCIS: LA", "LAS VEGAS" and more. He can be seen in the feature films,"Famously Normal", "Family Friends", "Wannabe:All Washed Up", "Fighting For her Family" and "Painkillers" to name a few. His resume also includes playing the lead role in the recent movies "Witness Unprotected", "Fiancé Killer", "Another Mother" and "Secrets In The Air". His other features include "Insight", "Ernesto's Manifesto", "Paradox", "Still Waiting In The Wings", "Is It Just Me?", "Wrestle Maniac", and "Resurrection County".

More recently, he formed a production company, Molecule Productions, with his partner Adam Bucci and they are in development on the elevated horror TV series, "Let It Kill You" and the coming of age high school feature length comedy, "Original Tru", that Huss also wrote and created. He also wrote and produced the short films, "High Stakes" which won the M. Night Shyamalan Vote By Night contest, "Let It Kill You" and "Strangers In The Night". Molecule Productions' mission statement is to tell exciting, ground breaking, out of the box, heart fueled stories in all genres that can literally change the molecules in the room upon viewing!

As a child she studied at Seattle's Cornish School. Still in her early twenties, after several years of stock work in New York, she joined Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theater where she won critical praise for her title role in "Alice in Wonderland." She came to Hollywood in 1934 under contract with Warners, debuting in Happiness Ahead (1934). She co-starred with Paul Muni in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) and played in many small roles, both in films - e.g., the phony U.N. ambassador's wife in North by Northwest (1959) - and television: The Twilight Zone (1959), Gunsmoke (1955), and Perry Mason (1957) in the fifties and sixties. She died at Manhattan's Florence Nightingale Nursing Home, aged 94.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Brian received a BA from Pennsylvania's Lafayette College and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Arts at the University of San Diego / Old Globe Theater

He has worked both on, and off Broadway in New York and at major regional theaters throughout the Northeast.

Brian has appeared as a guest star in several television series including HBO's Vinyl, and Show Me a Hero; Killing Kennedy, Person of Interest, Do No Harm, The Good Wife and, Law and Order among others.

Brian is an award-winning narrator who has worked on dozens of audio books for Audible.

Erik Hyman is a partner and chair of the Entertainment and Media practice in the Century City office. Mr. Hyman is well known in the entertainment industry as a cutting-edge dealmaker and a fierce protector of his clients, which include award-winning movie stars, high-level television creators and showrunners, lead cast members of popular programs on scripted and unscripted television, "first-dollar-gross" producers, and preeminent writers and directors. He is a tenacious champion for his diverse clients, whether they are creative individuals, film financiers, or high-net-worth families making entertainment and media industry investments. Mr. Hyman also works closely with multiple publicly traded, non-entertainment companies, steering their television and motion picture industry strategies and branded entertainment projects.

Mr. Hyman negotiates vanguard talent transactions; structures the financing, acquisition, and sale of independent films; and builds major endorsement campaigns and product lines. He also advises companies regarding strategies for the production and exploitation of content for digital platforms.

Mr. Hyman is a frequent public speaker and serves as chairman of the board of the Herb Ritts Foundation, a private charitable foundation focused on HIV/AIDS research and advocacy.

Chris Hyndman was born on 3 March 1966 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Industry (1998), Steven and Chris (2008) and Katie Chats (2011). He was married to Steven Sabados. He died on 3 August 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Nicholas Hytner was born on 7 May 1956 in Manchester, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Madness of King George (1994), The Crucible (1996) and The History Boys (2006).

Paul Iacono is an actor, writer, producer, and celebrated New York City nightlife host.

A graduate of Manhattan's Professional Performing Arts High School, Iacono is best known for portraying the title character on MTV's "The Hard Times of RJ Berger."

Paul was first featured on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" at age eight, after she discovered his unique talents for impersonating Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman.

Favorite stage credits include Mercury Fur (The New Group), Bridget Everett's "Rock Bottom" (Joe's Pub), Noël Coward's Sail Away with Elaine Stritch (Carnegie Hall), and John Guare's Landscape of the Body with Lili Taylor and Sherie Rene Scott (Signature Theater).

Favorite film credits include MGM's remake of Fame, Darren Stein's G.B.F., and Dating My Mother with Kathy Najimy.

Paul continues to write, produce, and star in his own theatrical productions including his plays: Prince/Elizabeth, which premiered at The Teatro LATEA Theater co-starring Sofia Black D'Elia and Peter Vack, The Last Great Dame (loosely inspired by his relationship with Elaine Stritch) at Jane Friedman's HOWL! Happening Gallery, HIGH PRIEST (A Warholian Drama) at La MaMa, and most recently, his musical, GOTHAM ROGUES, co-starring Marc Kudisch, Alison Fraser, Brooks Ashmanskas, Howard McGillin, and Jim Walton, at Club Cumming.

Iacono's cabaret "Where's The F*cking Kid?" premiered at 54 Below, with "Psychedelic Hedonism" following at Joe's Pub (New York Magazine "Critic's Pick"), and "Psychedelic Playhouse," and most recently "Paul Iacono, Unfiltered" at The Green Room 42.

Paul was named one of OUT 100's most influential after coming out in Michael Musto's Village Voice column in 2011.

John Iacovelli was born on 25 February 1959. He was a production designer and art director, known for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Babylon 5 (1993) and Peter Pan (2000). He died on 14 April 2023.

Janis Ian is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s; her most widely recognized song, "At Seventeen", was released as a single from her 1975 album Between the Lines which reached number 1 on the Billboard chart.

Born in New York City, Ian entered the American folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-1960s. Most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century. She has won two Grammy Awards, the first in 1975 for "At Seventeen" and the second in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Album, for her autobiography, Society's Child, with a total of ten nominations in eight different categories.

Ian is also a columnist and science fiction author.

Scott Icenogle was born on 22 September 1969 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. He is a composer, known for Q-Force (2021), Will & Grace (1998) and The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003). He has been married to Sean Hayes since November 2014.