Rock Hudson Net Worth

Rock Hudson's Quotes

• His legal name was Roy Fitzgerald. When meeting John F. Kennedy, the American president remarked: "They say all Fitzgeralds are related", to which Hudson replied, "I guess that would make Ella happy".
• I had to overcome the name Rock. If I'd been as hip then as I am now, I would have never consented to be named Rock.
• John Wayne was then the Hollywood legend, and I was on screen with him. The guy is an angel. He saved my life back then when no other film maker wanted to know me. - On The Undefeated (1969)
• I did a movie [The Undefeated (1969)] with Duke Wayne [John Wayne] and was very surprised to find out he had small feet, wore lifts, and a corset. Hollywood is seldom what it seems.
• I can't play a loser - I don't look like one.

Interesting Facts about Rock Hudson

1. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#28). [1995]
2. The Prudential Life Insurance Co. stopped using its slogan "Get a Piece of the Rock" after Hudson's death from AIDS and the slogan became the subject of ridicule.
3. Went to the same school, New Trier Township High School East (Winnetka, Illinois), as Ann-Margret, Charlton Heston, Ralph Bellamy, Hugh O'Brian, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford, Virginia Madsen and Liz Phair.
4. Worked as a truck driver when he first moved to Los Angeles, but he spent his spare time idling outside of studio gates and sending photographs of himself to various producers.
5. Talent scout Henry Willson coined the stage name, "Rock Hudson", by combining the Rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River.
6. Although he tried out for roles in school plays, Hudson failed to win any because he could not remember lines.
7. Enamored of movies as a teenager, he worked as an usher. Before taking his first film role, he got his teeth capped and was coached intensively in acting, singing, dancing, fencing and riding. Still, it took no less than 38 takes before he could successfully complete one line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron (1948).
8. Hudson was the original choice to play Jason Colby in the Dynasty (1981) spin off The Colbys (1985), but had to turn it down due to his declining health. The part went to Charlton Heston instead. By the time he had taken the guest role of Daniel Reece on Dynasty (1981) in late 1984, the AIDS virus was consuming him. Before long, he was suffering from memory loss and was forced to use cue cards to read his lines. He also had difficulty speaking. When he went to Carmel, California, in July 1985 to help his Pillow Talk (1959) co-star Doris Day launch her cable series, Doris Day's Best Friends (1985), his gaunt appearance and obvious disorientation suddenly became the media focus of what was meant to be a joyous reunion of one of Hollywood's favorite on-screen couples. He died just three months later.
9. Involved with Marc Christian during the period he knew he had AIDS, but allegedly did not disclose it to Christian. Christian hired Marvin Mitchelson, and sued Hudson's estate for damages and emotional distress. He won a $21.7 million jury award in 1989, which was reduced to $5.5 million in 1991.
10. Underwent emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery to relieve severely clogged coronary arteries in November 1981 after suffering chest pains, and began smoking again soon after leaving the hospital. Consequently he was very frail during the filming of The Ambassador (1984), while in Israel during the winter of 1983-84, and he did not get along with his alcoholic co-star Robert Mitchum. Production on the television series The Devlin Connection (1982) was also suspended for a year while he was recovering from quintuple heart bypass surgery.
11. Hudson and his partner Marc Christian went out of their way while traveling near downtown Los Angeles, so that the couple could meet Michael Jackson during the filming of his award-winning music video, Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983).
12. According to the book, "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson", the original plan was to call him "Roc" but someone pointed out the possibility of confusion with the 1940s actress, Rochelle Hudson, so a "k" was added and "Roc" became "Rock".
13. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981- 1985, pages 405-407. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
14. Following a right-shoulder injury in 1973, often used his left hand to write and pick up objects on McMillan & Wife (1971).
15. In 1977 he toured 13 cities as King Arthur in the musical "Camelot".
16. A conservative Republican, Hudson joined Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Irene Dunne and Raymond Massey in campaigning for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. Hudson stayed at the White House in May 1984 as a guest of then President Ronald Reagan. First Lady Nancy Reagan wrote to Hudson saying how glad she and her husband were to see him looking well following his operation.
17. Made "Top 10 Stars of the Year" a record eight times, from 1957-1964.
18. Was very close friends with singer Dusty Springfield.
19. Grew a mustache and sideburns for his role in The Undefeated (1969). Afterwards he decided to retain that look throughout the 1970s.
20. Early in his career he had surgery on his vocal chords to make his voice deeper, and had his teeth capped. The surgery had the unfortunate side effect of making it impossible for Hudson to learn to sing. Therefore when he played King Arthur in "Camelot" he had to talk his way through the songs, just as Rex Harrison did in My Fair Lady (1964).