19 Gay Men Who Were Once Married to Women

Thankfully today being openly homosexual is widely accepted, however there were times, especially within the entertainment industry, that being gay was taboo. These are nineteen famous men who were at one time married to women, but later revealed to be gay. You won’t believe how many early 20th century actors attempted to remain in the closet. Even the flamboyant piano man had a few public relationships with the opposite sex.

1. Elton John

The 68-year-old “Rocket Man” singer was engaged to be married to his secretary Linda Woodrow, in the late 60s, but the wedding was called off. John later married German recording engineer Renate Blauel on Valentine’s in 1984. Many speculated that his marriage was a cover for his homosexuality. The Grammy award-winner came out as bisexual during a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone, but following his divorce from Blauel in 1988, he told the magazine that he was “comfortable” being gay. John began a relationship with David Furnish, a former advertising executive and now filmmaker originally from Toronto, in 1993. In December 2005, the pair were among the first couples in the UK to form a civil partnership, and after gay marriage became legal in England in March 2014, John and Furnish married officially.

2. Anthony Perkins

The late actor is best remembered for his roles in films like Friendly Persuasion, and for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and its three sequels. In August 1973, Perkins married photographer Berinthia Berenson and the couple had two sons together. But, according to an unauthorized biography by Charles Winecoff, Perkins had affairs with Christopher Makos, actor Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, actor Nick Adams, and dancer-choreographer Grover Dale prior to marrying Berenson. However, his sexuality status has never been confirmed.

3. Jim McGreevey

The 58-year-old governor of New Jersey was married to Canadian Karen Joan Schutz for six years from 1991-1997 and the pair share a daughter together. His second marriage to Dina Matos McGreeve began in 2000, but ended abruptly four years later after he was caught having an affair with a man. In 2004, McGreevey publicly announced that he was gay and would resign the governorship, making him the first openly gay governor in United States history. He currently lives with his partner, Australian-American executive Mark O’Donnell, in New Jersey.