Closeted (gay) actors formerly on the soaps

[Taoboi]

hAHAHA. I might stop by after work.

[victoria foxton]

Dusty

[Soapsuds]

Please register in order to view this content

 

@Taoboi

[Chris 2]

From what I understand, CBS was grooming Terry Lester to be a primetime star (he did a TV movie called “Blade” that was a series pilot) until they found out he was gay.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Chris 2

[Soapsuds]

Speaking of Terry...there is another pic revealing more...he's in red Speedo and showing some bush

Please register in order to view this content

[alphanguy74]

This is odd. Espy and Janice Lynde were a couple in the 73-75 time period, and quite involved. 

[Soapsuds]

Why was Espy replaced? He did return to YR in 2003.

[alphanguy74]

He left of his own volition

[vetsoapfan]

 

Like John Wesley Shipp and Marsha Clark were a "couple" and "quite involved."

 

Or like Rock Hudson and wife Phyllis Gates. 

 

Decades ago, being outed was career suicide. Gay celebrities hid behind beards.

 

 

He quit and made it clear at the time how much he disliked working on Y&R. After almost 30 years away from the show, he agreed to make a slight cameo appearance, just like Janice Lynde would later do, although she too had bitched endlessly about the soap back in the 1970s.

[Chris 2]

Interesting. What was Lynde’s problem with the show? I liked her successor, Victoria Mallory, better anyway.

[vetsoapfan]

 

She was interviewed about Y&R for a magazine once, and the headline quote across the front cover was about how much she "just hated Leslie!" She said the character was a "nerd" and a "nebbish." Also, the show did not want to give her "outs" that were not specified in her contract and there was bad blood about that. Finally, Y&R did not renew her contract and replaced her with Victoria Mallory. Years later she admitted that her attitude was borne out of being young and ungrateful.

[SoapDope]

All of her other soap roles sucked pretty much. Lynde admitted that Leslie was a fascinating character, but she was young and foolish and left looking for greener pastures. Tom Hallick (Brad Elliot) said NBC lured him away with promises of big roles and money which was a  bust. He wished he had stayed on Y&R.

 

Espy has always been an odd ball. I never knew about his orientation. I read an old 1974 interview several years ago and he griped about the grind of Y&R, his lack of a relationship with his cast mates hiding away in his dressing room while not taping, and him not getting along all that well with Trish Stewart (Chris). He also said he played Snapper a bit preoccupied and he felt it worked onscreen. James Houghton said back in the late 90's that Espy always loved golf and finally has his dream job of running a golf course instead of being on a soap. 

[will81]

The other thing I read from 1977 was that Lynde had a car accident around 1976 and due to a back issue was off the show briefly. Conboy was apparently convinced Janice was grandstanding as her contract was up. When she was out sick again, he basically pink slipped her and she was more than happy to go. I remember reading one interview where she said in the early days the schedule was such that she could be let out to do other things, but by 1976 she was working non stop and hated it. 

[Paul Raven]

She also landed the lead in an NBC pilot, which must have involved some wheeling and dealing to be allowed to do.

I think she thought this was going to be big for her (maybe Norman Lear was involved?)

Anyway it was not picked up and naturally she was disappointed. But I guess she had a taste of other things and wanted to get out there. 

Unfortunately she never landed that breakthrough part and a few years on agreed to join AW.

That couldn't have happened at a worse time as the show was crumbling and being stuck with David Bailey as a leading man couldn't have helped.

I remember seeing her in a guest spot in an awful Morgan Fairchild pilot based on The Avengers and thinking that she must have hoped for better than that.

Janice had a short lived marriage in the 60's and never remarried so maybe it was a mutually beneficial situation,

[vetsoapfan]

 

The story about her back problems precipitated commentary in the daytime press. She claimed she was too injured and in pain to work, yet there were pictures of her around town having a very active social life.

 

 

Lynde did say she had been challenged by Leslie's nervous breakdown/mental hospital story, but if I were William J. Bell or John Conboy, I would have been really pissed about her complaining to the press that she hated Leslie and that the character was a nerd and a nebbish. I thought she was wonderful in the role, very effective, but sometimes an actor becomes more trouble than s/he's worth.

 

Hallick really made a mistake leaving Y&R. His role on Days tanked, and he never really did much else of note in his career. Bell very well might have kept Hallick and Lynde center stage for years (as he was wont to do with popular romantic couples) if the actors had cooperated.

 

Julianna McCarthy once noted that although Espy was very private and taciturn, he was really kind and sweet with her young son. I guess he could open up when he did not feel pressured or threatened.

 

David Bailey was a bland and colorless Russ, and there was no chemistry between him and Lynde. I adore Michael Storm of OLTL, and he was great with other actresses, but there was zero chemistry between him and Lynde as well. Leslie Brooks was her signature, most memorable role. It's a pity she did not appreciate it at the time.