Rock Hudson

Marc Christian MacGinnis, who won a multimillion-dollar settlement in 1991 from the estate of his ex-lover, actor Rock Hudson, after convincing a jury Hudson had knowingly exposed him to AIDS, has died. He was 56. Known as Marc Christian, he died of pulmonary problems June 2 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The details were confirmed Friday by his sister, Susan Dahl, who said she did not publicly announce his death earlier because of her brother's wish for privacy.

Along with Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day was one of the iconic actresses of the 1950s and '60s. But nearly 40 years ago, she left Hollywood behind and moved to Carmel after her CBS sitcom "The Doris Day Show" left the airwaves after five seasons. She brought out a few albums, did a series with animals from Carmel ("Doris Day's Best Friends," from 1985-86), and appeared in a PBS special on her life in 1991. But just a few months shy of her 90th birthday, she is back in the limelight.

What did Rock Hudson do for a living before he became a movie star? He was a truck driver.

What did Rock Hudson do for a living before he became a movie star? He was a truck driver.

Please allow me space in your paper to vent my anger regarding the recent publicity surrounding Rock Hudson. What have people come to when we allow the media to think we have to hear each and every private detail of a person's personal life? Rock Hudson has given us all so many happy hours, enriched our lives, as do all the "stars" with their talents. How do we thank them? We wait till they are ill or old or dead, and then devour them and cast them aside. PATRICIA SUMNER Hope, British Columbia

A private memorial for Rock Hudson will be held at the actor's Beverly Hills home Oct. 19, it was announced this morning. Chen Sam, spokeswoman for Elizabeth Taylor who was a friend of the actor who died of AIDS, said the service will "celebrate and share memories of Rock Hudson." About 150 people will attend by invitation only, Sam said. The guest list was not disclosed.

Rock Hudson's house, just north of the Beverly Hills city limit, where the actor lived for about 20 years before he died last October, has been put on the market for $2.95 million. (Court papers describe the value of Hudson's assets only as "exceeding $10,000," although a bond of $8.6 million was posted for the estate, which Hudson willed to a trust he established in 1974.

Actor Rock Hudson was released from UCLA Medical Center, where he has been treated since July 30 for complications of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Hospital officials said Hudson, 59, was in fair condition and had improved slightly since his arrival. But, a hospital press release said, Hudson will require continual medical care. Hudson reportedly planned to convalesce at his Malibu beach house.

The 2.5-acre Beverly Hills home of actor Rock Hudson, who died of AIDS in October, 1985, was purchased today for $2.89 million by a private trust that outbid a Japanese firm by $140,000. Alan Watenmaker, representing the newly formed Beverly Crest Trust, declined to reveal the names of the new owners but said the home will continue to be used as a private residence. Agents for U.S. Kurasawa provided no counterbid at a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court and left immediately after the hearing.

Time seems to fly by faster every year. That's why it's so hard to believe that the intense film adaptation of Tom Clancy's Cold War thriller " The Hunt for Red October," starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. You can join in the commemoration Thursday as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technology Council presents a screening of a new 35-millimeter print at the Linwood Dunn Theater. After the movie, film historian and author Eric Lichtenfeld will talk with crew members.

Marc Christian MacGinnis, who won a multimillion-dollar settlement in 1991 from the estate of his ex-lover, actor Rock Hudson, after convincing a jury Hudson had knowingly exposed him to AIDS, has died. He was 56. Known as Marc Christian, he died of pulmonary problems June 2 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The details were confirmed Friday by his sister, Susan Dahl, who said she did not publicly announce his death earlier because of her brother's wish for privacy.

If the life story of Rock Hudson were to ever make it onto the big screen, Cheyenne Jackson would have to be a leading candidate to play the matinee idol. Not only does the 6-foot-4, 220-pound actor resemble the man who defined "tall, dark and handsome" for decades, Jackson has parlayed a retro charm into a career that has now reached a new peak. He's hit the trifecta with a starring role in the Broadway hit revival of "Finian's Rainbow," the release of "The Power of Two," an acclaimed new CD with standards maestro Michael Feinstein, and a multi-episode story line on "30 Rock."

Army Archerd, a prolific reporter who chronicled the personal and professional lives of Hollywood stars and moguls for more than half a century from his columnist's perch at Daily Variety, and rocked the entertainment world when he announced in 1985 that actor Rock Hudson was suffering from AIDS, has died. He was 87. According to Variety's website, Archer died Tuesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical of a rare form of mesothelioma, "a cancer thought to be the result of his exposure to asbestos in the Navy during WWII."

Monte Hale, one of the last of Hollywood's celluloid "singing cowboys" and a founder of what is now the Autry National Center of the American West, has died. He was 89. Hale had been in failing health and died Sunday of age-related causes at his home in Studio City, according to a statement from the Autry National Center. In the 1940s, Hale was a top B-western box office draw, right along with Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean and Hale's friend Gene Autry.

Born to Danish parents in Germany in 1900, Douglas Sirk led a life as filled with unlikely twists as some of his more outlandish movies. A stage director during the Weimar years, he turned to the cinema after coming under Nazi scrutiny for his leftist leanings and soon found a home at the venerable film studio UFA.

HER LIFE on screen played like an American fairy tale. Blond, bouncy and beautiful, Doris Day captivated mid-20th century moviegoers in a series of rollicking romantic comedies with her favorite leading man, Rock Hudson, including "Pillow Talk" and "Lover Come Back," as well as the western musical "Calamity Jane," Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The Man Who Knew Too Much," the musical drama "Love Me or Leave Me" and many more.

Phyllis Gates, the onetime talent agency secretary who married Hollywood heartthrob Rock Hudson in the 1950s and later insisted that she married him out of love and not to cover up his homosexuality, has died. She was 80. Gates, who had a career as an interior designer after her brief marriage to Hudson, died of complications of lung cancer Jan. 4 at her home in Marina del Rey, said Mark Waldman, her attorney. "She was a lovely, very dignified woman," Waldman said Wednesday.