ELVIS PRESLEY – Was he bisexual?

 

Nick Adams achieved brief fame in 1959 when he starred in his own TV series called The Rebel, which ran for 76 episodes over two years. By February 1968 Adams was dead from a drug overdose at 36, although it has been argued ever since that his demise may have been accidental. Some even said it was murder, but with absolutely no evidence to back up their claims, it is safe to dismiss that option.

CTVA Western -

Nick Adams as The Rebel

Adams was one of the doomed actors who appeared in the jinxed 1955 film Rebel without a Cause. His fellow players in the picture included, James Dean (killed in a traffic accident that year), Sal Mineo (stabbed to death in 1976), and Natalie Wood (drowned in 1981). On 7 February 1968, he was found slumped against a wall in his apartment, eyes wide open, but with no sign of drug paraphernalia in the room. Coroner Thomas Noguchi recorded his findings as: ‘accident, suicide, undetermined’, which must be coroner-talk for ‘beats me’. The ‘accidental death’ theory suggested he succumbed to a lethal combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, but the coroner found no trace of alcohol in his system, which kind of knocks that theory on the head. The rather lame murder theory could not even come up with a motive, much less any proof to support it.

elvis presley the KING

Adams & Elvis

Decades after Adams’ death, rumours began to surface about his sexuality, and most of them are corroborated. His friendship with James Dean was well known and documented, writer Boze Hadleigh claiming Sal Mineo told him in 1972 that Dean and Adams ‘had a big affair’. Albert Goldman in his book Elvis (1981) wrote that Adams ‘ingratiated himself with Dean’ and was his homosexual lover. There seems little doubt that the two men were intimate, but whether or not Adams then moved on to be intimate with Elvis is still not proven. In 2005, Presley biographer Alanna Nash wrote, ‘Tongues wagged that Elvis and Adams were getting it on.’ William Dakota was Adams’ former fan-mail secretary, and he wrote that Elvis was bisexual and had been intimate with Adams many times. Another writer, David Kulczyk, stated that Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker knew all about the relationship, and even put Adams on the payroll when Elvis toured. ‘As long as Elvis was having sex with Adams’, he wrote, ‘the Colonel didn’t need to worry about Elvis impregnating young women and paying for abortions.’ That seems a tad lame to me. Elvis had enough money to finance a revolution. An abortion or pay-off here and there would been chicken-feed.

Natalie Wood on Pinterest | Natalie Wood, Steve Mcqueen and Stay Young

Natalie Wood, Dennis Hopper & Nick Adams

on the set of Rebel Without A Cause

Studios went to considerable lengths to conceal their stars bisexuality or gayness, usually by having them date high profile actresses at establishments frequented by the press. Evidently, the studio arranged dates for Natalie Wood with bisexual partners, Sal Mineo and Nick Adams, so that newshounds would be duped into thinking both men were straight. Gay actors spent time on the homosexual Hollywood casting couch, before dating actresses from gay agent Henry Wilson’s ‘gay date pool’, and Nick Adams was a regular. Morality clauses in studio contracts in the 50s and 60s made it very clear to actors that any hint of gayness would almost certainly terminate their careers. There was so much secrecy in Hollywood on this issue it is a wonder anyone had time for anything else. The gossip columnists knew that Elvis and Adams were ‘close friends’, but they never really guessed just how close that was.

New Page 1

Debra Paget & Elvis in Love Me Tender

So, was Elvis bisexual? His first real crush was on his co-star, Debra Paget, in his first film, Love Me Tender (1956), but she did not reciprocate his feelings. The resemblance between her and his future wife, Priscilla, is quite noticeable. Around that time Elvis’s hero, James Dean, was killed. When he learned that one of Dean’s closest friends was actor Nick Adams, he was soon in contact with him and their ‘friendship’ began to blossom. The media accused Adams of hanging off the coat-tails of the famous, first Dean, now Elvis, and possibly he did. The accusations hurt him and his career.

Bill Dakota, now a gossip columnist, wrote about Elvis’s bisexuality, in particular his intimacy with Adams and sixties heartthrob Robert Conrad. He claimed that Conrad, who was married at the time, slept with both men on numerous occasions. Elvis, he said, became very jealous over the attention Adams began giving to Conrad. According to former friend and companion of ‘the King’, Dennis Miller, Elvis hated ‘fags’, the ones he referred to as the ‘really effeminate ones, ‘the swishy types’, and that is why he took up karate and Kung-Fu. It was a macho thing, a way of convincing himself that he was very much a ‘man’s man’. Dakota is adamant that there were other guys who had sex with Presley, guys he picked up at times in his car.

Boomer Beefcake and Bonding: Robert Conrad Dares You

Robert Conrad

Interestingly, Dakota published a list of bi-sexual actors back in 1981, a dangerous practice if it included any erroneous names, yet nearly three decades have gone by without law suits, so we can assume he knew what he was talking about. To quote him: ‘this list was compiled through agents, personal experiences (Mr Dakota is himself gay), and others who have had the pleasure of getting it on with the Stars (sic)’. He named 150 actors, adding that a new list, should he care to write one today, would probably contain a further 150 names! Most are already well known, but there were several surprises. He stated that he published the list in the Hollywood Star newspaper ‘so they would be ‘outed’ and whenever anyone would say, such and such a person is gay or bisexual, it would already have been common knowledge, and it wouldn’t matter anymore if they were or weren’t Bi.’ Very commendable. I have no such lofty principles. I mention a few here out of curiosity – and surprise, but stress that some of these people’s names (male and female) appear only on Dakota’s lists. Here are a few of them:

George Maharis, Jim Hutton, Richard Anderson, Johnny Weismuller, George Nader, Guy Madison, Pernell Roberts, Norman Fell, Horst Bucholtz, Yul Brynner, Robert Walker, Richard Jaeckel, Paul Newman, Rory Calhoun, Michael Landon, Chuck Connors, Terry-Thomas, Roddy McDowall, Dennis Hopper, Jack Benny, Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson, Broderick Crawford, Van Johnson, Audie Murphy, Vincent Price, Peter Ustinov, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Walt Disney, Jeffrey Hunter, Vic Morrow, Steve McQueen.

Those on the list that are still living include: Robert Wagner, Lee Majors, Richard Gere, Peter Fonda, John Travolta, Patrick Wayne, David Cassidy, Shaun Cassidy, Stuart Whitman, Robert Conrad, Martin Sheen, Matt Dillon, Alain Delon, Tom Jones, Fabian, Hardy Kreuger, George Hamilton, Tom Berringer, Harry Belafonte, Frankie Avalon, Glenn Campbell, Sylvester Stallone, David Essex, Dean Stockwell, Al Pacino, Jeff Bridges, Terence Stamp, Gary Lockwood.

Barbara Stanwyck on Pinterest | Actresses, Boxing Gloves and Old ...

Barbara Stanwyck

Dakota’s list of bisexual actresses, published in the Hollywood Star at around the same time contains more surprises. Writer Boze Hadleigh showed the list to Barbara Stanwyck in the 80s. It had her name at the top. He questioned her for a while, but when he began asking about her presumed ‘arranged’ marriage to Robert Taylor, she terminated the interview and ordered him to leave. Other names on the list included:

Angie Dickinson, June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elke Sommer, Carol Burnett, Thelma Ritter, Jane Russell, Cher, Jean Peters, Ava Gardner, Debbie Reynolds, Julie Christie, Judy Garland, Senta Berger, Loretta Swit, Betty White, Lauren Bacall, Julie Andrews, Jane Fonda, Leslie Caron, Ursula Andress, Debra Paget, Kim Novak, Bo Derek, Liza Minnelli, Brigitte Bardot, Natalie Wood, Carol Lynley, Annette Funicello, Anne Francis, Stella Stevens, Capucine, Veronica Lake, Corrine Calvet, Kate Jackson, Lizbeth Scott.

Do I believe Elvis was bisexual? No, I don’t. To be Frank, I had trouble accepting many of the names on both lists, but then again, when kids at school back in the fifties told me Rock Hudson was gay, I did not believe them either. Hollywood has always been such a place of intrigue, lies and cover-ups, especially back in the studio days, that nothing would surprise me. The fact that Mr Dakota published his lists (that included Elvis’s name plus a lot of living actors and actresses), yet has not been sued by any of them, tends to lend some creedance to his information, but who really knows? Perhaps, stars are just tired of responding to such allegations. Pesonally, I find it difficult to be totally convinced by either list, but you, of course, are free to make up your own mind

76 Comments

  1. MA QUANTO SIETE OTTUSI TUTTI QUANTI. WILL DAKOTA HA SCRITTO CHE SIA ELVIS CHE NICK PREFERIVANO I MASCHI COME AMANTI E COMPAGNI CONVIVENTI . PIÙ CHIARO DI COSÌ. SEMBRATE PROPRIO DEI TALEBANI E SVEGLIATEVI CRISTO SANTO

  2. It’s not uncommon for famous men who have women throwing themselves at them to get bored and want to try something different. This is why a lot of famous people have some crazy fetishes. So encounters between men (or women) were and are pretty common in entertainment and sports, despite what the “normal” population wants to believe. But they don’t/didn’t identify themselves as “gay” or even “bisexual”, especially back then. Often intense homophobia is a byproduct of repressed homosexual desires or self loathing, so that means nothing. Many guys are just turned off by feminine men or being perceived as feminine and submissive, which is partly misogyny. I have personally been with married guys and very masculine athletes in “downlow” situations. I was never the instigator and it usually started with a woman involved and progressed to us one on one. But there was no “relationship”, it was just downlow, casual sex and we still led happy heterosexual lives. Did Elvis dabble? Maybe, probably. But who cares. Same with the others on that list. People are much too obsessed with labeling people these days.

    • I am not in the slightest bit interested in someone’s sexual preferences. I write about all aspects of the lives of actors and actresses and that INCLUDES their private lives.

    • IL FATTO CHE NEI GIORNALI NON SIANO COMPARSI TITOLONI SULL’OMOSESSUALITA’di Elvis non è una prova che m n fosse Gay perché la stampa è sempre politicamente manipolata soprattutto dalla finta sinistra e dalla destra. Ovvio che diffondere la notizia che il più grande artista del secolo ELVIS era omosessuale è pericolosissimo per la Chiesa e prr la destra che ancora vogliono far passare gli omosessuali per malati di testa da ricoverare in manicomio. Infatti la chiesa cattolica ha insegnato alle persone che la PEDOFILIA è meno grave dell’ OMOSESSUALITÀ. Quindi anche i fan cattolici di ELVIS preferiscono bersi la favoletta di Elvis pedofilo che sposa Priscilla piuttosto che accettare la verità amara per Priscilla.

  3. I found a manuscript written by my late father Nick Adams about his friendship with Elvis and published it. I had no idea how close they were. I was plagued by these gay rumors but after plenty research I agree they are bogus. Their friendship lasted until my father’s death in 1968 And Elvis was devastated. Many people were jealous of my Dad’s famous friendships and even Mervyn Leroy said my Dad didn’t get a fair shake. He pissed off and was a threat to someone in high places. P.S. Bill Dakota is nuts.

    • Thankyou, Allyson, for your most interesting comments. I bow to your superior, inside knowledge on the subject. Like you, I find Dakota’s lists quite ludicrous and cannot for the life of me fathom his reasoning behind them. I included them in my article because I expected that anyone perusing them would reach the same conclusion, that his claims are crazy. Thanks again for contacting me.

  4. The list does seem questionable, but then again looking back I’ve often had times when I end up in a sleeping in a bed ‘straight’ guys who know I’m gay, and they’ve always ended up making a move on me. I can’t believe that the majority of those celebrities have slept with as many guys as they have girls (vice versa for the female celebs). But I can believe that most of them have had the odd same sex experience. The entertainment industry is wild. People are horny. I reckon a lot of the people in the industry have experimented with the same gender and one time or another.

    • I suppose if men or women are going to experiment sexually, Perry, it would probably be in an environment that contains an inordinate number of beautiful people, such as in the movie or music industry. Thankyou for your observations.

  5. I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, or to summarize a personality in 1-2 sentences without offering full defense & elaboration, but in the interest of brevity, Mr. Presley, can basically be described, as having homophobic tendencies, and had no interest in exploring that area of sexuality, especially since he had an unending supply of young girls, to satisfy his, & their sexual desires.

  6. Don’t know if it is too late to reply on this, however, I recently asked a friend, who knew and worked, with the Jordinares, about Elvis possibly being bi, early on, and he said, no way. All the Jordinares spoke about was Elvis’ tremendous female exploits.

  7. Enjoyed your comment. I just turned 73 and to be perfectly honest with you, if i showered with a group of men or women…..they would “not” check me out! Haha! Thank you for at admitting that you would check out the other guys and you are correct, it would strictly be out of curiosity and that is my point exactly! If we were 1000% straight, we would not care.
    Have a great day!

    • Why do these guys marry women and have a good marriage if they’re bisexual? It seems like they all have same sex affairs and do their wives know

      • I don’t know what it is like today, Denise, but in old Hollywood there were a lot of ‘lavendar marriages’, marriages of convenience between gay actors and actresses, simply to keep their true preferances from becoming public and thereby costing them their careers. Back then homosexuality was not only a destroyer of careers, it was also against the law and liable to punishment involving prison terms.

      • You, nor anyone, will ever know when a woman, and especially men, do things on what today is called the “Down Low.” I hung out in West Hollywood when I was a junior college student in Riverside, CA. I had one white male friend who was very good looking. At most bars and discos we went to, there were “big stars.” My friend, Steve, would usually come and tell opur group that he was leaving with so-and-so, and he’d see us the next day! If I ever named names, only the most naive would be surprised!

        • Most interesting, Robert. Sadly, even today, fans prefer to swallow the studio-hatched images of their heroes and heroines. Whenever someone (like me) reaches less than savoury conclusions, they are often ostracized as ‘muck-rakers’ or accused of trampling on the graves of long dead stars who can no longer defend themselves! It is as if the dead should not be criticized simply because they are dead. Of course, whilst they were living they did not have to defend themselves because their studios ran interferance on a daily basis and usually had the media on their payroll anyway. What a pity you are unable to name names.

          • MIKE STONE PRIMA SI INNAMORÒ DI PRISCILLA MA POI RIMASE DELUSO PERCHÉ PRISCILLA A LETTO NON ERA UN GRANCHE’. JOE ESPOSITO RACCONTÒ AL MIO AMICO CALABRESE CHE MIKE VOLEVA CHE ELVIS TORNASSE DA PRISCILLA PERCHÉ LEI ERA TRISTE MA ELVIS ERA INNAMORATO DI CASSIUS CLAY PERÒ UNA NOTTE JOE SENTÌ STRANI RUMORI DENTRO LA STANZA DA LETTO DI ELVIS E APRÌ PER CURIOSITÀ E TROVÒ ELVIS E MIKE CHE FACEVANO L’AMORE CON GRANDE INTENSITÀ.

  8. Alan……thanks for your response! I can not believe that you have “never” been in a health club, gym, or even a high school gym class and showered with other men or classmates. “Never” is also an absolute! Nobody, (and that’s an absolute) in the world, straight or gay can tell me that they haven’t checked out another man’s penis while in a group shower.

    • Sorry to disappoint you, Marty, but I have NEVER been in a group shower – and that is not a general absolute. It is simply a FACT. If I should ever hop into a shower with other men, I have no doubt I would probably ‘check them out’ out of sheer curiosity. Frankly, I would prefer to shower with a group of women, but since I am 71 years old I doubt very much if that will happen either. As for gyms, I have always thought they looked like hard work so I never felt like entering one. And that ain’t no absolute either. Just a fact of my life.

  9. I believe that everyone is at least 1% bisexual. If not then why do all men check out another man while taking a shower in a health club or even when you where in gym class.

    • You may well be right, Marty. I have never been in a health club or a gym, so I cannot personally vouch for your statement. I will say this, however; it is risky dealing in absolutes. Some, even many, men might be prone to check out other guys in the gym – but surely not ALL men. Take care when you use words like ‘all’ or ‘every’. Just a suggestion, mate.

  10. Personally, I don’t think that Elvis was bisexual, but I hope he was, because I am, and he’s always been my hero. Recently I’ve been discovering that he may have been homophobic, and it’s really fucking me up. I don’t know what to feel any more. I might just kill myself.

    • I am thinking that MAYBE Elvis dabbled once,twice several times, MAYBE. Then again, maybe not. And book publishers will hand a manuscript back to the author and say that it has to have more dirt, or it is not going to be published. So, as they say u can not believe everything u read.

    • Scusami ma sei ingenuo troppo .Elvis era fierissimo della sua .omosessualità. Non ascoltare quelli che dicono dI NO.Sono i Terrapiattisti

  11. Also, is it true that Peter Lawford said that when Nancy Davis was a young actress, that she gave the best head in Hollywood?

      • Also read of her bad rep & excellent “oral” skills. Subsequently read skills spread by Eddie Mannix. Also read Mannix raped three First Ladies! Pat Nixon, Nancy Regan & can’t remember last. No idea if any of the Mannix rumors are true, but wouldn’t be out of character for the man.

          • Believe the rapes were prior to their husbands being U.S. Presidents. Nancy Davis, the actress, was reputedly known far & wide as a “felatrix par excellence”. Again, later read that was a rumor spread by Eddie Mannix, so who knows.

  12. A friend said that when he went to hollywood in 1956, to get into acting, modeling and stunt work, the pressure to get involved, in gay activities and parties, was so strong, that he left after one year. He had some great stories to tell.

    • I suppose it all depended on which circles you travelled, Mike, for Hollywood during the days of the studio system was greatly sex-oriented, whether it be heterosexual or homosexual. Even clearly straight guys like Warren Beatty were always getting hit upon by gay writers, directors and others, just as the straight young women were getting pursued by straights, bisexuals and gays. Personally, I think your friend made the right decision to exit the place when he did.

      • Alan, Would you know if Shirley Temple was a closeted bisexual? or if she “got it on” with the directors or producers? According to Billy Mumy and Jonathan Harris, Guy Williams was banging June Lockhart.

  13. Most people are bisexual, with primary attraction to opposite sex, and secondary attraction to same sex. Various situations, such as being in prison, can cause the same sex attractions to become more over the.

  14. No Elvis was not bi-sexual…. none of his clan were gay. He even shot at a TV when a gay performer was on singing I am what I am. I would guess he was indifferent to gays.

    • I am inclined to agree with you, Moll. Like most historical questions, there are arguments for and against. All we can do is look at each in turn and decide which arguments seem more plausible. The great majority of evidence supports him being completely heterosexual.

    • MA QUESTA PUTTANATA CHI TE L’ha raccontata?ELVIS ERA ESASPERATO PERCHÉ LA STAMPA NON SI FACEVA MAI I CAZ.. SUOI. INFATTI PRISCILLA SI SERVIVA DELLA STAMPA PER CERCARE DI FARSI NOTARE DAL SUO EX MA ELVIS ERA PERDUTAMENTE INNAMORATO DI CASSIUS CLAY CHE PERÒ NON ERA GAY OPPURE SI E ANDÒ A LETTO CON PRESLEY

  15. Yes, like Ricky Nelson, no. My brother-in-law toured with him for years and new him well (and sorry to say was homophobic!) there’s no way he was gay or bi. But that’s not to say that a lot of people on that list may have been taken advantage of and basically forced into the situation at a young age and the beginning of their careers. I worked not in front of a camera but at Merv Griffin Studios for years and sexual pressure was rampant even at that level, so…there you are.

    • Thank you, Lori. I appreciate you taking the time to advise me of that. Personally, I have no opinion on the sexual proclivities of these people (or anyone, for that matter). I merely pose the information available. It is entirely up to the individual reader to determine whether or not it is true. Thanks again.

  16. I don’t care if they were gay, or bisexual. I still enjoy watching their movies. I enjoy all of ELVIS’s songs and his movies. Just accept them and let them live their lives and leave it at that. We all make choices and some maybe wrong ones, but that is our choice to make.

    • And it is MY choice to write about them, James, or is the right to make our own choices restricted to those whose choices we agree with? Incidentally, I do not believe Elvis was gay OR bisexual. I merely posed the question, nothing more.

      • I’m not judging your opion, You can’t believe everything you see, or read about people. I like your opion and thank you very much. I still think that actor’s and actoress should not be judged on their life style. I hope that I didn’t offend you with my comment.

        • No offence taken, James. Unfortunately, actors and actresses are public figures. These days they no longer have the studios running interferance for them. Consequently, they are now judged by their words and actions more than ever before, which I think is a good thing. If actors are happy to go on a chat show or speak to an interviewer and expound on politics, society, morals, the environment and so on, then they must also be prepared to have their qualifications for making such judgments scrutinized. As for their sexual preferences, happily this aspect of their lives seems to be of less and less importance today. However, I mostly write on what used to be, and that aspect of the stars’ lives is still of interest to movie fans of my generation, probably because of the phoney images created by the studios when they ruled the roost. After being fed so much rubbish by them, it is of considerable interest to older fans today to read about what the stars were REALLY like. I try hard to separate the wheat from the chaff but, like most historians, my final analysis is the result of assessing whatever information is available – and ALL the information is NEVER available. We can only connect the dots and try to fill in the blanks. I appreciate your comments, James. I hope my first response does not deter you from voicing your opinions in the future.

          • No it won’t because I’m very out spoken and am not afraid to voice my opinion. I always try to look for the good in people no matter what i read, or hear about them. I enjoy talking with you and i respect your opinions.I know that people are quick to judge and condemm others.I may be from the old school, but yet i base things with understanding and try to be open minded on everything. Thank you very much.

        • If they’re lifestyle is like a Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Jeff Epstein, John Freed, and other pedos; then their lifestyle certainly does matter.

      • Che fai mi censuri? Tu di Elvis non sai niente e sicuramente lo disprezzi.Tanto tu non sei Elvis sei solo un bambino a cui è stato regalato il manuale del piccolo fascista OMOFOBO

    • I doubt it very much, Dorothy. There were rumours, of course, but there are rumours that George W Bush is not as stupid as he sounds and looks. So much for rumours. A mentioned the ones about Elvis and let the reader make up his or her own mind. Frankly, I don’t care if he turns out to have come from a distant planet. I just like his music. Can’t say the same about his movies, however. Poor Elvis desperately wanted to ACT, but Colonel Parker kept signing him up for those pitifully lame musicals.

      • My newspaper journalist dad saw Elvis stark naked at Ft. Chaffee Arkansas when Elvis entered the USArmy. He spent three days with Elvis working on a profile for the Associated Press. He came away judging Elvis as a very polite but dull witted young man.

        Read the first biography of EP written back in the late sixties, and you’ll find the thing is overloaded with weird sex ideas El had, like sleeping with his mom, and insisting that whatshername, his wife, wore her hair like Mrs. Presley Sr. and he picked…oh, yeah, Priscilla, that’s the name, because she looked like his mom. And more Jimmy Savile information–Elvis was a pedophile, Priss was 14 when she met Elvis.

        What else can you expect from a truck driver mediocre singer from Mississippi–a high moral standard?

      • Tu non apprezzi i suoi film perché sei omofobo perché nei suoi film compaiono ragazzi omosessuali e allusioni all’ omosessualità per la prima volta come in jailhouse rock. Il tuo film ideale potrebbe essere Boxing Helena della figlia di David Lynch dove un uomo innamorato di una donna non ne rispetta i sentimenti.

  17. I was surprised to read Bacall’s name on “THE LIST.” I’ve read a lot
    about her, but nothing to even suggest that she had any involvements
    other than w/ men. She was a fascinating woman with a wicked, sense
    of humor, just one of the things she shared with Bogie.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.