Rock on vacation in Puerto Vallarta. (Photo courtesy of Lee Garlington, form HBO)
Later this month, HBO will release an original documentary film looking at the life of one of classic Hollywood’s most iconic stars — Rock Hudson.
One of the most popular actors of his time, Hudson was best known for his roles in “All That Heaven Allows,” “Giant” and “McMillan and Wife,” as well as being a rom-com leading man opposite Doris Day in hits “Pillow Talk,” “Lover Come Back” and “Send Me No Flowers.”
The film’s synopsis reads “‘Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allows’ is an intimate portrait of actor Rock Hudson, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men of the 1950’s and ‘60’s and an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age, whose diagnosis and eventual death from AIDS in 1985 shocked the world, subsequently shifting the way the public perceived the AIDS pandemic. Born Roy Fitzgerald and renamed “Rock Hudson” by his agent, with his 6’5” frame, strong physique and chiseled good looks, Hudson was the embodiment of romantic masculinity and heterosexuality. The film explores the story of a man living a double life, one whose public persona was carefully manufactured by his handlers and orchestrated by the studio system, while fearing a potentially career-ending discovery that he was privately living as a gay man.
The film is directed by Stephen Kijak, best known for his music-focused documentaries such as “Stones in Exile,” about The Rolling Stones, and “Sid & Judy,” about gay icon Judy Garland, as well as the 2020 docuseries “Equal,” highlighting landmark events and leaders in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allows” will premiere June 28 at 9 p.m. on HBO and will be available to stream on Max at the same time.
Watch the trailer to the film below.
