Arthur Andrew (Kelm) Hunter (1931 - 2018)

Born 11 Jul 1931 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died 8 Jul 2018 at age 86 in Santa Barbara, California, United States

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Biography

Tab (Kelm) Hunter is Notable.

I still don't look at it as if I've come out. Coming out, what does that mean? What I'm concerned about is people as human beings. Are you a decent human being? What are you contributing? That's important.--Tab Hunter.^[1]

Tab Hunter was an American actor, pop singer, film producer and author. He appeared in over forty films and was a well-known Hollywood star and heart throb of the 1950s and 1960s, known for his golden blond California surfer-boy looks. One of his early movie trailers described him as "six feet of rugged manhood to stir the heart of every woman."^[2]

Tab was born as Arthur Andrew Kelm 11 July 1931 in New York City, the son of Charles Kelm and Gertrude Gelien.^[3] His mother changed his last name from Kelm to Gelien when Tab was a young child. His parents divorced within a couple of years after his birth.

In his early years, Arthur Gelien was a figure skater, competing in singles and pairs. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard at the age of 15; he was later discharged once the service discovered his true age.^[4]

Agent Henry Willson named him Tab Hunter. Through the early 1950s he was awarded roles in several successful films. His breakthrough role came in the 1955 World War II drama Battle Cry, in which he played the young Marine Danny. The film was Warner Brothers' largest grossing film of the year. In the same year, Tab was named Most Promising New Personality by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations. In 1956, he received 62,000 valentines from his fans. ^[5]

In 1958, Tab starred in the musical film Damn Yankees, playing the part of Joe Hardy. Through the 1960s, though, his career lagged and he appeared in dinner theater and summer stock. He had another breakthrough when he starred opposite actor Divine in John Waters' Polyester in 1981, followed by Paul Bartel's Lust in the Dust in 1985. ^[6]

Tab and his companion Allan Glaser met in 1983. The couple co-produced the films Lust in the Dust (1984) and Dark Horse (1992).^[7]

An award-winning 2015 documentary about his life, Tab Hunter Confidential, was directed by Jeffrey Schwarz and produced by Hunter's partner Allan Glaser. Tab's autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star was published in 2005 and became a New York Times Best Seller. In his autobiography he acknowledged that he was gay.

He passed away in 2018 from cardiac arrest only three days before his 87th birthday. He left his domestic partner, Allan.^[8]

There's a nice article on Tab that appears on NPR online entitled "Hollywood and Tab Hunter: The Marriage That Ended Amicably," published 10 July 2018 by Glen Weldon that captures his life and work in the context of his sexuality. The article can be found here.

Vanity Fair ran an obituary for Tab, which can be found here.

Sources

1. ↑ Tab Hunter Biography on IMDb.
2. ↑ Wikipedia: Tab Hunter
3. ↑ New York, New York, Birth Index; name: Kelm; birth date: 11 July 1931; New York City, NY; certificate number 19905.
4. ↑ Wikipedia: Tab Hunter
5. ↑ Wikipedia: Tab Hunter
6. ↑ Tab Hunter Biography on IMDb.
7. ↑ Tab Hunter Biography on IMDb.
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #191236409