There are more and more roles for LGBT characters in television and movies, but there aren’t enough to go around for every gay. That means a queer star might play some of the straight characters on your favorite TV shows. Here are some gay movie stars who have made it into mainstream Hollywood playing straight roles.
These are some of the biggest stars who you may not have known were gay but came out.
Zachary Quinto
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Spock – Star Trek and Oliver Thredson – American Horror Story: Asylum
Trekkies, your favorite movie Spock is played by a gay man. He also was revealed to the be the bad guy in the TV series American Horror Story: Asylum.
“I didn’t tell anyone I was going to do it, so no one had a chance to [give me advice]. I just did it. No one in my life knew.”
Zachary Quinto is now dating Miles McMillan.
Colton Haynes
Jackson Whittemore – Teen Wolf and Roy Harper – Arrow
Colton Haynes started out as a model but got into acting when he landed his big role on MTV’s supernatural drama series Teen Wolf. He left the series and joined Arrow series shortly after.
Jim Parsons
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Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory
Jim Parsons officially came out to the press in The New York Times back in 2012.
“I never had a coming out piece, I just didn’t mention it. I took Todd with me to events…and then finally one day while working on Harvey I did a piece with Patrick Healy for The New York Times and he just point-blank asked, ‘Was working on The Normal Heart meaningful to you as a gay man?’ And I was like, ‘Well, yeah. Yeah.’ And what a wonderful…I can’t tell you what a wonderful thing that was, what a gift he gave me with one question. It was suddenly out there and official.”
He’s been in a long term relationship with Todd Spiewak for nearly ten years.
Matt Bomer
Neal Caffrey – White Collar
The star from White Collar as a charming and sophisticated con artist named Neal Caffrey.
“When that happens, when you aren’t allowed to speak about who you are, one of the most authentic parts of who you are, which is who you love or who you’re attracted to, feels invisible,” Matt Bomer said in an interview with E! “GLSEN gives visibility and authenticity to kids all across the country.”
Matt Bomer showed his gay side for a small role as a male consort in season four of American Horror Story and when he starred in American Horror Story: Hotel as Donovan.
In real life, he is with his partner Simon Halls and has three sons.
Wentworth Miller
Michael Scofield – Prison Break and Leonard Snart (Captain Cold) – Legends of Tomorrow
Wentworth Miller had a very serious role in Prison Break. I’m sure he was excited to live out most gay guy’s fantasies being stuck in a prison with a bunch of men. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.
“After Prison Break, I came to grips with the fact that my public persona was in misalignment with how I actually felt. I was out to a handful of people in my twenties, and once I hit 30, I was out to family and friends. But professionally, I was feeding a fantasy. I created this air of ‘We don’t address that thing.’”
He came out in August 2013 when he posted a letter on CLAAD’s website after he declined the invitation to the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival because of Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws.
Many people think that he was dating Luke McFarlane after a picture of them riding in a car together, and Perez Hilton tried to forcibly out Wentworth.
John Barrowman
Malcolm Merlyn – Arrow and Captain Jack Harkness – Torchwood / Doctor Who
John Barrowman’s character Captain Jack Harkness originally appeared in a Doctor Who episode, but later had his spin-off show in Torchwood. He was the first non-heterosexual character in the Doctor Who series. John Barrowman later became a recurring villain in the TV series, Arrow in 2012.
“I am gay because I have no control over it. I was the way I was born. So I embrace it. I want to embrace it. Because it’s who I am. It’s what I am. That’s the truth. That’s the truth about me.”
In real life he is married to Scott Gill. When he talked about the ceremony to Mirror, he said, “Scott and I could have done it any day but what struck me at that moment were these older couples who were desperate to marry and get their relationship legitimized. It was important to me but so vitally important to people like them who thought it would never happen in their lifetime.”
Now that they’re married his husband will not longer have to return to the UK to comply with immigration laws.
Victor Garber
Martin Stein – Legends of Tomorrow
Victor Garber is now one of the superheroes for The Legends of Tomorrow with his co-star Wentworth Miller.
“I don’t really talk about it, but everybody knows.”
Garber has been publicly gay since 2012, but like many other celebrities, many knew it just wasn’t talked about. He has been in a long-term relationship with Rainer Andreesen.
Neil Patrick Harris
Barney Stinson – How I Met Your Mother
The womanizing player, Barney Stinson is played by a gay guy. Talk about legendary!
“I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.”
Harris is now married to David Burtka since 2014, and they have two children.
David Hyde Pierce
Niles Crane – Fraiser
The petulant but loveable brother of Dr. Fraiser Crane played a straight character on the TV show, but he is gay in real life.
“The reason they had those gay jokes in Frasier, especially about Niles and Frasier was it was examining stereotypes and those two were very neat and persnickety and it was acknowledging the fact that a lot of their behavior [like] wine tasting and going to the opera and all, would be seen as gay by a lot of people. It was never jokes at the expense of gay people. We had gay people on staff. David Lee, one of the creators on the show is gay and so, to me, it was always acknowledging the preposterousness of stereotypes.”
He has been married to his partner Brian Hargrove since 2008.
Sir Ian McKellen
Gandalf – Lord of the Rings and Magneto – X-Men: Days of Future Past
One of the most powerful wizards in Middle Earth and one of the most powerful mutants of the Marvel universe is played by a gay man.
“I regret and always shall that I didn’t see the significance of coming out at a much earlier date because I think I would have been a different person and a happier one.”
Sir Ian has been out of his sexual orientation since 1988. Although Sir Ian McKellen is not married, he does have a bromance with his friend and co-star in the X-Men films, Patrick Stewart.