Gordon Thomson Came Out as Gay at 72, Reflecting on the Role of Good Looks

Gordon Thomson has lived an interesting and full life, filled with work, a public status he didn’t ask for, marriage, illness, and more. Here’s a look at how having good looks affected the star who eventually spoke about his sexuality.

The actor with a longstanding career has worked in television, theater, and movies. He is a Canadian who was born on March 2, 1945. He is well-known for starring as Adam Carrington in the 1980s series, “Dynasty.”

He’s also featured in soap operas like “The Young and the Restless” and “Santa Barbara.” In 1971, he became the first male host of Polka Dot Door, a Canadian children’s show. Becoming a star was overnight for Thomson, who spent years training and doing theater work.

Some stages he has graced include the Stratford Festival in Canada and productions by Orton, Turgenev, Coward, and Ibsen. He started his career on the stage in Toronto in “The Hollywood Blues” at Old Angelo’s Theatre and “The Fantasticks” at The Colonnade Theatre.

Thomson also appeared in “DeVanity” in 2013 and 2014, playing Preston Regis, a jewelry magnate. In 2006, he starred in two films, “Poseidon” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” and in “The Experience” in 2019. “Dynasty” won him a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination in 1986 for Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial.

In 1988, he received another nomination for the same show and an award as an Outstanding Villain: Prime Time. That same year, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television for the show.

The following year, he was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role: Prime Time at the Soap Opera Digest Awards. In 1999, “Santa Barbara” earned him a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Super Couple: Daytime.

By 2014 and 2015, Thomson’s “DeVanity” received two Indie Series Award nominations for Best Guest Star – Drama and Best Supporting Actor – Drama. “Winterthorne,” which premiered in August 2015, earned him an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actor – Drama.

With his rise in the industry and good looks, the actor who also worked as a model, was soon considered a sex symbol. Later, he shared what he thought about that status.

Gordon’s Take on Being a Sex Symbol and His past as a Model

On April 5, 2024, Thomson partook in a lengthy interview with Harvey Brownstone. The host noted how the actor is blessed with the “good looks of an extremely handsome leading man,” and that he was a sex symbol for years, especially while on “Dynasty.”

Brownstone asked him if there was a time in his career when he was typecast because of his looks. Without thinking about it, the star replied, “Oh yes, without question,” and revealed that having good looks doesn’t help. He shared how such typecasting is the reason why many daytime dramas end.

Thomson noted how it isn’t only the actors who lost their jobs because of the stereotype but also the crew, writers, producers, and more. While laughing, he stated that daytime actors “by law have to be good-looking.”

Despite being typecast, his good looks have come in handy. In one interview, he revealed that when he was in his 20s, he appeared in “Godspell.” For six months, he earned $234 weekly, and because the money was little, he supplemented it by getting into catalog modeling.

He shared how the work wasn’t “glamorous” but served its role by helping him pay the bills instead of having to wait tables. Thomson revealed that to stay as a model, he had to be in good shape, and when he starred in “Ryan’s Hope,” his waist was 29 inches.

While starring in “Dynasty,” his waist remained at 32 inches. During a February 2024 interview, he was asked if his good looks helped his career or tarnished it. Surprisingly, he said they didn’t help that much!

His good looks put some people off as they thought that was all he had to offer and that he wasn’t a good actor. Sadly, a British gay director “took an appalling shine” to him when he lived with “a fabulous woman.”

Accepting advances from people like the director became a condition of his employment. Thomson refused the advances, telling the director he wanted to keep his dignity. According to IMDb, the actor was once married for a long time.

The Actor’s Only Marriage and the Actress Who Wanted Him

Actress Maureen Fitzgerald was previously married to Thomson from 1967 until they divorced in 1982. She’s famous for starring in 1981’s “Heartaches” and 1982’s “Love.”

Thomson confirmed the marriage, saying in Toronto he had a common-law wife with whom he had a “legitimate” and “genuine relationship” that lasted for 15 years. Joking, he said she is why he doesn’t have money these days.

Thomson once confirmed his relationship status, saying in Toronto, that he had a common-law wife with whom he had a “legitimate” and “genuine relationship” that lasted for 15 years. Joking, he said she is why he doesn’t have money these days.

He noted how they’d loved each other but didn’t sign anything to solidify their relationship. After they divorced, he supported her “very handsomely,” adding, “But that wasn’t deductible, so it was all net dollars.”

He also confessed that his best relationship was with Fitzgerald when he was 21. The star recalled how she had the most generous spirit and they were wonderful as a couple and stayed friends until her demise.

Even though there is very little information about his romantic life, it was known that women liked him. One of these women was his “Dynasty” co-star, Joan Collins, who reportedly had a crush on him, especially during the last seasons of the show. Thomson even confessed that towards the final season, Collins approached him.

He recalled how she confessed to having “feelings” for him that were “far from maternal.” His response to her hitting on him was to laugh! The actor found it complimentary to have Collins crushing on him because she was and is “stunningly beautiful” and still looks “good.”

The celebrity was touched to be lumped in with “astonishing men” like Warren Beatty who wanted to marry the actress. But he wasn’t going to come out with his sexuality to Collins at that point as it was when cases of people with AIDS were high. He knew coming out wasn’t a smart move.

Only a few people linked to “Dynasty” knew his true sexuality because tabloids ruled the news back then. Sadly, someone he was seeing long before “Dynasty” actually blackmailed Thomson over his true sexuality. All it took to end his career back then was for someone to leak the news to a tabloid. He did come out eventually.

Gordon’s Coming Out Story

Brownstone noted how Thomson was outed by an “unscrupulous interviewer,” but wanted to know if the actor would have eventually come out on his own. The star admitted that he’d asked himself that same question and truthfully, he didn’t know.

The celebrity hoped he would’ve had the guts and wished he knew what he would’ve done. But since coming out, things had become dicey. Tosca Musk, Elon Musk’s sister, who has a company that produces love stories had shown interest in his availability, yet they didn’t pursue him.

Thomson thought that was an example of how homophobia affected hiring, but he clarified that he wanted to continue working. He also revealed that the interviewer who outed him asked him out on a date after the interview.

The actor officially came out at age 72, in the September 2017 “Daily Beast” interview with Tim Teeman. It was a big deal for Thomson as he knew that if he’d come out long before it would’ve been “professional suicide” for him.

On “Dynasty,” the character of Steven Carrington, played by Al Corley and later Jack Coleman, was gay one minute and straight the next for nine years. When asked what he thought about the character, Thomson said he disapproved of it, using colorful words.

The star, who once played Steven’s homophobic brother, Adam Carrington, explained that the character pivoted so much because the AIDS crisis at the time put pressure on the network. Corley even resigned because he felt he wasn’t allowed to play the character honestly.

The younger actor, Corley, said when he played Steven and met his boyfriend, they were only allowed to shake hands. Thomson felt having “gay marriage” today makes a huge difference. But, he felt “Dynasty” opened a can of worms and couldn’t be true to the character’s role which was a “big shame.”

When asked if he ever wanted to tell the series producers and writers that being gay isn’t how they portrayed Steven, Thomson said no because he wasn’t out at the time. He even noted that people like Rock Hudson only came out when he got sick with AIDS, and that’s because he was living in a different time.

Hudson, who starred in “Dynasty,” died from complications due to AIDS. His kiss with Linda Evans’ character, Krystle Carrington, became notorious due to the 1980s AIDS panic. On coming out, Thomson said Richard Chamberlain had the right attitude to it.

Chamberlain felt there was no need to come out if one looked like a leading man. Half the audience was women, and most of them were straight, and they were who he was playing to. He believed he was “a source fantasy” for the female viewers.

The actor thought openly gay celebrities like Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen were wonderful as people. But he didn’t think viewers imagined sleeping with either of them. Speaking of his sexuality, Thomson said it wasn’t something he announced.

He assumes people know, but now that he’s older, he’s fine with it. Yet, he doesn’t go out of his way to flaunt it and thinks that’s just a generational thing. The actor figures he is as “homophobic as any gay man alive because of my background.”

Being homosexual was a crime when Thomson grew up and before it was classified as a mental illness. When he was 23 or 24, Canada’s prime minister stopped it from being a crime. But it was only when he was almost 30 that it stopped being classified as a mental illness in the US.

Besides all the laws against it, there was also shame that came and still comes with being gay. The celebrity also suffered from a lack of self-esteem, and these feelings are only now starting to leave him. He agreed it was an “awfully long time” for him to feel bad about himself.

Thomson revealed that it took until he was 12 or 13 for him to develop “any sexual sense.” In his older years, his elder brother told him he wondered “What is this stuff” when he had his first wet dream because nobody ever explained it.

The star hopes parenting has gotten better since. He’s had a partner before, but his lack of self-esteem meant the relationship couldn’t flourish. When asked if he was exposed to other gay people in Hollywood, the actor shared that there weren’t that many in the beginning.

But, when he started working on “Santa Barbara,” things got “much looser,” yet, he couldn’t have gone to the gym today because there is no privacy. At one point, he and Coleman went bar hopping on Sunset Boulevard.

The irony about the two stars was how Thomson is gay but plays a homophobe, while Coleman, who is straight, acted on the show as a man who longed to be in love with another man. Thomson recalled how shy he was while working on “Dynasty” because of his sexuality, which the cast didn’t know about.

He didn’t make a lot of friends with the cast as they didn’t socialize much because John Forsythe, who played Blake, set a professional and cordial tone on set. Social media users who read about the celebrity coming out had positive reactions.

How Did People React to Gordon Coming Out as Gay?

When Thomson came out, Attitude Magazine covered the story and posted an X link to it. People who replied to the post were quite supportive of the actor. One person wrote, “Better late than never.” Someone else said, “We all knew that he was gay.”

Reading a different X post about the same news, a netizen supported the star by writing, “Bravo, Gordon. I hope you feel free.” After “Dynasty” ended, the actor started building a social life for himself.

Gordon’s Outlook on Socializing and Dating

When “Dynasty” concluded, Thomson started working on “Santa Barbara,” and began having a social life. That’s when he got involved with his long-term partner. Now he has good friends who support him and being gay isn’t an issue.

When asked if he’d like a partner, the celebrity said “no.” Less than six years before the 2017 interview, he met an attractive man at a birthday party, and the stranger’s first words to the actor were, “You look absolutely wonderful.”

It was the best pickup line he’d ever heard, and he thanked the kind man. The pair were meant to have lunch a week later, but Thomson got lost on his way to their meeting spot because he had no sense of direction or car GPS.

When he discovered a phone in a store, he realized he didn’t have his date’s contact information. He eventually found the restaurant and apologized for being ten minutes late. Then he realized that he didn’t want them to have another date.

The star emailed the man and told him the reason he struggled to find him on their date was because he wasn’t ready to date and probably will never be. Thomson said he’s turned into a recluse and prefers it that way.

One of the reasons for his stance is that he enjoys his own company. He had a dog in 2017 but said if it dies, he isn’t getting any more pets. The actor explained that he isn’t unkind but doesn’t have the energy to take his clothes off in front of someone.

Even doing it for his doctor is something he’ll do if it’s an absolute must. When asked in 2024 if he’s ever had true love, Thomson said he doesn’t think so. His lack of self-esteem made him put up with the wrong things because he didn’t believe he was worth it.

The shift in his outlook happened around 13 years ago when it finally clicked that the man he was dating was selfish and “not worth what I’d invested in him.” In his interview with Brownstone, the star touched on his feelings about “Dynasty’s” reboot.

What Is Gordon’s Thoughts on the ‘Dynasty’ Reboot?

Thomson was asked what he thought about “Dynasty’s” 2017 reboot, and his answer was “crap!” He confessed that he hadn’t seen much of it but felt he saw enough. When The New York Times wrote about the reboot, it quoted the actor calling it “an abomination.”

The star said he didn’t know what they were thinking when doing the reboot and thought the producer, Aaron Spelling, would be rolling in his grave. Thomson felt the show didn’t meet production standards and the writing, casting, and acting (except one performance) failed to impress.

The celebrity agrees that each generation deserves to have its own “Dynasty,” but all the standards have to be met. When he met Linda Gray at a web soap opera screening, he told her they had the best photographer and director, and she agreed.

Gray confessed that she and the “Dallas” crew were jealous of that, while Thomson also felt that the “Dynasty” team had the best scripts. His team was jealous of “Dallas’s” scripts, and the writing helped them last three or four years longer than “Dynasty.”

He called the reboot’s writing “execrable” and felt everyone was too young. In the past, Thomson has also opened up about having diabetes, aging, and acting.

Gordon’s Views on Acting, His Diabetes Diagnosis, and Aging

Thomson wasn’t aware of how famous he was until he went to Norway in 1984. When he walked out on the stage, he was greeted by 10,000 screaming fans! He said for a moment he felt the way Mick Jagger probably feels all the time.

That was the first time he was introduced to the power of Spelling’s show. He said he was happy being his age in 2017. When he went to Norway, he had been working as an actor for 16 years and knew his job. To date, it serves as his only source of comfort, safety, and pleasure.

Speaking about his career, he said he loves what he does, and no matter where he is, as long as he is acting, he’s happy. Sadly, the star isn’t a fan of aging because it constantly reminds him how desirable and attractive he was due to “Dynasty” fans expressing their nostalgia.

He complained about his fans asking him to autograph a picture of himself at 40. Thomson wanted them to see him as he is now, not how he was then because he felt haunted by his old looks. He didn’t think he could make peace with aging because it is around always.

Although he’s not young and as handsome as he was before, he still feels he doesn’t look bad. He noted how John James now has thinner hair than before he was the best-looking man on television. The actor, who once worked alongside Linda Evans, laughed when he recalled an interview with an Australian.

The interviewer noted how different Thomson looked compared to when he was 40. The star joked that with a bottle of dye and a hairdresser, he could do it again! Sadly, in 2021, he discovered that he had diabetes, and it was easy to adapt to living with the disease.

Being someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, he doesn’t find it difficult, but he still made some changes. The biggest thing he had to adapt to was to stay far away from all-purpose white flour, which included pasta. Instead, he eats chickpea flour pasta, which he says “is very good for you.”