After training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, he departed San Francisco aboard the troop transport SS Lew Wallace with orders to report to Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit 2, then located on Samar, Philippines, as an aircraft mechanic. He graduated from high school in 1943, and the following year enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. He tried out for a number of school plays, but failed to win any roles because he could not remember his lines, a problem that continued to occur through his early acting career. At some point during his teenage years, he worked as an usher in a movie theater and developed an interest in acting. Hudson attended New Trier High School in Winnetka. The marriage eventually ended in a bitter divorce and produced no children. Roy was adopted by Fitzgerald without his consent, and his legal name then became Roy Harold Fitzgerald. Hudson's parents divorced when he was four years old a few years later, in 1932, his mother married Wallace Fitzgerald, a former Marine Corps officer whom young Roy despised. During the Great Depression, Hudson's father lost his job and abandoned the family. His father was of German and Swiss descent, while his mother had English and Irish ancestry. on November 17, 1925, in Winnetka, Illinois, the only child of Katherine (née Wood), a homemaker and later telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer Sr., an auto mechanic.

Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness, on October 2, 1985, at age 59. The following year, he became one of the first celebrities to disclose his AIDS diagnosis. Īlthough discreet regarding his sexual orientation, it was known among Hudson's colleagues in the film industry that he was gay. His last role was as a guest star on the fifth season (1984–1985) of the primetime ABC soap opera Dynasty, until an AIDS-related illness made it impossible for him to continue. Unhappy with the film scripts he was offered, Hudson turned to television and was a hit, starring in the popular mystery series McMillan & Wife (1971–1977). During the late 1960s, his films included Seconds (1966), Tobruk (1967), and Ice Station Zebra (1968). Hudson also found continued success with a string of romantic comedies co-starring Doris Day: Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961), and Send Me No Flowers (1964). A prominent heartthrob in the Golden Age of Hollywood, he achieved stardom with his role in Magnificent Obsession (1954), followed by All That Heaven Allows (1955), and Giant (1956), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. Novem– October 2, 1985) was an American actor.

Pairing Off by Elizabeth Harmon