Michael Kearns, Trailblazing Gay Actor Who Came Out 50+ Years Ago, Dies at 76

Michael Kearns, Actor, Activist and ‘Jerker’ Director, Dies at 76

Michael Kearns, an actor and director who handled the world premiere of Jerker, a play about gay men that sparked controversy in 1986, has died at 76.

Michael Kearns, Trailblazing Gay Actor Who Came Out 50+ Years Ago, Dies at 76

Michael Kearns, a revered stage performer and coach who is often credited as Hollywood’s first out gay actor, has died at 76. His October 5 death was announced by his close friend, performance artist Tim Miller, who wrote Tuesday, “I am mourning my beloved Michael Kearns. AIDS performer-warrior. Big brother. Friend since 1984. Truly one of a kind. The world is a smaller place … I love you, Michael.” Born January 8, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, …

Michael Kearns, Pioneering Out Actor, Playwright and HIV/AIDS Activist Behind 'Intimacies,' Dies at 76

Honesty was the boldest choice an actor could make in 1970s Hollywood, and one young performer from St. Louis made it again and again, long before the industry was ready to listen. Michael Kearns, the actor, writer, director, teacher and activist who became one of the first openly gay actors in Hollywood and, in 1991, […]

Michael Kearns Dies at 76

Michael Kearns, an actor known for roles in "Body Double," "Cheers," and "Beverly Hills, 90210," as well as directing the premiere of Robert Chesley’s "Jerker," has died aged 76.