For a good part of the 20th Century, homosexual performers and actors in the United States went to great pains to hide their true sexuality. Homosexuality was frowned upon in American society, to the point that it was included in the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a sociopathic personality disturbance, and sex between two people of the same sex was banned under the sodomy laws of the time. It should then come as no surprise that famed pianist, singer, and actor Liberace spent his entire life denying that he was gay. What makes Liberace's case unusual is that his costumes, style, and manner were so flamboyant that many at the time probably at least thought he was gay. Indeed, throughout his life scandal sheets and gossip magazines, both in the United States and United Kingdom, often implied he was gay.
Władziu Valentino Liberace was born on May 16, 1919, in West Allis, Wisconsin. He came from a musical family. His father played French horn, while his mother had been a concert pianist. Liberace was only four years old when he began playing piano. In high school, he played jazz piano with a group called The Mixers. He played at cabarets and even burlesque palaces, even though his father disapproved. It was from about 1942 to 1944 that he moved from performing straight classical pieces to what he called "pop with a bit of classics." Billed as "Walter Liberace," he appeared in two Soundies, "Tiger Rag" and "Twelfth Street Rag." Throughout the Forties, his act became more flamboyant, including the addition of a candelabra and performing in white tie and tails.
It would be television that would really place Liberace on the map. After having made appearances on such shows as The Arthur Murray Party, Cavalcade of Stars, and Four Star Revue, he received his own show. The Liberace Show debuted in 1953 in syndication and proved to be very popular. Following The Liberace Show, Liberace continued to appear on television, on everything from The Perry Como Show to I've Got a Secret to Batman to The Monkees. He had his own show again in 1969, a summer replacement show that ran on CBS in the time-slot usually occupied by The Red Skelton Show. He didn't slow down in the Seventies, appearing in everything from The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour to The Muppet Show. Liberace appeared in movies as well, including Sincerely Yours (1955), When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965), and The Loved One (1965).
At the height of his career in the Fifties, it was not unusual for the aforementioned scandal sheets and gossip magazines to intimate that Liberace was gay, something that he always denied. It was in 1956 that Daily Mirror columnist Cassandra (in reality William Connor) strong suggested that Liberace was a homosexual, writing that Liberace was "...the summit of sex - the pinnacle of masculine, feminine and neuter. Everything that he, she and it can ever want... a deadly, winking, sniggering, snuggling, chromium-plated, scent-impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love." Liberace sued the Daily Mirror for libel. The trial lasted for three weeks, during which Liberace testified that he was not gay and had never taken part in homosexual acts. In the end, Liberace won the case and was awarded £8,000 in damages. It was because of this case that Liberace coined his catchphrase, "I cried all the way to the bank!"
If the Daily Mirror had intimated that Liberace was gay, the notorious gossip magazine Confidential very nearly came out and said it. The July 2, 1957 issue of the magazine featured a story titled "Why Liberace's Theme Song Should Be 'Mad About the Boy." The story dealt with an anonymous press agent who claimed that Liberace had made a play for him while the two were alone in a hotel room. Liberace filed a $20-million libel suit against Confidential. Ultimately, the case was settled out of court.
Liberace would continue to deny that he was gay even after homosexuality had become more acceptable in American society and even after it became fairly obvious that he was, in fact, gay. In 1982 Liberace's 22-year old former chauffeur Scott Thorson,who claimed to be the pianist's lover for five years, filed a $113 million palimony suit against him after Mr. Thorson had been fired. The case was eventually settled out of court and Liberace continued to deny that he was gay.
Liberace died on February 4, 1987 at the age of 67. It was on February 10, 1987, that the Riverside County coroner revealed the cause of his death to be cytomegalovirus pneumonia caused by AIDS. Although it had not been made public at the time, he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 1985. In an interview on The Joy Behar Show, actress Betty White, who had been friends with Liberace, revealed that he was gay and his managers often used her as a beard to rejoin the rumours that he was a homosexual.
Today it might seem odd that Liberace denied he was gay his entire life, even after the 1982 palimony suit by Scott Thorson. It might seem even more odd given Liberace was so flamboyant that his act is a prime example of high camp. While it might seem odd now, it must be taken into account that the height of Liberace's career took place during the Lavender Scare, a moral panic over homosexuality that even resulted in people working for the government losing their jobs. It was fully possible that if irrefutable evidence got out that Liberace was gay, it could have meant the end of his career. As to why he continued to deny he was gay, one has to suspect that this was due to habit. Even after homosexuality was no longer the bugbear it had been, Liberace may have feared that if the public knew of his sexuality, he might no longer be able to work. What makes this sad is that much of Liberace's appeal is that he was so flamboyant, so campy. While being gay may have proven to be a detriment to his career during the Lavender Scare, it may actually have proven to be a blessing later on. As it is, despite his denials during his lifetime, Liberace remains an icon in the LGBTQ+ community.
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