Wentworth Miller has always preferred to keep his private life out of the spotlight. His sexuality became public knowledge in 2013 when he declined an invitation to a Russian film festival, citing the country's "witch-hunt" against the LGBTQ+ community. This principled stand, along with starring as Mariah Carey's love interest in a music video, only solidified his status with fans. | © Hulu
Rupert Everett built his career on iconic gay roles, like the charming best friend in My Best Friend's Wedding. He's been openly gay since the 80s, though his opinions can be surprising. He's famously against marriage equality, criticizing the institution itself. Everett also challenges Hollywood, arguing that the focus should be on why gay actors aren't offered more straight roles. | © Apple TV
Zachary Quinto, best known as the modern Spock in the Star Trek films, made the powerful decision to publicly come out as gay in 2011. He was motivated by the tragic story of a gay teenager who ended his own life, Jamey Rodemeyer, wanting to show young fans they weren't alone. While he's played villains on screen, this off-screen act of visibility was a genuinely heroic stand for his community. | © AMC Networks
It's impossible not to be charmed by Ben Whishaw, whether he's voicing Paddington Bear or playing Q in the latest James Bond films. While famously private, he came out in 2013 by revealing he'd entered a civil partnership with his composer partner, Mark Bradshaw, the year before. That quiet confirmation was a sweet moment for fans who adore his incredible talent beyond his boyish looks. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Jim Parsons became a household name, winning awards as the brilliantly eccentric Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. He never made a formal announcement about his sexuality, instead casually mentioning his now-husband, Todd Spiewak, in a 2012 interview. Since then, he's embraced his role in the community, taking on prominent gay roles in projects like The Normal Heart and The Boys in the Band. | © Warner Bros. Television
Luke Evans has built a major career in blockbusters like The Hobbit and Beauty and the Beast, where he played the vain Gaston. Unlike many, he never had a loud coming out moment, facing early career pressure to keep his private life quiet. He's never hidden it either, often sharing posts with his former boyfriend on Instagram, quietly living his truth on his own terms. | © Netflix
Most people know Jane Lynch as the hilariously cruel Sue Sylvester from Glee, but in real life, she's the total opposite. She never had a big "coming out" moment, as she was never advised to hide her sexuality, though she's spoken about struggling with self-acceptance growing up. These days, she's a proud and vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and is happily married to her wife, Jennifer Cheyne. | © Universal Pictures
Is there anything Stephen Fry can't do? The beloved British comedian, actor, and author first captivated audiences playing gay playwright Oscar Wilde, a role that felt uncannily right. While he struggled with his sexuality in his youth, he's now an outspoken advocate, even calling for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia over anti-LGBTQ laws. He married his husband, Elliott Spencer, in 2015, and you might also recognize his iconic voice from narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
You can always count on a Scot to be loud and proud, and Alan Cumming fits that bill perfectly. He's a celebrated star of stage and screen, from winning a Tony for Cabaret to being appointed an OBE by the Queen for his arts and LGBTQ+ activism. A vibrant advocate since coming out as bisexual, he's championed marriage equality and HIV awareness, and married his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, in New York in 2012. | © All3Media International
Cynthia Nixon is famously known for playing the smart lawyer Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City, a character many queer viewers saw as relatable. A loud advocate for LGBTQ+ rights long before her own public coming out, she met her future wife, Christine Marinoni, at a marriage equality rally in 2002. Nixon, who prefers the liberating term "queer," has since embraced exploring queer stories on screen, both in roles like Ratched and in guiding Miranda's own mid-life awakening in the reboot, And Just Like That. | © Netflix
Neil Patrick Harris became widely known as a gay Hollywood figure after he came out in 2006, but his journey had a quirky start – he first considered his sexuality after Burt Reynolds playfully kissed him on set in the '80s. Many fans were shocked to learn the truth, especially those who knew him as the legendary womanizer Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. | © CBS
Jodie Foster has been a superstar since she was a kid, moving from child actor to an Oscar-winning powerhouse in films like The Silence of the Lambs. For decades, she fiercely guarded her privacy from press speculation, finally coming out publicly in a candid 2013 speech. She's now happily married to photographer Alexandra Hedison and has also built a respected second career as a film and television director. | © Touchstone Pictures
It's hard to imagine pop culture without Billy Porter's vibrant, unapologetic flair. He spent years being told he was too flamboyant for mainstream roles, but he never toned himself down. That persistence paid off massively; he later snagged a Tony for Kinky Boots and made history as the first openly gay Black man to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in Pose. | © CBS
Ian McKellen is one of those universally adored actors, even earning a knighthood recommended by Margaret Thatcher herself. Never one to shy from his principles, he publicly came out in 1988 to protest the discriminatory Section 28 bill, risking his career at the time. Today, he's a beloved elder statesman of the LGBTQ+ community and famously shares a legendary bromance with his best friend, Patrick Stewart. | © New Line Cinema
Hollywood's history is full of incredible talent. This list celebrates fifteen iconic gay actors who've shaped the industry, both through their legendary roles and their courage in living openly.
