#23. Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is mostly known for his role in the mythical sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 1989 to 1993. In the TV series, he played the role of Barney Stinson, a stereotype of a womanizer who liked dating women only once and doesn’t have serious relationships. But in real-life, Harris is openly gay since 2006.
In November 2006, Harris declared that he was happy to dispel any rumors and said that he was a proud and content gay man that was living his life to the fullest. In September 2014, Harris and his fiancé, David Burtka got married after 7 years of relationship in a romantic ceremony where Elton John performed. The couple has two children via surrogate, a son called Gideon Scott and a daughter called Harper Grace.
#22. John Mahoney
The British actor John Mahoney never spoke in public about his private life, although many people speculated about his sexuality. In one interview in 2002, Mahoney declared that he had had several relationships but he decided not to marry because his parents had an unhappy marriage and he didn’t want to repeat that.
Despite Mahoney never talked publicly about his private life, the actor is well-remembered for his roles in films like Moonstruck, Eight Men Out and The Hudsucker Proxy. Also, Mahoney is remembered for his role as a straight and twice-married man Martin Crane in the ABC sitcom Frasier.
#21. Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch has a longtime acting career and she is considered one of the best comedians of all time. Lynch is well-known for her appearances in the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly but she won international fame after being Sue Sylvester in Glee. Lynch is openly gay since always and a supporter of gay rights.
Lynch has no problem playing gay or straight roles in films or TV series. For example, she played the role of Christy Cummings, a lesbian in the hilarious TV series Best In Show. Also, Lynch played a straight woman called Paula in the comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Definitely an actress that feels secure about herself!
#20. Luke Evans
Some actors didn’t need to “come out” when they started to work in Hollywood, like the case of the Welsh actor Luke Evans. During an interview in an article for the U.K.’s Gay Time, Evans declared that when he went out to bars, nobody believed he could be gay. According to the actor, everybody in London knew he was gay and luckily he never had to hide it — and never tried it too.
Evans has been played several straight men throughout his career but he doesn’t complain about it. For example, in the Fast & Furious franchise, he played the role of Owen Shaw who was Michelle Rodriguez’s boyfriend. Also, in Disney’s live-action film Beauty And The Beast, Evans played the role of Gaston, the arrogant haunter that is in love with Belle.
#19. Jim Parsons
The American actor Jim Parson is well-known for his role as Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2007 to 2019. We know that Parson didn’t play the typical “heterosexual” character but Sheldon Cooper was in a love relationship with the character Amy Farrah Fowley, portrayed by the actress Mayim Bialik.
In May 2013, Parson gave an interview to The New York Times and declared that he was gay and that he was in a relationship with Todd Spiewak, an art director, for almost 10 years! The couple got married in May 2017 in New York and nowadays, they look happier than ever.
#18. Sara Gilbert
Another actress from The Big Bang Theory is openly gay and has done many straight roles during her acting career, we’re referring to Sara Gilbert. The American actress is well-known because of her role as Darlene Conner on the sitcom Roseanne, where she played a straight woman who fell in love with Johnny Galecki’s character. The pair met again in The Big Bang and their characters dated again.
What is most incredible is that Gilbert dated Galecki for a while when she realized she was a lesbian and nowadays the two are very close friends. Gilbert’s first marriage was with the producer Ali Adler and they had two children. The last relationship of Gilbert was the singer of 4 Non Blondes that ended in 2019.
#17. Ricky Martin
The Puerto Rican musician has been always under the spotlight, not only because of his fruitful singing career but also because his romances and sexuality. Back in the ‘90s, Ricky Martin was considered one of the sexiest men on Earth and many girls had a crush on him. We can imagine how hard it must have been for him to came out and talk about his real feelings.
In 2010, the singer wrote a personal letter on his website saying that he was gay and his acceptance came from himself and his strength. Martin played during those hard years some roles as straight man, like the in TV soap opera General Hospital as Miguel Morez. Martin’s recent work was in the TV series The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story in the role of Versace’s boyfriend.
#16. David Hyde Pierce
The American actor David Hyde Pierce is well-remembered for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Cranes on the sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004. By the time the TV series was ending, Pierce’s character was married with a son. In real life, Pierce came out in 2007 after many years of speculation.
Soon after, he revealed that he was in a relationship with his publicist and producer Brian Hargrove. Pierce even dedicated a speech to him when he won a Tony for Curtains. In 2008, Pierce married Hargrove, days before Proposition 8 which banned same-sex marriages. During that time, Pierce declared how angry he was about this.
#15. Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson is an American actress that has been part of many romantic comedies and TV series through her acting career. For example, Paulson is well-remembered for his performances in TV series like Gothic, Jack & Jill and films like What Women Want and Down With Love.
Although Paulson is openly gay, she had portrayed straight women like the time she was in the role of Harriet Hayes in the TV series Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. Nowadays, Paulson is dating actress Holland Taylor since 2015.
#14. Maria Bello
Maria Bello is very famous for her roles in films like Permanent Midnight, Payback, The Cooler and Lights Out. On television, Bello is mostly remembered for her role as Dr. Anna Del Amico on the TV series ER from 1997 to 1998. Bello has a son with her former boyfriend, Dan McDermott.
In 2013, Bello said to the world that she was having a relationship with Clare Munn. Also, Munn wrote a book talking about her life and her sexuality, Whatever...Love Is Love: Questioning The Labels We Give Ourselves. In 2020, Bello appeared at the 92nd Academy Awards in the company of her current fiancé, the chef Dominique Crenn. In the past, Bello portrayed many heterosexual women, like Edie Stall in A History Of Violence.
#13. Ellen Page
Ellen Page has become one of the latest public faces of gay rights and since she said she was gay, it seems that everyone loves her more. During a speech in 2014, while she was being part of the Human Rights Campaign, she decided to come out and tell the world she was lesbian and she was proud of it.
During her acting career, Page has portrayed many heterosexual women characters, like in the 2007 Juno, where she portrayed a teenager that was expecting her first child. Nowadays, Page is happily married to choreographer Emma Portner and they look adorable together.
#12. Wentworth Miller
The British-American actor Wentworth Miller is well-remembered for his role as Michael J. Scofield in the FOX series Prison Break, which was a straight character. Miller also portrayed Captain Cold in the TV series The Flash. Like many other actors, Miller felt the media pressure and during a magazine interview in 2007, he denied he was gay.
Everything changed when he was invited to the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival and he decided to decline the invitation by posting an open letter on GLAAD in which he declared he was gay. According to the actor, he couldn’t go to a country that has politics against gay people. Soon after, the actor declared that he suffered a lot during his adolescence and that he tried to suicide a few times.
#11. Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Nixon is most famous for her role as Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex And The City. During the time the series was on the air, Nixon portrayed an obsessive lawyer who dated many men but married Steve Brady and had a son. In real-life, Nixon married Danny Moze and had two children together.
But Nixon’s life change when in 2004 she started dating education activist Christine Marinoni and 8 years later, the couple got married in 2012. The couple had a son together. In recent interviews, Nixon declared that nothing had changed for her, the only thing that changed is that she fell in love with a woman instead of a man and defined herself as bisexual.
#10. Alan Cumming
The Scottish actor and singer Alan Cumming has a long career on stage, his most memorable performances were in Hamlet, Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, Bent and Cabaret. Through his career, Cummnig portrayed many straight men like in The Anniversary Party as Joe Therrian.
Cumming declared himself as a bisexual and he had dated many women, including an eight-year marriage with Hilary Lyron. Nowadays, Cumming is married to illustrator Grant Shaffer and they renewed their votes in 2012. The couple lives in Manhattan in the company of their dogs, Jerry and Lala.
#9. T. R. Knight
T. R. Knight is well-famous around the world for his role as Dr. George O’Malley in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Behind the scenes, Knight didn’t have a good time. It’s said that Knight’s co-star, the actor Isaiah Washington was fired after using a homophobic slur. We can imagine that it must have been really painful for Knight as he is openly gay.
Knight doesn’t have a problem talking about his sexuality but Washington’s says were something he couldn’t stan. The American actor is married to Patrick B. Leahy, a ballet dancer and writer. The couple got married after being 6 years together.
#8. Jodie Foster
American actress Jodie Foster is considered one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. Foster’s acting career dates back to the ‘70s, so she portrayed many straight characters like in Maverick as Annabelle Bransford. The speculations about Foster’s sexuality started in 1991 while she started dating Cydney Bernard.
At the 70the Golden Globe Award, Foster came out publically with a powerful speech. Foster declared that she had already come out in the past but at the present, she felt more secure and strong to tell everybody who she really was and not only to her family and close friends. Nowadays, Foster is married to Alexandra Hedison since 2014.
#7. Zachary Quinto
The American actor Zachary Quinto is well-known for his roles in NOS4A2, Heroes and in the Star Trek movies. In his career, Quinto has portrayed many straight characters, for example in the TV series American Horror Story: Asylum as Dr. Oliver Thredson. For the actor, it’s not a big deal as he is openly gay.
Quinto decided to talk about his sexuality after the suicide of the gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer, which was very touching to him. According to Quinto, he needed to be open about being gay because in that way he could do a contribution to the gay rights movement and help people who can’t talk about their sexuality freely. A very good reason behind it!
#6. Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson is considered one of the best actors of Hollywood of all time. Also, Hudson was known as Hollywood’s heartthrob. Hudson was under media attention not only for his professional career but also because of his private life, that he kept in private. According to some tabloids of the time, Hudson was secretly gay.
Also, some of Hudson’s co-star, like Mia Farrow, Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor knew about his sexuality. During his career, Hudson portrayed many straight characters like Brad Allen in Pillow Talk or George in Send Me No Flowers. The American actor passed away in 1985 at the age of 59 from AIDS complications.
#5. Richard Chamberlain
We can imagine how hard it must have been for some actors to come out in the past, like the case of Richard Chamberlain. The American actor declared to a French magazine in 1989 that he was gay but never talked about it again. It was not until 2003 when he released his autobiography Shattered Love: A Memoir that confirmed he is gay.
During his acting career, Chamberlain had many roles, including straight characters, like the time he was a teen idol in the TV show Dr. Kildare. Chamberlain’s other appearances include TV series like Shogun and The Thorn Birds. Don’t miss the last 5 actors from the list!
#4. Portia De Rossi
Nowadays, Portia De Rossi is famous for her acting career but also for being Ellen DeGeneres’ wife. The pair first met backstage during DeGeneres’ show and started dating in 2005. In 2008, the couple got married in a very private ceremony. Nowadays, both of them are very famous gay activists and they usually give speeches about gay rights.
Through her acting career, De Rossi had portrayed many heterosexual characters, like in Ally McBeal as Nelle Porter who was romantically involved with John Cage or as the married woman Lindsay Bluth Fünke in the TV series Arrested Development. It seems that De Rossi doesn’t have any complex of doing any role she wants too.
#3. Russell Tovey
Russell Tovey is an English actor that rose to fame when he portrayed werewolf George Sands in the BBC TV supernatural series Being Human. In the role of Sands, the actor had many love relationships with many female characters, including an engagement to Julia Beckett at the beginning of the series.
Tovey had a hard time when he came out to his parents at the age of 18. Although the actor came out with himself earlier, it was really difficult for him to tell his parents. In some interviews, Tovey declared that his parents didn’t accept him at first and that for them “it was a problem to be fixed”. Nowadays, the relationship with them is better than those times and the actor is dating rugby coach Steve Brockman since 2016.
#2. Meredith Baxter
For some people, it takes a long time to find out their true feelings and that was the case of the American actress Meredith Baxter. After four marriages with different men and 5 children, Baxter came out as a lesbian during an interview on Today with Matt Lauer where she told the audience that she was dating Nancy Locke, a general contractor since 2005. The couple got married in 2013.
Baxter is well-remembered for the fas of the ABC drama series Family Ties, that was on the air from 1982 to 1989. Baxter portrayed Elyse Keaton, a married woman of three children. When Baxter remembers those times, she regrets not knowing what was really happened to her. Luckily times have changed!
#1. Lily Tomlin
The American actress Lily Tomlin is considered one of the best comedians of Hollywood and her acting career has more than 30 years! Tomlin is currently working on the Netflix TV series Grace And Frankie, in the company of actress Jane Fonda. During her years as an actress, Tomlin played many heterosexual characters like in I Heart Huckabees as Vivian Jaffe.
Tomlin married her long-time partner since 1971, writer Jane Wagner, in 2013. For Tomlin, it was not necessary to come out as she thinks that being a lesbian has been always natural in her life. Also, she never wanted to make money from her sexuality after she declined an interview in Time magazine where she had to “come out”, according to Tomlin’s words:“I was more offended than anything that they thought we’d make a deal”.