Dynasty star Gordon Thomson comes out as gay, age 72
One of the original stars of Dynasty has come out as gay.
Popular US soap opera Dynasty aired on ABC from 1981 until 1989.
Gordon Thomson played the role of Adam Carrington, the villainous the long-lost son of characters Blake Carrington and Alexis Carrington.
Thompson came out this week in an interview with the Daily Beast.
He explained that to come out “to come out [in the 80s] would have been professional suicide without question”.
The actor added: “It’s not something I’ve ever announced. I’m assuming that people know, and now that I’m my age that’s fine.
“I don’t go out of my way because it’s my generation, I think. I’m probably as homophobic as any gay man alive because of my background.
“While I was growing up it was a crime, and then classified as a mental illness.
“It was not until Pierre Trudeau was prime minister of Canada when I was 23, 24-years-old, did it cease being a crime.”
He added: “It was not until I was nearly 30 that it stopped being classified as a mental illness in the US.
“So you’re dealing with that. And the shame, the breathtaking lack of self-esteem, has only just begun to seep out of my soul.”
Of his personal life, Thompson said: “I did have a partner, though not successfully—sadly, ultimately, because of my lack of self-esteem.”
A reboot of Dynasty begins on The CW next month.
But Thomson said: “I have had a look at the new Dynasty and I am appalled. What the fuck is the CW doing? It’s utter shit.”
The reboot deals with LGBT issues, taking a character who espoused homophobic views on the original series and making him supportive of his gay son.
Producer Josh Schwartz told The Wrap: “We sort of assumed that even in some of the more conservative pockets of the South, where the show takes place, a lot of those dynamics have evolved.”
He added that in the 2017 edition of ‘Dynasty’, Blake “can’t be homophobic”.
The producer explained: “He fiercely loves his family, and he fiercely defends his dynasty.”
