Laurence Harvey was one of Hollywood's stranger success stories; never a major star, or even the subject of a cult following, his films were rarely hits, & those that were often seemed to achieve their popularity in spite of him. A cold, remote actor, he proved highly unsuited to the majority of the roles which came his way, & his performances were often the subject of unanimous critical dismissal; even his fellow actors derided his abilities. & yet, Harvey had a career much longer & more prolific than many of his contemporaries, & was one of the most important screen presences of the 1960s. His resumé includes at least a single classic- 1962's The Manchurian Candidate.
In his late teens, Harvey became involved with Hermione Baddeley, an actress, 2 times his age. He was married 3 more times, in 1957 to actress Margaret Leighton, a woman of style but old enough to be his mother, in 1957, to Joan Perry Cohn in 1968, the very rich widow of movie mogul Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures, & to Paulene Stone. Harvey had met Stone on the set of A Dandy in Aspic, & while still married to Cohn he became a father for the first time when Stone gave birth to a daughter in 1969. Eventually, Harvey divorced Cohn to marry Stone in 1972.
Laurence Harvey was actually gay. Frank Sinatra's valet, author of Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra, George Jacobs recounts that Harvey often made passes at him while visiting Sinatra. According to Jacobs, Sinatra was aware of Harvey's sexuality but did not mind, joking that he had the handicaps of being gay, a Jew, & a "Polock, so people should go easy on him.
A heavy drinker, Harvey died from stomach cancer at age of 45. His daughter Domino Harvey was a famous bounty hunter who also died at an early age. They are buried together in Santa Barbara Cemetery in Santa Barbara,California.
Who is gay in this photograph? Julie Christy, John Schlessinger, & Laurence Harvey on the set of Darling.
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