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George Nader (1921 - 2002)
Anyone who has been a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and similar shows may recognize George Nader as the hero in both 1953's Robot Monster and 1965's The Human Duplicators. Fans of vintage beefcake may recognize him as one of the most photographed Hollywood hunks of the 1950s. Fans of science fiction literature may recognize him as the author of Chrome, the first science fiction novel to openly present male homosexual love. And finally, fans of Hollywood gossip may recognize him as one of the many male celebrities linked to Rock Hudson. George Nader was born in Pasadena on 19 October. He first started acting while attending school, appearing in numerous Pasadena Playhouse productions, and eventually earned a B.A. in theater arts. Nader's film debut came in an Allan "Rocky" Lane western flick, Rustlers on Horseback, in 1950. After a few small and uncredited parts, he appeared as "Roy" in Robot Monster. Generally regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, the film sported an alien baddie played by a guy in a gorilla suit who wore a fish bowl space helmet fitted with television antennae, and who destroyed all but a handful of the human race with a hobby shop contrivance that spouted soap bubbles when in operation. A brief space flight scene consisted of a toy rocket held aloft by an all too visible black gloved hand, with the rocket exploding in a cloud of talcum powder. Largely because it was one of the first films to use 3-D, Robot Monster was a surprising box-office success, and rapidly garnered a cult status among of fans of sci-fi cinema. Nader spent much of the movie barechested, and his impressive physique and handsome features helped to get him signed as a contract player with Universal soon after its release. Very athletic and standing at 6'1" with a weight of 180 lb., Nader kept in shape by working out with weights and swimming, and at a time when most film actors shaved their chests, he usually sported a thick thatch of masculine fur. In 1955 George Nader won the Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer." That same year he had major roles in Six Bridges To Cross, with Tony Curtis and Sal Mineo, The Second Greatest Sex, with Mamie Van Doren, and Lady Godiva, with Maureen O'Hara. The following year he starred in Away All Boats with Jeff Chandler. A frequent co-star was Julie Adams, best known for The Creature From the Black Lagoon, with studio publicity claiming a romance between her and Nader. The romance in fact was completely fictitious, as Nader was one of many inhabitants of the Hollywood closet. After a brief involvement with Rock Hudson, with whom he maintained a close friendship, Nader began a life-long relationship with Rock's personal secretary, Mark Miller. After tabloids began leaking hints about the relationship between Hudson and Nader, Nader was sacrificed by the studios to save Hudson's reputation and career. After a brief but largely unsatisfying stint on television, which included the starring role on Ellery Queen, Nader left for Europe, where he appeared in a series of German movies as "Jerry Cotton," an FBI agent, in one of many attempts by European filmmakers to cash in on the success of the "James Bond" franchise. He also co-starred with future Bond villain Richard Kiel in The Human Duplicators, and with Vincent Price in House of a Thousand Dolls (1967). In 1974 Nader was involved in an auto accident, sustaining an eye injury which developed into glaucoma. As a consequence he developed such a sensitivity to light that he could not work under the bright lights used on film and television sets, and was forced to retire from acting. He eventually tried his hand to writing. The result was published in 1978 as Chrome, the story of a futuristic and forbidden love relationship between a human male and a "male" robot. As the first novel in the genre to deal openly with erotic love between men, the book was a definitive milestone in science fiction literature. Other works followed, including The Perils of Paul, co-written with Mark Miller. George Nader spent most of his last years in Hawaii and Palm Springs, sharing his life with Miller and maintaining his friendship with Rock Hudson. When Hudson succumbed to complications of AIDS in 1985, Nader was among those included in his 27 million dollar will. On 4 Feb., 2002, after a battle with pneumonia, George Nader died at the age of 80 from cardiac pulmonary failure and cerebral infarctions at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Country Home in Woodland Hills, California. After a small, private service, he was cremated and his ashes scattered. He was survived by Mark Miller and relatives who included former Dynasty star Michael Nader. Links: George Nader at Brian's Drive-In Theater Gay Abandon--Chrome, by George Nader Internet Movie Database - George Nader Internet Movie Database - Robot Monster Robot Monster Review - Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension G-Man Jerry Cotton (Deutsch) <
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