"I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons," Stiers said. "Now is the time I wish to find someone and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion for me."
The actor explained why it was difficult for him to come out earlier in his career. "From the late 1980s until about seven or eight years ago, you would find certain individuals coming up to you, me, and advocating the position that since we were doing family fare that it would be best were the actors to maintain a certain palatability to parents. These parties likely had heard rumors or harbored suspicions about me and wanted to make sure no embarrassing incidents were forthcoming," he says.
He even talks like Major Winchester in real life! He was one of my favorites on that show. He did great at playing a character who was effete, but with more depth than at first suspected. I remember one episode where his sister sent him fancy chocolates, and with great largesse, he gave them to the man running the orphanage, to share with the children there. When he is outraged to discover the children never got those chocolates, he confronts the orphanage man, who explains to him that he traded the chocolates on the black market for more basic goods that they desperately needed. Stiers' portrayal, going from arrogant noblesse oblige to humble understanding of the orphans' stark situation was wonderful acting.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h257/Ellemeno_2006/10103196.jpg)
He can sing, too!
As any good Broadway Queen could tell you, Stiers was in Stephen Schwartz's "The Magic Show" on Broadway in the '70s. In his big number, "Style", he sings about his character's sartorial splendor in the same supercilious slant as Major Winchester. In fact, the lyrics include phrases like "quelle largesse" and "je ne sais quoi".
I found it! Catchy tune. Love the backup singers!
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZlgUvk-wj0[/youtube]