Author Topic: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)  (Read 7033 times)

Offline oilgun

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M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« on: May 06, 2009, 03:06:36 pm »
From: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid82693.asp

Television and voice actor David Ogden Stiers has come out of the closet at age 66.

According to PopEater, when recently asked by the Gossip Boy blog if he is gay, Stiers succinctly said, "Yes, I am. Very proud to be so."

Stiers starred as the stuffy Major Winchester on the last five seasons of the popular '70s and early '80s sitcom M*A*S*H, and lent his voice to numerous animated films like Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"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.


Offline louisev

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2009, 03:38:11 pm »
Interesting reason to come out - looking for love!
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2009, 03:39:33 pm »
Heavens, I took him for gay when he was on M*A*S*H.  :-\
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline louisev

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2009, 03:41:01 pm »
so did I!

But then again I always assumed Kelsey Grammer was gay too.  He had the same vibe about him.
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline oilgun

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2009, 04:12:29 pm »
so did I!

But then again I always assumed Kelsey Grammer was gay too.  He had the same vibe about him.

He sure does.  He was even on FRASIER where their similarities were played to great effect:

From IMDb:
Fathers & Sons:  Leland Barton[Stiers], Hester Crane's old research assistant, visits Seattle. He is so alike in personality to Frasier and Niles that Martin starts to wonder who is the boys' real father.  ?

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2009, 04:15:04 pm »
so did I!

But then again I always assumed Kelsey Grammer was gay too.  He had the same vibe about him.

Sure enough. But ol' what's-his-name, who played Niles, even more so.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline southendmd

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2009, 04:58:55 pm »
Good for him!  Coming out at 66!

I always loved his Brahmin accent on M*A*S*H.  You know, he was only 35 in 1977 when he first played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III.

Offline louisev

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2009, 05:09:29 pm »
He sure does.  He was even on FRASIER where their similarities were played to great effect:

From IMDb:
Fathers & Sons:  Leland Barton[Stiers], Hester Crane's old research assistant, visits Seattle. He is so alike in personality to Frasier and Niles that Martin starts to wonder who is the boys' real father.  ?

hahahah... that was an episode I missed!
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline Ellemeno

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2009, 05:12:07 pm »

"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.







Offline louisev

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2009, 05:36:54 pm »
Hmmmm three part names:

David Ogden Stiers
Neil Patrick Harris
David Hyde Pierce

I sense a pattern....
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline oilgun

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2009, 05:41:44 pm »
Hmmmm three part names:

David Ogden Stiers
Neil Patrick Harris
David Hyde Pierce

I sense a pattern....

'Wasps' give their kids uppity-sounding names?  ;)

Offline southendmd

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2009, 06:00:11 pm »
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".

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2009, 07:24:31 pm »
Hmmmm three part names:

David Ogden Stiers
Neil Patrick Harris
David Hyde Pierce

I sense a pattern....

Might be a sign to take a closer look, but probably nothing more. There are plenty with only two names (e.g., Nathan Lane, Rupert Everett). But it could be a signal--a clue--to look further--like the guy wearing a Speedo when all around are in board shorts.  ;D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline louisev

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2009, 07:30:30 pm »
Might be a sign to take a closer look, but probably nothing more. There are plenty with only two names (e.g., Nathan Lane, Rupert Everett). But it could be a signal--a clue--to look further--like the guy wearing a Speedo when all around are in board shorts.  ;D

I need some Speedo evidence, Jeff.
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline southendmd

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2012, 01:39:54 pm »
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]

Offline Mandy21

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2012, 12:18:14 am »
I had read about Stiers's self-admitted homosexuality several years ago.  Although I can't remember where I read it, it was he who confirmed it at that time in the article, and I remember thinking 'good for him, it's never too late'.

MASH is my all-time fave TV show, looked forward to it every week from when I was 6 until I was 17.  I have the whole collection of all 11 seasons on DVD and am not ashamed to say I watch it all the way through at least once, sometimes twice a year.  I remember when Winchester first appeared, he really irked me, but then, that was what his character was supposed to do, and he played it well.  He won my favor in increments, like with the orphanage / chocolates Christmas episode that Clarissa mentioned, and when he agreed to substitute teach a class at the last minute for Margaret so that she could go to Tokyo, and in the finale, when he handed over a copy of "Sonnets from the Portuguese" from his collection to Margaret because it had touched her so deeply.  I wished the writers would have given him more moments like that because as an actor, he really has a gift for reaching into the audience's hearts when his humanity shines through.
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Offline Ellemeno

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2012, 03:26:58 am »
Really well done song.  Thanks for having the je ne sais quoi to post it, Paul.

Re three names: Charles Nelson Reilly.


Offline David In Indy

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2012, 05:00:07 am »
I had read about Stiers's self-admitted homosexuality several years ago.  Although I can't remember where I read it, it was he who confirmed it at that time in the article, and I remember thinking 'good for him, it's never too late'.

MASH is my all-time fave TV show, looked forward to it every week from when I was 6 until I was 17.  I have the whole collection of all 11 seasons on DVD and am not ashamed to say I watch it all the way through at least once, sometimes twice a year.  I remember when Winchester first appeared, he really irked me, but then, that was what his character was supposed to do, and he played it well.  He won my favor in increments, like with the orphanage / chocolates Christmas episode that Clarissa mentioned, and when he agreed to substitute teach a class at the last minute for Margaret so that she could go to Tokyo, and in the finale, when he handed over a copy of "Sonnets from the Portuguese" from his collection to Margaret because it had touched her so deeply.  I wished the writers would have given him more moments like that because as an actor, he really has a gift for reaching into the audience's hearts when his humanity shines through.


I can't bear to hear that M*A*S*H theme song these days. That was my Dad's favourite show and he fought in the Korean War, and earned numerous medals while he was there. And I remember curling up in front of the TV on a soft blanket, as Dad sat in his chair and we watched that show together......

I don't know. That theme song brings back wonderful memories, but memories I am not ready to face just now.....safe feelings from my childhood that are gone now.

I am glad though that David Stiers came out of his closet and is FREE now!! 8)
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Offline Penthesilea

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Re: M*A*S*H Star Stiers Comes Out (and is looking for love.)
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2012, 06:13:45 am »
I can't bear to hear that M*A*S*H theme song these days. That was my Dad's favourite show and he fought in the Korean War, and earned numerous medals while he was there. And I remember curling up in front of the TV on a soft blanket, as Dad sat in his chair and we watched that show together......

I don't know. That theme song brings back wonderful memories, but memories I am not ready to face just now.....safe feelings from my childhood that are gone now.

I am glad though that David Stiers came out of his closet and is FREE now!! 8)


{{{David}}}

There will be a time down the road when you will listen to the theme song, or maybe watch the show, and smile. It may always be bittersweet, and it may take a long while to get to that point. But the day will come when the wonderful memories won't be tinged with sadness too much, and you will seek them out and be able to enjoy them.

Love ya, sweetie. :-*