Michael Kearns, an actor, writer, and activist who challenged Hollywood norms by living as an openly gay man and publicly disclosing his HIV-positive status during the height of the AIDS crisis, has died. He was 76.
His death on October 5 was shared by his longtime friend, performance artist Tim Miller. Kearns was a foundational voice in the fight for LGBTQ+ visibility and the destigmatization of HIV/AIDS, using his platform in theatre and film to tell stories that were often ignored or misrepresented by the mainstream.
Born in 1950, Kearns moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and began his career in an era when being openly gay was considered career suicide for an actor. Undeterred, he built a career that included roles in television series such as The Waltons, Cheers, and Beverly Hills, 90210, as well as Brian De Palma's 1984 film Body Double.
A Complex Path to Activism
Kearns' early career was anything but conventional. In 1975, he was hired to publicly impersonate "Grant Tracy Saxon," the supposed author of the bestselling book The Happy Hustler. This marketing campaign, which included nude photoshoots and talk show appearances, blurred the lines between performance and reality. Kearns later spoke openly about how this period led to his own experiences with sex work and roles in adult films, which he used to finance his life at the time.
After overcoming struggles with substance abuse, he refocused on mainstream acting and his own creative work. However, it was the AIDS epidemic that would come to define his legacy.
Breaking the Silence on HIV
In 1991, during an interview on the popular show Entertainment Tonight, Kearns publicly stated that he was HIV-positive. He was one of the very first working actors in Hollywood to do so. At a time of intense fear and misinformation, his disclosure was a significant act of defiance against the industry's silence and stigma.
He co-founded the organization Artists Confronting AIDS (ACA) and dedicated much of his work to exploring the human side of the epidemic. He played activist Cleve Jones in the 1993 HBO film And the Band Played On and appeared in the 1996 AIDS drama It's My Party.
Kearns was also critical of Hollywood's often one-dimensional portrayal of people with the virus. "It was a new kind of cliché," he told the Los Angeles Blade in 2021. "They always had to make me look terrible. The more ghostly, the better. They couldn't show an HIV-positive character who looked normal." Through his acclaimed one-man theatre shows, such as Intimacies, he presented more nuanced and authentic portraits of life with HIV.
A Lasting Legacy
Beyond his professional work, Kearns broke new ground in his personal life. In the 1990s, as a single, openly gay, and HIV-positive man, he adopted his daughter, Katherine, a decision that was highly unusual and challenging at the time. He remained an active artist until the end of his life, presenting his 16th solo show in 2023.
In a tribute, his friend Tim Miller wrote, "Fighter, actor and AIDS activist. Big brother. A truly unique person. The world has become a bit smaller now... I love you, Michael."
Michael Kearns is survived by his daughter, Katherine. His life stands as a testament to the power of living openly and using art as a tool for social change, leaving an indelible mark on LGBTQ+ history.
