Partner Lon McCallister
Queer Places:
Carnegie Tech, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
Clay Avenue, Mars, PA
23910 Malibu Rd, Malibu, CA 90265
Saint Peters Cemetery, Butler, Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA
William John Eythe (April 7, 1918 – January 26, 1957) lived as an openly queer actor during the height of the Motion Picture Production Code era,
navigating a Hollywood studio system deeply hostile to gay and unmarried stars. Refusing to conform to the industry’s rigid heterosexual norms, he earned
a reputation as an uncooperative "rebel," with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper famously labeling him the "Brash Brat."
Born in Mars, Pennsylvania—a small town near Pittsburgh—he was the youngest child of Carl Sebastian and Kathleen Eyth. (He later added the final "e" to his surname when launching his professional acting career.) The local press frequently dubbed him "the man from Mars." As a child, Eythe grew up in the shadow of his older brother, nicknamed "Dutch," a star athlete who went on to become an All-American halfback on the football team at Carnegie Tech. Eythe also attended Carnegie Tech, but pursued drama, focusing heavily on set design, costume creation, and organizing local department store fashion shows. With the support of his parents, he transitioned after graduation into acting with several stock companies.
While performing alongside Ruth Chatterton in Cohasset, Massachusetts, Eythe caught the eye of Broadway producer Oscar Serlin, who cast him in the 1942 Martin Beck Theatre production of The Moon is Down. His performance secured him a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox. According to Hollywood lore, his primary talent scout at Fox was Anderson Lawler, a well-known Hollywood actor and famous "studio walker" who operated within the gay entertainment network of the time.
Prevented from military service during World War II due to hearing loss from a punctured eardrum, Eythe stepped into major screen roles left vacant by actors like Tyrone Power. He earned positive reviews for his performance in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) opposite Henry Fonda and gained major recognition for playing the romantic lead opposite Jennifer Jones in The Song of Bernadette (1943). Film exhibitors designated him a "Star of Tomorrow," and Variety heralded his bright screen future.
As Eythe’s star rose—culminating in his role as Catherine the Great’s reluctant lover alongside Tallulah Bankhead in A Royal Scandal (1945)—the studio struggled to manage his bachelor image. Studio publicists attempted to fabricate studio romances, including an orchestrated pairing with actress Anne Baxter, which Eythe publicly dismissed in interviews with Hedda Hopper and journalist Paul Benedict. Eythe instead deflected questions by referencing a mysterious "unnamed girl back home," telling Benedict she was a private figure who did not want to be part of the film industry. In truth, no such hometown girlfriend existed.
Eythe was living openly with fellow actor and Fox contract star Lon McCallister. McCallister had gained major wartime fame playing boyish service members in Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Winged Victory (1944). Despite the severe risks associated with being gay under Hollywood’s "morals clauses," Eythe and McCallister refused to hide their cohabitation. Reporters and studio insiders were well aware of the nature of their relationship. When Eythe went to London in the summer of 1946 to shoot Meet Me at Dawn, McCallister traveled overseas to join him—a trip covered extensively in contemporary press as a notable "friendship."
This defiance directly challenged studio authority. 20th Century Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck grew increasingly displeased with the pair’s public visibility. According to actor Ray Stricklyn, Zanuck demanded that Eythe and McCallister stop appearing in public together. When they refused to comply with studio demands, Zanuck dropped Eythe from his Fox contract, halting his trajectory toward top-tier stardom.
Adrift and under mounting pressure to rehabilitate his public persona, Eythe entered a brief, ill-fated marriage in 1947 to 18-year-old Buff Cobb, an actress and granddaughter of author Irvin S. Cobb (and later wife of TV journalist Mike Wallace). The marriage quickly unraveled. In January 1949, Cobb filed for divorce, alleging that Eythe had "struck her with great violence." When ordered to pay a $2,500 divorce settlement, Eythe refused and spent a night in jail.
Eythe continued acting in minor films for Paramount and Columbia, stepped into early television productions, and worked on stage. However, his career was severely impacted by personal struggles and heavy drinking. During the Los Angeles run of the musical revue Lend an Ear, he repeatedly forgot his lines and was forced to leave the production. A series of drunk-driving arrests generated tabloid headlines, including a 1952 arrest in Malibu after he admitted to "getting loaded."
Despite these personal hurdles, his departure from the studio system allowed him to maintain his lifelong bond with McCallister. The couple traveled extensively and produced short commercial films for the Hilton hotel chain. When asked in later years why they both retired early from acting, McCallister joked, "Bill's too fat and I'm too old."
The pair lived together in Malibu for many years, with McCallister caring for Eythe as his health declined due to severe alcohol abuse, hepatitis, and liver failure. William Eythe died on January 26, 1957, at the age of 38.
References:
 Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969 Paperback – October 29, 2002 by William J. Mann |
Other References:
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