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Mainpage » Society Index » Famous Gay Celebrities Famous Gay & Lesbian CelebritiesOut & Famous: Mini-Bio Profiles A short list of famous gay, lesbian, and bisexual celebrity personalities. They have all officially come out and we do not publish rumours. These mini-biographies are © Copyright QueerAttitude.com.  Simon Amstell
English Beginning as a children's TV presenter for Nikolodeon UK, Amstell was fired because his sarcasm upset the wee kids. It was embraced, however, by the viewers of his next programmes, Popworld the amazingly popular Sunday mornings TV spot that took an irreverant look at the world of popular music, which he left last year to replace Mark Lamaar as the presenter of the late night musical comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In both these shows he's been entirely open about his sexuality, using it as a very successful and oft-talked-about comedy point when playing off against the homophobia of artists such as Beenie Man. His irreverance for his celebrity guests has also led to making Britney Spears cry on Popworld, and having Preston walk off of a Buzzcocks set when Amstell hit a nerve about the intellect of his wife Chantelle. [Simon Amstell bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  John Barrowman
Scottish Barrowman was in the public eye over 10 years ago as a presenter of the now cancelled BBC Children's Saturday morning offering Live & Kicking. Splitting his time before and since between the UK and the US, he recently regained fame, first as the mysterious character Captain Jack in Doctor Who (and later starring in the spinoff Torchwood) and then as one of the judges in the musical theatre talent searches How do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do. Barrowman came out in between his two bouts of fame, and has recently had a civil partnership with British partner Scott Gill - although he objects to the term "marriage" for his partnership, saying "why would I want a 'marriage' from a belief system that hates me?" [John Barrowman bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Boy George
British Boy George is a global TV and media personality, as much as he is the frontman of the 80's band Culture Club. His name is synonymous with his brand -- androgyny combined with extreme dress-sense. "His barely concealed homosexuality, though no problem to his many fans, caused considerable comment in the tabloid press." - VH1. The thing that caused more controversy however, was his drug addiction, at one point taunting the media with the statement that he was "your favourite junkie." He was however successfully treated for his dependancy. More recently he has been producing dance mix compilations for the Ministry Of Sound label, often in conjunction with fellow DJ, Pete Tong. [ Boy George bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Michael Cashman MEP
British Born in the East End of London. By the age of 12 he was performing in Lionel Bart's musical Oliver which was running in one of London's west end theatres. He then went on to stage school in Surbiton, Surrey. He has had a distinguished career as an actor and singer spanning thirty seven years. He has also worked as a director. He then moved to a career in politics, and is now Labour MEP for the West Midlands. He is also the European Parliamentary Labour Party Spokesperson on Northern Ireland. He has been an active campaigner across a wide range of issues. During his time on EastEnders (playing Colin Russell), he formed the Stonewall Group (British group campaigning for lesbian and gay equality) and was its founding chair, and he was awarded a Special Service Award in 1988 for his campaigning work by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights and the Gay Medical Association. Michael is currently living with his partner, Paul, and they have been together for 18 years. [Michael Cashman MEP bio written by Rebecca Dale for QA.] [Back to top]  Ellen Degeneres
American Degeneres was voted Funniest Person in America way back in 1982, won the Comedy Award for Best Female Club Standup in 1991, and was named Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of the Year in 1997. In the same year she came out, mirroring the coming out of her character Ellen in the ABC sitcom of the same name. Once in a high-profile relationship with Anne Heche, she is now enjoying a quieter relationship with fellow celeb Portia De Rossi, and has moved away from acting to presenting. She hosted the last Academy Awards, as well as a regular chat show, The Ellen Degeneres Show. [Ellen Degeneres bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  The Fab Five
American The stars of the Bravo US show Queer Eye (for the Straight Guy) are Thom Filicia (design), Carson Kressley (fashion), Ted Allen (food & wine), Kyan Douglas (grooming) and Jai Rodriguez (culture). The rise in popularity of the show during its five year run, and the low popularity of its spin-offs, shows that the unique mix of the five personalities was accepted by an American and International audience. They certainly played their part in the huge downfall in the popularity of homophobia that occured in the first few years of the 21st century. [The Fab Five bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Jodie Foster
American Jodie Foster has been making headlines since she was 14 when she appeared as an underage prostitute in the De Niro film Taxi Driver. Since then she's starred in many acclaimed films and has won several awards, including two Oscars. Although there had been rumors about Foster's sexuality for several years, she only finally came out in December 2007, paying tribute to her partner of 14 years, Cydney Bernard, after winning a Women in Entertainment award. Foster and Bernard met on the set of the film Sommersby in 1993 and are raising two boys, ages 9 and 6, in their home in Malibu. [Jodie Foster bio written by Annabelle for QA.] [Back to top]  Stephen Fry
British Fry began as an actor, performing in a huge number of plays across the UK, and then TV and movies, most commonly appearing with his performing partner Hugh Laurie (with whom he shares a complicated friendship) including a part as Oscar Wilde in a biopic film. Fry has more recently been in front of the camera as himself, presenting the increasingly popular BBC intellectual series QI, as well as recently hosting a documentary that brought us in to his Secret World of the Manic Depressive, a world that has led him to extreme behaviours, including attempted suicide, and later disappearing for several weeks to Belgium. Fry has been openly gay since the age of 16, and is an avid supporter of the Macintosh! [Stephen Fry bio written by Tris Davies for QA.] [Back to top]  Stephen Gately
Irish Stephen rose to fame during his time with the chart-topping boyband Boyzone and went on to pursue a solo career. He came out in The Sun newspaper, giving his story for free, on 16 June 1999. He stated that "it shouldn't be an issue", however he knew he was about to be 'outed' by a member of security staff - so Stephen stole his thunder, good on him... Stephen entered into a civil partnership with long-term partner Andrew Cowles in 2006. Stephen passed away in his sleep while on holiday in Spain on 10 October 2009 at the young age of 33. [Stephen Gately bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Andrew Hayden-Smith
British A definite favourite of the QA staff, Andrew began his career in the popular BBC Children's drama Byker Grove before being a presenter on CBBC itself for a number of years. He had a small part on a Doctor Who serial in 2006 and since decided he wanted to concentrate on acting rather presenting. He hasn't been heard from since, but his undoubtable talent means we will sooner or later. He came out to Attitude magazine in Febuary 2005, making him the first children's TV presenter to actually admit he's gay while on the job. In a later interview, he said he knew he was gay when he was five years of age. [Andrew Hayden-Smith bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Elton John
British His real name is possibly just as famous as his 'rock star name'. Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Middlesex, UK, and started playing the piano at the age of 4. Despite his obvious talents as a musician, he struggled to conquer the charts - even with favourable reviews by the critics. The renamed, more saleable Elton John, got his first hit major in 1970 with the release of Your Song. From there, John whent on to become the most successful rock pianist in the world. Within the same decade, bravely for the time, John announced he was bisexual, and has been open about it ever since. He married Renate Blauel in 1984, but they seperated in the following years. John now lives with his husband David Furnish whom he "loves very much." Their civil partnership was one of the earliest when they were brought in, and probably the first involving celebrities. Elton's nature as a "diva" has been revealed more and more by recent documentaries and interviews. [Elton John bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Amy Lamé
American Amy Lamé has been in the UK for most of her career, where she has been a mainstay of the London gay scene. Well known as an events host and entrepreneur, she was one of the mentors on the 2007 Channel 4 series that charted the efforts of four teens who set up the UK's first gay youth prom in 2006. She has also been a participant in Celebrity Fit Club, although her rotund figure is often considered part of her ironic 50s-style trademark image. She lives in London with her partner Jenny in London, and became an official British citizen this year. [Amy Lamé bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  k.d. lang
Canadian Lang, born Kathryn Dawn Lang in Consort, Alberta, is the daughter of a farmer. She became skillful at playing the guitar and the piano at a young age, and she persued a career in performing arts when she left school. She eventually chose to sing country - a style she had once hated, describing it as "the corniest in pop." Angel With A Lariat, lang's debut release on a major label, was given positive feedback from rock magazines such as Rolling Stone, but most country radio stations refused to play it, prejudiced by her spiky hair cut, vegetarianism and her ambiguous sexuality. lang came out in June 1992 in The Advocate magazine, and entered a serious relationship with musician Leisha Hailey in 1996. Oh, and she prefers her name in lower case because "it's generic and unlike Cherry Bomb, it's a name, not a sexuality"... [k.d. lang bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Matt Lucas
English Most famous for being one half of the creative duo that brought the world Little Britain, which in turn brought us the well known gay character Daffyd (amongst others), Matt Lucas is somewhat a role model for those young gay people who, unlike the stereotypes he portrays, just wants to sit down when they get home from work and watch whatever's on TV. Recently marrying partner Kevin McGee in a civil partnership ceremony, Kevin has recently been rumoured to be becoming a Blue Peter presenter. [Matt Lucas bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Ian McKellen
English A treasure not only of the gay community, but Britain itself, Sir Ian McKellen is undoubtedly one of the finest actors and finest gentlemen of the moder world. On the thespianic side of things, he is a classically trained Shakespearian actor on a par with Patrick Stewart, and like Stewart balances his time between the legitimate theatre and those Hollywood projects that catch his eye, such as the eternal Lord of the Rings. As a gay man, McKellen was out to his colleagues from day 1 of his career, and to the general public since the late eighties. He founded the gay rights campaign juggernaught Stonewall, and campaigned strongly for such issues as Section 28 - including once writing on an autograph for the Tory politican Michael Howard's children, "Fuck off, I'm gay." He continues to champion for gay rights and visibility today, launching the 2007 Gay History Month for personal friend and organiser Sue Sanders. [Ian McKellen bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  George Michael
British In a career spanning over 20 years, Michael has had six US number 1's, eleven British number 1's, and has sold more than 67 million records worldwide. He started off as one member of the duo Wham! in the early eighties, and went on to play some of the biggest concerts in history, including Live Aid and The Freddie Mercury Tribute. Michael didn't come out as much as he was 'outed' after being arrested for lewd conduct in an LA public toilet. You've gotta give him respect though, as he then mocked the whole incident in his later music video, Outside. In addition, he talked openly about it, and many other things in an infamous interview with Parkinson. He still has a "fantastic relationship" with his partner, Kenny Goss. Lately, he has been involved in a number of drug-related scandals, but his career goes strong, having just been the first ever performer at the new London Wembley Stadium. [George Michael bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Graham Norton
Irish The openly gay Graham Norton started out as a struggling actor, working in bars to supplement his income. However he soon moved onto stand-up comedy, and got his big break in 1997 when he was nominated for the prestigious Perrier comedy award at the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival. TV offers rolled in, and Norton ended up as a stand-in presenter before he was given his own comedy chat show, So Graham Norton, which became hugely successful. After a brief stint in America, Norton's contract was bought by the BBC, and he has been presenting a similar chat show for them, as well as fronting the recently popular musical theatre talent shows How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do. [Graham Norton bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Rosie O'Donnell
American Rosie came out a month after playing the lesbian mother of Jack's son on the sitcom Will & Grace in 2002. Since, and before, Rosie had endeared herself to some and incurred the wrath of others by being more than happy to say what she feels in order to right wrongs in the world. Her coming out was shortly followed by some harsh words for the politicians that prevented gay adoptions, which adds on to the long list of things she's objected to, including gun control laws, the Iraq war and family values in general. She currently lives with her civil partner Kelli Carpenter and their four children. [Rosie O'Donnell bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  David Paisley
Scottish David has had relatively little exposure in relation to how renowned he is in the gay community. His only TV parts have been on Holby City, the relatively unknown Tinsel Town and a bit part on the quirky T4 drama As If. He was featured in an interview with American magazine XY, despite the fact that none of these were shown in the States. A mainstay of the Top 10 of QA's predecessor GSO, and one-time Sexiest Man in Britain according to the readers of the Gay Times, David's been heard from very little recently, other than a part in a film adaptation of While England Sleeps. [David Paisley bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Christopher Rice
American Rice has the (dis?)advantage of being the son of poet/artist Stan Rice and megastar author Anne Rice (Interview With the Vampire, 1976). Rice, however, grew up with the ambition of being an actor and only started writing after being disheartned because he wasn't called back after an audition. He initially started writing screenplays, later claiming "I always thought that I wouldn't write novels, that I wasn't cut out for it." His first novel, A Density Of Souls, published when he was 21, is a thriller which tells the story of four young friends in New Orleans whose lives are pulled in drastically different directions when they enter high school. One character is loosely based on himself; tall, blue-eyed, and gay. [Christopher Rice bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  David Sedaris
American David Sedaris is an openly gay author who was born in Johnson City, New York, raised in North Carolina. David Sedaris began his career by reading his essays on radio, which aired in America and the UK in the mid-nineties. He developed a knack for making people laugh by humorously telling of his own stories throughout his life, such as his family, jobs, and relationships. His books include: Naked, Barrel Fever, and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He still does essay readings on the radio, and also live readings of his books, which are very funny. Sedaris' latest book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, was released in June of last summer and was the New York Times bestseller for Nonfiction. After an extreme drug adiction and a period of akward jobs (described in parts of Me Talk Pretty One Day), he's somewhat settled down in France with his long-term boyfriend (husband?) Hugh Hamrick. [David Sedaris bio written by Billy for QA.] [Back to top]  Bryan Singer
American Bryan Singer is a gay, Jewish New-Yorker, who's gone on record as saying that growing up as a member of (at least two!) minorities has influenced his movie-making, as well perhaps, as his love of certain comic book characters. Singer brought X-Men and X2 to the screen (and was mercifully not responsible for the dire third installment), in which a very clear parallel between growing up gay and growing up a "mutant" is seen, in the way both are unseen and misunderstood. He's also at least partially responsible for popular phenomena such as Superman Returns, House MD, and is slated to be at the helm for an upcoming remake of Logan's Run. [Bryan Singer bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Michael Stipe
American Michael Stipe is most famous for being the frontman of R.E.M., a band that some would call the most important and influential American rock band of the post-punk era. Stipe met fellow band-member, guitarist Peter Buck, while he was studying painting and photography at the University of Georgia, US. R.E.M. was then formed in 1980 with bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. Stipe has also published photo collections and produced feature films (such as Being John Malkovich, 1999, through his company Single Cell). Stipe finally came out in May 2001 saying "I was being made to be a coward about it, rather than someone who felt like it really was a very private thing." At the same time, it was revealed he was in a relationship of over 3 years. [Michael Stipe bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Peter Tatchell
Australian Tatchell was born and raised in Melbourne, came out in 1969 at the age of 17, and moved to London in 1971. He's been at it (campaigning) for over 30 years, written 6 books, 2,000 published articles, and staged numerous political stunts. His controversial, up-front approach has gained him as much criticism as respect, from both gays and straights. However, the massively successful OutRage!, co-founded by Tatchell, has undoubtably gone a long way to changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the UK. Recently, he has announced he will be standing as a prospective MP for the Green Party in the next general election. [Peter Tatchell bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Tila Tequila
American Tila Tequila was born under the legal name Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen, and is most well known by her hit MTV reality show A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, her hosting job on the cult game show Pants-Off Dance-Off, and by her status as MySpace royalty. Born and raised in Houston, Texas to strict Vietnamese immigrants, Tequila often rebelled during her school years by attending nightclubs while underage, taking part in recreational drug use, and by joining cliques. She has been quoted as saying that at one point during her adolescence, she didn't know whether she was black, hispanic, or Asian at times. Discovered at a mall when she was 18, Tequila became the first Asian Playboy cover model, began acting and music careers, and furthered her often negative public image. She has been an outspoken advocate for more education and understanding of bisexuality, and of the LGBT community in general. [Tila Tequila bio written by Jordan for QA.] [Back to top]  Dale Winton
British Dale Winton is a household name in the UK, he's been presenting television programmes for the BBC since 1986, and has fronted numerous shows ranging from Supermarket Sweep to The Other Half to The National Lottery. He never officially came out, or publicly addressed his sexuality in any way, until writing about it in his autobiography. Some would say this is due to a fear of damaging his career. In an interview with Richard & Judy however, he made it clear that he wasn't sure for a long time, and felt it to be of a very personal nature. [Dale Winton bio written by Grum for QA.] [Back to top]  Will Young
English Will won the first Pop Idol talent competition (that spawned the even bigger American Idol) in 2002, and came out to newspapers shortly after. He's been an exception to the usual rule regarding musical talent comptition winners by actually succeeding in the business, breaking records for selling a phenomenal number of singles in the first week of his victory. He's also reached the number 1 spot in Ireland. While he makes no bones about not wanting to be a champion for the gay community, he's confident and comfortable discussing his sexuality, in so far as he is willing to talk about his private life, and in recent years been performing at venues such as London's G-A-Y. [Will Young bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top] More famous LGBT people for which no bio has yet been written, unsorted:
Famous Homophobes A short list of famous homophobes. All those featured in our list have shown due reason for us to justify their inclusion. Homophobic actions, or actions that are otherwise detrimental to the LGBT cause or detrimental to our daily lives, will be the basis for our classification of "due reason". This article cannot be deemed slanderous as the following bios contain fact only, mixed with opinion, and our "homophobe" classification is the only logical deduction when presented with these facts.  Stephen Green
English Stephen Green could be described as a Fred Phelps wannabe. Amongst the targets of his organisation, Christian Voice (which, like WBC, purports to be far more representative of Christians than it in fact is) are Islam, Jerry Springer: The Opera, teachers of Religious Studies who don't give exclusive focus to Christianity, and of course, homosexuals. He practices based on the belief that the nation of Britain is in sin, and that following anything but the literal truth of the Bible is an inexplicable evil. This has of course led to a significant amount of homophobic actions, including his recent arrest (although convictions were not pressed for) for interfering with a recent gay rights protest with homophobic rhetoric and leaflets. [Stephen Green bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Jill Knight
English Now the Baroness Knight of Collingtree, and a Life Peer in the House of Lords, in 1988 she was a mere MP in the Commons, and the member responsible for the introduction of the 28th clause in the Local Government Act - a piece of legislation that made it illegal for local government institutions to say it was okay to practice or promote homosexuality. With numerous practical and theoretical implications, especially in schools, it was one of the most controversial and undeniabely homophobic pieces of legislation since that which made it illegal merely to be gay. Knight went on record as saying that she believes it is morally wrong to express to children that it's okay to be gay or accept gay people, opinions which she maintains long after the clause's repeal by the new Labour government, showing that, despite the claims of some Tories, Section 28 was forged by Jill Knight's homophobia. [Jill Knight bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Peter Pace
American A US Marine who acceded to the top spot of the United States military in 2005, Pace is the day-to-day leader (the President is technically the Commander-in-Chief) of the organisation famous in the LGBT community for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and its chief enforcer. Not only this, but he has recently been quoted as saying that he believes "homosexual acts ... are immoral." Although for the sake of PR he states that he supports the policy, it is quite clear he would prefer a military where not even closeted gay people should be allowed to serve their country. [Peter Pace bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Fred Phelps
American Phelps is the founder and leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, which has approximately 70 members, most of whom are his children and grandchildren. The WBC is based on the idea that God hates homosexuals, or "fags and dykes" as Phelps prefers to say, and that anyone who supports any action that he sees as a direct of indirect support of any gay person's ability to live in peace as a sin that will be punished by an eternal stay in hell. So far, this list includes being an American, being a Swede, being a Catholic, amongst others. WBC is formed mostly of lawyers who are sure they push the law of the country they despise to the limits in order to allow them to picket any funerals or demonstrations that they feel represent something they don't like. Phelps is 77 and with a history that, by any normal standards, is morally questionable at best. The world waits with baited breath to see how his family will enjoy having their mourning picketted and interfered with by people overjoyed to see him gone. [Fred Phelps bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top]  Shirley Phelps-Roper
American It is no coincidence Shirley was born on Halloween, as she is possibly only outdone on the "evil" scale by her father Fred. As Fred's health has wained over the last few years, Shirley's been taking on more of the public responsibility for the Westboro hate factory, and has even brought it to the shores of the UK, featuring heavily on a Louis Theroux documentary about the Phelps family, as well as TV interviews including one on the Jeremy Kyle Show in June 2007. Hated universally even by most regular homophobes, Shirley is one of the most deserving people of a place on QA's list of haters ... and she'd probably be quite proud of it! [Shirley Phelps-Roper bio written by Robin for QA.] [Back to top] |
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