J. Warren Kerrigan became a major silent-screen heartthrob and box-office draw, earning the nickname “The Gibson Man” for his looks and charm. He had extensive experience, starring in hundreds of films over more than a decade, including later work such as The Covered Wagon (1924). His on-screen persona differed from other action or Western heroes, resembling a quieter, big-hearted cowboy archetype. Off-screen, he lived openly with his mother and with his partner, fellow silent actor James Carroll Vincent. His sexuality was not the factor that ended his career; comments about World War I did.
"J. Warren Kerrigan had all the stuff of a dashing action hero and heartthrob. By the time he starred in one of his final movies, 1924's The Covered Wagon, he'd had over 10 years and 400 films of experience under his belt. The soulful-eyed leading man was a box office draw from jump: in an era when "Gibson Girls" like Evelyn Nesbit were considered the epitome of female beauty, critics dubbed Kerrigan "The Gibson Man" due to his good looks, charm, and extra je ne sais quoi."
"But Kerrigan wasn't a he-man like Douglas Fairbanks or a stolid Western hero like William S. Hart. He was more along the lines of what Gary Cooper would become in a later era: a quiet cowboy who walked softly and carried a big heart. Behind the scenes, things were more complicated than fans migh thave suspected. Kerrigan lived openly and proudly with his mother at the height of his stardom, as well as with his partner, fellow silent actor James Carroll Vincent."
"Kerrigan wasn't too interested in hiding his sexuality from his public, but it wasn't his queerness that put an early end to his career. It was his comments about World War I. In 1917, Kerrigan was at the height of his fame. He'd"
Read at Queerty
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]