Christopher George: Heterosexual Icon with a Gay Connection

When Steve Bond posed nude in Playgirl in October 1975, he was 21 years old and unknown, except for one role as a child seven years before.  When Christopher George posed in June 1974, he was 43 years old and a Hollywood veteran, famous for his marriage and collaboration with Mission: Impossible girl Lynda Day George.

He reclines, eating watermelon, a little paunchy in middle age, but hirsute, tanned, gold-chained, the sharp phallic knife accentuating his obvious gifts beneath the belt.

Is there any gay connection to such an indefatigably heterosexual icon?



How about Rat Patrol (1966-68), about four allied soldiers in North Africa during World War II: Troy (Christopher) was the leader, Moffitt (Gary Raymond) the intellectual, Hitch (Lawrence Casey) the jokester, and Tully (Justin Tarr) the redneck.  Lots of buddy-bonding in the desert, and nary a woman in sight.

Or The Immortal (1969-71), about a racecar driver (Christopher) whose blood has amazing regenerative powers, thus making him very attractive to a sick millionaire. I can't even begin to parse out the gay-vampire-predator subtext.





Or I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973).  No women in the French penal colony, just fellow Playgirl  centerfold Jim Brown.

Or a 1975 episode of SWAT Team, where he played a scuba diving jewel thief partnered with famous gay actor Sal Mineo.

Not to mention Playgirl itself, which everybody knew had a huge gay male following.

He died in 1983, before most actors would dream of acknowledging their appeal to gay fans.