Michael Kearns (actor)

Epic card · No. 4158

Michael Kearns (January 8, 1950 – October 5, 2026) was an American actor, writer, director, teacher, producer and activist. He is noted for having been one of the first openly gay actors, and after an announcement on Entertainment Tonight in 1991, the first openly HIV-positive actor in Hollywood. Kearns attended the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles in 1972, where he maintained a successful mainstream film and television career alongside an extensive theatrical involvement for over 25 years. He was actively engaged in the Los Angeles art and political communities, incorporating activism into his theater works. Kearns co-founded Artists Confronting AIDS in 1984 and was a commissioner of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). As an author, Kearns contributed to various magazines and newspapers and wrote five theater books, two of which were nominated for Lambda Literary Awards. Kearns received numerous awards for his contributions to theater...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Kearns assistant J. Gill on assignment from Kearns for the Southerly Clubs, Public domain