My latest film-idol discovery is Kerwin Mathews (1926 - 2007). Best remembered for his fairy-tale adventure films such as "7th Voyage of Sinbad," "Jack the Giant Killer," and "3 Worlds of Gulliver," he was also compelling in dramatic roles - for example, in a pair of noirs early in his career, "5 Against the House" and "Garment Jungle," and a British-made thriller later in his career, "Maniac."
Once described by Variety as being "both thoughtful and virile," his boyishly handsome and intellectual countenance perfectly complemented an athletic, hairy-chested physique - which, luckily, was frequently on display in his films.
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| Kerwin, left, and his roommate, both in boxers, with the cute freshman they are hazing, in "5 Against the House" (1955) |
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| Kerwin shows his chest hair while his roomate chews out the freshman they're hazing in "5 Against the House" (1955) |
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| Kerwin strikes a seductive pose in "Maniac" (1962) |
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| Kerwin in skimpy skivvies, "Maniac" (1962) |
I'm happy to report that, along with beautiful contemporaries like Sal Mineo, James Dean, Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Farley Granger, and George Nader (to name a few) our Kerwin was a man who loved men: he and his partner were together for 46 years until Kerwin's death in 2007. I'm also pleased to discover that Kerwin and I were neighbors of sorts, as he resided in San Francisco from 1978 on. I like to imagine that we were at some local event or performance together, or perhaps passed on the street...
Kerwin's
obit in the San Francisco paper paints the portrait of a lovely, humble man.
