11 Historical figures you didn’t know were gay – this will shock many! (With Pictures)

2. Laurence Olivier

Often cited as the greatest Shakespearean actor in history, Olivier had a public image as a brilliant dramatist and ladies man.  Those who knew him best, including his wives, however, painted a different picture: Olivier loved men!  His surviving wife Joan Plowright has acknowledged that he had a number of affairs with men while they were married!  Olivier’s numerous male lovers included Noel Coward, Marlon Brando (more on him in a moment), Danny Kaye and John Gielgud.  Friends also revealed Olivier could act the primadona: he once derided John Gielgud’s delivery as “singing opera,” said he “hated” Marilyn Monroe and said he felt “ashamed” for Peter O’Toole after seeing him in Hamlet.