Rock Hudson: Friend of Mine

by Tom Clark

Hudson's closet friend and lover of twenty years focuses on the actor's full life, rather than his painful last months, in a collection of anecdotes, memories, and photographs

Genres: Biography

276 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1990

About the author

Clark was an American poet, editor and biographer. Clark was educated at the University of Michigan and served as poetry editor of "The Paris Review" from 1963 to 1973 and published numerous volumes of poetry with Black Sparrow Press. His literary essays and reviews have appeared in "The New York Times," "Times Literary Supplement," and many other journals.

Reviews

[Gunther Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a longtime friend and partner of Rock Hudson, Tom Clark approached his "Rock Hudson: Friend of Mine" with a reserved honesty that left me with mixed feelings. While many reviews harshly criticized it as a shallow recount of places, possessions, and events, I took a chance on it and found it both fascinating and frustrating. Rather than diving into sensationalism, Clark offers a respectful, behind-the-scenes glimpse into Hudson’s life—a timeline of career highs, personal struggles, and deep friendships.

Clark’s restrained approach avoids gossip and largely sidesteps Hudson’s sexuality, with “gay” and “homosexuality” appearing only once. While some readers may see this discretion as a flaw, I appreciated his focus on Hudson’s humanity—his childhood, professional challenges, desire for fatherhood, and moments of vulnerability. Clark’s anecdotes, while affectionate, feel guarded, often skimming the surface of their shared life. He offers glimpses of a deep bond but stops short of exploring their relationship in meaningful emotional terms.

Written in the 1980s, the book reflects a protective impulse toward Hudson’s legacy, shying away from Hollywood’s more lurid tales. Yet in doing so, it leaves gaps—crucial insights into the man behind the star, Roy Scherer. As someone who was also a close friend of Rock’s, I found myself yearning for more honesty and depth about the person, not just the persona.

I briefly met Tom Clark at Rock’s memorial service and appreciated his efforts, alongside Elizabeth Taylor, to honor Rock’s memory. Yet his book felt incomplete, leaving much of the real story untold. In a way, that inspired me to write my own book, "Pushed Out of the Closet Without a Parachute," where I dive into my friendship with Rock Hudson and the impact of the Marc Christian saga on my life and livelihood. Clark’s book may not deliver a full portrait, but it stands as a tender and thoughtful tribute. For that, it deserves some praise.

[carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

tom clark spends half the book (I counted 4 times in only 50 chapters in) talking about how rock hudson envied him.

tom clark spends the other half bragging about how amazing he was to rock and his career.

tom clark says that he doesn't believe rock got AIDS through sex but through blood related stuff bc 'AIDS is the disease of promiscuous homosexuals and haitians' (his words not mine)


I did not like tom clark as being described by rock hudson's closests friends, but I HATED tom clark as described by himself!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a kid we used to see Rock Hudson almost every time we went as a family to Welch’s in Long Beach, CA, for dinner.

This book was okay. I thought the author was a little bit too much of himself.

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

love the book.