Burt Lancaster, one of the most iconic leading men of Hollywood’s Golden Age, was known for his athletic physique, magnetic screen presence, and complex, often secretive personal life.
While he publicly lived as a straight man—with marriages, children, and affairs with high-profile women—decades of speculation and biographical research suggest Lancaster may have also had romantic or sexual relationships with other men, concealed by the social norms of mid-20th-century America.
Here’s a closer look at what has been revealed about Lancaster’s private life, including names of rumored lovers, FBI surveillance, and the web of secrecy that surrounded gay actors in old Hollywood.
A Complex Public Image and Private Identity
Lancaster was officially married three times and had five children. Yet numerous biographers and entertainment historians have pointed to compelling evidence that he lived a far more nuanced romantic life than the public ever knew.
His charm and masculinity made him a favorite with audiences—but also masked a carefully protected personal world, one shaped by fear, stigma, and Hollywood’s long-standing culture of concealment.
Shelley Winters: A Confirmed Relationship
Lancaster’s long affair with actress Shelley Winters is one of the few romantic entanglements that has been confirmed.
Winters revealed in her memoir that she and Lancaster shared a passionate two-year romance, often meeting in secret at an apartment he maintained just for their time together.
The relationship reportedly ended after Lancaster reconciled with his wife during a pregnancy.
Winters described him as deeply emotional and private—two traits that aligned with the guarded manner in which he conducted his personal affairs.
Alleged Ties to Rock Hudson and Other Gay Stars
Lancaster’s name has also been linked—primarily through FBI files and Hollywood gossip columns of the 1950s and ’60s—to secret gatherings involving other closeted gay and bisexual actors.
Among the names most frequently mentioned is Rock Hudson, whose homosexuality was kept hidden for most of his life due to the homophobic climate of the time.
According to declassified FBI documents and some biographers, Lancaster and Hudson attended the same private parties—described in files as discreet gatherings that the government kept under watch due to concerns about “moral perversion” and “national security risks.”
Though there is no confirmed romantic relationship between Lancaster and Hudson, their deep friendship became especially apparent in the 1980s when Lancaster spoke on Hudson’s behalf during a major AIDS fundraiser shortly before Hudson’s death.
Biographers and Researchers Weigh In
Biographer Kate Buford, author of Burt Lancaster: An American Life, acknowledged that while there is no indisputable evidence that Lancaster engaged in long-term relationships with men, multiple sources describe brief same-sex encounters and periods of emotional struggle related to his sexuality.
Some researchers suggest Lancaster may have identified as bisexual but chose to live publicly as heterosexual due to the professional and personal risks.
Hollywood in the 1940s through the 1970s was notoriously unforgiving to actors who deviated from perceived gender or sexual norms.
Scotty Bowers and Hollywood’s Secret Lives
In Full Service, Scotty Bowers—Hollywood’s infamous “fixer” and sexual go-between—details decades of arranging discreet meetings between celebrities, often shielding their identities.
While Bowers never names Lancaster directly, the world he describes matches the one in which Lancaster moved.
Private estates, unlisted numbers, aliases, and cover stories were all part of maintaining the double life many actors were forced to live.
The Actors Rumored to Have Been Involved with Lancaster
While no list has been publicly confirmed by Lancaster himself, the following names have been repeatedly mentioned by historians, biographers, or Hollywood insiders as potentially having had secret relationships or close emotional connections with him:
Rock Hudson – A close friend, possibly more, and frequent companion at social events
Marlon Brando – Though mostly speculation, they moved in similar social circles and both embraced fluid masculinity
Anthony Perkins – A rumored party attendee and occasional screen rival
James Dean – No direct evidence, but rumored overlap at private industry gatherings
Montgomery Clift – Their shared emotional complexity and brooding screen personas drew many comparisons
These associations remain largely speculative, based on circumstantial accounts, rumors, and coded references in memoirs and letters.