This famous actor’s career ended when he came out

Virginian William Haines become a worldwide movie star in the 20s. His career ended abruptly when he refused to marry a woman and give up his longtime boyfriend. This led to his successful and  influential career as an interior designer. Sergei Troubetzkoy was on the show in 2023 talking about his experiences as a film liaison, including Staunton. Turns out Haines was born in there and Sergei has been studying the career of Haines and amassing a collection of his memorabilia. His fascinating history lesson includes:

– Meeting Haines at the Poe Museum

– Haines’ early years in Richmond

– Moving to Hollywood to start his career

– Pivoting to interior design

– His impressive commissions

LINKS:

The Arcadia Project

Sergei’s previous podcast

Sunnylands website

Donald Silverman’s podcast

Donald Silverman’s “More Oddball Thoughts”