In the early ’90s, gay characters started being seen in movies, before that, gay characters were a bit taboo. Nowadays gay characters are seen in almost all movies and not all of them are played by gay actors. This sometimes causes heated debates, especially in Hollywood, but it doesn't change one thing. The fantastic acting skills that many actors show in movies that are loved by so many. Make yourself comfortable and take a look at these 40 great actors and actresses who really made their mark on the screen playing LGBTQ characters.
Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton has been acting for a long time now, but he really showed his acting talent in the 2019 movie, Rocketman where he played Elton John. As we all know Elton John came out in 1976 as gay and has been a strong LGBTQ activist since.
Taron Egerton was worried about playing the role of a gay man as he didn’t want to come off as “too gay” and overplay it. But Taron did a terrific job and received a lot of praise and won a Golden Globe Award!
Charlize Theron
Imagine winning almost every “big time” award for playing a single role in a movie. Well, Charlize Theron did just that. Theron played the character of Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 movie, “Monster”.
Theron acted as a bisexual serial killer in the movie, which was all based on a true story. Charlize Theron, a South African-born actress, has expressed that she enjoyed the challenge of playing a bisexual woman.
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci played alongside Charlize Theron in Monster. Yes, the film did have two straight actresses playing gay roles. Ricci played Shelby Wall, who was Aileen’s lesbian lover in the movie.
Ricci’s character played such an important role in “Monster” as she was the glimmer of hope that they may one day have a normal life. Unfortunately, the killings continued and the viewers were left shocked by the performance of the actress.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth played the role of George Falconer in the 2009 Romance-Drama “A Single Man”. George Falconer was a gay man who had sadly lost his partner and the story follows his depression around his grief.
Colin did so well in acting as George Falconer that he actually got his first Oscar nomination for it! It was his first and only role as a gay character and perhaps the most emotionally challenging so far.
Hilary Swank
Acting as a gay or lesbian character is one thing but acting as a transgender character takes a whole new level of skills to get it right. No other than Hilary Swank has those skills.
Swank acted as Brandon Teena, a transgender boy who was a victim of a hate crime in 1993. Her amazing performance in “Boys Don’t Cry” won her an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Timothée Chalamet
When actors prepare for roles, there are many things they need to learn and practice. For Timothée Chalamet’s role in “Call Me by Your Name”, not only did he need to learn how to speak Italian and how to play the piano and the guitar, but he also had to understand the pshycology of playing a gay character.
Chalamet played the role of Elio Perlman, a 17-year-old student who falls in love with Oliver, his dad's 24-year-old assistant. Playing the role was actually the breakthrough Chalamet needed for his career.
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany for being in quite a few Marvel and of course as Dryden Vos in Solo: A Star Wars Story is a terrific actor. Bettany also gave a masterful performance as Frank Bledsoe in “Uncle Frank”.
Frank Bledsoe is a secretly gay man who had lived with another man for over 10 years and the movie is about how Frank has to confront his life's past. His performance in the movie is potentially the best in his career.
Sean Penn
In 2008, Sean Penn played Harvey Milk in the film “Milk”. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay activist to be voted into the government office in California. The movie was based on Harvey Milk’s life story.
Sean Penn has mentioned that out of all of his movies he is the proudest of his performance in “Milk”. The film received great reviews by film critics and was nominated for many awards.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor played a drag queen in the 2005 movie “Kinky Boots”. Although not all drag queens are gay, Ejiofor portrayed the role of a drag queen extremely well. The character was known as Simon and Lola as a drag queen.
When Ejiofor was asked to play the role, he first went home, popped on a black wig, and stood in front of a mirror just to see what he would look like. He looked quite good, said yes to the role, and even did the singing in the movie!
Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne has played some really diverse and fantastic characters in many different movies over the years. Some of his best work came from “Les Misérables”, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and “The Theory of Everything”.
The most provoking character he played was Einar Wegener or Lili Elbe in the 2015 movie “The Danish Girl”. Einar is a character who battled with their gender identity and truly, on the inside, is a woman who goes by the name of Lili Elbe. As a straight actor, Redmayne truly portrayed the character as best as it could have been portrayed.
Nick Robinson
If you watched “Love, Simon '', you know the great performance Nick Robinsons gave in that movie. He played Simon Spier in the movie. The movie was based around Simon, a closeted gay student, and his high school life.
One of the students lands up threatening to speak out about his homosexuality which makes things a little difficult for him. It’s a fantastic love story that focuses on the difficulties of homosexuality.
Trevante Rhodes
Trevante Rhodes played an absolutely extraordinary character in the movie “Moonlight” in 2016. The movie was based around Chiron’s life as a child, teen, and adult. Rhodes played the role of adult Chrion.
Although Rhodes is straight, his vision for the role came from his gay friend’s life experiences. He managed to portray the intensity and emotions needed for the role really well and the movie went on to win an Oscar.
Cate Blanchett
When it comes to casting actors for a movie, occasionally there are certain stars who are just perfect for a specific role. Although there is controversy around not casting gay actors for gay roles, Cate Blanchett was just perfect for her role in the movie “Carol”.
Blanchett played Carol Aird in the story of an outlawed love affair between herself and an aspiring female photographer, Theresa. Blanchett’s performance embodied the character and her story perfectly.
Rooney Mara
Another straight actress who played a lesbian role was Rooney Mara. She played Theresa in the movie “Carol” alongside Cate Blanchett, as we mentioned before. It was another film with more than one straight actor playing a homosexual role.
Mara was nominated for the best-supporting actress for her role in the 2015 movie. Her character was much more provocative than Blanchett’s and she was surprised at herself for doing so well in the movie as it was not a role she was used to.
Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor recently played the role of Roy Halston in the 2021 Netflix series, “Halston”. McGregor mentioned that Halston had more to him than just his sexuality and that is most likely why he was cast for the role.
McGregor really portrayed the famed fashion designer on a whole different level. He took the role into his own hands to make it as much of his own interpretation as possible and viewers loved it.
Jim Carrey
We all love Jim Carrey for the hilarious and fun characters he plays in movies. In 2009 he played the role of Steven Russel in the movie “I Love You Phillip Morris”. The movie was based on a real-life gay love story.
Carrey’s character falls in love with a fellow inmate, Phillip Morris, who is played by Ewan McGregor as well. The movie was a Comedy/Drama film and the comedic genius that Jim Carrey is he made the movie a truly fun one.
Julianne Moore
In the 2010 film “The Kids Are All Right”, Julianne Moore played a lesbian woman, Jules, along with actress Annette Benign, who played her partner Nic.
The movie received a lot of criticism around the casting of two straight women and around the fact that Moore’s character had slept with a man in the movie as well. Some people just can’t see past the nonsense and enjoy a good performance.
Annette Bening
Annette Benign who acted alongside Julianne Moore was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA for her role. She went on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Annette Benign who acted alongside Julianne Moore was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA for her role. She went on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Heath Ledger
If there is a Mount Rushmore of “gay movies”, this one is on it. Heath Ledger played the role of Ennis Del Mar in the movie “Brokeback Mountain”. It was one of his strongest performances alongside the iconic Joker of course.
The movie is based on the complicated expressive and sensual relationship between two cowboys. Ledger’s character was a quiet and tough sheepherder who falls in love with another fellow herder.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Also starring in “Brokeback Mountain”, Jake Gyllenhaal played the other sheepherder which Ledger's character fell in love with. Gyllenhaal played Jack Twist and had hoped for his and Ennis’ future together.
The movie was nominated for a whopping nine Oscars and won three. Among the nominations was Gyllenhaal's performance of the complicated character. Sixteen years later the movie is really an iconic one and perhaps the best dramatic love story on film.
Hugh Grant
Before Hugh Grant got hearts throbbing in “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, “Two Weeks Notice”, “Love Actually” and “Music and Lyrics” he played a gay character in the movie “Maurice” in 1987. He was only 27 years old when he played the part of Clive Durham.
The movie was a story about gay love in a restraining and oppressed society in the English town, Edwardian. It seems like Grant has captured the hearts of girls and guys as well...
Felicity Huffman
This familiar “Desperate Housewives” actress has really played her fair share of roles over the years. But one of her strongest roles is when Huffman played Sabrina Osbourne or Stanley Shupak in “Transamerica” in 2005.
The role entailed her acting as a trans woman. Huffman said that it was challenging being a straight woman who had to act like a man who was actually a woman. But her challenging role paid off when she was nominated for an Oscar.
James Franco
James Franco has been seen acting in homosexual roles in more than one movie. He says that it's exciting for him to act in roles or act out relationships that do not get enough representation.
Franco has played Hart Crane in “The Broken Tower” who has sexual relationships with men, Allen Ginsberg in “Howl” and Scott Smith in “Milk” who was Sean Penn’s character’s lover. All of these roles had earned him a reputation as a serious actor and just one who plays in Seth Rogen's comedies.
John Lithgow
Who wouldn’t love a cute love story film about two old men who get to be married after being together for 39 years? John Lithgow gave us that, along with Alfred Molina in “Love is Strange”.
Lithgow played Ben Hull, a financially dependent artist. His playful personality really stood out in the movie and together with Molina he really made the love story seem quite believable. The two have been friends for a long time.
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina from “Love is Strange” was actually really happy to hear that John Lithgow would be playing his romantic partner in the movie. Molina’s character, George Garea, was a music teacher at a Catholic school and his job was what kept the couple financially stable.
Unfortunately, when Ben and George got married, he lost his job due to the catholic church condemning gay marriage. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, we really recommend it to see these two great actors portray a love story like no other.
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio has always got us on our toes with the eccentric and phenomenal roles he plays in movies. It’s a shock it took him so long to win an Oscar...
In 1995, a few short years after DiCaprio started his acting career, he starred in a gay role for the movie “Total Eclipse”. DiCaprio played Arthur Rimbaud, a 19th-century French poet. When it came to taking the role, DiCaprio actually took it after some advice from his father.
Tom Hanks
In 1993, a moving movie came out which confronted the AIDS crisis, this movie was called “Philadelphia”. The movie was about a gay lawyer who was suing the company he worked for because they let him go unfairly.
Tom Hanks played the role of the gay lawyer, Andrew Beckett. He won an Oscar for best actor for the role, and rightly so! He lost 35 pounds just specially for that role in the movie!
Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas played Tom Hanks' lover, Miguel Alvarez, in the 1993 movie “Philadelphia”. He didn’t know how to speak much English before that, but by learning English over the phone for another movie before that, he was able to land the role.
Although he did not feature much in the movie, his role was important to showcase the life of Andrew Beckett. If it was not for the support shown on screen by Banderas Tom Hanks might have never won that Oscar.
Jared Leto
Jared Leto’s role in “Dallas Buyers Club” received many mixed reviews. Mostly “woke” people were upset over a straight actor being cast in a role as a transgender. But one thing that everyone agreed on is that he did a phenomenal job.
For the part, he shaved his whole body, lost 30 pounds, and even shockingly shaved his eyebrows off. He never broke character as Rayon during filming, and it all paid off when he won an Oscar as best supporting actor for the movie.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a silent LGBTQ hero for the gay community. When he played the role of Truman Capote in the movie “Capote” he took it upon himself to focus on the character more than just his sexuality.
Capote was first secretive about his sexuality, but he was openly gay during a time when many didn’t really speak of it. He had many male partners during his life, but just as Hoffman portrayed in the role, it wasn’t all that his life consisted of.
Michael Douglas
In 2013 Michael Douglas played the role of Liberace in the movie “Behind the Candelabra”. The movie was based on the fabulous yet complicated life of Liberace who was an American pianist, singer, and actor.
The movie showed the tragic deterioration of Liberace's personal life with a younger lover Scott Thorson. Douglas was praised for his honest performance of Liberace. Most viewers loved how he was able to show the so-called celebrity loneliness.
Matt Damon
In “Behind the Candelabra”, Matt Damon played the role of Scott Thorson, the lover of Liberace. His character starts off as an innocent animal lover, who later becomes Liberace’s assistant.
Damon had many wardrobe fittings for the film, perhaps more of those than actual scenes in the movie. He really enjoyed playing the character and found something exciting in the character itself. Damon received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe took a massive step out of his Harry Potter role and played the part of the poet, Allen Ginsberg, in the 2013 film “Kill Your Darlings”. In the movie, Allen Ginsberg falls in love with a man named Lucien Carr.
He shares sexual favors with him in order to not be debarred. Radcliffe said that it was more difficult for him to act out crying scenes in the movie than it was to act out the gay sex scenes.
Greg Kinnear
“As Good as It Gets” a 1997 comedy-drama movie received 2 Oscars from the seven it was nominated for. One of the nominations was for Greg Kinnear who portrayed a gay character in the movie.
Kinnear played a gay artist named Simon Bishop. His character was labeled as the “gay best friend” that everyone loves. But the actor gave depth to the role and has demonstrated the difficulties that many people experience when they come out as gay to their families.
Christian Bale
In 1998 a musical drama was released which was set in 1984 called “Velvet Goldmine”. The movie was about an invented glam rock pop star. Christian Bale played the role of Arthur Stuart.
His character was an empowering journalist who spoke out about how the glam rock scene had given him the strength to come out and be open about his homosexuality. Bale really delivered the message which the movie wanted to deliver to the audience.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Johnathan Rhys Meyers also played a character in the 1998 “Velvet Goldmine”. His character was Brain Slade, a glam rock star. When it came to filming the movie, Meyers was not even familiar with the genre glam rock.
He had very little time to prepare for the role and familiarize himself with glam rock. In the movie, he had a gay kissing scene. Meyers didn’t have a problem with doing the scene and suggested that any actor who is not willing to try to do a similar scene, is just boring.
Nicholas Hoult
In “A Single Man” which stars Colin Firth, we also see a young Nicolas Hoult. Hoult played a young student, Kenny Potter, who plays an important role in Firth’s character’s life.
His character is somewhat angelic and heroic. In the movie, Kenny is trying to figure out who he is as a person and find connections. He then makes a connection with Falconer and in a strange way saves him from himself. In this performance, Hoult showed that he can play challenging roles.
Meryl Streep
Before Meryl Streep had us singing along to Abba tunes, she played the role of bisexual woman in the 2001 movie “The Hours”. The movie is quite heavy and didn’t really have a major focus on homosexuality.
However, her role did have a fundamental look into homosexuality and how it affects mental health. Streep mentioned that she would be open to playing more gay roles as the LGBTQ community is important to her.
Robin Williams
Robin Williams played many diverse characters during his lifetime. In 1996, he played Armand Goldman, an openly gay Jewish owner of a drag club, in the great movie “The Birdcage”.
The movie featured everyday issues which the homosexual community battled with and with his positive and quirky personality, Williams did his best to bring light to those issues. If there is anyone who knows how to make people laugh when it comes to something serious it’s Robin Williams.
Naomi Watts
“Mulholland Drive” was perhaps one of the best and most thrilling mystery movies of the ’90s. This psychological thriller is about an aspiring actress named Betty Elms, who is played by Naomi Watts.
Although the movie isn’t focused on homosexuality, Watts’s character does have a love affair with another woman. Watts was very comfortable in the role she had to portray and had no issues with the female sex scenes either.