Veteran performer Michael Kearns passed away in Los Angeles on October 6, 2026 at the age of 76. Born on January 8, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, he became one of Hollywood’s earliest openly gay actors and a relentless advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness. His death marks the conclusion of a five-decade career that spanned television, film, and groundbreaking theatre work, while also highlighting the profound impact of his public health activism.
From a St. Louis backyard stage to the Hollywood screen
Kearns’ first taste of performance came at the age of nine on the boards of the St. Louis Municipal Opera, affectionately called the Muny. With limited child-acting prospects in the Midwest, he transformed his family’s backyard into a makeshift theatre, producing, directing, and starring in adaptations such as a local version of King Midas. High school productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Carousel further honed his craft, leading to a scholarship at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, later known as the Theatre School at DePaul University, from which he graduated in 1972.
After moving to Los Angeles, Kearns secured his first television credit in a 1974 episode of The Waltons. Over the next three decades he accumulated dozens of roles in popular series, including CheersKnots LandingBeverly Hills, 90210 and the satirical Kentucky Fried Movie. Film appearances ranged from Brian De Palma’s thriller Body Double to the historical drama And the Band Played On. Despite the industry’s reticence toward queer talent, Kearns remained steadfast, refusing to conceal his identity even as early as the mid-1970s, thereby becoming one of the first documented openly gay performers in mainstream Hollywood.
Activism, playwrighting, and a public HIV disclosure
Beyond his screen work, Kearns devoted himself to theatre as a writer and director. His solo piece Intimacies—a stark, character-driven exploration of six Los Angeles residents living with HIV—debuted in the mid-1990s and featured a single prop, a red scarf, later displayed in the Missouri History Museum’s “Gateway to Pride” exhibit. The follow-up, More Intimacies toured internationally, cementing his reputation as a voice for the epidemic’s human dimension.
In 1991, Kearns made a historic television appearance on Entertainment Tonight publicly announcing that he was HIV-positive. This bold confession made him Hollywood’s first actor to disclose his status on national media, challenging stigma at a time when the disease was heavily misunderstood. The following year he portrayed an HIV-positive character on ABC’s series Life Goes On further humanising the conversation.
His activism extended to institutional leadership. He co-founded Artists Confronting AIDS served as artistic director for the Celebration Theatre, and helped launch the Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), a benefit that raised millions for AIDS charities. Collaborations with producer Joan Lipkin produced numerous acclaimed productions, and his work with the Missouri History Museum’s Queer Writes program in 2024 brought his plays back to his hometown.
Recognition, personal life, and lasting influence
Throughout his career Kearns amassed several honors, most recently the Out in STL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025, a tribute that resonated deeply because it recognized his contributions in the community that first nurtured his talent. He also authored five theatre-focused books, two of which earned Lambda Literary Award nominations, and co-wrote the satirical hoax memoir “The Happy Hustler” under the pseudonym Grant Tracy Saxon.
On a personal note, Kearns adopted a daughter, screenwriter Katherine Kearns in 1995. He often told friends, including Lipkin, that his most rewarding role was parenthood. Close collaborator filmmaker and professor Roland Palencia remembered their shared love of cinema, noting that Kearns would watch an average of one film per month at the Vista Theater in Los Feliz, a ritual that highlighted his enduring passion for the medium.
Friends and colleagues describe Kearns as “insightful about the human condition” and a “political creature as well as an actor.” His legacy endures not only through his extensive filmography and stage work but also through the countless lives touched by his advocacy, fundraising, and mentorship of younger LGBTQ artists. As the curtain falls on his life, the theatre community, activists, and fans alike celebrate a man who turned personal truth into public action, ensuring that his voice will echo far beyond the roles he once played.
