The topic of J. Edgar Hoover’s sexuality has been rumored about ever since his death in 1972.
Hoover's supposed affinity for wearing women's clothing has even become part of the pop culture.
The hearsay stems from Hoover’s 40-year-long relationship with his right-hand man, Clyde Tolson, with whom he spent vacation time. Both men were lifelong bachelors.
Clint Eastwood is apparently coming to the rescue of the FBI director’s reputation.
The Oscar winning director has been hard at work on an upcoming biopic about Hoover, written by "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover and Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, Hoover’s loyal secretary.
Both Eastwood and DiCaprio investigated the details of Hoover’s life and in the process met with FBI officials, according to USA Today. One of the items of discussion was the gay gossip.
Confirmation that Eastwood and DiCaprio had indeed approached the FBI was made by Assistant FBI Director Mike Kortan, who in pointed words dismissed the urban legend.
“Vague rumors and fabrications have cropped up from time to time,” Kortan said. “But there is no evidence in the historical record on this issue.”
Cartha DeLoach, a 91-year-old former Hoover aide, told DiCaprio that she “never saw any evidence of it whatsoever.”
“I traveled with him, I ate in his home and he in mine. I knew Clyde Tolson to be Mr. Hoover's companion and best friend,” DeLoach added.
In September 2011, Black indicated to Next magazine that the film is not as heavily gay oriented as "Milk," but that "a third" of the biopic consists of gay content.
In response to a letter to Eastwood from The J. Edgar Hoover Foundation regarding the gay allegations that surround Hoover, Eastwood and producer Robert Lorenz said, “Please rest assured that we do not give any credence to cross-dressing allegations…, nor do we intend to portray an open homosexual relationship between Mr. Hoover and Clyde Tolson...”
The response continued, “Though no one can know his private side with certainty, we hope that a thoughtful, intelligent portrayal of the man will put his life story in proper historical context.”
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