Beauty Break: George Hamilton
Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 8:15AM The perma-tanned actor, playboy and unreal beauty back in the day turns 75 this summer. More photos and a few notes after the jump...
George Hamilton 50+ years ago during the early years of his fame.
George in 1966 
George in his natural habitat
Where the Boys Are (1960) was a breakthrough
George & Liz (one of the few paramours she DIDN'T marry) at Cannes in the 80s
George & Liz again. © Ralph Dominguez
Hamilton is in some ways a tacky celebrity, all TV reality / game show ready (Dancing With the Stars was hardly new territory) and of modest talent but he used it well when he found the right opportunities. His career peak was undoubtedly in the late 70s early 80s when his healthy sense of his own ridiculousness paid off in the Dracula spoof Love at First Bite (1979) and his comic dual role spin on the most legendary of swashbucklers, Zorro The Gay Blade (1981) in which he played both the latin lover swordsman and his gay twin brother Bunny Wigglesworth. It's not quite as offensive as it sounds, surprisingly. He was Golden Globe nominated for both.
Have you ever seen Where the Boys Are (1960)? It's not much of a movie but it's such a time capsule of social mores of the late 50s as many teen angst films are in their day
Reader Comments (8)
Wow. I never realized how attractive he was back in the day.
Godfather III is what I remember him best from even though I've seen most of the others you mention. And he's still working.
He is one of those men who was too pretty when he was young but aged into a handsome man.
I wonder if he and Liz used the same colorest?
Where the Boys Are is mostly silly fun until it turns dark towards the end. It's day-glo pretty with many terrific performers, Paula Prentiss, Jim Hutton, Delores Hart, Barbara Nichols etc., in it. Love the title tune!
While he is mostly remembered as a walking suntan with a sense of humor now, when he was starting out he gave some good performances. He's a little rough in Act One where he portrays Moss Hart but in Your Cheatin' Heart as Hank Williams he's solid. He also holds his own in Home From the Hill against the formidable trio of Robert Mitchum, Eleanor Parker and George Peppard.
He was attractive in his youth and even with the over-tanning still always looks pulled together and dignified. Just one thing, I believe his birthday is August 12th not today.
Before the tanning Hamilton was an immaculate young man.
joel 6 -- you're right. I fixed the post. so embarrassed. i have no idea how i got the date wrong. argh.
His role in Light in the Piazza was one of his best.