‘Cheers,’ ‘90210’ Actor, Famed Activist Was 76
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We have tragic news to report out of Hollywood today.
Michael Kearns, the groundbreaking actor, director, and LGBTQ+ activist who challenged the industry’s treatment of gay performers and people living with HIV, has died.
He was 76.
Kearns passed away on October 5, according to longtime friend Karen Ocamb, who shared the news with the Los Angeles Blade. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
While Kearns appeared in popular television shows including Cheers and Beverly Hills, 90210, his legacy extends far beyond his acting credits.
He was among the entertainment industry’s earliest openly gay performers and spent decades fighting for LGBTQ+ visibility.
Kearns came out publicly in the 1970s, when being open about one’s sexuality could seriously damage an actor’s career. He made another courageous decision in 1991 when he revealed that he was HIV-positive, helping challenge the stigma surrounding the virus.
At a time when many people feared the professional and personal consequences of disclosing an HIV diagnosis, Kearns chose to speak publicly about his experience. His advocacy became a defining part of his career.
And he wasn’t content to make a difference in Hollywood alone.
In 1986, Kearns directed the world premiere of Robert Chesley’s Jerker at Los Angeles’ Celebration Theatre.
The play follows two gay men who form a connection through a phone-sex line. Its sexually explicit content sparked controversy after excerpts were broadcast on the radio, igniting a debate over censorship and LGBTQ+ representation.
Kearns also performed in solo productions inspired by the AIDS epidemic, including Intimacies and More Intimacies. Through his theater work, he helped tell stories about people whose experiences were frequently ignored by mainstream entertainment.
His activism included co-founding Artists Confronting AIDS and establishing QueerWise, a spoken-word collective. He also authored books about acting and theater.
Kearns’ personal life included profound heartbreak. He married Philip Juwig in 1992, but Juwig died later that year. Three years later, Kearns adopted a daughter, Katherine, becoming a single father at a time when gay men living with HIV faced considerable prejudice.
The actor’s willingness to live openly, both personally and professionally, made him an important figure in LGBTQ+ history.
Kearns was scheduled to return to Celebration Theatre on October 11 for an event celebrating LGBTQ+ theater history. He had planned to perform selections from Jerker alongside longtime collaborator Joe Gill.
Instead, the theater community is remembering a performer whose contributions extended well beyond the stage.
Kearns spent decades challenging discrimination, confronting HIV stigma, and creating space for LGBTQ+ stories. His death marks the loss of a trailblazer whose influence reached far beyond Hollywood.
Our thoughts go out to Michael Kearns’ loved ones during this enormously difficult time.
