Christopher George: Heterosexual Icon with a Gay Connection

When Steve Bond posed nude in Playgirl in October 1975, he was 21 years old and unknown, except for one role as a child seven years before.  When Christopher George posed in June 1974, he was 43 years old and a Hollywood veteran, famous for his marriage and collaboration with Mission: Impossible girl Lynda Day George.

He reclines, eating watermelon, a little paunchy in middle age, but hirsute, tanned, gold-chained, the sharp phallic knife accentuating his obvious gifts beneath the belt.

The uncensored photo is on Tales of West Hollywood.

Is there any gay connection to such an indefatigably heterosexual icon?

How about Rat Patrol (1966-68), about four allied soldiers in North Africa during World War II: Troy (Christopher) was the leader, Moffitt (Gary Raymond) the intellectual, Hitch (Lawrence Casey) the jokester, and Tully (Justin Tarr) the redneck.  Lots of buddy-bonding in the desert, and nary a woman in sight.

Or The Immortal (1969-71), about a racecar driver (Christopher) whose blood has amazing regenerative powers, thus making him very attractive to a sick millionaire. I can't even begin to parse out the gay-vampire-predator subtext.

Or I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973).  No women in the French penal colony, just fellow Playgirl  centerfold Jim Brown.

Or a 1975 episode of SWAT Team, where he played a scuba diving jewel thief partnered with famous gay actor Sal Mineo.

Not to mention Playgirl itself, which everybody knew had a huge gay male following.

He died in 1983, before most actors would dream of acknowledging their appeal to gay fans.