Talk:Stephen Boyd

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Age? The age of Stephen Boyd confuses me. It says he was born July of 1931, and died June of 1977. In the article it says he was 49 when he died of a heart attack but next to his death date it says he was 48. Even if it was just an error in the article he can't possibly be 48 if his birth date was July of 1931 and died June 1977 (He would be 45 if that was true)Crazycelt72 03:52, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Boyd was born in 1927 or 1928, he lied about his age. He certainly wasn't eight years younger than Heston in Ben Hur. (Daer11 15:59, 31 August 2007 (UTC))


 * All reliable sources say 1931, including his own grave. So that's what we go with unless someone can produce his birth certificate. -- Rodhull andemu  21:49, 13 July 2008 (UTC)
 * there is another inconsistency: it says he married mills in 1977. it also says he died in jun of '77. but it says he was married to mills for 10 months prior to his death. 10 months back from june '77 is august or september of '76. ???? Toyokuni3 (talk) 01:40, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Sexuality
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/02/13/raquel-welch-ben-hur-star-stephen-boyd-was-gay/ Comments on this article also state that Gore Vidal outed him in in his autobiography "Palimpsest" in 1995 Adagio67 (talk) 14:40, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

This is inaccurate. In "Palimpsest", Gore Vidal is talking about the character Messala in Ben Hur as being gay, not Stephen Boyd himself. Stephen Boyd had an affair with both Brigitte Bardot and Marisa Mell. In fact, he had a gypsy wedding with Marisa Mell which she describes in her own autobiography "Cover Love". http://marisa-mell.blogspot.com/2008/09/marta-or-dopo-di-che-uccide-il-maschio.html


 * His marriage only lasted for a few days because it was a front. (HelmannArticle (talk) 11:08, 25 September 2015 (UTC))
 * Don't just make bald, unsupported statements like that. What is your source for this assertion?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  11:12, 25 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Mariella di Sarzana filed for divorce after only a few days when she found out he was gay. MGM had to prevent this from being published otherwise it might have affected "Ben Hur"'s performance at the box office. (HelmannArticle (talk) 11:41, 25 September 2015 (UTC))


 * Quote: "Don't just make bald, unsupported statements like that. What is your source for this assertion?"  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  11:56, 25 September 2015 (UTC)


 * Vidal mentioned it when talking about "Ben Hur". (HelmannArticle (talk) 18:02, 25 September 2015 (UTC))


 * How tiresome you are!! Don't you understand that WP works on information that comes from a WP:Reliable source.  An anonymous editor just stating stuff they claim to have heard somewhere is not a reliable source.  We need to know whether you read what Vidal said in some book or publication (details) or saw it on some TV program (details) or read it online (details).  Even so, Vidal saying something about Boyd's private life could just be scuttlebutt, rumour etc.  How would he know what went on between Boyd and any third party behind closed doors?  Was he one of Boyd's gay lovers himself?  How do we know he isn't just making that up?  You see what I'm driving at?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  18:39, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Here we go: Gore Vidal's autobiography, Palimpsest, page 306-307. (Concerning Vidal's idea to have Ben-Hur and Messala as boyhood lovers) "The next day I came in with the two scenes. Willy and I read as Sam listened. True to my word, the scene is still about politics, but as we were required to do at MGM, no matter who the director was, I had written in all the 'reaction shots' - expressions on each actor's face as he hears the other's dialogue. Willy said, 'Tone down the offstage directions. I'll talk to Chuck. You talk to Boyd. But don't you say a word to Chuck or he'll fall apart'. The thought of so much wood crashing to the ground committeed us to omerta. I did tell Boyd. The bright blue eyes glittered happily. Yes, he know exactly what to do. 'I think there's a dog in the scene, ' he said. 'I can be patting it while I'm getting turend down by old Ben.' **Then Vidal quotes Heston's published diaries, and goes on **    "The second scene, like the first, was mine, and I was present for the reading. Chuck was now imitating Francis X Bushman in the silent-film version, tossing his head, chin held high, oblivious of what was going on. Boyd, at one point winked at me. He was in character. ****   "Over the next few years, whenever we (William Wyler) met, we quarrelled amiably over what I had put in the scene and what Steven Boyd is clearing playing."

Now, concerning Mariella di Sarzana, first of all, this was not a sham marriage. This was not Anthony Perkins or Charles Laughton-like marriage to deflect homosexualiity. Stephen met Mariella in April of 1958. She was the representative in charge to 'take care of him' while he was in Rome filming Ben-Hur. They fell in love, and went to England to tie the knot. The Ben-Hur cast had a huge 'reception' for the two of them in Rome to celebrate. You can see all the pictures here, and when viewing them, you can totally see they were crazy about each other. http://www.archivioluce.com/archivio/#n. Just look up 'Stephen Boyd - Ricievimento per il film Ben Hur. Presenti Stephen Boyd, Mariella De Sarzana, Charlton Heston, Cathy O'Donnell, 06.09.1958.' According to Boyd, here is why the marriage fell apart after only 4 weeks: Quoted from an interview in SCREEN ALBUM, Aug-Oct 1960, Page 46...."It was my fault. I'm an Irish so-and-so when I'm working. I hadn't been married a week when we both knew we had made a mistake. She is a nice girl but we were just not meant for each other. I suppose I wasn't ready for marriage. Maybe I was still too much of an adolescent." Now that the divorce is final, he's been linked with Anna Kashfi, Elana Eden and Hope Lange. He's practically been accused of destroying Hope's marriage. "I know, " he laughs, " that I've been called 'a killer with the women'. I don't know whether I should be flattered or annoyed. I'm very fond of women and I can't resist a pretty face- what man can? But I've never gone out of my way to break up a happy home. Any rumors to that effect are untrue." Boyd officially divorced Mariella di Sarzana in early 1959 after the filming of Ben-Hur was completed.

Concerning Raquel Welch's quote "I was the wrong sex!" - probably Raquel was just the wrong woman for Stephen Boyd. It certainly makes one wonder about Raquel's opinion of herself that if a man won't sleep with her, surely he must be gay!! Well, Boyd was perhaps picky about who her chose to be with, and this obviously must have made Raquel furious for her to bring it up decades later. But also very inconsiderate and incorrect. Take her comments with a grain of salt. Stephen Boyd (if you have actually read any of his interviews), is brutally honest about what he says. It used to get him into hot water. He says in many interviews how much he likes the ladies, so I believe him! He was simply a well-adjusted, a bit-kooky, happy, scared-to-get-married-again heterosexual bachelor. Sorry if that wrecks any of you fantasies! But it's the truth. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Robespierre9 (talk • contribs) 15:45, 5 December 2015 (UTC)

Stephen Boyd was actually gay and his marriage was arranged by the studio. (92.4.12.208 (talk) 11:34, 28 December 2015 (UTC))

Not true. He was married twice and had other relationships with women. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.13.148.192 (talk) 23:41, 17 December 2021 (UTC)

Scientologist?
The inclusion of Stephen Boyd as a Scientologist based on a single source (Malko) is rather shaky. Do we have any sources where he actually identifies himself as a Scientologist, or that he had a long-term association with the group? I'd certainly prefer having at least an additional source to back up the claim that he considered himself a Scientologist. Laval (talk) 14:59, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Yes, Stephen was a proclaimed Scientologist. http://www.xenu-directory.net/news/library-item.php?iid=4761 Robespierre9 (talk) 21:43, 12 May 2015 (UTC) Robespierre9 (talk) 21:43, 12 May 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Robespierre9 (talk • contribs) 21:39, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

1931?
He was born in 1928. (92.4.12.208 (talk) 12:35, 28 December 2015 (UTC))