A famous late sitcom actor who played a grandpa in a beloved ’70s classic hid his romance with another man for years. He went on to end this relationship to pursue becoming a father. His late co-star, who starred opposite him in the same show as a grandmother, also hid her sexuality.
The man in the cover image used to be in a relationship with a late sitcom star who captivated audiences with his role as a beloved grandfather on a famous ’70s sitcom. He starred alongside a late actress who played his on-screen partner in the beloved series “The Waltons.” Their acting skills were so impressive that even when both actors experienced health issues, they were never recast.
While their careers never suffered any setbacks as a result of their health ailments, the actor and actress concealed the fact that they were gay in real life and were involved in homosexual relationships. People believed the pair put up a façade with their marriages to safeguard their careers. Here are the details about their hidden relationships.
Esther ‘Grandma’ Walton AKA Ellen Corby’s Marriage & Long-Term Relationship with a Woman
One of “The Waltons” stars who concealed the fact that she was gay was none other than Ellen Corby, who played Esther “Grandma” Walton on the show. Corby was married to a man named Frank Corby from 1934 to 1944. She was born in June 1911 in Racine, Wisconsin, but grew up in Philadelphia.
Her mother died on September 9, 1963, at age 76. The loss of Corby’s mom left a significant void. Of her parent’s passing, she once expressed, “A great deal of me disappeared with her. She was a large part of my life, much more than my husband ever was.”
When it comes to another facet of her personal life—her sexuality, a former WHPL librarian named Nancy revealed that loyal viewers of “The Waltons” would have been shocked had Corby and her co-star’s sexuality been made known.
She said, “A loyal viewership of that heart-warming TV series ‘The Waltons’ would have had a collective seizure had it been widely known that Grandpa and Grandma Walton were queer in real-life.”
Nancy went on to divulge, “Corby had a relationship of several decades with her female companion. The women donated their large play collection to the West Hollywood library.”
Corby last appeared as Grandma Walton in the 1997 TV movie, “A Walton Easter.” By the late 1990s, the screenwriter was a partial invalid and spent much of her time in the Los Angeles home she had shared since 1976 with a dear friend of 45 years, Stella Luchetta.
The pair occasionally watched “The Waltons” reruns. By the time Corby was 87, she spent her last days in a nursing home and sadly died on April 14, 1999. After she passed away, they announced that she was survived by her “friend” Luchetta.
Corby’s career spanned nearly 60 years, and her memorable role as Grandma Walton earned her three Emmy Awards. However, having had a stroke in the late 1970s, her participation in the TV show Short, which ran from 1972 to 1981, was cut.
Ellen Corby’s Relationship with Her Co-stars & Her On-Screen Role of Grandma
The Wisconsin native became a surrogate grandmother to seven child actors on “The Waltons.” In an interview with The New York Times in 1973, Corby stated, “These children on the show are like my own grandkids, and I am the grandma around here.”
In real life, Corby never had grandchildren because she never had children of her own. However, playing a grandmother allowed her to fulfill that role. As put by the actress, “This show is what I’ve ALWAYS wanted.”