Michael Kearns, Trailblazing Gay Actor and AIDS Activist, Dies at 76

Michael Kearns, a pioneering actor, playwright and LGBTQ+ rights activist who helped challenge Hollywood’s stigma surrounding gay performers and HIV/AIDS, has died at age 76.

Kearns died on Oct. 5, 2026, according to reports from friends and colleagues. His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. His passing came just days before he was scheduled to appear at a special event celebrating LGBTQ+ theater history in Los Angeles.

A Groundbreaking Career in Hollywood

Born on Jan. 8, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, Kearns discovered his passion for performing at just 8 years old, when he appeared in a school play. He later studied at Chicago’s Goodman School of Drama, graduating in 1972, before beginning a career that spanned theater, film and television.

His screen credits included appearances in Cheers, Beverly Hills, 90210, The Fall Guy, Murder, She Wrote and Days of Our Lives. He also appeared in Brian De Palma’s 1984 thriller Body Double and the television film And the Band Played On, which explored the AIDS crisis.

Yet Kearns’ influence extended well beyond his acting roles. At a time when many performers feared that coming out could jeopardize their careers, he openly identified as gay and refused to hide his identity to meet Hollywood’s expectations.

His Courageous Decision to Reveal His HIV Status

In 1991, Kearns made headlines when he publicly disclosed that he was HIV-positive during television appearances. His decision came during a period when misinformation and intense stigma surrounded HIV/AIDS, and many people living with the virus were afraid to speak openly about their diagnosis.

Kearns said he wanted others affected by HIV to understand that their condition was nothing to be ashamed of. He also hoped that speaking publicly would help prevent people from dying in silence and isolation.

His disclosure was a significant act of visibility in the entertainment industry, where fear of discrimination often kept HIV-positive performers from discussing their health publicly.

Kearns also brought the realities of the epidemic into his creative work. In the television drama Life Goes On, he portrayed a character living with HIV, helping bring the issue to mainstream audiences.

Theater Became a Platform for Activism

Theater was central to Kearns’ artistic life and advocacy. In 1986, he directed the world premiere of Robert Chesley’s play Jerker, which follows two gay men who develop an intimate relationship through telephone conversations during the AIDS crisis.

The production sparked controversy after excerpts were broadcast on a Los Angeles radio station, prompting a warning from the Federal Communications Commission over allegedly indecent material.

Kearns viewed the response as an example of the unequal treatment faced by LGBTQ+ artists. He continued creating work that confronted homophobia, censorship and the emotional toll of the AIDS epidemic.

His solo productions, including Intimacies and More Intimacies, featured characters living with AIDS and drew on the grief he experienced as friends and loved ones died. Rather than allowing that pain to remain private, Kearns transformed it into performances that gave voice to people often excluded from mainstream storytelling.

He also co-founded Artists Confronting AIDS and later established QueerWise, a Los Angeles spoken-word collective that encouraged people to share their stories. Alongside his performance work, he wrote several books about acting and theater, including T-Cells & Sympathy and Acting = Life.

 

Becoming a Father

Kearns’ personal life also reflected his determination to build a family despite the barriers faced by openly gay men during that era.

He married Philip Juwig in 1992, but Juwig died later that year. After grieving his husband’s death, Kearns eventually decided that he still wanted to become a father.

In 1995, he adopted a daughter, Katherine, at a time when adoption by openly gay, HIV-positive men could be especially difficult. He later spoke with her publicly about their family life and the influence his openness had on her understanding of identity and social justice.

Katherine praised her father’s courage and said growing up with an openly gay actor and activist had helped shape her awareness of the world around her.

Remembering a Lasting Legacy

Kearns received recognition for his contributions to theater and LGBTQ+ advocacy, including the Victory Award from the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund in 1999 and the Robert Chesley Playwriting Award in 2005.

In the days before his death, he was preparing to return to Los Angeles’ Celebration Theatre for its Circa: Queer Histories Festival, where he was scheduled to perform selections from Jerker alongside longtime collaborator Joe Gill.

Following news of his passing, Celebration Theatre honored him for the impact he had made on its mission and on the broader HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ rights movements.

Filmmaker and professor Roland Palencia, a longtime friend, also remembered Kearns as a mentor and companion who brought extraordinary energy to everyday life.

Kearns leaves behind a career defined not only by his performances but also by his willingness to speak when silence was safer. Through his work onstage, on screen and in the community, he helped make room for LGBTQ+ stories and challenged the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS at a pivotal moment in history.

He is survived by his daughter, Katherine.