Doug Savant Gay in Melrose Place, Straight Hot Daddy in Real Life. What is Doug Savant doing now? His IMDB profile states that his most recent projects include appearing on the revived X-Files TV series as well as in the ABC legal drama Notorious.
One of our Doug’s most famous TV projects would be his role as the sizzling daddy Tom Scavo on the ABC comedy drama Desperate Housewives. We thank the series for giving us a fill of our Doug’s zaddiness like when he stripped to his really skimpy briefs.
Doug with co-star Felicity Huffman in the very last episode of Desperate Housewives, Finishing the Hat.
In real life, Doug is married to Laura Leighton. Here’s the lovely couple during a red carpet event.
Doug Savant Gay in Melrose Place. Before Desperate Housewives, the most famous role our Doug played on the small screen would be Matt Fielding, the gay doctor/social worker on Melrose Place. It is a pioneering role in the sense that it mainstreamed a gay character on TV.
Sure some would say that the character didn’t go far enough — after all, the kiss between Doug’s Fielding and another guy which would have been historic and groundbreaking as the first gay kiss on mainstream television, was censored by the producers — but Doug Savant deserves a lot of props for playing Matt Fielding.
Nervous network executives censored the Doug Savant kiss with Ty Miller (who played Rob) in the Melrose Place clip below:
At a time when most actors would not be caught dead reading a script for an LGBT character, Doug welcomed the opportunity to be one on TV and he gave justice to the character he played.
Doug Savant Gay Rights Advocate. He may not be a friend of Dorothy in real life but he is an advocate for LGBT rights at a time when not a lot of celebrities identify with the issue.
Says Doug about his role and about his advocacy: “During my first year on Melrose Place (1992), there was a great deal of pressure from the network [Fox TV] for me to out myself as a straight man. The producers of Melrose Place (1992) kept telling me I had to say publicly that I was a breeder. They said too many people assumed I was gay. I know the truth of my life, so I didn’t have to play the network game. For three years, I was the spokesperson for the AIDS rides [yearly cycle-thons] in California. I was flattered that people assumed I was gay. To me, that was an affirmation that I was doing my job.”
Props to you, Mr. Savant.
Doug Savant Gay or Straight: He is a Hot Daddy posted 6 February 2013. Last updated: September 21, 2021 at 6:39 am.