“My first manager, ironically a gay man, almost threatened me. He basically said, ‘You read like a dyke and you need to watch that’”

SOUNDBITES — “My first manager, ironically a gay man, almost threatened me. He basically said, ‘You read like a dyke and you need to watch that.’ I’ve always been sort of a tomboy, but I thought, ‘I can act and I can play straight people.’ That was a little scary.” —Married With Children actress Amanda Bearse on the early career “advice” she received about coming out

So how long did it keep her in the closet?

It taught me to be fearful, so at first I kept my personal life and professional life pretty fragmented. Then when I moved to L.A. in the mid-eighties I became more comfortable with myself. When I was cast in Married With Children, I was in a very safe and familial environment. I lived my life openly and people knew I was gay. But I didn’t come out professionally until 1993—the year my daughter was born.

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