It would've only taken the Times less than a minute to Google the same things I found about Hyman's partner. That would've offered a more complete portrait of his life, and why Hyman was so love in Norway that he lived there, learned the languages and was so celebrated there.
That said, it also appears that Hyman chose to be closeted or discreet, understandably for professional reasons. He probably wouldn't have been thrilled with tabloid headlines, like: ''Bill Cosby's TV dad is GAY!'' ... Plus, he wasn't obligated to come out and had a right to his privacy.
Looking through various interviews throughout his life, Hyman happily gushes about how ''the only place I'm a star ... is Norway. There they come to see me. I'm the only foreign actor and only black actor who performs in both Norwegian languages." He even got to meet Henrik Ibsen's grandson.
But so far, the only reference we've found of Hyman acknowledging Rolf, his partner of 50 years, looks like that 2-part video he made for the Grieving Center. And we know it existed because the Center's administrator writes about it, and so do other viewers. Yet curiously, the link to the video doesn't work anymore. Is it possible that Hyman asked for it to be taken down, after having second thoughts about its posting? Who knows? |
