By Jan Wahl—
Liberace was so much more than an American pianist, singer, and actor. For over four decades of concerts, recordings, television, endorsements, and movies, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world. I was lucky enough to see him perform at the Chi Chi Room in Palm Springs and the Hollywood Bowl when I was a kid. I never forgot those performances. He played everything from Chopin to rock and roll brilliantly, but it was also his extravagant costumes that blew me away. He talked to the audience directly as if we were friends and seemed to laugh at himself along the way.
In 1959, Liberace successfully sued The Daily Mirror for libel after they published an article implying that he was gay, which was a crime in England at the time. A few decades later, in 1982, he was sued by his lover and chauffeur, Scott Thorson, for palimony. He continued to deny that he was gay until he died of AIDS in 1987.
A film adaptation of Scott Thorson’s autobiography, Behind the Candelabra, debuted on HBO in May of 2013. In a sincere and believable performance, Michael Douglas plays Liberace with Matt Damon as Thorson. The story centers on a relationship the two shared, with every detail taken from Liberace’s opulent life. Both Michael Douglas and Debbie Reynolds (who played his mother) were friends of Liberace and were determined to get it right.
In Michael Douglas’s new autobiography, One Helluva Ride, we find out the backstory of Behind the Candelabra. This book is divided into different movies in Douglas’s career, and the Behind the Candelabra chapter is fascinating. Douglas had just come out of Stage 4 throat cancer and was in recovery when they started shooting. The film was a challenge—from wearing pounds of crystals to hours of makeup, to playing the piano.
Douglas played the man he knew as a kid and Liberace’s deep love affair with his chauffeur. Matt Damon was at the top of his career, having just done the Bourne series, and wanted the challenge of playing Scott. Some of you may be pissed that two straight men played gay, but take a look at their love scenes and affection. They do it right.
Promoting the film was hard on Douglas, though. He ended up winning every award possible, including an Emmy and a SAG Award for leading actor. Both Douglas’s wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and his father, Kirk Douglas, were very proud of him for this performance. Coming out of a near-death experience, this was a great way for Douglas to re-enter the actor’s life.
No matter what you do, join Michael Douglas with his book One Helluva Ride, and give yourself the gift of watching Behind the Candelabra.
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community.
Off the Wahl
Published on October 22, 2026
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