The following is a list of made-for-television films that include fictional and factual lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender characters. The orientation can be portrayed on-screen, described in the dialogue or mentioned. The films premiered on terrestrial and cable television networks.
(For queer characters — non-binary, gender fluid, pansexual, etc. — see lists for asexual, intersex, non-binary, and pansexual characters.) __TOC__
1950s
Year Title Network Character(s) Actor(s) Identity Notes 1959 South ITV Jan Wicziewsky Peter Wyngarde Gay Wicziewsky is a Polish army officer living in exile in the antebellum South. He is torn by his feelings for fellow officer Eric MacClure (Graydon Gould). South is believed to be the earliest television film dealing with homosexual themes.
1970s
1970–1974
Year Title Network Character(s) Actor(s) Identity Notes 1971 Vanished NBC Arnold Greer Arthur Hill Gay A presidential adviser goes missing, and the FBI investigation into his disappearance reveals that he is secretly gay and has been having secret weekly meetings with another man in a rented apartment. Loosely inspired by the scandal that forced President Johnson's aid Walter Jenkins to resign in 1964. 1972 The Glass House CBS Hugo Slocum Vic Morrow Gay Hugo is an inmate in the prison. 1972 That Certain Summer ABC Doug Salter Hal Holbrook Gay Doug is divorced and living with his partner Gary McClain. While his ex-wife knows he is gay, his teenaged son Nick (Scott Jacoby) doesn't. When Nick goes to visit his father for the weekend, Doug comes out to him. Nick is upset and confused, and packs his bags and goes home to his mother, without even saying goodbye to his father. Gary McClain Martin Sheen 1973 Applause PBS Duane Fox Harvey Evans Gay Televised production of 1970 Broadway musical Applause. In one scene, Margo Channing goes to a gay bar in Greenwich Village with her pal, Duane, and performs the song "But Alive" with patrons of the bar. 1973 Scream, Pretty Peggy ABC Jeffrey Elliot Ted Bessell Transvestite Jeffrey is a killer. 1973 Steambath PBS Young Man #1 Young Man # 2 Neil J. Schwartz Patrick Spohn Gay Filmed production of the off-Broadway show that aired on PBS in 1973. One scene contained two gay men singing the provocative "Let Me Entertain You" as they slowly remove their towels throughout the number. The controversial production included the first woman (Valerie Perrine) to be shown topless on public television and only 24 PBS affiliates aired the program. 1974 Born Innocent NBC Moco Nora Heflin Lesbian 14-year-old runaway, Christine Parker (Linda Blair), is sentenced to do time in a girls' juvenile detention center. In a controversial scene, Christine is raped with a plunger handle by a gang led by Moco. The film made several negative references to lesbianism, with one version of the script containing a character description of Moco, implying that her lesbianism was a result of her surroundings, and what prompts her abuse of Christine and others.
1975–1979
Year Title Network Character(s) Actor(s) Identity Notes 1975 The Naked Civil Servant ITV Quentin Crisp John Hurt Gay Biographical film about the life and times of openly gay and flamboyant Quentin Crisp. The film depicts his life from coming of age to growing old in conservative England. Based on the 1968 book of the same name. 1975 Cage Without a Key NBC Tommy Jonelle Allen Lesbian Tommy is a black teenager in a juvenile detention center. She sacrifices her life for a wrongly imprisoned white girl, Valerie Smith. 1976 Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway NBC Alexander Duncan Leigh McCloskey Bisexual Alexander is a hustler. 1976 James Dean NBC James Dean Stephen McHattie Bisexual Biopic about Dean based on the biography by Bast, Dean's good friend and roommate during the 1950s. The movie featured several homoerotic scenes between Dean and Bast. In one scene, Dean talks with Bast about being open to gay encounters. In the film's final scene, Bast tells his therapist that he never got the chance to tell Dean how much he loved him. William Bast Michael Brandon Gay 1976 Song of Myself CBS Walt Whitman Rip Torn Gay The story begins with Whitman, a gay poet, in his 70s, sitting for photographs being taken by Thomas Eakins. His life is then depicted in flashbacks, with Whitman reading passages from his poetry on a voice-over soundtrack. It was broadcast as part of CBS‐TV's "American Parade" series. Peter Doyle Brad Davis Peter Doyle is a young streetcar operator who becomes Whitman's lover for 10 years. 1976 The War Widow PBS Amy Pamela Bellwood Bisexual Set during World War I, Amy is married to a man who enlisted early. On a trip to New York City, she meets Jenny, a photographer. Their friendship blossoms into romance and they eventually become lovers. Jenny Frances Lee McCain Lesbian 1977 Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn NBC Alexander Duncan Leigh McCloskey Bisexual Alexander is a street hustler; only in it for the money, he sleeps with both men and women. At one point in the film he is a houseboy for a closeted gay pro football player. In the end, he reunites with his girlfriend Dawn, and they leave California and head up north. Sequel to the TV movie Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. 1977Die KonsequenzARD Martin Kurath Jürgen Prochnow Gay Martin Kurath is an actor who is imprisoned. In jail, he begins a relationship with the jail warden's son Thomas. Thomas Manzoni Ernst Hannawald1977 In the Glitter Palace NBC Ellen Lange Barbara Hershey Lesbian Ellen hires her ex-boyfriend to defend her lover Casey, who is accused of murder. Daisy is a nightclub entertainer. Ricky is hiding a child she lost in a custody suit. Grace was hired to seduce women so they can be blackmailed. Kendis is a judge and another blackmail victim. Casey Walker Diana Scarwid Daisy Dolon Carole Cook Ricky Lynn Marta Grace Mayo Tisha Sterling Kendis Winslow 1977 Terraces NBC Dr. Roger Cabe Lloyd Bochner Gay A married doctor has an affair with Alex, an actor. When Roger breaks it off for the sake of his wife and family, Alex has a hard time accepting the break-up and swallows a bottle of pills. Roger suspects that Alex may have attempted suicide, so he and other tenants of the building where they live break into his apartment and find him unconscious. Roger forces Alex to drink coffee until he wakes up, and in the end, Roger moves in with Alex. Alex Bengston James Phipps 1978 A Question of Love ABC Linda Ray Guettner Gena Rowlands Lesbian Linda Ray is a divorced nurse with two kids. She moves in with Barbara and they are in a relationship. Linda's teenaged son tells his father about his mother and Barbara's relationship. The ex-husband then sues for custody of the younger boy, because the teenager had already moved back in with his dad. When they go to trial, Linda loses custody of her young son. Based on the true story of Mary Jo Risher, who in 1975 lost custody of her 9-year-old son because she was in a lesbian relationship. Barbara Moreland Jane Alexander 1978 Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force NBC Leonard Matlovich Brad Dourif Gay The true story of Leonard Matlovich, a U.S. Air Force sergeant who was dismissed from the Air Force for being gay and the story of his fight to be reinstated.
1980s
1980–1984
Year Title Network Character(s) Actor(s) Identity Notes 1980 From the Life of the Marionettes ZDF Tim Walter Schmidinger Gay Tim is Katarina's friend and business partner. 1980 Marilyn: The Untold Story ABC Natasha Lytess Viveca Lindfors Lesbian The film explores the star's bond with Natasha Lytess. 1980 The Shadow Box ABC Brian Christopher Plummer Bisexual Brian is a married man who falls in love with another man named Mark in this TV film directed by Paul Newman and subsequently nominated for three Emmy awards. 1980 The Women's Room ABC Iso Tovah Feldshuh Lesbian Iso is a divorcee and a friend of the main character, Mira. This television film received highly favorable reviews and was nominated for four Emmy awards. 1981Inmates: A Love Story ABC Salt Rita Taggart Lesbian Salt and Pepper are a biracial couple in the jail. Pepper Cynthia Avila 1981The Running Man CBC Ben Garfield Chuck Shamata Gay Ben Garfield is married with two kids, a teacher, and is closeted. Michael is his best friend. Michael Don Scanlon 1981 Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend NBC Sidney Shorr Tony Randall Gay Sidney Shorr is a reclusive illustrator. He meets and befriends Laurie Morgan, a cheerful, forthright woman who spends the night in his apartment. Sidney's sexuality is clear to Laurie from his wistful gaze toward a man's photo positioned on the mantle. Since Sidney can no longer afford his apartment alone, Laurie moves in; she eventually gets pregnant, and they raise the child together. TV movie that was the pilot for the series Love, Sidney. 1981 Valley of the Dolls CBS Vivienne Moray Camilla Sparv Lesbian Vivienne is a Parisian artist. 1982 Fifth of July Showtime Kenneth Talley Jr. Richard Thomas Gay Kenneth Talley Jr. is a paraplegic Vietnam veteran living in his childhood home in Lebanon, Missouri. Jed Jenkins is a gardener and Kenneth's boyfriend. Ken hosts a reunion of his old UC Berkeley college friends, and they muse about days gone by and what the future holds for them. Based on the play of the same name. Jed Jenkins Jeff Daniels 1983 An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later HBO Himself Lance Loud Gay Follow-up reunion film to the 1973 PBS series An American Family, which included gay son, Lance. 1983 An Englishman Abroad BBC Guy Burgess Alan Bates Gay Story of the chance encounter between Guy, a Cambridge spy, and actress Coral Browne. The film is based on real-life events; The Cambridge Spy Ring. 1983 Family Business PBS Jerry Stern Jeff Marcus Gay Jerry is the youngest son of a wealthy man who is dying and wants to make amends with his four sons. 1983 Making of a Male Model ABC Chuck Lanyard Jeff Conaway Gay Chuck Lanyard is a washed-out model. He can't even land a gig standing next to a car at an auto show, because he's too old. He eventually dies from a drug overdose. 1983 Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer CBS Alan Cahill Barton Heyman Gay Alan is the lover of John, who murdered Mary Alice Nolan. After John flees from New York to Florida to avoid being caught, Alan agrees to help the police locate him. The film is loosely based on the investigation surrounding the murder of Roseann Quinn. John Charles Turner Shannon Presby 1984 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Showtime Brick Pollitt Tommy Lee Jones Gay Brick, an alcoholic former Southern football hero, pines for his dead best friend, Skipper; while being indifferent towards his wife, Maggie. This production restored the homosexual undertones of the original play that were diluted in the 1958 feature film version. 1984 The Glitter Dome HBO Lorna Dillman Colleen Dewhurst Lesbian Lorna is a film editor.
1985–1989