Michael Kearns, Beverly Hills, 90210 actor and LGBTQIA+ advocate, dies at 76
Michael Kearns, who appeared as Hal in several 1996 episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, died on October 5 at age 76. No cause of death was disclosed, and he is survived by his adopted daughter, Katherine. Friends paid tribute to his activism and shared details of a final text he sent from the hospital before his death.
Kearns played Hal in multiple 1996 episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210. He was also remembered as an early openly gay Hollywood actor and an LGBTQIA+ rights advocate. He was 76 and is survived by his adopted daughter, Katherine; no cause of death was shared.
Friends described him as a mentor, neighbor, and movie companion. Performance artist Tim Miller said they had known each other since 1984 and called Kearns an AIDS performer-warrior. Kearns had been scheduled to appear at Los Angeles’s Celebration Theater that week for an event honoring LGBTQIA+ theater history.
Kearns’s death may resonate most with LGBTQIA+ audiences and theater communities who saw his advocacy and connection to LGBTQIA+ theater history as trailblazing. Fans of Beverly Hills, 90210 may also note his small role in the show’s 1990s run. Tributes from friends could draw attention to the challenges faced by older activists and performers, though the story’s immediate impact is likely to remain within entertainment and advocacy circles.