in 1930, william haines was hollywood's number-one box office star. he was also openly gay and living with his boyfriend, jimmie shields.
then everything changed when mgm's louis b. mayer gave haines an ultimatum - either enter a sham marriage with a woman or lose his career. haines refused, left the studio and reinvented himself as one of hollywood's most sought-after interior designers.
he and shields stayed together for 47 years. crawford once called them "the happiest married couple in hollywood."
william haines and jack pickford in brown of harvard (1926)