#28: David Hyde Pierce

Year They Came Out of the Closet: 2007

Born on April 3, 1959, David Hyde Pierce is an accomplished American actor and director. After years of media speculation, Pierce came out as gay in 2007, confirming his relationship with TV writer and director Brian Hargrove through his publicist.

While accepting his Tony Award for Curtains, he warmly thanked “my partner, Brian, for 24 years of listening to your damn notes—that’s why I’m up here tonight.” The couple wed on October 24, 2008, just days before Proposition 8 banned same-sex marriages in California.