Opel eventually landed in San Francisco where he established Fey-Way Studios, the nation’s first openly gay art gallery in 1978. And Allan Carr, who went on to produce Grease, hired him to streak a party for the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

Immediately after the stunt, which he had carried off by donning a jumpsuit and masquerading as an entertainment journalist, a freshly clothed Opel stood on “Winner’s Row” and held a press conference with reporters, leading some to speculate later that the whole event had been a publicity stunt. And he had a gig as a part-time photographer for the gay newspaper The Advocate.īut the streak catapulted him to instant stardom, both in and out of the art world. He was active in the gay liberation movement and in art circles. As a member of the L.A hippy scene, Opel had shown up naked to a few Los Angeles City Council meetings to protest the ban on nudity at area beaches. The streaking incident became Hollywood lore overnight, and even now is widely cited as one of the Oscar’s most memorable moments, thanks in part to Niven’s quick riposte as the audience roared and tittered.īut the incident’s notoriety is also due to the unorthodox life and tragic demise of the streaker himself, a conceptual artist, photographer and gay rights activist named Robert Opel. “She was completely thrown by the naked man and she wanted to know if she flubbed her lines,” Phillips told The Hollywood Reporter, “We had to reassure her that she was fine, and everybody had a good laugh.” PHOTOS: Young Barbra Streisand, Teenage Elizabeth Taylor Hit the Town in Newly Discovered PhotosĪfter the awards resumed and Phillips’ movie, The Sting, won, a shocked Taylor approached him. As the streaker flashed the audience one last time before disappearing, Niven quipped, “Isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?” In the ensuing uproar, it fell to co-host David Niven, a debonair Brit best known for his portrayal of Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days, to keep things moving along. Suddenly a thin, dark-haired naked man came streaking out from stage left waving a two-fingered peace sign.

He was nominated for Best Picture, and he was anxiously waiting for Elizabeth Taylor to appear and announce the winner. The year was 1974, and producer Michael Phillips had a good view of the stage during the 46th Academy Awards ceremony.

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