Remembrance

Hollywood legend has it when executives at MGM told Haines he had the option of either agreeing to an arranged marriage with an actress or never working for the studio again, Haines chose the latter; the result was he never appeared in another film. Instead, Haines turned his hobby of interior decorating into a lucrative career, and he maintained a sometimes stormy but ultimately loyal relationship with his lover, Jimmy Shields, which lasted from 1926 up until Haines' death in 1973. Joan Crawford is quoted as saying they had "the happiest marriage in Hollywood."

Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1922. His career gained momentum when he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures where he received favorable reviews for his role in The Midnight Express. Haines returned to MGM and was cast in the 1926 film Brown of Harvard. The role solidified his screen persona as a wisecracking, arrogant leading man. By the end of the 1920s, Haines' had appeared in a string of successful films and was a popular box office draw.

His career was cut short by the 1930s due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality. Haines quit acting in 1935 and started a successful interior design business with his life partner Jimmie Shields, and was supported by friends in Hollywood. Haines died of lung cancer in December 1973 at the age of 73.

William Haines and Jimmy Shields - the Happiest Marriage in Hollywood:

William Haines and Jimmy Shieldsand the two men maintained a lifelong friendship, and Joan called them "the happiest married couple in Hollywood." Haines and Shields were together 47 years. William Haines' career was cut short by MGM Studios due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality. Billy Hains fell in love with his stand-in, Jimmy Shields, and they moved in together in 1923, a move that destroyed his acting career. Haines never returned to film and instead started a successful interior design business with his life partner Jimmy Shields.

Harlow in Hollywood, authors Mark Vieira and Darrell Rooney (middle); Cafe Trocadero 1935: Edith Gwynne Wilkerson (wife of Trocadero owner Billy Wilkerson), Jean Harlow, William Powell, William Haines' lover Jimmy Shields (standing), Anderson Lawler, unidentified man (standing), William Haines, Edith's sister Marge (bottom)

Jimmy Shields (Left) William Haines, (Second on Left) Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford, a close friend of Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver, as well as William Haines and Jimmy Shields, introduced the two couples. Tom Lyle opened an antique store in Beverly Hills, for Emery, where he could meet celebrities, outside the Villa Valentino. Tom Lyle, preferred a secluded life inside the Villa. Haines and Shields had a hand in decorating The Villa Valentino, after it's remodel in the late 1930's.

Although the Hollywood system at the time put pressure on gay actors to provide an 'acceptable' public image by marrying, Haines turned down an offer of marriage from Joan Crawford who was then still hoping to be a rising star. In 1930 Haines and Jimmy Shields bought an antique shop and developed their interest in interior design by giving free advice to their Hollywood customers and friends.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, William Haines has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7012 Hollywood Blvd.  William Haines Designs remains in operation, with main offices in West Hollywood and showrooms in New York, Denver and Dallas.   Jimmy Shields commited suicide a few months after William Haines death after almost 50 years together.