American sex worker and memoirist Scotty Bowers was BOTD in 1923. Born George Bowers in Ottawa, Illinois, he grew up in Chicago, being paid for sex by Catholic priests while he was still a minor. During the Second World War, he joined the US Marine Corps, serving in the Battle of Iwo Jima and other conflicts in the South Pacific. He moved to Los Angeles after the war, working as an attendant at a gas station. According to his 2012 memoir Full Service, he was approached by actor Walter Pidgeon at the gas station, who drove him to his house, paid him for sex and introduced him to other closeted gay celebrities. Bowers became a sex worker and pimp, arranging sexual liaisons for other visitors to the gas station. He claimed to have sexual encounters with celebrities including Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Rock Hudson, Spencer Tracy, the Duke of Windsor, Cecil Beaton, J. Edgar Hoover, Tyrone Power, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Vivien Leigh, Raymond Burr and Néstor Almendros, and procured lesbian escorts for the Duchess of Windsor and Katharine Hepburn. He was also introduced to sexologist Alfred Kinsey, helping him find research subjects for his 1949 book Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male, and inspired a character in John Rechy’s 1963 novel City of Night. The publication of his memoir ignited controversy in Hollywood, with a number of biographers disputing his claims. They have since been verified by a number of sources including Beaton, Liz Smith, Peter DeBruge, Dominic Dunne, Gore Vidal and John Schlesinger. Bowers was in a long-term relationship with Betty Keller, with whom he had a daughter, Donna. He and Keller separated but remained on friendly terms until her death in 2011. In 1984, he married cabaret singer Lois J. Broad, remaining together till her death in 2018. He died in 2019 at the age of 95. His life and career was profiled in the 2017 documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood. A character based on Bowers was played by Dylan McDermott in Ryan Murphy‘s 2020 TV drama series Hollywood; a feature film based on Bowers’ memoir is in production, with Luca Guadagnino currently attached to direct.