Liberace's Plastic Surgery Left Him Unable to Close His Eyes — Even While He Was Sleeping

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Liberace in the CBS special "Leapin' Lizards, It's Liberace!" (1978)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

One of the more bizarre scenes in HBO's movie, "Behind the Candelabra" — and this is a movie with no lack of surreal moments — is when piano-playing superstar Liberace pulls a painting of himself off his wall, shows it to his plastic surgeon, and asks the doctor to surgically make over Liberace's live-in lover, Scott Thorson, to look just like the performer.

The doctor, Jack Startz (as played by a freakishly made-over Rob Lowe), does just that, but only after performing a face lift on Liberace (Michael Douglas) that left his face so tight that he couldn't fully close his eyes, even when he was sleeping (cue another of the movie's more bizarre scenes, as Matt Damon's Thorson tries to awaken a snoring Liberace, whose eyes make him look like he's still awake.)

Did we mention the movie is not a work of fiction? It is based on Thorson's newly rereleased 1988 memoir, "Behind the Candelabra" (Tantor Media), which details his drama-filled relationship with the late, bedazzled star.

[Video: Teary Michael Douglas Calls Return to Work in Liberace Movie a 'Beautiful Gift' After Cancer Battle]

Liberace, who was nearly 40 years older than Thorson when the then-18-year-old moved in with him, began his most elaborate round of cosmetic surgery in 1979, after he saw how he looked during an appearance on "The Tonight Show."

He and Thorson, at a happy place in their relationship, had spent a year traveling through Europe and enjoying the local cuisine at every stop. A scene in the movie shows them happily channel surfing and noshing on popcorn — both having put on a few pounds — until Liberace sees himself on TV. "I look like my father in drag!" he tells Thorson.

Liberace's hairstylist put him in touch with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Jack Startz, who was known for his work with silicone injections, and whose clientele including many of the city's rich and famous. Startz recommended a face-lift, eye lift, and silicone injections plus a face peel after the surgery.

[Related: 'Behind the Candelabra,' the Book: The 12 Best Revelations from Liberace's Former Lover]

Then, as depicted in yet another of the movie's most memorable scenes, Liberace fetched a painting of himself and showed it to Startz, asking the doctor to make Thorson look like the painting.

Liberace decided he should get his face work done first — so that Thorson would be able to take care of him. Thorson, Startz had decided, also needed to lose a few pounds before surgery, which led to the doctor's prescription of the California Diet. It was a plan that amounted to Startz doling out written prescriptions for various drugs — pharmaceutical cocaine and amphetamines among them, Thorson writes in his book. They helped Thorson shed pounds but gain an addiction to the drugs.

Helene Ballas, Startz's office manager, recently told Allure.com that Liberace's biggest concern before his procedures was that he was going to have to remove his wig (a concern he addresses in another funny scene in the film), but both he and Thorson were unaware of just how many problems Startz himself was juggling.

Financial struggles, growing concerns about the safety and efficacy of his silicone injections, and his own drug issues would eventually lead to the end of Startz's business. In 1985, he committed suicide.

[Related: Rob Lowe Suffered Migraines to Transform His Handsome Face for 'Behind the Candelabra']

Years before he had even met with Liberace and Thorson, and dispensed the drugs that Thorson maintains led to his lifelong drug issues, Startz had gone to rehab for his own drug addictions, Ballas told Allure.com. Thorson, meanwhile, told Larry King in a 2002 interview that Startz even drank alcohol during his surgical session with Liberace.

As for the results of Startz's work on Thorson and Liberace, a nose job, a chin implant, and cheekbone work did result in the then-20-year-old Thorson resembling his lover, who wanted his "blond Adonis" to look like him because he had considered adopting the younger man. "He wanted me as his son. But at the same time, he wanted me as his lover," Thorson told King.

And though Liberace was initially pleased with his surgery results — which Thorson wrote made the performer appear 20 years younger — Liberace's eyes had changed "in appearance and function," Thorson wrote in his book. "He couldn't close his lids completely. They remained slitted open even when he struggled to keep them shut. At night, when he slept, his eyes would open slowly, and that's the way they would stay … it was odd to wake up at night and see him in bed beside me sleeping soundly … odd and a little frightening."

[Video: When Liberace Battled Batman and Taught the Hulk How to Tickle the Ivories]

Today, Thorson is battling cancer and is currently incarcerated in a Reno, Nevada, jail after being charged with burglary and identity theft in February 2013. He told Larry King he had the chin implant removed more than a decade ago, but with age, he has come to resemble Liberace more than ever.

"Behind the Candelabra" premieres May 26 at 9 PM on HBO.

 

Recommended Stories

  • Neo-Nazi Dumps 3 Dead Bodies at Albuquerque Hospital Then Flees: FBI

    KOB4/Metropolitan Detention CenterA suspected white supremacist is facing charges after allegedly ditching a bullet-riddled car containing three dead men in the parking lot of an Albuquerque hospital this week.Richard Kuykendall, a 41-year-old with an “apparent association” with the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, was charged Friday with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition for his role in the Wednesday triple homicide, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for New Mexico.Prosecutors allege that after a deadly shootout in a nearby alley, Kuykendall drove to Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital with the victims, removed his shirt and told a security officer “that there were three dead guys in the Chevy” before he walked away.The criminal complaint—first obtained by Seamus Hughes, a researcher at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism and a Daily Beast contributor—notes that authorities only believe Kuykendall “may be responsible for the death of one of the three men.”The victims, who have not yet been identified, were also members of the gang. Kuykendall is being held on bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.SHOOTING VIDEO: @ABQPOLICE said three bodies showed up at Kaseman Hospital around 3pm yesterday. They have not confirmed these videos are connected, but show a what appears to be a barrage of bullets at 2:40p yesterday. 2 miles away a bloodied man is seen leaving the scene @KOB4 pic.twitter.com/jqnvdcW4Tn— Ryan Laughlin (@RyanLaughlinKOB) May 13, 2021 Prosecutors described the Aryan Brotherhood as a “nationwide prison gang that strives to control drug distribution and other illegal activity within state and federal prisons.” Formed by white inmates, it has about 20,000 members both in and out of prison and is known for using Nazi symbols, including swastikas and SS lightning bolts, the complaint states.While authorities have not provided a motive for Wednesday’s slaying, the complaint notes that the gang is known for murdering or threatening members who do not remain loyal or pose a threat to the enterprise.“The [Aryan Brotherhood] uses murder and the threat of murder to maintain a position of power within the prison and jail system,” the complaint states. “Inmates and others who do not follow the orders of the [Aryan Brotherhood] are subject to being murdered, as is anyone who uses violence against an [Aryan Brotherhood] member.”Prosecutors state Kuykendall was walking in an alley behind a local pizza shop on Wednesday when a dark-colored Chevy Malibu pulled up behind him. When Kuykendall tried to get in the car, shots were immediately fired at him.Kuykendall “ducked and maintained a low center of gravity as he ran around the front” of the car while shots were still being fired. He was able to jump in the car.She Masqueraded as an Aryan Princess to Take Down Neo-NazisA few seconds later, Kuykendall exited the car and walked toward a dumpster, the complaint states. “Kuykendall remained next to the dumpster for nine seconds and then went back to the car.” The Albuquerque Police Department later found a 9mm pistol in the dumpster.Prosecutors state that after possibly moving a person inside the car, Kuykendall got into the driver’s seat—on top of the presumably dead driver—and drove to the nearby hospital.Once there, he took off his shirt, revealing several tattoos associated with the neo-Nazi group, including “a large letter B on his left shoulder and an iron cross on his left breast,” the complaint states.When authorities arrived, they found a car “riddled with bullet holes” with a loaded pistol under the driver’s seat, an empty pistol on the back seat and spent bullet casings throughout the car, the complaint says.It’s far from Kuykendall’s first run-in with the law. “Kuykendall has an impressive criminal history, with at least 35 arrests in New Mexico and Massachusetts,” the complaint states. His crimes range from forgery and identity theft to larceny and conspiracy, to an assault of a family member in 2018.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • More than 86 arrests made in 24 hours in 'Go Topless Jeep weekend'

    Most of the arrests made were misdemeanors of public intoxication, with nine DWI arrests included, authorities say.

  • Suspect in Custody After 4-Year-Old Found Slain in Dallas Street With ‘Multiple Wounds’

    kali9A suspect is in custody after a 4-year-old boy was found slain in the middle of a Dallas street early Saturday with “multiple wounds” from what police believe was some kind of edged weapon. The Dallas Police Department confirmed the arrest of an adult male late Saturday, but stopped short of identifying the suspect and gave no further details on the brutal killing of the tot. The boy was found lying in a road in the 7500 block of Saddleridge Drive shortly before 7 a.m., Executive Assistant Chief Albert Martinez told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Martinez said the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death were “unusual” and that an “edged weapon” was thought to have been used.“Unfortunately a small child was lost today in our city through a violent act and we will pursue justice to find whoever did this and bring some sort of closure, not only to family but to the community,” Martinez said.“We are shocked, we are very angry about what has happened to this small child,” he said.Police say the toddler, who is believed to have lived in the area, was likely killed at around 5 a.m.A neighborhood resident told local media she had gone on a morning walk just after 6:30 a.m. when she stumbled upon the grisly scene, at first mistaking the slain child in the street for a dog.As she got closer, she said, she noticed the boy had no shoes or shirt on.“That’s when I noticed the baby had ants at the bottom of his feet so I knew he was deceased then,” Square told the Dallas Morning News. “It was heart-wrenching because this baby could have been no more than 5.”“I’m a little traumatized,” Square said separately to WFAA. “I’m a little afraid, I don’t know what happened to him. To see that, to walk up on it… I don’t feel safe at all.”Another resident, Lila Gilbert, told the Dallas Morning News police had come to her home asking if her family was missing a young child. Gilbert said she then went outside to see a body in the road covered by a blanket, but when the blanket at one point slipped off, she saw what looked like bite marks on the child's face. “It’s so shocking to me that it’s a 4-year-old, someone’s baby. That could’ve been my little cousin or brother or something,” Gilbert was quoted saying. “It’s just the point that he’s gone now. It’s just terrifying.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Detroit Mercy women's basketball player gets ultimatum: We'll pay for school, but you won't play

    Maxine Moore said she has been told by Detroit Mercy that she can remain there on scholarship or leave. But she can no longer play basketball there.

  • Kid Reporter Damon Weaver Who Interviewed Obama Is Dead At 23

    A "lot of people looked up to" the young reporter, and he inspired an interest in journalism in others, said his sister.

  • Starbucks Barista Fired For Tweeting Customer's ‘Crazy’ Order Speaks Out

    Josie Morales doesn't regret joking about a customer’s very elaborate Frappuccino order, saying “I feel like it brought some light upon how crazy orders can be.”

  • Toddler found dead in middle of Texas street

    The unidentified boy was discovered with multiple wounds about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Dallas police said. Investigators believe an "edged weapon" was used.

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene under investigation for filing homestead exemptions on 2 homes

    Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband are under investigation for allegedly filing tax exemptions for two separate homes in different counties, which is a violation of Georgia law. WSB-TV reported that 2020 Georgia state tax records unearthed by investigative reporter Justin Gray revealed the couple was receiving a large tax break on their homes. A homestead exemption provides up to a $2,000 exemption from county and school taxes, according to Newsweek.

  • Halle Berry Shares the 'Naked Truth' in Sexy Topless Instagram Photo

    The actress' signature honey blonde highlights and toned back muscles are on full display in the sultry snap

  • Israel accused of tricking major news outlets into reporting a fake Gaza invasion to lure Hamas fighters into tunnels that were targeted for massive airstrikes

    Reports that Israeli troops had entered Gaza apparently prompted fighters to rush to the tunnels under the enclave where they were bombed by 160 jets.

  • Astonishing footage filmed by a plane passenger shows Hamas rockets being intercepted mid-air by Israel's Iron Dome

    A passenger on board an El Al flight to Tel Aviv captured Israel's missile-defense system intercepting Hamas' rockets from his window seat.

  • Watch Tim Duncan’s humble Hall of Fame induction speech

    Tim Duncan may be the most underrated legend of the game ever.

  • Chilling 911 Call Reveals Moment Truck Driver Discovered Bodies Of Two Teenage Boys

    A truck driver in Florida was making his scheduled stops early Wednesday morning when he came across a grisly scene along the side of County Road 219. It was the bodies of two teenage boys, shot to death and sprawled along the side of the road. “I just found two bodies,” the driver said in a 911 call released by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, according to WKMG. “I’m shaking right now.” Authorities would later identify the teenagers as Prestin Wayne Nixon, 16, and Isaiah Alexander Nelson, 17. “These two young men have been robbed of their chance to live their lives having been senselessly taken from their families,” Capt. Jon Galvin said in an update to the case Thursday. According to Galvin, the bodies were discovered just after 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The shocked trucker told the dispatcher that the bodies were in front of a Wildwood house along the road. “They’re just laying on the ground,” he said. He warned other drivers to turn around before coming upon the grisly sight and pleaded with dispatchers to send a deputy as soon as possible. “I’ll pray for their souls,” he said. “I can’t believe this.” Galvin said both teens appeared to have “injuries stemming from gunshot wounds.” Authorities do not believe it was a random shooting. “This is a tragedy and it has deeply impacted our community,” Galvin said. “We believe at this time that both victims may have known their assailant.” Both teens were being homeschooled when they died, however, Nelson had friends and family attending Wildwood Middle High School and grief counselors are on hand at the school for those in need. Investigators have released few other details about the double homicide, citing the ongoing investigation. “Our detectives are working tirelessly to follow up on any leads and we’re asking for the community’s help in solving this brutal and senseless murder,” Galvin said. Oxygen.com reached out to the sheriff’s office but did not receive an immediate response. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact authorities.

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband received tax breaks on two Georgia homes, investigation says. Married couples are only allowed one, according to state law.

    If Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband are found to be violating Georgia state law, they could face a fine of $12,000, WSB-TV said.

  • Kid reporter who interviewed Obama at White House dies at 23

    The student reporter who gained national acclaim when he interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009 has died of natural causes, his family says. Damon Weaver was 23 when he died May 1, his sister, Candace Hardy, told the Palm Beach Post. Weaver was 11 when he interviewed Obama for 10 minutes in the Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009, asking questions that focused primarily on education.

  • Watch: 70-pound dog is flung airborne by dust devil

    At first, Brittany Wampler didn't believe what her three kids were telling her about how their Lab went flying, until she saw the video.

  • Rep. Eric Swalwell slams Marjorie Taylor Greene's spokesman during mask confrontation: 'You don't tell me what to f---ing do'

    "Predictably, he went speechless. I regret I wasn't more explicit," the California lawmaker said of the Friday incident.

  • $1400 Stimulus May Be on the Way — This Time from Your State

    The U.S. Department of Treasury released new spending rules Monday for $350 billion in direct, flexible aid to states, counties, cities and tribal governments which was issued as part of the American...

  • Mississippi Court Upholds Life Sentence Of Black Man Arrested For Marijuana Possession

    A Mississippi man sentenced to life in prison for marijuana possession had his appeal struck down in court this week. Allen Russell, 38, will spend life behind bars after a Mississippi Court of Appeals judges upheld his 2019 conviction on Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com. On Nov. 29, 2017, Russell was arrested by Hattiesburg police officers. Authorities confiscated “five bags of a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana,” court filings state. In total, nearly 44 grams of cannabis were seized from Russell’s apartment. He was sentenced to life in prison in Forrest County without the possibility of parole due to past convictions. Under Mississippi law, individuals can be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after they’ve served at least one year in prison on two separate felony charges. One of those charges, however, is required to have been a violent offense. In 2004, Russell pled guilty to two separate charges of burglary of a dwelling. Burglary constitutes a violent offense in Mississippi. Russell served roughly eight and a half years and was released from prison in 2014. The following year he pled guilty to possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Russell argued in his appeal that a life sentence was “cruel,” “unusual,” and “grossly disproportionate” to his original conviction. Ultimately his sentence was affirmed by the appeals court. “Upon review of the case before us, and in accordance with precedent, we find that Russell’s sentencing as a habitual offender was not grossly disproportionate as he claims and was clearly within the prescribed statutory limits,” appeals judges wrote in their decision. “Because Russell has failed to prove the threshold requirement of gross disproportionality, and because his habitual- offender sentence fell within the statutory guidelines, we conclude that his sentence constituted “a constitutionally permissible punishment for his most recent crime.” Several of the case’s trial judges, however, dissented. “The purpose of the criminal justice system is to punish those who break the law, deter them from making similar mistakes, and give them the opportunity to become productive members of society,” Judge Latrice Westbrooks wrote. “The fact that judges are not routinely given the ability to exercise discretion in sentencing all habitual offenders is completely at odds with this goal.” Westbrooks specifically cited the judiciary’s inability to take past “facts and circumstances” into account surrounding a habitual offender’s prior crimes. “In cases like Russell’s any discretion really lies with the prosecution rather than the judiciary,” Westbrooks wrote. “Once an offender is charged and convicted as a habitual offender, courts have no option but to ‘rubber stamp’ the decision by sentencing an offender.” Other dissenting judges stated Russell’s sentence should be vacated. Mississippi state law dictates that possession of between 30 and 250 grams of cannabis — or over one ounce — is punishable by up to a three-year prison term, a $3,000 fine, or sometimes both. Possessing small amounts of marijuana is technically decriminalized in Mississippi. More than a dozen states have decriminalized and legalized recreational marijuana. Earlier this year, New York became the latest state to legalize adult-use cannabis. The move is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and generate approximately $350 million in annual revenue. The legislation also automatically expunges past marijuana convictions and prohibits "unlawful" workplace discrimination of cannabis use by employers. New Yorkers can now smoke cannabis "almost anywhere that cigarette smoking is allowed," according to state Public Health Law, which includes sidewalks, front stoops, or other public locations, city police said. "As a result, smoking marijuana in any of these locations is not a basis for an approach, stop, summons, arrest or search," Sgt. Jessica McRorie of the New York City Police Department told Oxygen.com in a statement Friday. In April, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill easing restrictions on parole eligibility for incarcerated individuals across the state. The legislation, however, excludes repeat offenders, and those convicted of certain crimes, such as murder. according to the Associated Press. Senate Bill 2795 is slated to become state law on July 1. In 2020, Reeves, who is a Republican, vetoed a series of criminal justice bills, including one that would have greatly expanded parole eligibility for thousands of inmates.

  • Married School Principals Dead In Texas Murder-Suicide

    A Texas elementary school principal was shot to death by her husband outside her home this week while her two children were inside, police said. Erica Allen, 35, was found in the front yard of her League City home on Wednesday. Neighbors in the community an hour southeast of Houston witnessed her estranged husband shoot her and then go back into the house, according to KHOU. Nicholas Allen then apparently called the police and falsely claimed that a home invasion was in progress at his house. "The investigation determined that the initial call of a home invasion was untruthful, and the incident stemmed from a domestic problem," reads a statement from the League City Police Department. The 40-year-old allegedly told police that there were “innocents” inside the house, presumably referring to his two children. When a tactical team responded at around 1:30 AM they found Nicholas Allen's bodyinside of a closet, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 2-year-old and 7-year old were found unharmed inside the home. Erica Allen Photo: Facebook Erica Allen was a principal at Heights Elementary School in the Texas City Independent School District, KHOU reported. Her husband was an assistant principal at Wells Middle School in the adjacent Spring Independent School District.ABC 13 reported Erica Allen had filed for a temporary restraining order in Galveston County in July against her husband. KHOU obtained court documents saying she’d filed for divorce and that the home where she was murdered was recently sold.If you are experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.