Stars Who Came Out of the Closet

Whether it's in a blog post or on the cover of a national magazine, a celebrity coming out of the closet is always big news. As "Star Trek" star Zachary Quinto becomes the most recent star to announce that he is gay, we are reminded that while it may make headlines, it's not always such a big surprise.

Zachary Quinto

Until now, Zachary Quinto hasn't spoken publicly about his sexual orientation. But in a new interview with New York Magazine, the actor who played Spock in 2009’s "Star Trek" movie and was Sylar on TV’s "Heroes" opens up for the first time about life as "a gay man."

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The 34-year-old had an eight-month run in the play "Angels in America." He played Louis Ironson, a man who abandons his AIDS-stricken boyfriend. "As a gay man, it made me feel like there's still so much work to be done, and there's still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed," he told NY Mag about his role in the play.

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He also spoke with the magazine about the fact that in the same year gay marriage was legalized in New York, a gay teenager in the state, Jamey Rodmeyer, was bullied and killed himself. "And again, as a gay man I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it," he said. "But as a human being I look at it and say 'Why? Where's this disparity coming from, and why can't we as a culture and society dig deeper to examine that?' We're terrified of facing ourselves."

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Quinto's film "Margin Call," a thriller that takes place in an investment bank during the early stages of the financial crisis, opens in theaters Oct. 21.

Keep clicking to see other celebs who have come out.