Jim Nabors, the actor known for playing Gomer Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Gomer Pyle, USMC” in the 1960s and hosting variety and talk shows in the 1970s, married longtime partner Stan Cadwallader Jan. 15 in Washington.
Nabors, 82, and Cadwallader, 64, have been together for 38 years and decided to tie the knot when gay marriage became legal in Washington last month. According to Hawaii News Now, the couple traveled there to get married from their home in Honolulu. The ceremony occurred inside the couple’s hotel room at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle and was performed by a judge in front of a few of the couple’s friends.
Nabors told Hawaii News Now, “It’s pretty obvious that we had no rights as a couple, yet when you’ve been together 38 years, I think something’s got to happen there. You’ve got to solidify something, and at my age, it’s probably the best thing to do.”
The gay marriage debate is something Nabors said he wants to stay out of. He said he has always been open about his sexual orientation to his friends and co-workers and never tried to keep it a secret. He also said he has never tried to publicize his homosexuality.
“I’ve known since I was a child, so, come on,” Nabors said. “It’s not that kind of a thing.”
Nabors said he does not view the marriage as a big deal or event and that he and Cadwallader made their vows to each other 38 years ago.
