Trivia

Edmonds was openly gay in his private life, and finally came out publicly upon publication of the book "Big Lou". which includes the disclosure.

His life story was told in a touching biography, "Big Lou", by Craig Hamrick, created with extensive input from the actor.

His family home, a sprawling southern plantation called "Longwood", near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is located near an estate called "Oak Alley", which was featured in the Tom Cruise film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). Coincidentally, Cruise was one of his favorite actors. Longwood was also the guest home of Clark Gable and Yvonne DeCarlo for their stay in Louisiana while filming Band of Angels.

Remembered for his tireless efforts to the AIDS cause. It became a cause close to his heart with the related death of his sister's son Michael. Alma and Louis worked for years to reduce the stigma of and bring attention to this tragic disease.

One of his most treasured possessions was a scratchy LP featuring several performances by legendary stage actress and writer Ruth Draper. He often quoted from her hilarious "The Italian Lesson" and dubbed his closest friends with names of characters from that one-act play.

Named his Long Island home The Rookery, which means a place where birds roost, because many wild birds made their homes in the trees there.

Performed a cabaret act at Manhattan's Savoy Grill and claimed he could sing the want ads and his Dark Shadows fans would stand up and holler for more.

Between 1887-1969 Longwood Plantation (established circa 1785), south of Baton Rouge, on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, was owned by the Gianelloni family of Placquemine, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Sabin J. Gianelloni, Jr., and his wife, bought the plantation from his father (Sr), in the 1890's. The plantation was a working sugar production farm and mill for almost 200 years, before and after the Civil War. I've found no connection to the Edmonds family as owners of this significant property, although it is possible that one or both of his parents worked, and possibly lived there, for the Gianeloni sugar mill.