Danny La Rue

Danny La Rue was born on July 26, 1927 as Daniel Patrick Carroll in County Cork, Irish Free State. He served in the Royal Navy as a young man following his father's steps, but he became famous as a female impersonator (or "comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called) in England and was featured in theatre productions, and in film, television, and records.

Related Topics:
July 26 - 1927 - Royal Navy - Female impersonator - England - Theatre - Film - Television

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He was made Officer in the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Related Topics:
Officer in the Order of the British Empire - Queen - Birthday Honours List

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Among his impersonations were celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marlene Dietrich, and Margaret Thatcher. He had his own nightclub in Hanover Square, and also performed on London's West End. In the 1960s he was among England's highest-paid entertainers. In 1982 he played 'Dolly Levi' in the famous musical "Hello Dolly!", and he is still a regular performer in traditional Christmas Pantomime shows in Britain.

Related Topics:
Impersonation - Celebrities - Elizabeth Taylor - Zsa Zsa Gabor - Marlene Dietrich - Margaret Thatcher - Nightclub - Hanover Square - London - West End - 1960s - Entertainer - 1982 - Musical - Hello Dolly! - Pantomime

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Curiously, for most of his career he felt obliged to avoid any suggestion of homosexuality in his act. He would imply that beneath his costume he was a "normal" heterosexual man e.g. he would always perform the last routine of his show out of drag, dressed normally as a man. Recently (in 2005) he acknowledged that this had been a sham, he was actually gay.

Related Topics:
Homosexuality - Gay

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