Danny La Rue - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music Read more about sharing. Danny La Rue Biography (Wikipedia) Danny La Rue, OBE (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish-English singer and entertainer, particularly in stage theatre known for his singing and cross-dressing performances. This entry is from Wikipedia , the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License . If you find the biography content factually incorrect or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia . Find out more about our use of this data. Show more Stars pay their respects to Danny La Rue, TV's first drag act | Daily Mail Online comments EastEnders star Barbara Windsor broke down in tears as she paid her respects at the funeral of late comedian Danny La Rue today. The entertainer, real name Daniel Patrick Carroll, died at his home in Kent on May 31 following a battle with cancer. He was 81.

La Rue's longtime companion Annie Galbraith, who was with him when he died, led mourners at the private funeral at the Church of the Transfiguration in Kensal Rise. And Windsor, who had known La Rue since she was 18, said she was 'devastated' by the death of TV's first drag act. She had seen him just three weeks before his death. Mourning: Barbara Windsor had known La Rue for over 50 years Last goodbye: Pallbearers carry Danny La Rue's coffin into the Church of the Transfiguration in Kensal Rise, north-west London Enlarge Celebration of his life: The funeral included La Rue's favourite hymns The 71-year-old arrived at the Catholic funeral service with husband Scott Mitchell with a spray of bluebells and violets, with the message: 'To our darling Dan, we will miss you so much.' Windsor was seen greeting Jamaican-born singer Peter Straker outside the church, in north-west London, before the funeral began.. Comedian Ronnie Corbett, 78, attended the service with his wife Anne and daughter Sophie, as well as fellow funnyman Joe Pasquale and 'Allo 'Allo!

actress Vicki Michelle. Dozens of floral tributes arrived, including white roses from Dame Judi Dench and a sheath from comedian Jim Davidson. Paying tribute to La Rue earlier this month, Bruce Forsyth said: 'He was a great showman and his nightclub in London was the place to go when you were having a special night out. He will still have millions of fans in this country.' The entertainer was famous for his drag impersonations of female stars, including Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marlene Dietrich. Tributes: (L-r) Writer/comedian Barry Cryer, actor Roy Hudd and comedian Ronnie Corbett attended Born in Cork, the Carroll family moved to London when La Rue was nine. West End legend: La Rue died on May 31 after battling cancer His father, Irish Republican Army Soldier Tom died when the comic was only 18 months old. During World War II, La Rue was evacuated to Devon and landed his first job as a window dresser in Exeter. He first donned his wig and eyelashes during a Navy concert party in Singapore at the end of the Second World War.

La Rue got his stage name in the early days, thanks to Harry Secombe, after he landed his first job as a singer at London's Irving Theatre. He said: 'I wanted to call myself Danny Street so Harry Secombe wouldn't know I'd gone back to the stage. But there was already a singer called Danny Street, so I became Danny La Rue.' La Rue was snapped up as a West End cabaret star at London's Churchill's nightclub, followed by Winston's Club, where he starred alongside Barbara Windsor. As his name became bigger than that of his venues, he opened his own nightclub in Hanover Square in 1964. La Rue appeared in dozens of TV shows, including The Good Old Days, Tonight With Danny La Rue and Royal Variety Performances. His pantomime appearances began in the 1960s, making him one of Britain's most established panto dames. La Rue made theatrical history by being the first man to play a female role in a major musical when he took on the part of Dolly in Hello Dolly!

Memories: A bouquet of white roses from Dame Judi Dench The star, who performed everywhere from Canada to the Middle East, became a millionaire at the peak of his career but would lose his fortune in a property deal. When his former partner and manager of 32 years, Jack Hanson, died in 1984, La Rue sank into depression. After a year of drinking every night, La Rue returned to form when he was warned by a friend that he was in danger of losing everything. La Rue was appointed an OBE in 2002, and performed more than 30 times at royal shows at Buckingham Palace. Paying their respects: Comedian Joe Pasquale (left) and singer Peter Straker Remembrance: 'Allo, 'Allo! actress Vicki Michelle In 2006, he was forced to cancel a string of performances after having a stroke. He was the first female impersonator to appear at the Royal Variety Performance before the Queen. La Rue was named Theatre Personality of the Year in 1970 and Entertainer of the Decade in 1979.

Well loved in showbusiness circles, Noel Coward called him 'the most professional, the most witty and the most utterly charming man in the business', while Bob Hope hailed Danny as 'the most glamorous woman in the world'. As he'll be remembered: Danny La Rue in his prime in 1983 Danny La Rue - Movies & Autographed Portraits Through The DecadesMovies & Autographed Portraits Through The Decades Danny La Rue Danny La Rue Danny La Rue Danny La Rue was born Daniel Carroll in Cork in 1927. When he was six, his family moved to London. He served in the British Royal Navy as a young man. He began performing in nightclubs in the late 1950’s and soon had built up a following for his a female impersonations. He was very popular in the 1960’s and had his own nightclub. In 1972 he starred in his only film “Our Miss Fred”. Danny La Rue died in 2009 at the age of 81.

His “Guardian” obituary: Danny La Rue, who has died aged 81, flouted the usual showbusiness rule that, to be funny, every female impersonator needed to have an obvious suggestion of –hobnailed boots beneath a long frock. In a variation on this tradition, he appeared attired in sequinned dresses, but immediately said “wotcher, mates!” in a gruff voice. Yet what La Rue achieved was to replace a traditionally derisive mocking of women, that showed them as faintly grotesque, with glitter and elegance. He did it to such an extent that, apart from his height of over 6ft, he might easily have been a beautiful woman trying her luck with saucy jokes and sentimental songs. He became the first performer for many years to base his entire career on impersonating women. “Vulgar, yes, but there is nothing crude about me,” was his guiding maxim, as he flounced around variety stages, clubs, pierheads and pantomimes, doing a dozen changes a show, sometimes with stylish but over-the-top dresses which cost £5,000 each.

At his peak, in the 1970s, he was earning the equivalent of £2m a year, and had four homes, a Rolls-Royce and an entourage of 60. La Rue was never a gay icon, nor a butt of the feminist movement, which sometimes surprised him. His core audience was, in fact, blue-rinsed ladies of a certain age who sent gushing letters congratulating him on his awards: showbusiness personality of the year in 1969, theatre personality of the year in 1970, 25 years in show business award in 1976 and entertainer of the decade in 1979. They wrote saying how much they admired his legs or his self-manufactured rubber bosom, presumably because they identified with him and were comfortable with his act – though it sometimes included raucous jokes which, coming from anyone else, might have caused deep offence. He got away with it, he claimed, because everyone knew that everything he did and said was just a pretence: he regarded himself as an actor.

Although Paul Scofield tried to –persuade him to act in “legitimate” –theatre, and Laurence Olivier wanted him to play Lady Macbeth, La Rue did not risk trying to escape his limitations. He would explain that taking off –Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bette Davis and Joan Collins, or Sophie Tucker singing My Yiddisher Mama, was acting enough. As a cabaret perfomer, he could be decidedly risqué, earning himself the nicknames Danny La Rude and Danny La Blue. Offstage, he could also be reckless and get away with it. Once, he was appearing at a London club and in a –Coventry pantomime simultaneously. At the same time, the royal family were asking for an increase in the civil list. When the Duke of Edinburgh, visiting La Rue’s show, asked him if he was doing it for the cash, La Rue replied that it seemed to be all the fashion. A Guardian critic said in the 1960s that La Rue’s material was “dirty night-club jokes for drunks and bored people and other actors, and yet it is truly cleansing and cathartic”.

To which a reader from Hampstead – not usually regarded as the centre of La Rue’s core audience – inquired acidly whether the critic was “going through a period of severe mental strain”. The reader –obviously regarded La Rue’s material as neither filthy nor psychologically significant, just funny. This was the received opinion throughout a long career which, he said, was sustained by discipline and application. Born Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork, Ireland, La Rue was the youngest son of a Roman Catholic cabinet-maker, who had five children. La Rue never knew him. His father went to New York in the 1920s with the idea of bringing his family over later, but died before this could happen. Danny was then 18 months old. His mother, whom he described as his life’s inspiration, decided to compromise by seeking the family’s fortunes in England. She lived in Soho, central London, struggling on her widow’s pension and wages as a seamstress to provide for the large family, while young Danny attended schools in London and then, evacuated from London during the blitz, in Exeter. One day he found his mother in tears because she didn’t know where the money for his new school uniform was going to come from.

On leaving school, he earned £1.50 a week in a –bakery; wartime rationing was in place and he was allowed to take cakes home as a perk. He got a job in Exeter as a window-dresser, then moved back to London, doing the same job for an Oxford Street store. Called up for the Royal Navy, he made his first stage appearance, aged 18, as a native girl in a comic send-up of the serious play White Cargo. John Gielgud saw it in Singapore and told La Rue that he should take his ability to make people laugh more seriously. Once he left the navy, he did so. An old naval friend told him about auditions for an all-male chorus in the show Forces Showboat. Harry Secombe was in the same show. Forces Showboat went on tour for months, but La Rue saw little point in dressing up as a woman in the –provinces. It didn’t seem to be getting him anywhere, so he returned to the Oxford Street store and initiated lunch-time fashion shows. Then the promoter Ted Gatty persuaded him to do a West End revue in drag.

He would do it, said La Rue, as long as it were not under his real name. When he arrived for rehearsals he found that Gatty had already given him the name Danny La Rue. The producer Cecil Landau saw the show and got La Rue a two-week slot at Churchill’s club in Mayfair, which turned into a three-year engagement as top of the bill. La Rue spent the 1950s appearing on stage, often in –pantomimes staged by the impresario Tom Arnold. He also appeared in cabaret in clubs with such success that, in the early 1960s, he opened Danny’s, his own club in Hanover Square, which lasted nine years. This was in contrast to a later business venture, in the 1970s: restoring the derelict stately home Walton Hall near Stratford-upon-Avon, which he had bought for £500,000 – much of his considerable savings. He poured the rest into restoration and turning it into a hotel and arts centre, only to find that the two Canadian managers were conmen who had left him with a pile of unpaid bills, for which La Rue was legally responsible.

The day after his 56th birthday, La Rue’s company went into voluntary liquidation and he was forced to sell his home in Henley to pay off the debt. It got worse. In 1984 he took the lead in Hello, Dolly! which was critically panned and closed soon after. Later that year, his manager of 30 years, Jack Hanson, whom he described as “the love of my life”, died of a stroke. La Rue drank himself to sleep every night until a –psychic told him that his pet dog was the reincarnation of Hanson. Taking –further comfort from his Catholic religion – he kept a little shrine by his –bedside – La Rue resumed his disciplined routine of personal appearances at pierheads and in pantomime, rationing his television appearances as always. Why, he asked, should people pay to see him on stage when they could see him for free on TV? He never married and was angry at those who called his announced, but later called-off, engagement to an American millionairess in 1987 a publicity stunt. In 2000, his companion Wayne King, an Australian pianist, died aged 46, of Aids.

Two years later, in recognition of the thousands of pounds he raised for Aids charities, La Rue was appointed OBE (the Queen was said to be a great admirer of his act). Suffering from the eye condition macular degeneration, in 2006 he also suffered a stroke, though even then his agent said that La Rue was “dying to get his old frocks out, dust them off and get back in the limelight”. Shortly afterwards, in poor health and receiving financial assistance from an actors’ charity, he moved in to the home of his former dresser and longtime friend Annie Galbraith, who cared for him until his death. • Danny La Rue (Daniel Patrick Carroll), female impersonator and actor, born 26 July 1927; died 31 May 2009 The above Dennis Barker obituary on Danny La Rue can also be accessed online here. Liam Anyone who knows me are aware that I am a bit of a movie buff. Over the past few years I have been collecting signed photographs of my favourite actors.

Danny La Rue : definition of Danny La Rue and synonyms of Danny La Rue (English) 9 External links Early life Born as Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork City , [1] Ireland in 1927, La Rue was the youngest of either four or five siblings. The family moved to England when he was six and he was brought up at Earnshaw Street in Soho , central London. When the family home was destroyed during the Blitz , his mother, a seamstress, moved her children to Kenn , a Devon village where young Daniel developed an interest in dramatics. “There weren't enough girls so I got the pick of the roles ... My Juliet was very convincing”, La Rue recalled. [2] He served in the British Royal Navy as a young man following his father's footsteps, and even had a brief career delivering groceries, but he became known for his skill as a female impersonator (or "comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called) in Britain and was featured in theatre productions, and in film , television , and records. Career Among his celebrity impersonations were Elizabeth Taylor , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Judy Garland , Marlene Dietrich , and Margaret Thatcher .

At one point he had his own nightclub in Hanover Square , and also performed on London 's West End . In the 1960s he was among Britain's highest-paid entertainers . He used to own the Swan at Streatley hotel in the 1970s. In 1982 he played Dolly Levi in the musical Hello, Dolly! . He also has the distinction of being the only man to take over a woman's role in the West End theatre when he replaced Avis Bunnage in Oh, What a Lovely War! [2] and he was until his death still a regular performer in traditional Christmas pantomime shows in Britain. In 1968 his version of "On Mother Kelly's Doorstep" reached number 33 in the UK singles chart; La Rue later adopted the song as his theme tune. [3] He appeared in Every Day's a Holiday, The Frankie Howerd Show, Our Miss Fred , Twiggs, Decidedly Dusty, Entertainment Express, Blackpool Bonanza and the BBC Play of the Month. He made a guest appearance in the Mr. Bean episode, Mr. Bean in Room 426 in 1993.

He most recently appeared in Hello Danny a biographical show performed at Benidorm Palace , Spain on 11 November 2007. The part of La Rue was played by Jerry Lane, and La Rue appeared at the start of the show and then in an interview on stage in the second half. He also performed a number of songs, including Jayne County 's "Queenage Baby", accompanied by Dave Peterson to a sellout crowd. Death La Rue suffered a mild stroke in January 2006 whilst in Spain on holiday after his final Pantomime and all of his planned performances were cancelled. He had been suffering from prostate cancer for many years unbeknown to his fans. He had several subsequent strokes and developed cancer of the throat. He died in his home shortly before midnight on 31 May 2009 at the age of 81 [4] [5] His companion, Annie Galbraith, was with him at his home in Kent when he died. [6] Personal life La Rue would often perform parts of his show in men's clothes, and was often seen out of costume on television. In later life, he was more candid about his private life, including his homosexuality.

La Rue lived for many years with his manager and life partner of 40 years, Jack Hanson, until Hanson's death in 1984. [7] In the 1970s La Rue spent more than £1million on the purchase and restoration of a country house hotel, Walton Hall in Warwickshire. Due to his performance commitments, he decided to sell the business in 1983 and two Canadians offered him a deal by which, if the hotel retained La Rue’s name, he would become the major shareholder. The duo claimed that they would invest a further £3million in the hotel and that they had organised a scheme for flying guests in from America, so La Rue signed the hotel over to them. Six months later he discovered that the two Canadians were being investigated by the police and that his name was linked to the investigation. La Rue was eventually cleared of any suspicion but the day after his 56th birthday he discovered that he had lost more than £1million. [8] Accolades He was appointed OBE in the 2002 Queen 's Birthday Honours List . La Rue later stated in an interview that this was "the proudest day of his life".

[9] Other accolades included Royal Variety Performance appearances in 1969, 1972 and 1978, Variety Club of Great Britain Showbiz Personality of the Year (1969), Theatre Personality of the Year (1970), Entertainer of the Decade (1979) and the Brinsworth Award from the EABF for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment profession and the community. [10] Selected filmography List of transgender people - English Wikademia List of transgender people Courtney Act (aka Shane Janek), drag queen Calpernia Addams (née Scott Addams), actress, author, autobiographer, entrepreneur, activist, fiddle player Janice Allen, motion picture preservationist, transsexual Paul J.

Allen, gay porn star Nadia Almada (née Jorge Leodoro), Big Brother UK 2004 winner, transsexual Adèle Anderson, cabaret singer, actress, member of Fascinating Aida Enza "Supermodel" Anderson, drag performer Buck Angel, world's first FTM transsexual porn star Arcipello a British digital artist April Ashley (née George Jamieson), model Brianna Austin, writer and gender columnist Mianne Bagger (née Michael Bagger), golfer, transsexual woman Dana Baitz, musician (pianist, producer, songwriter) Shirley Temple Bar, drag performer Georgina Beyer (née George Bertrand), New Zealand's (and the world's) first transsexual mayor (1995) and member of parliament (2002) Joan Jett Blakk, drag performer Sister Boom-Boom, drag queen Kate Bornstein (née Albert Bornstein), transsexual author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist Sara Davis Buechner (née David Buechner), concert pianist Charles Busch, drag performer Meryn Cadell, writer and singer-songwriter Patrick Califia, a writer Endry Cardeño, Colombian transsexual actor Wendy Carlos (née

 Walter Carlos), American transsexual composer and electronic musician Parinaya Charoemphol aka Nong Toom, transsexual Thai actress and former kickboxer Roberta Close (née Luíz Roberto Gambine Moreira), Brasilian transsexual model Coccinelle, French transsexual performer Lynn Conway, transsexual computer scientist, electrical engineer and transgender advocate Caroline Cossey, also Tula (née Barry Kenneth Cossey), British transsexual model, author, and Bond girl Jayne County, US rock singer (previously famous as 'Wayne County') Jennifer Cross (née Carl J Cross), Australian economics computer programmer from Perth Katherine Fiona Cummings (née John Cummings), Sydney librarian (born 1935) Graham Dean (née Deanna Graham), UK gamer from Bedford Delia Death, model and singer Morty Diamond, transman filmmaker and performance artist Dreuxilla Divine, drag queen Colin Kennedy Donovan, genderqueer/trans disability writer and anti-racist activist Aaron H.

Dover, writer and educator Qwo-Li Driskill, writer, activist, and educator Michelle Dumaresq, transsexual professional mountain bicyclist Monet Dupree, drag performer Amanda Jane Dusting, Sydney archaeologist Julian Eltinge, drag performer Jaime Elturk, drag computer manager Paul Erik (née Paula Erik), Canadian musician Jackie Enx, transsexual drummer for the heavy metal band Rhino Bucket Bulent Ersoy, Turkish transsexual singer Leslie Feinberg, transgender activist and author Jamie Faye Fenton, computer game designer Bibiana Fernández, Spanish transsexual actress, model, performer Harvey Fierstein, drag performer, Hairspray Jacqualine Elizabeth Gaynor, female illusionist, show promoter James Green, transman, writer & educator Stasha Goliaszewski, corporate activist, minister, radio host & producer TransPhillyRadio Jenni Gorman, transsexual parole officer from Lismore, Australia Rachael Goss a computer programmer and founder of TACT (Transgender Activists of Central Texas) and political activist Rachel Grant (née Richard Grant), West Australian goat farmer, involved in the failed WATSUP group Aidy Griffin (née Aidan Griffin), Sydney transvestite taxi driver Jacob Hale, trans

man, philosopher Lauren Harries, famous as child prodigy 'James Harries' David Harrison, performer Harisu, transsexual model, singer and actress Antony Hegarty, singer-songwriter Mike Hernandez, writer and activist Blaine Paxton Hill, transman, psychic Jenny Hiloudaki, Greek transsexual model Clover Honey, drag queen Mary Ann Horton, (also Mark Horton), transgendered (bi-gendered) Internetpioneer House of Diabolique, drag queen Dana International, Israeli pop singer Eddie Izzard, comedian who cross-dresses and calls himself an "executive transvestite" Andrea James, transwoman, entrepreneur, film producer, screenwriter, actress, and activist Michelle Josef, Canadian musician Kamikawa Aya, or Aya KAMIKAWA Tokyo municipal official (first transgendered person to seek elected office in Japan) Frances Margan Keeling, Sydney archaeologist Mara Keisling, transsexual, founder of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Key leader in passing several laws protecting transgender people. www,nctequality.org Taff al-Khalifa, transsexual man, member of Bahrain's royal family, now exiled Shigeyuki Kihara, Samoan-Japanese fa'afafine artist Theresa Knott, (née Terry Knott) London teacher Andreas Krieger, transman, athlete Jennifer Jane Leitham, transsexual jazz bassist Amanda Lepore, transexual icon and model Hedda Lettuce, drag performer Miss Shangay Lily, drag performer Shirley Q Liquor, drag queen Charles Ludlam Lypsinka (John Epperson), drag queen Deirdre McCloskey, noted American Economist, argued The McCloskey critique Christine Mancini, drag performer Roslyn Manley, transsexual advocate/activist. First openly out transsexual to hold elected office in the United States. Elected June 2004 to Democratic Central Committee in California.

Brini Maxwell, drag performer Dana Moran, NASCAR driver 1970, sprint car champion, super modified champion, advocate Billy More, drag queen Angela Morley, (née Wally Stott), composer and conductor Shannon Minter, transsexual man, attorney, legal director of National Center for Lesbian Rights Jan Morris, transsexual author, winner of English Golden Pen Award for a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature Nancy Nangeroni, trans activist, GenderTalk Radio founder/producer/host, writer, musician, engineer Terri O'Connell, stock car racer, previously paricipated in NASCAR under the name J.T. Hayes Kathy Padilla, transsexual, aka Kathleen Padilla, the first openly transgender official in Pennsylvania, Democratic delegate to the 2004 Democratic Presidential Convention in Boston, Commissioner Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission Dee Palmer, (née David Palmer), transsexual musician Larry Paciotti, porn movie director, transvestite Pauline Pantsdown, Australian drag queen and musician Roberta Perkins (née Robert A. Perkins), Sydney anthropologist Grayson Perry, artist whose work sometimes features his female alter ego, Claire.

Winner of the 2003 Turner Prize for art Charles Pierce, drag performer Lee-Anne Purcell, Perth transvestite sex worker, and celebrity stalker Mark Rees, activist Rebecca Richards, (née Richard Windsor), Sydney website programmer and ice hockey player Dr.

Renee Richards, transsexual, professional tennis player Jennifer Diane Reitz, computer programmer, cartoonist and gender rights advocate Joan Roughgarden, professor of biology; evolution and ecology expert RuPaul, AKA RuPaul Andre Charles, American drag queen Cindy Ryan, Perth sex worker, involved in the failed WATSUP group Fulvia Celica Siguas Sandoval the person with the most Gender Reassignment Surgeries in the world and perhaps the first transsexual in Peru José Sarria, drag performer, first LGBT person to run for elective office in the USA, activist, noted fund raiser for AIDS services Lily Savage, drag performer Erik Schinegger, 1968 women's world champion downhill skier for Austria Karen Leonie Taylor (aka Rodney Taylor), West Australian drag queen Scott Turner Schofield, writer, performer Caster Semenya, South African 800m runner Melissa Sklarz, the first openly transgender public official in New York State, Democratic county judicial delegate in Manhattan Fonda Shepards, drag queen Dean Spade, transman, attorney, and founder Sylvia Rivera Law Project Sandy Stone (née Zelig Ben-Natan), transgender activist and author Ethan St.

Pierre, transsexual man, hate crimes survivor, radio host transfm.org Sharon Stolzenberg, transsexual ex-treasurer at the Gender Centre Margaret Stumpp, transsexual co-manager of Quantitative Management department at Prudential Financial Inc. Jolene Sugarbaker, drag queen Karen Leonie Taylor (aka Rodney Taylor), West Australian drag queen Tina Dee Taylor, transgendered actor, artist and writer in Hollywood Terre Thaemlitz, musician Stephen Thorne, transman, police officer Pussy Tourette, drag performer and singer Miss Understood, drag performer and entrepreneur Pieter Dirk Uys, drag performer Daniel Van Oosterwijck, transman, lawyer Max Valerio, performer Kelly Van Der Veer, transsexual Big Brother Holland contestant Del Lagrace Volcano, transman, performer and photographer Megan Lee Webb (née Lee Webb), Queensland-born Sydney cyclist Norrie May Welby (née Norrie Welby) Stephen Whittle, transman, lawyer, writer and educator Holly Woodlawn, U.S.

drag queen, part of Andy Warhol's Factory and featured in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" Jin Xing, transsexual Chinese dancer 20th and 21st century individuals Gwen Araujo, U.S. pre-operative transsexual girl, murdered 2002 Danielle Bunten Berry, U.S. software developer, formerly Dan Bunten, author of several titles for Electronic Artsin the 1980s, died of cancer Jackie Curtis, U.S. drag queen who had a friendship with the famous pop artist, Andy Warhol Candy Darling, part of Andy Warhol's Factory and subject of The Velvet Underground song "Candy Says", and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" Ethyl Eichelberger drag performer, actor, performance artist Lili Elbe, Danish transsexual, one of the first women to undergo a crude form of sexual reassignment surgery, through five operations which were completed by 1930. Fifteen months after her final surgery, she either died from complications or faked her own death to avoid the media attention.

She is the subject of the 1933 book Man Into Woman, although it is likely she was never biologically male, but rather born intersexual, supposedy with rudimentary ovaries which would conflict with the speculative diagnosis of Klinefelter's Syndrome Bella Evangelista, also known as Elvys Perez, drag performer who was murdered in Washington, D.C. Tyra Hunter, U.S. transsexual woman, died 1995 Marsha P. Johnson, transgender activist, involved in Stonewall (UK), co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). Frankie 'Halfpint' Jaxon, American singer and entertainer who has often sung with a female voice Christine Jorgensen, one of the first Americans to have sexual reassignment surgery in 1952 Dawn Kereluik, hate crime survivor in Columbus, Ohio. Legally married in a Same-Sex Marriage to Katheryn Kereluik.

Pepper LaBeija, Harlem, New York drag queen, subject of the documentary Paris Is Burning Danny La Rue (née Daniel Patrick Carroll), drag performer, died 2009 Cam Lyman millionaire transman, disappeared in 1987, found murdered in 1997. Glen Milstead, actor and drag performer also known popularly as Divine, star of many John Waters films Sylvia Rivera, transgender activist, resisted police at Stonewall on June 27, 1969 Craig Russell, Canadian actor and female impersonator Outrageous Jeanette Schmid, World famous whistler Brandon Teena, U.S. transsexual boy who was murdered, subject of the film Boys Don't Cry Billy Tipton, woman who lived as a male jazz musician Ed Wood, Jr., film-maker with transvestite tendencies Earlier historical individuals It is often difficult to construe the gender and sexual identity of pre-modern individuals. In many societies, those whom Western society might consider homosexual or bisexual are or were considered transgendered. Many of these persons cross-dressed during wartime for various purposes.

Herculine Barbin, 19th Century French hermaphrodite James Barry, female bodied surgeon who lived as a man throughout his/her life, according to some accounts in order to be able to practice medicine. Christina of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from 1632 to 1654 who went by the name of "Count Dohna" at one point, dressing in male attire as part of the role. Despite speculation, modern medical examinations of her remains have not uncovered any evidence of intersexuality, although such examinations might not be conclusive. Elagabalus, Roman Emperor Joan of Arc, martyr accused of cross-dressing and was forced to wear a dress during her imprisonment. Later tried and executed. Chevalier d'Eon, French diplomat (1728–1810) who claimed that he had been born a girl and later adopted a female persona. Venerable Onuphrius, in Eastern Orthodoxy, is supposed to had been a virtuous young girl who, in order not to lose her virginity to a persistent suitor, had her wish to become a man granted by divine intervention.

Fictional individuals Azure C., a transsexual model on the American soap opera The City. The first transsexual portrayed on American soaps, she was played by Carlotta Chang from 1995 to 1996. Bree, a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual played by Felicity Huffman in the 2005 film Transamerica. Myra Breckinridge, transsexual character in two best-selling novels by Gore Vidal, Myra Breckinridge and Myron, and a well-known film. Nuriko (born Chou Ryuuen), biologically male but living as and referred to as a woman throughout the course of the anime and manga series Fushigi Yūgi. Expresses a wish to be reincarnated as a woman. Chloe, pre-operative transsexual nightclub singer from the comic book How Loathsome by Ted Naifeh and Tristan Crane. Hayley Cropper, transsexual character in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street. First transsexual portrayed on British soaps, since 1998.

Henry "Hildegarde" Desmond, a hetero male who dresses as a woman to live in a budget "women's hotel" in the TV sitcom Bosom Buddies. Portrayed by Peter Scolari. Frank N. Furter, the transvestite antagonist of the cult musical Rocky Horror Show and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Emily Howard, the "unconvincing transvestite" character in the BBC sketch show Little Britain. Dorothy Michaels, a male actor posing as an actress in the film Tootsie. Portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. Josephine Monaghan, the protagonist of "The Ballad of Little Jo", dresses as a man to escape the bourgeois East and survive in the rugged West as a single person. Played by Suzy Amis. Ava Moore, transsexual character in the American drama Nip/Tuck, played by Famke Janssen from 2004. Roberta Muldoon, a large muscular transexual woman (former male football player) in The World According to Garp. Portrayed by John Lithgow in the film version. Orlando, An Elizabethan era immortal from the novel of the same name by Virginia Woolf.

After 200 years, Orlando changes from a man to a woman. Also a 1993 film. Princess Ozma of the Land of Oz, temporarily changed into a boy, later restored to girlhood. Hedwig Robinson, "internationally ignored song stylist" and lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch Nao Tsurumoto, a 15-year-old female from season 6 of the Japanese dorama 3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei who despises her female body and knows she is male inside. The season focuses heavily on Nao's trials and peer reactions throughout the 22 episode span. Played by Aya Ueto. Kip "Buffy" Wilson, a hetero male who dresses as a woman to live in a budget "women's hotel" in the TV sitcom Bosom Buddies. Portrayed by Tom Hanks. Sadako Yamamura, the genetically male psychic villain of the Ring series of novels. Victim of a birth disorder causing "her" to have a vagina and breasts. Her physical appearance was that of a very beautiful young woman.

(Note: There is no evidence that the version of Sadako portrayed in the Ringu movie series, and it is even less likely that Samara Morgan of the American remake has the same condition) Stephen - female character in The Well of Loneliness, a novel by Radclyffe Hall. Commonly thought of as a lesbian, modern reading of the text identifies Stephen as transgendered rather than a lesbian. Angel, an AIDS-infected street performer in the broadway musical Rent. Birdo, Nintendo's Super Mario Bros 2 character who, according to the original manual, "...thinks he is a girl...He'd rather be called 'Birdetta.'" Eventually sticking with Birdo, she is currently accepted as female and is rumoured to be dating Yoshi. Mythological figures Alfhild, beautiful maiden in Norse mythology who dressed as a man to avoid marrying King Alf Guan Yin, Bodhisattva of Compassion, who has both been depicted as male and female, and, according to the Lotus Sutra, has the ability to change form in order to help people.

Heracles, was dressed as a woman when enslaved by Omphale The Norse god Thor put on the wedding gown and veil of his enemy's bride, married his enemy, and then slew him at the end of the ceremony. Tiresias, soothsayer to Oedipus from Greek mythology changed into a woman and back in an unrelated tale Pope Joan, who according to legend was a cross-dressing woman elected Catholic Pope (given the name "John VIII"), whose reign was variously attributed to several periods of history. She allegedly died or was murdered in childbirth during a papal procession. There is no evidence for her existence, and the story originates from a much later date than the purported events. List adapted from Wikipedia.

Question: Daniel Patrick Carroll, who died in May 2009 was an entertainer better known as whom?
Answer: Danny La Rue