DANNY LA RUEDanny La Rue, the artiste who achieved legendary status as a drag-queen and pantomime dame, died on 31 May, 2009, aged 81.
He was one of the world's most famous female impersonators and had been in showbiz for more than 50 years, establishing himself as one of the most popular and prolific performers in the UK.
At the height of his fame, Noel Coward called him "the most professional, the most witty... and the most utterly charming man in the business".
Dame Anna Neagle echoed that he was "one of the kindest and most generous men I've ever met" and Bob Hope called him "the most glamorous woman in the world".
Born as Daniel Patrick Carroll on 26 July, 1927, he grew up with his other four siblings in Cork City, Ireland.
He was nine when he was brought to England where the family settled initially in London, but was evacuated to the Devon village of Kennford during the Blitz.
His first job was in a clothes store in Exeter. After a stint in the Navy - where he was part of the concert party - he became known in repertory theatre and variety work, learning from the big stars of the day.
He told a story of how he wanted to call himself Danny Street, so that his great friend Harry Secombe wouldn't know he'd pursued a showbiz career, after being warned off from seeking fame and fortune. "But there was already a singer called Danny Street, so I became Danny La Rue," he said.
He soon became a sought-after name in theatre productions, film, television and on vinyl as a comedian - or "comic in a frock" as he preferred to be known.
He opened his own, now legendary, nightclub in Hanover Square in 1964, where Judy Garland, Warren Beatty, Shirley MacLean, Dorothy Squires, Shirley Bassey, Noel Coward, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Elizabeth Taylor were all patrons.
Danny made his West End debut in the musical hit Come Spy With Me at the Whitehall and his return to the West End in At The Palace ran for two years until April 1972, twice the intended run. It was recorded for television and topped the week's rating on transmission.
Playing Dolly Levi in the 1982 musical Hello Dolly! made history as it was the first time the part had been played by a man.
He was made an OBE in the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
His other accolades included Royal Variety Performance appearances in 1969, 1972 and 1978, the Variety Club of Great Britain Showbiz Personality of the Year award (1969), Theatre Personality of the Year (1970), Entertainer of the Decade (1979), the Brinsworth Award from the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment profession and community.
He most recently appeared in Hello Danny, a biographical show performed at Benidorm Palace in Spain on 11 November, 2007.
His partner and manager, Jack Hanson, died following a stroke in 1984.
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