Danny La Rue

Danny La Rue OBE
La Rue in his dressing room at thePrince of Wales Theatrein London in 1975
Born	Daniel Patrick Carroll (1927-07-26)26 July 1927 Cork,Ireland
Died	31 May 2009(2009-05-31)(aged 81) Tunbridge Wells,Kent,England
Resting place	St Mary's Catholic Cemetery,Kensal Green,London,England
Occupations	Singer entertainer theatre performer
Years active	1944–2007
Partner	Jack Hanson (1947–1984)

Danny La Rue,OBE(bornDaniel Patrick Carroll,26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish-English singer and entertainer, best known for his on-stagedrag persona.He performed in drag and also as himself in theatrical productions, television shows and film.

Early life

Born Daniel Patrick Carroll inCork City,Ireland, in 1927, La Rue was the youngest of five siblings. The family moved to England when he was six and he was brought up at Earnshaw Street inCovent Garden,Central London.When the family home was destroyed duringthe Blitz,his mother, a seamstress, moved her children toKennford,aDevonvillage where young Daniel developed an interest in dramatics. "There weren't enough girls so I got the pick of the roles... MyJulietwas very convincing ", La Rue recalled.

He served in theRoyal Navyas a young man following in his father's footsteps, and for a time worked delivering groceries. He became known as afemale impersonator,or "comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called, in the United Kingdom and was featured in theatre productions, and in film, television and records.

Career

Among his celebrity impersonations wereElizabeth Taylor,Zsa Zsa Gabor,Judy Garland,Margot Fonteyn,Marlene DietrichandMargaret Thatcher.At one point he had his own nightclub inHanover Square,and also performed on London'sWest End.In the 1960s, he was among Britain's highest-paid entertainers. In the 1970s, he owned the Swan, a noted inn atStreatleyon theRiver Thames.

In 1982 he played Dolly Levi in the musicalHello, Dolly!.He also has the distinction of being the only man to take over a woman's role in theWest End theatrewhen he replacedAvis BunnageinOh, What a Lovely War! and he was until his death still a regular performer in traditional Christmaspantomimeshows 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.

He had a starring role in the filmOur Miss Fredin 1972, and also appeared inEvery Day's a Holiday,TheFrankie HowerdShow,Twiggs,DecidedlyDusty,Entertainment Express,Blackpool Bonanzaand the BBC'sPlay of the Monthin a production ofCharley's Aunt(1969). He made a guest appearance as himself in theMr. Beanepisode "Mr. Bean in Room 426"in 1993.

La Rue's final major public appearance was inHello Danny,a biographical show performed at the "Benidorm Palace", which opened on 11 November 2007. The part of the young La Rue was played by Jerry Lane, who also co-created and directed. La Rue appeared at the start of the show and then in an interview on stage in part of the second half. He also performed a number of songs.

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 with his manager and life partner of 37 years, Jack Hanson, until Hanson's death in 1984.They had met followingWorld War IIin 1947.

In 1970, La Rue bought The Swan Inn at Streatley in Berkshire.He was later forced by circumstances to sell it.

In the 1970s, La Rue spent more than £1 million on the purchase and restoration of a country house hotel,Walton Hall,in Warwickshire, and signed it over in 1983, as he could not manage it and his career, to a pair of Canadiancon men.La Rue had given control of the hotel to the two Canadians with a promise of further investment with the retention of La Rue's name on the hotel itself. This eventually led to a police investigation where La Rue was cleared of any suspicion but discovered he had lost more than £1 million.The con men had bankrupted La Rue but he insisted on continuing to work to pay off the debts incurred rather than retire.

La Rue owned a silver 1971Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 3.5,that sold for £33,750 at an auction in 2018.

Illness and death

La Rue suffered a mildstrokein January 2006 while in Spain on holiday: as a result, his final pantomime and all subsequent performances were cancelled. He had been suffering fromprostate cancerfor many years. He had several further strokes and developedthroat cancer.

He died shortly before midnight on 31 May 2009 at the age of 81.His friend and costume designer, Annie Galbraith, was with him (he was living at her home inTunbridge Wells) when he died.La Rue was laid to rest with his partner, Jack Hanson, inSt Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green,west London.

Accolades

He was appointedOBEin the 2002Queen'sBirthday Honours List.La Rue later stated in an interview that this was "the proudest day of his life".Other accolades includedRoyal Variety Performanceappearances 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 theEABFfor his outstanding contribution to the entertainment profession and the community.In 1987, he was King Rat of the showbusiness charity theGrand Order of Water Rats.

La Rue was the subject of a specially extended edition ofThis Is Your Lifein 1984 when he was surprised byEamonn Andrewsat the curtain call ofHello, Dolly!at London'sPrince of Wales Theatre.

He has also been described as "the grande dame of drag".

Selected filmography

• Our Miss Fred(1972)
• Come Spy with Me(TV film) (1977)
• The Good Old Days(Christmas Eve, 1983)
• Mr. Beanepisode, "Mr. Bean in Room 426"(1993)

Bibliography

• La Rue, Danny, Elson Howard (1987)From Drags to Riches: my autobiography,Harmondsworth: Viking,ISBN0-670-81557-8
• Underwood, Peter (1974)Life's a drag: Danny la Rue & the drag scene,London: Frewin,ISBN0-85632-081-1
• Baker, Roger (1968)Drag: A History of female impersonation on the stage,Triton:ISBN0-363-00014-3

See also

• Danny the Street—comic book character named after Danny La Rue ( "la rue" inFrenchtranslates into English as "the street" )

External links

• Obit in theDaily Telegraph
• Danny La RueatIMDb