Profile of RuPaul on Famous Like Me

RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is best known as an African-American drag performer, but he is also an accomplished singer, actor and writer.

RuPaul was born in San Diego, California. After several years as a drag performer in Atlanta in the 1980s, RuPaul came into the public eye in the early 1990s in New York City. He became a fixture on the gay scene, often pushing around a shopping cart outside of dance clubs to distribute flyers. He participated in underground cinema, filming several low budget pictures called "Starbooty" (and an album by the same name). He then began performing under the name RuPaul Charles and later simply RuPaul. Initially participating in what is called "genderfucking", he performed with bands and solo at New York nightclubs, most notably the Pyramid Club. RuPaul also appeared many years at the annual Wigstock festival in the 1980s and 1990s, and appears in "Wigstock The Movie," a documentary. (He returned to the Wigstock stage in 2004). He made many famous friends and even appeared in the music video for The B-52's video "Love Shack". RuPaul later recorded a renewed version of Elton John's 70's hit single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and filmed a trendy video alongside John.

One of RuPaul's most famous quotes is "We all came into this world naked; the rest of it is all drag." (The quote does not originate with RuPaul however; it can be traced back at least as far as to the gay liberation movement of the 1970s.) He also famously said, "I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven-inch heels, four-foot wigs, and skintight dresses?"

He has done acting and modeling in both female and male personas (as evidenced in his biographical information as well as photographs on his web site). Unlike most drag queens, who have a male name and a female name, and thus expect to have the appropriate gender-specific pronoun used for each, RuPaul seems to be comfortable with either "he" or "she".

Eventually he was signed to a modeling contract for MAC cosmetics, making him the first transvestite supermodel. He began releasing pop albums starting with Supermodel of the World which spawned the #1 dance hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)". In 1996, he landed a talk show on VH1, appropriately called The RuPaul Show where he interviewed celebrity guests and musical acts. Because his fanbase largely consisted of the gay community, he mostly performed at gay pride events and gay venues. He released a Christmas album entitled Ho, Ho, Ho and has had guest appearances in many films including both Brady Bunch movies, in which he played Jan's female guidance counselor.

RuPaul was nominated for an Emmy award when he appeared as a male, alongside Linda Hamilton in the made-for-TV Movie A Mother's Prayer. In the late 1990s he released his autobiography, Lettin' It All Hang Out. In 1997, he teamed with Martha Wash to re-do the classic gay anthem, "It's Raining Men". After his short stint as a VH1 talk show host , he all but faded into relative obscurity, taking bit roles (often as himself) in film and television.

In 2004 RuPaul released his third album, Red Hot. It received some dance radio and club play. It received very little press coverage, however, and he discussed on his blog the fact that he felt betrayed by the entertainment industry, particularly the gay press. In one incident he noted that the magazine Entertainment Weekly refused to review the album, but instead asked him to make a comedic contribution to a fashion review article. He likened this to "a black person being invited to a party but only if they'll serve."

To date, his music career remains most noted for his 1992 smash hit, "Supermodel (You Better Work)". Bizarrely, he was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy recording for his track "Strudelmodel," which was a spoof on his own hit. It appeared as a B-side to the single "Back to My Roots" and featured him affecting a German accent and altering the theme accordingly: "Once upon a time there was a little black girl in the Brewster Projects of Hamburg, Germany..."

In August 2005 a series of three RuPaul dolls was released.

See also: famous transgendered people

Discography

• Starbooty (1986)
• Supermodel of the World (1993)
• Foxy Lady (1996)
• Ho, Ho, Ho (1997)
• Red Hot (2004)

Singles

• Supermodel (You Better Work)
• Back to My Roots
• House of Love
• A Shade Shady (Now Prance)
• House of Love
• A Little Bit of Love
• Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous
• Workout

Bibliography

• Lettin' it All Hang Out

Filmography

Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons (2005)
Who is Cletis Tout? (2001)
For the Love or May (2000)
The Truth About Jane (2000)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in the World (2000)
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
Edtv (1999)
An Unexpected Life (1998)
A Very Brady Sequel (1996)
Fled (1996)
A Mother’s Prayer (1995)
Red Ribbon Blues (1995)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Blue in the Face (1995)
Wigstock: The Movie (1995)
The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
Crooklyn (1994)
RuPaul Is: Starbooty! (1987)

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