Description:
Born as Daniel Patrick Carroll in County Cork, La Rue lived with his family in Horgan's Buildings, Magazine Road, Cork City, Ireland. 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 a keen interest in amateur dramatics. “There weren’t enough girls so I got the pick of the roles ... My Juliet was very convincing”, La Rue recalled.
He served in the British Royal Navy
Born as Daniel Patrick Carroll in County Cork, La Rue lived with his family in Horgan's Buildings, Magazine Road, Cork City, Ireland. 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 a keen interest in amateur dramatics. “There weren’t enough girls so I got the pick of the roles ... My Juliet was very convincing”, La Rue recalled.
He served in the British Royal Navy as a young man following his father's footsteps, but he became famous 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.
Among his celebrity impersonations were Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, 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 famous musical Hello, Dolly!, 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.
As an actor 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.
... (more)
(less)
My tags:
Add tags
Login
