Danny La Rue

  1. Joanna Pettet, Casino Royale, 1966.
  2. John Hurt, The Naked Civil Servant, 1975.    Writer Philip Mackie spent six years trying to raise money for a  cinema film about gay ikon Quentin Crisp, before it became the classic Thames tele-movie. Mackie tried everyone from the high and mighty EMI, and  British Lion to little Tigon, run by Tony S Tenser, he who had first called Bardot a sex-kitten.  “Philip,” said Tenser, “I’ll do it with you on two conditions. First, if you can make it for £80,000.  Second, if you get Danny La Rue.  [A drag artist star  of British vaudeville]. You gotta have Dan because all the mums love  him.  And I will tell you how to get Dan. You go to Dan and say: ‘Dan, we wanna make this film about this screaming homosexual and we can’t get away with it unless we  have a real man to play the part.’ And  he’ll fall  for it.”  Said Crisp:  “If that had happened, it would’ve been a musical and  I would’ve loved  that.”

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  2