Danny La Rue, OBE (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 â€" 31
May 2009) was an Irish-born British singer and entertainer, best known
for his on stage drag persona. He performed in drag and also as
himself in theatrical productions, television shows and film.Born as
Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork 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 in Soho, central London. When
the family home was destroyed during the Blitz, his mother, a
seamstress, moved her children to Kennford, a Devon village where
young Daniel developed an interest in 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 Royal Navy as a young
man following in his father's footsteps, and for a time worked
delivering groceries. He became known as a female impersonator, or
"comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called it, in the United
Kingdom and was featured in theatre productions, and in film,
television and records.
May 2009) was an Irish-born British singer and entertainer, best known
for his on stage drag persona. He performed in drag and also as
himself in theatrical productions, television shows and film.Born as
Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork 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 in Soho, central London. When
the family home was destroyed during the Blitz, his mother, a
seamstress, moved her children to Kennford, a Devon village where
young Daniel developed an interest in 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 Royal Navy as a young
man following in his father's footsteps, and for a time worked
delivering groceries. He became known as a female impersonator, or
"comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called it, in the United
Kingdom and was featured in theatre productions, and in film,
television and records.
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