Lori Shannon (May 18, 1938 - February 13, 1984), born Don Seymour
McLean, was an openly gay female impersonator, most widely known for
his recurring role from 1975 to 1977 as Beverly LaSalle on the popular
sitcom All in the Family. He was associated with the drag revues at
Finocchio's club in San Francisco, and wrote an entertainment column
for the Bay Area Reporter.Shannon stood 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) in his
heels and considered himself "a stand-up comic in a dress", who
enjoyed startling tourists with one-liners at Finocchio's.Shannon
appeared in three episodes of the CBS sitcom All in the Family as
Beverly LaSalle, a female impersonator: "Archie the Hero" (1975), in
which Archie Bunker gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, not
realizing he is male; "Beverly Rides Again" (1976), in which Archie
uses him to play a practical joke on a friend; and "Edith's Crisis of
Faith, Part 1" (1977), in which his murder leads Edith Bunker to
question her faith in God. The role was noteworthy for its uncommonly
respectful and sympathetic treatment of Beverly as a "transvestite".On
February 13, 1984 Shannon died of a heart attack at the age of 45 at
Mission Emergency Hospital in San Francisco.
McLean, was an openly gay female impersonator, most widely known for
his recurring role from 1975 to 1977 as Beverly LaSalle on the popular
sitcom All in the Family. He was associated with the drag revues at
Finocchio's club in San Francisco, and wrote an entertainment column
for the Bay Area Reporter.Shannon stood 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) in his
heels and considered himself "a stand-up comic in a dress", who
enjoyed startling tourists with one-liners at Finocchio's.Shannon
appeared in three episodes of the CBS sitcom All in the Family as
Beverly LaSalle, a female impersonator: "Archie the Hero" (1975), in
which Archie Bunker gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, not
realizing he is male; "Beverly Rides Again" (1976), in which Archie
uses him to play a practical joke on a friend; and "Edith's Crisis of
Faith, Part 1" (1977), in which his murder leads Edith Bunker to
question her faith in God. The role was noteworthy for its uncommonly
respectful and sympathetic treatment of Beverly as a "transvestite".On
February 13, 1984 Shannon died of a heart attack at the age of 45 at
Mission Emergency Hospital in San Francisco.
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