Encyclopedia
Discussion
 |
Film Actors: Lesbian and Bisexual Female |
 Lesbian and Bisexual Actresses have played a significant role in Hollywood since the days of silent film, but their contributions have rarely been recognized or spoken of openly. The "lavender marriage" is by no means a relic of the past despite the path-breaking careers of openly lesbian stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, and Lily Tomlin. |
||
 Josephine Baker (1906-1975) achieved acclaim as the twentieth century's first international black female sex symbol, but kept carefully hidden her many sexual liaisons with women, which continued from adolescence to the end of her life. |
||
 Tallulah Bankhead (1903?-1968) is today remembered mostly as an irreverent wit and volcanic life force, though she was also one of the most significant actresses of her time. |
||
 Anita Berber (1899-1928) was an expressionist exotic dancer and actress in German silent movies who epitomized for many the decadence of Weimar-era Berlin for decades. |
||
 Sandra Bernhard (b. 1955) is a sharp-tongued comedienne, writer, singer, and actor known almost as well for her amorphous sexuality as for her cynical wit. |
||
 Margaret Cho (b. 1968) is a Korean-American bisexual actress turned stand-up comedian who has become one of the most prominent Asian Americans in show business and in glbtq culture. |
||
 Ellen DeGeneres (b. 1958) has made great contributions to the world of comedy and participated in several film projects, but she will probably be best remembered as the first lesbian to star as a lesbian on her own network television show. |
||
 Lea DeLaria (b. 1958) has been a proudly out lesbian from the very beginning of her career. She has earned accolades for her talents as an actor, a singer, and a stand-up comic. |
||
 Portia De Rossi (b. 1973) moved almost effortlessly from a teen modeling career to acting roles in film and television; her widely publicized relationship with Ellen DeGeneres has made her one of the best known lesbians in American pop culture. |
||
 Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was an actress and cabaret performer who scandalized society almost as much by wearing trousers in public as by her numerous love affairs with both men and women. |
||
| Frances Faye (1912-1991) is best known as a jazz vocalist and cabaret performer, but the openly bisexual entertainer is also remembered for her riveting performance in the 1977 film Pretty Baby. |
||
 Lynn Fontanne (1887-1983) and her husband Alfred Lunt were known as the first family of the American theater, but theirs was a lavender marriage. Their presentation of themselves as the ideal married couple may have been their greatest performance. |
||
 Jodie Foster (b. 1962) is one of the most accomplished film actresses of her generation. Foster has been a glbtq icon for decades, though only recently has she obliquely acknowledged her lesbianism. |
||
 Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was a mysterious, aloof, occasionally androgynous actress who ignited the passions of men and women alike. |
||
 Sara Gilbert (b. 1975) is an actress who became a favorite with lesbian audiences for her portrayal of tomboy Darlene on the long-running television series Roseanne. Gilbert came out publicly as a lesbian in 2004. |
||
| Lesley Gore (b. 1946) was one of the few successful female solo artists during the era of the "girl groups." She is also a successful songwriter and actress. In 2003, she came out publicly and hosted an episode of In the Life. | ||
 Joan Jett (b. 1960) is an aggressive, punk-influenced guitarist and singer associated with the "riot grrrl" phenomenon. She remains vital as a musician, producer, and actor and has attracted a sizeable lesbian following. |
||
 Cherry Jones (b. 1956) is a versatile American actress who became the first out lesbian to win a Tony Award when she was chosen as Best Actress in 1995. |
||
 Sheila Kuehl (b. 1941) was once best known as a youthful actor. She is now best known for her work as a California legislator and advocate for glbtq rights. |
||
| Nancy Kulp (1921-1991) was an accomplished character actress who specialized in playing prim, straight-laced spinsters, most notably bank secretary Jane Hathaway on the long-running situation comedy The Beverly Hillbillies. Kulp publicly acknowledged her lesbianism only towards the end of her life. | ||
 Eva Le Gallienne (1899-1991) was an actress, director, producer, teacher, and memoirist, as well as translator. She was one of the most successful figures in the American theater for several decades. Though she had many lovers, she was never comfortable with her lesbianism. |
||
 Jane Lynch (b. 1960) is an out lesbian actress who has forged a successful career on television, in movies, and on the stage, including some memorable turns portraying lesbian characters. |
||
 Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) was not publicly out as a homosexual, but she became a lesbian icon by virtue of her choice of roles during a long and distinguished career. She is probably best known for her role as Endora, the tart-tongued mother-in-law on the situation comedy Bewitched. |
||
 Holly Near (b. 1949) is a singer, songwriter, and activist who began her career as an actress, appearing in numerous plays, films, and television episodes. |
||
 Cynthia Nixon (b. 1966) is an award-winning actress who has performed on stage, on television, and in film. She recently acknowledged publicly that she is bisexual and in a loving relationship with a woman. |
||
 Rosie O'Donnell (b. 1962) is a comedian, actress, television talk show host, and openly gay mom who has achieved remarkable success in her relatively short career. |
||
 Cornelia Otis Skinner (1901-1979) was renowned as a sublime comic talent and gifted character actress during the middle of the twentieth century. |
||
 Wanda Sykes (b. 1964) is an actress and comedian who has never been shy about addressing sensitive or controversial issues on stage. She has also become a spirited advocate for glbtq rights. |
||
 Lily Tomlin (b. 1939) is a comedienne less well-known for being herself than for the many memorable personages she "becomes" during her performances. Tomlin has long been a supporter of gay and lesbian rights, but only recently came out publicly. |
||
 Ethel Waters (1896-1977) is perhaps best remembered for her award-winning performances as an actress, though she was also a renowned Blues singer. |
||
 Suzanne Westenhoefer (b. 1961) is an out, proud, pretty, and funny stand-up comedian and an outspoken supporter of glbtq and feminist causes. |
||
 Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950) enjoyed a career as an actress before helping to create the profession of interior decorating. She was also one of the central figures of an elite New York "Amazon enclave" during the early years of the twentieth century. |
||
February 7
Margie AdamPIONEER IN WOMEN'S MUSIC, 1949
Mark TewksburyOLYMPIC MEDALIST WHO BECAME A GLBTQ RIGHTS ADVOCATE, 1968
February 8
Pierre-Daniel HuetFRENCH PHILOSOPHER, SCIENTIST, NOVELIST, CLERIC, AND MEMBER OF THE ACADÉMY FRANÇAISE, 1630
Elizabeth Bishop
AMERICAN POET WHO ENCODED A LESBIAN IDENTITY IN HER POEMS, 1911
AMERICAN POET WHO ENCODED A LESBIAN IDENTITY IN HER POEMS, 1911
James DeanENDURING AMERICAN FILM ICON WHO CHALLENGED RIGID NOTIONS OF MASCULINITY, 1931
Harmony Lynn HammondARTIST WHOSE LESBIAN FEMINISM IS INTEGRATED INTO HER WORK, 1944
February 9
Amy LowellMULTI-TALENTED LITERARY FIGURE WHOSE POEMS WERE SENSUAL AND OFTEN OVERTLY LESBIAN, 1874
Jovette Marchessault
THE FIRST QUÉBÉCOISE NOVELIST TO DECLARE HER LESBIANISM UNEQUIVOCALLY, 1938
THE FIRST QUÉBÉCOISE NOVELIST TO DECLARE HER LESBIANISM UNEQUIVOCALLY, 1938
Alice WalkerWRITER WHO PRESENTS LESBIANISM AS NATURAL AND LIBERATING, 1944
February 10
William "Big Bill" TildenOUTSTANDING TENNIS PLAYER RUINED BY HOMOSEXUAL SCANDALS, 1893
Bertolt BrechtGERMANY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL 20TH-CENTURY DRAMATIST, 1898
Charles Henri Ford
AUTHOR OF AN EXPERIMENTAL NOVEL OF 1930S GAY LIFE, 1910
AUTHOR OF AN EXPERIMENTAL NOVEL OF 1930S GAY LIFE, 1910
Peter Allen
CAMPY AND FLAMBOYANT SONG AND DANCE MAN, 1944
CAMPY AND FLAMBOYANT SONG AND DANCE MAN, 1944
Jean-Daniel CadinotFRENCH PORNOGRAPHER WHO CREATES ARTISTIC AND ENORMOUSLY AROUSING FILMS, 1944
February 11
Tammy BaldwinTHE FIRST OUT LESBIAN ELECTED TO THE U.S. CONGRESS, 1962
February 12
Philipp zu EulenburgA FAVORITE OF KAISER WILHELM II WHOSE LIFE ENDED IN SCANDAL, 1857
Franco Zeffirelli
CONTROVERSIAL DIRECTOR WHO LAUNCHED A PERSONAL CRUSADE AGAINST BOREDOM IN THE THEATER, 1923
CONTROVERSIAL DIRECTOR WHO LAUNCHED A PERSONAL CRUSADE AGAINST BOREDOM IN THE THEATER, 1923
Jacqueline WoodsonPRIZE-WINNING AFRICAN-AMERICAN AUTHOR OF BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS, 1964
February 13
Monroe Wheeler
PUBLISHER, BOOK DESIGNER, AND MUSEUM DIRECTOR, 1899
PUBLISHER, BOOK DESIGNER, AND MUSEUM DIRECTOR, 1899
James Barr
NOVELIST AND ACTIVIST IN THE HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT, 1922
NOVELIST AND ACTIVIST IN THE HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT, 1922
About Notable Birthdays
This feature lists people about whom glbtq.com has both entries and complete birth dates. Each person listed has made a significant contribution to or had a significant impact on glbtq culture or history. Most are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, though some are either heterosexual or cannot be adequately characterized using any of these labels.
This feature lists people about whom glbtq.com has both entries and complete birth dates. Each person listed has made a significant contribution to or had a significant impact on glbtq culture or history. Most are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, though some are either heterosexual or cannot be adequately characterized using any of these labels.
browse: arts literature social-sciences discussion boards
learn more about glbtq contact us advertise on glbtq.com
learn more about glbtq contact us advertise on glbtq.com
glbtq™ and its logo are trademarks of glbtq, Inc.
This site and its contents Copyright © 2002-2010, glbtq, Inc.
subscribe
Subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter to receive a spotlight on glbtq culture every month.
e-mail address:
Black History Month:
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
Spotlight: African-American and African Diaspora ArtEarly gay and lesbian African-American and African Diaspora artists did not openly declare their homosexuality, but in the late twentieth century, many artists began to explore issues of gender and sexuality in their work.
Spotlight: African-American Literature, Gay MaleThe African-American gay male tradition in literature consists of a substantial body of texts, spans a period of nearly seven decades, and includes some of the most gifted writers of the twentieth century.
Spotlight: African-American Literature, LesbianMost African-American Lesbian Literature is as concerned with racism as it is with sexuality, causing many writers to construct Afrocentric sexual identities that affirm the power of black women.
Spotlight: The Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was an African-American literary and cultural movement that began after World War I and ended during the years of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The movement was influenced by the many black glbtq writers who contributed to it.
new on glbtq
Carlo CoccioliCarlo Coccioli (1920-2003), Italian-born trilingual writer and author of the landmark gay novel Fabrizio Lupo (1952), depicted the struggle to find and keep religious faith in spite of the absurdity of life and the propensity of human beings to dehumanize each other.
Kevin JenningsKevin Jennings (b. 1963) transformed his anger at bullying and gay bashing in schools into founding the first national organization to address the homophobia experienced by glbtq youth in schools.
Siegfried WagnerSiegfried Wagner (1869-1930), the son of composer Richard Wagner, was himself a prolific composer and conductor; his bisexuality was the source of both scandal and also of elaborate attempts to erase it from histories of the Wagner family.
point of view
Claude Summers on A Single Man
In this review of A Single Man (2009), Tom Ford's film adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel, author and glbtq.com General Editor Claude J. Summers argues that though Ford's film substantially alters the story Isherwood originally told, the film is a considerable achievement in its own right.
In this review of A Single Man (2009), Tom Ford's film adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel, author and glbtq.com General Editor Claude J. Summers argues that though Ford's film substantially alters the story Isherwood originally told, the film is a considerable achievement in its own right.
in memoriam
(1923-2009)
Art patron Fritz Lohman died in New York City on December 31, 2009. Lohman and his life partner Charles Leslie began collecting homoerotic art in the early 1960s. They founded the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation in 1990 in order to provide space to exhibit gay and lesbian art; to preserve the estates of gay and lesbian artists; and to establish and maintain a collection of work by and an archive of material and information about gay and lesbian artists. He is survived by Leslie, with whom he enjoyed a relationship of 48 years.
See:
Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation
Schwules Museum [Gay Museum]
(1921-2010)
Actor James Mitchell died in Los Angeles on January 22, 2010, of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Mitchell was a dancer and musical theater star before becoming best known for his role as tycoon Palmer Cortland on the soap opera All My Children, which he played for 30 years. He is survived by his longtime partner, costume designer Albert Wolsky.
See:
American Television, Soap Operas
Stage Actors and Actresses
Hot Topics in Special Features
Film Actors: Gay And Bisexual Male
A Single Man: Ford's Film / Isherwood's Novel
European Art: Twentieth Century
Film Actors: Lesbian and Bisexual Female
Cross-Dressers: Male, Part 1
Spotlight: The Harlem Renaissance
Rock Music Part 1
The Photography of Laurie Toby Edison
Bill Travis: Icons of Desire
Transsexuals of Brazil
A Single Man: Ford's Film / Isherwood's Novel
European Art: Twentieth Century
Film Actors: Lesbian and Bisexual Female
Cross-Dressers: Male, Part 1
Spotlight: The Harlem Renaissance
Rock Music Part 1
The Photography of Laurie Toby Edison
Bill Travis: Icons of Desire
Transsexuals of Brazil