Men With Makeup

• Name: John Travolta
  Profession: Actor
  Gender Bender: In the glitzy movie remake of the Broadway musical, 'Hairspray,' John Travolta donned more than just a fat suit to play Edna Turnblad he put on a bouffant wig, make-up and an assortment of homely and outlandish dress. He shimmied and shook things up and was a sight for sore eyes for millions of movie goers who turned the movie into a box-office hit.
  Claim to Fame: Travolta will always be remembered for his role as Tony Monero in the 1977 movie 'Saturday Night Fever,' which has become a ubiquitous symbol of the disco era. He also played Danny Zuko in the 1978 film, 'Grease.' Both projects were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom.
  Factoid: In 1975, Travolta landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom 'Welcome Back, Kotter.'
  
  
  
  

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• Name: J. Alexander aka Miss J
  Profession: Model/Television Personality/Runway Coach
  Gender Bender: As a Bronx-bred teen, J. Alexander met the president of Elite Model Management--while dressed in drag--and was signed to the agency. Now, he continues to cross-dress or simply put on a pair of heels to teach new models how to walk.
  Claim to Fame: Arguably the world's best runway coach, Tyra Banks did not forget that Miss J taught her how to walk in her modeling days and enlisted him to play runway coach/judge on her hit television show 'America's Next Top Model.'
  Factoid: He cites his mother Mary Jenkins as the first person to introduce him to fashion.
  
  
  
  
  

  CBS

• Name: Amanda Lepore
  Profession: Model/New York Nightclub Hostess/Singer/Entrepreneur
  Gender Bender: At age seventeen, Lepore had a full sex-reassignment operation. She has undergone a great deal of plastic surgery but remains one of the most recognizable American transsexuals to date.
  Claim to Fame: Lepore served as fashion photographer David LaChapelle's muse for MTV and Armani advertising campaigns and went on to become the face of Heatherette and M.A.C. cosmetics
  Factoid: When she first moved to New York, the Cedar Grove, New Jersey native worked as a dominatrix.
  
  
  
  
  

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• Name: André Leon Talley
  Profession: Editor-At-Large, 'Vogue' magazine
  Gender Bender: Big, tall, bold and unafraid to push the envelope where men's fashion is concerned, he has been known to carry purses, wear kaftans, kilts and all sorts of androgynous drag to A-list events and fashion shows around the world.
  Claim to Fame: He's known as 'Vogue' editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour's close friend and colleague. He's the Editor At Large of "the fashion industry bible."
  Factoid: Though the character of Nigel in 'The Devil Wears Prada' has been rumored to be loosely based on Talley, it has been reported that Talley served as the inspiration for the character of Hollywood Montrose in the movie 'Mannequin.'
  
  
  
  
  

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• Name: Arsenio Hall
  Profession: Actor/Comedian/Talk show host
  Gender Bender: In addition to playing the Prince's best friend, Semmi, a reverend, and a fried chicken leg eating old fogey in a barber shop, Arsenio Hall also played a mannish woman in a bar in the comedy 'Coming to America.'
  Claim to Fame: Hall reached his peak when he hosted a late-night talk show in the 90s the first time an African American hosted a late night network talk-show.
  Factoid: In 1989, Hall released a comedic album called 'Large and In Charge,' under the moniker "Chunky A," who was supposed to be his overweight little brother.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Everett Collection

• Name: Boy George
  Profession: Singer/Songwriter
  Gender Bender: Influenced by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, Boy George's androgynous look made him a stand-out in his group Culture Club.
  Claim to Fame: Culture Club's 1983 debut, 'Kissing To Be Clever,' included the #1 song 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.'
  Factoid: Boy George, real name: George Alan O'Dowd, later confessed to being bisexual and dating his Culture Club drummer Jon Moss for whom he wrote a great deal of his hit songs for.
  
  
  
  
  

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• Name: Chiwetel Ejofor
  Profession: Actor
  Gender Bender: In the hit British comedy 'Kinky Boots,' Charles Price takes a last stab at saving his family's men's shoe business when he listens to a suggestion from Lola, a flamboyant drag queen and cabaret singer played by Ejiofor. Lola suggests that he make high heel shoes for drag queens.
  Claim to Fame: Ejiofor, a noted London theatre actor, won a British Independent Film Award for his first leading film role in 2002's 'Dirty Pretty Things.' In 2008, he won the prestigious Laurence Olivier "Best Actor" Award for his role as 'Othello.'
  Factoid: In 2006, Ejiofor and actor Clive Owen starred in two movies back-to-back, 'Inside Man' and 'Children of Men.'
  
  
  
  

  Everett Collection

• Name: David Bowie
  Profession: Singer
  Gender Bender: In 1972, Bowie explored an androgynous persona, taking on the character "Ziggy Stardust" and dressing in wild outfits with bright red hair. In a 1976 interview with 'Playboy,' he declared he was bisexual, only to distance himself from the comments for next twenty years.
  Claim to Fame: The British rocker (real name: David Robert Jones) achieved success in America with the song 'Fame' and his 'Young Americans' album.
  Factoid: Bowie is married to supermodel, Iman.
  
  
  
  
  

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• Name: Divine
  Profession: Actor/ Cult Icon
  Gender Bender: In the 1970s, Harris Glenn Milstead first starred as Divine in a number of New York City theater productions, including Tom Eyen's classic camp women's prison drama, 'Women Behind Bars,' which became a major off-Broadway hit in 1976. With his big bodacious body and body of work, no one did campy drag the way he did.
  Claim to Fame: Divine's big exposure came in the form of memorable roles in John Waters' films such as 'Polyester' and 'Hairspray.'
  Factoid: In 1988, Divine was cast as two characters in the FOX prime-time series 'Married...With Children.' He passed away in March 1988 -- the autopsy found he had died in his sleep of heart failure, or an enlarged heart brought on by sleep apnea. He was 42.
  
  
  
  

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• Name: Dennis Rodman
  Profession: Basketball Player/Author
  Claim to Fame: On the court, Rodman maintained a reputation as one of the greatest rebounding forwards in NBA history.
  Gender Bender: Off the court, he made it clear that he enjoyed dressing like a woman, and could be counted on to don make-up, a colorful coif or wear a wedding dress at his will. In his autobiography 'Bad As I Wanna Be,' Rodman attested to dressing as a girl in his childhood.
  Factoid: Rodman did not play basketball in high school, but later grew nine inches.
  
  
  
  
  

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