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An entertainer best known for his drag impersonations, Danny La Rue, made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002, was born on July 26, 1927 as Daniel Patrick Carroll. One of five siblings, La Rue lived with his family in Horgan's Buildings, in Cork City, Ireland. He served in the Royal Navy as a young man following in his father's footsteps, but became best known a s a female impersonator. A "comic in a frock" as he preferred to be called, he has been featured in film, television theatre productions and records in England.
Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marlene Dietrich and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher are mong his impersonations. At one point having his own nightclub in Hanover Square, and performing on London's West End, by the 1960s he was among England's highest-paid entertainers. He used to own the Swan at Streatley hotel in the 1970s, and 1982 he played Dolly Levi in the famous musical Hello, Dolly! He is still a regular performer in traditional Christmas pantomime shows in Britain. Unlike many drag performers, he would often perform parts of his show in men's clothes, and was often seen out of costume on television. More recently, he has been more candid about his private life and the fact that he is gay. La Rue lived for many years with his partner and manager, Jack Hanson, until Hanson's death in Australia following a stroke.
LaRue appeared in Every Day's a Holiday, The Frankie Howerd Show, Our Miss Fred, Twiggs, Decidedly Dusty, Entertainment Express, Blackpool Bonanza and the BBC Play of the Month. He made a guest appearance in the Mr. Bean episode, Mr. Bean in Room 426 in 1993, but
after suffering a mild stroke in 2006, all of his planned performances were cancelled. He most recently appeared in Hello Danny a biographical show performed at Benidorm Palace, Spain on 11 November 2007. The part of La Rue was played by Jerry Lane, and La Rue appeared at the top of the show and then in an interview on stage in the second half. He also performed a number of songs, accompanied by Dave Peterson to a sellout crowd. Barry Britten, Asa Elliott, Liam Stewart, Dene Michael, Nikki Miller, Wendy Manfield and Jenny Renn appeared in the show, helping to portray La Rue's early life and recreate songs that he had performed in past shows.