Holly Woodlawn Puerto Rican drag queen actress Date of Birth: 26.10.1946 Country: USA

Biography of Holly Woodlawn

Holly Woodlawn is a Puerto Rican transgender actress, known for her roles in several of Andy Warhol's projects. She gained recognition for her performances in films such as "Trash" and "Women in Revolt". Despite being biologically male, Woodlawn portrayed female characters throughout her career. Born as Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, she adopted the pseudonym Woodlawn from the character in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". She later created the surname after seeing it on a road sign in an episode of "I Love Lucy". Woodlawn claimed to be the heiress of the Woodlawn Cemetery and changed her name accordingly.

Woodlawn grew up in Miami Beach but decided to move north in 1962. She sold some valuables and traveled to Georgia, hitchhiking from there. She met Andy Warhol at his famous Factory during the filming of "Flesh". Through Warhol, Woodlawn became acquainted with Jackie Curtis, who gave her a role in the play "Heaven Grand" in 1969. In October of that year, Woodlawn received a role in the film "Trash", which initially was supposed to be small but was expanded due to her impressive acting skills. She received consideration for an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1970 but did not receive the nomination.

In May 1971, Woodlawn replaced Candy Darling in the production of "Vain Victory" at La Mama Theatre in New York. However, shortly after, she was arrested in Puerto Rico for shoplifting and later in New York for impersonating the wife of a French UN ambassador. After being initially placed in a women's prison, her gender was determined, and she was transferred to a men's facility.

In 1972, Woodlawn starred in the film "Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers", which aimed to portray a transvestite without revealing their true gender to the audience. The film did not achieve significant success. Woodlawn moved to San Francisco in 1977 but returned to New York that same year. She was arrested again for violating the conditions of her parole after appearing on Geraldo Rivera's talk show. Ethan Geto helped secure her release.

In 1979, Woodlawn admitted that she would not succeed as an actress and returned to her parents in Miami. She worked as a waiter for some time, appearing in a few more film roles, mostly in small parts. In the early 2000s, Woodlawn started performing in cabaret shows, touring around the world. She performed in London and Krakow in 2008 and continues to perform in cabarets to this day.