Charles Louis Busch,(born
August 23, 1954) is an
American actor,
author,
dramatist and
female impersonator, known for his many appearances on film and in
off-Broadway productions.
Busch was born in New York City, New York, the son of Gertrude (née Young), a homemaker, and Benjiman Busch, a merchant.[1]
Busch first came to prominence as both author and performer (as the leading lady, in drag) in plays that simultaneously sent up and celebrated classic film genres. These include Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (1984), Psycho Beach Party (1987), The Lady in Question (1989), and Red Scare on Sunset (1991). Less well-known are some earlier works in the same vein Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium (1984), Sleeping Beauty, or Coma (1984) and Pardon My Inquisition, or Kiss the Blood Off My Castanets (1986). He revamped the book for the musical Ankles Aweigh for an 1989 production staged by the Goodspeed Opera House.
Busch's success in his own works led to his performance in a 1993 revival of Genet's The Maids. In 1994, he took the male lead in his comedy You Should Be So Lucky. Other works of the 1990s include his autobiographical one-man show Flipping My Wig (1996) and a serious valentine to melodrama Queen Amarantha (1997). His 1999 play Die, Mommie, Die! was performed in Los Angeles and was made into the 2003 feature film of the same name.
