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Quentin Crisp

The victim of ridicule during his younger days due to his outlandishly effeminate appearance and mannerisms, Quentin Crisp used his difficult development to his advantage later on in successful personal writings and stage performances. After dropping out of school in 1928, Crisp began frequenting the cafes of Soho—experimenting with make–up and women's clothes and earning money as a prostitute. Moving up from the streets, Crisp became a nude art model—leading him to his first novel The Naked Civil Servant.

A unique character, Crisp become an icon of the gay and artistic communities, especially after his move to the Chelsea Hotel in New York City in 1981. In addition to writing and lecturing, Crisp can be seen in the films The Bride, Orlando (where he portrayed Queen Elizabeth I), Philadelphia, Naked in New York, The Celluloid Closet, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Make sure to see Resident Alien—a superb documentary which follows Crisp through the last days of New York City bohemia—and the 1980 film adaptation The Naked Civil Servant where Crisp is brilliantly portrayed by John Hurt.