DeLaria was born in Belleville, Illinois,[1][2] the daughter of Jerry Jean (née Cox), a homemaker, and Robert George DeLaria, a jazz pianist and social worker.[2][5] Her paternal grandparents were Italian.[3] She attended kindergarten through eighth grade at St. Mary's Elementary School in Belleville[6] and has referenced her Catholic upbringing in her performances.
DeLaria's stand-up career began in 1982 when she moved to San Francisco and performed raunchy stand-up comedy in the Mission District.[7][8] Discussing her stand-up, Delaria says, "This is who I am, when I'm up there. This is it. I'm a big butchdyke. That's who I am. And I'm a friendly one. I'm a big butch dyke with a smile on my face."[7]
In 1986, DeLaria directed "Ten Percent Revue", a musical revue written by Tom Wilson Weinberg that celebrates gay and lesbian culture.[9] "Ten Percent Revue" was performed in Boston, San Francisco, Provincetown, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.[10] Many shows were sold out.[10]
From 1987 to 1989, DeLaria starred in "Dos Lesbos", a musical comedy about two lesbians dealing with the issues of living together.[11] The show received very favorable reviews nationwide.[12]
DeLaria conceived, wrote, directed and starred in "Girl Friday: We're Funny That Way", a musical comedy, in 1989.[13][14] The show won the 1989 Golden Gull for Best Comedy Group in Provincetown, Massachusetts.[15]
When DeLaria appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1993, she was the first openly gay comic to appear on a late-night talk show. While appearing on the show, DeLaria said, "Hello everybody, my name is Lea DeLaria, and it's great to be here, because it's the 1990s! It's hip to be queer! I'm a big dyke."[16] DeLaria later said she had been told that she should not have used the term dyke on the air.[6] Hall later defended her, saying, "If she wants to call herself a dyke, that's her business."[6]
In December 1993, DeLaria hosted Comedy Central's Out There, the first all-gay stand-up comedy special.[4]
DeLaria has released two CD recordings of her comedy, Bulldyke in a China Shop (1994) and Box Lunch (1997). She has also written a humorous book entitled Lea's Book of Rules for the World.
DeLaria appeared as Jane in the 1998 Off Broadway production of Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, "a gay retelling of the Bible."[17]Entertainment Weekly said "a star is born with Lea DeLaria" of her "showstopping" performance as Hildy Esterhazy in the 1998 Broadway revival of On the Town.[18][19][20]
DeLaria integrates musical performance into her stand-up comedy, focusing on traditional and modern be-bop jazz. In 2001 she released a CD of jazz standards called Play It Cool. This was followed by the album Double Standards in 2003,[22][23] and by The Very Best of Lea DeLaria in 2008.
In 2001, DeLaria was the voice of Helga Phugly on the short-lived animated sitcomThe Oblongs. In 1996 DeLaria played the part of a woman friend of Carol and Susan in the Friends episode The One with the Lesbian Wedding. In 1999 DeLaria played the recurring role of Madame Delphina on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, returning in 2008 as both Delphina and Professor Delbert Fina. She continued to portray Delphina on a recurring basis until 2011.[24]
In 2008, Warner Records released The Live Smoke Sessions, DeLaria's first recording focused on "timeless pop standards" such as "Down With Love", "Night and Day", "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." She noted, "I styled this CD on the old school live recordings ... It is my hope that this CD will take you back to 1948 and the Village Vanguard. So please let me invite you to mix a cocktail and enjoy a smoke while you sit back and soak up the swing."[25]
In December 2014, DeLaria voiced EJ Randell, the lesbian mother of Jeff in the Cartoon Network animated series Clarence.[29][30]
On February 14, 2015, DeLaria received the Equality Illinois Freedom Award for her work as "a cutting-edge performer who has used her talent to entertain and enlighten millions of Americans," said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois. On receiving the award at the 2015 Equality Illinois Gala in Chicago, DeLaria said, "As an out performer for over 33 years who has made it her life's work to change peoples perception of butch, queer and LGBT, it is an honor for me to receive such recognition from my home state. I feel I'm doing Belleville proud. Go Maroons!".[31][32][33][better source needed]
DeLaria is the originator of the U-Haul Joke[34] (see also U-Haul lesbian) which she began performing at comedy shows in 1989.
Question: "What does a lesbian bring on a second date?"
Answer: "A U-Haul."
She performs the joke on her album Box Lunch (1997).[35]
Personal life
In January 2015, DeLaria became engaged to fashion editor Chelsea Fairless after two and a half years of dating. The two met through Fairless's friend, actress Emma Myles, who plays Leanne in Orange is the New Black.[36] In January 2017, DeLaria confirmed she and Fairless had separated.[37]
^Lea DeLaria (1997). "Empty Bed Blues". Box Lunch (spoken-word comedy album). 6:10 minutes in. I had a girl, and I figured after seven days I could trust her, so I moved her into my house. Typical lesbian relationship, huh, women? As perfectly exemplified by the joke I wrote in 1989. Everybody: what does a lesbian bring on a second date? [audience yells back: A U-Haul!] What does a gay man bring on a second date? What second date?
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