Transgender actors / directors / writers / musicians
A list of Trans and non-binary actors/actresses, film directors, writers, musicians, comedians and stage performers.
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- Actor
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Elliot Page was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Martha Philpotts, a teacher, and Dennis Page, a graphic designer. Page wanted to start acting at an early age and attended the Neptune Theater School. They began their career at the age of 10 on the award-winning television series Pit Pony (1999), for which they received a Gemini nomination and a Young Artist Awards nomination. Later, Page appeared in Marion Bridge (2002), which won the award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. They won a Gemini Award for their role of Lilith in the first season of ReGenesis (2004), a one-hour drama for TMN/Movie Central, and for the cable feature, Ghost Cat (2004), for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series. In addition, Page appeared in the cult hit TV series Trailer Park Boys (2001).
As the lead in David Slade's Hard Candy (2005), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Page garnered much praise for their tour de force performance as a 14-year-old who meets a 30-year-old photographer on the Internet and then looks to expose him as a pedophile. Films that followed included the title role of Bruce McDonald's The Tracey Fragments (2007); An American Crime (2007), also starring Catherine Keener; and the third installation of the X-Men franchise, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where Page played Kitty Pryde.
With their breakout role in Jason Reitman's hit comedy Juno (2007), about an offbeat teenager who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, Page received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Best Actress nominations, and won the Independent Spirit Award for their performance. They followed up that turn with the lead in Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, the roller-derby comedy-drama Whip It (2009), Christopher Nolan's psychological thriller Inception (2010), the independent film Peacock (2010), and the dark comedy Super (2010), opposite Rainn Wilson and Liv Tyler.
Page co-starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Alison Pill, Alec Baldwin, and Greta Gerwig in the Woody Allen ensemble comedy To Rome with Love (2012), and appeared in the thriller The East (2013), a story centered on a contract worker (played by Brit Marling) tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group, only to find herself falling for its leader (played by Alexander Skarsgård).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Indya Moore is an actress, writer, director, model, social activist and founder of Beetlefruit Media, Inc., a production company focused on storytelling in various mediums. Born and raised in the Bronx, they have appeared in Vogue and OUT, as well as assignments for GQ, Gucci and Christian Dior. Over the last year, Indya has performed alongside Katy Perry and Migos for Saturday Night Live and acted in the feature film Saturday Church distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Their work has graced many international music videos and video installations. They are the lead actress and executive producer of the anthology TV series Magic Hour. Indya currently plays a leading role as "Angel" in Ryan Murphy's FX TV series POSE.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Laverne Cox is a three time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning documentary film producer and a prominent equal rights advocate. Laverne's role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series "Orange is The New Black" brought her to the attention of diverse audiences all over the world. This role lead to Laverne becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy.
An artist and an advocate with an empowering message of moving beyond gender expectations to live more authentically, Laverne is the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine and Essence magazines among others. She was named one of Glamour magazine's 2014 Women of the Year. Laverne also proudly holds two SAG Awards winning them with her Orange Is The New Black cast mates.
Laverne has been one of the faces of Beyonce's athleisure line, Ivy Park. She also collaborated with Orly to create "Celebrate Yourself" a Limited Edition collection of nail colors and teamed up with Ted Danson for Smirnoff's "Welcome To The Fun" campaign.
Laverne's Emmy winning documentary "Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word" helped lead her to Executive Producing two powerful documentaries. The upcoming "Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen" is an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV and "Free CeCe" which tells the story of CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman who was controversially sentenced to 41 months in a men's prison for second degree manslaughter after defending herself against a racist and transphobic attack. The documentary focuses on McDonald's case, her experiences while incarcerated and the larger implications of her case for the transgender community and for communities of color at large.- Actress
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Jamie Clayton's big break was playing Kyla on season three of the hit HBO series Hung alongside Thomas Jane. After her multi-episode arc on Hung, Jamie joined actors Mary Lynn Rajskub and Hank Harris as a lead in the Emmy winning digital series, Dirty Work, playing crime scene cleanup maven Michelle. In 2014, Jamie booked the series regular role of Nomi Marks, the San Francisco based hacker, in the Netflix Original Series, Sense8. The show became a critical darling and an international success touching on topics not normally emphasized in the Sci-Fi genre such as politics and religion. The series ran for two full seasons and ended with a 2½ hour finale that premiered on Netflix on June 8th, 2018. Jamie had a six episode arc on season 3 of Designated Survivor which premiered June 7th, 2019 on Netflix. Jamie's big screen debut was in Nicolas Winding Refn's, The Neon Demon. She then played alongside Michael Fassbender in Thomas Alfredson's The Snowman. She also stars in the The Chain, opposite Madeline Zima and John Patrick Amedori.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nicole Maines was born on 7 October 1997 in Gloversville, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Bit (2019), Supergirl (2015) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016).- Actress
- Additional Crew
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Mj Rodriguez is an actress, best known for her work in Nurse Jackie (2011), Carrie Diaries (2013), Dear Pauline (2014), new internet series [Blank] My Life (2016) and Netflix show Luke Cage (2016). She is also known for her Musical Theater credit as Angel Dumont Schunard in the Original Off-Broadway Revival of Rent in 2011.- Actress
- Producer
Hari Nef was born on 21 October 1992 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Barbie (2023), Assassination Nation (2018) and Transparent (2014).- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Angelica Ross was born on 28 November 1980 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for American Horror Story (2011), Pose (2018) and Claws (2017).- Actress
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Dominique Jackson was born on 20 March 1975 in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago. She is an actress and producer, known for Pose (2018), In Every Dream Home and The Patience of Vultures. She was previously married to Al Jackson.- Actor
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Chaz Salvatore Bono was born on March 4, 1969 in Los Angeles, California to Cher & Sonny Bono. He is an American character actor & activist and best known for his work on American Horror Story and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
An acclaimed author, Bono has written three books, including NY Times Best Sellers, Family Outing 1998, and Transition published by Dutton in 2011, a candid account of a forty-year struggle to match his gender identity.
Adding to his multiple hyphenated talents, he has shared his life and experiences in, and produced the three-time Emmy nominated documentary, "Becoming Chaz."
Bono has a rich history of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, having worked for two national LGBTQ+ organizations, and as public speaker on college campuses and at events around the world. He continues to be a strong voice the for LGBTQ+ community, and is a passionate champion of equality for all Americans, especially those discriminated against and targeted because of race, religion, sex, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
In 2012 Bono decided to pursue his lifelong dream of a career as a working actor. He's guest stared in the films Dirty, Reborn, Three From Hell, and Reboot Camp. Bono has also guest stared on multiple episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful, Where the Bears Are, American Horror Story Roanoke, American Horror Story Cult, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.- Actress
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Jen Richards was born in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Her Story (2015), The Acolyte (2024) and Mrs. Fletcher (2019).- Actress
- Director
Munroe Bergdorf is known for Almost Saw the Sunshine (2017), Fee (2017) and Mabel: OK (Anxiety Anthem) (2019).- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Hunter Schafer is an actress and artist best known for playing 'Jules Vaughn' in HBO's Emmy-Award Winning series EUPHORIA. Hunter was just seen in Francis Lawrence's THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, starring alongside Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler for Lionsgate. Next up, Hunter will be seen starring in the Neon thriller CUCKOO opposite Dan Stevens and which is directed by Tilman Singer. Most recently, Hunter wrapped production on David Lowery's next feature, MOTHER MARY, in which she'll star alongside Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel for A24. Earlier this year, Hunter wrapped a cameo in Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming feature AND, opposite Emma Stone for Searchlight. Before landing EUPHORIA, Schafer worked as a fashion model for popular brands such as 'Calvin Klein,' 'Dior,' 'Helmut Lang,' 'Maison Margiela,' 'Marc Jacobs,' 'Miu Miu,' 'Vera Wang,' 'Versace,' and 'Rick Owens.' Schafer has appeared on the cover page of many popular magazines, including 'Harper's Bazaar,' 'Allure,' 'Teen Vogue,' 'V,' and 'Paper.' Teen Vogue Nominated Hunter for its 2017 '21 Under 21' list.- Producer
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Janet Mock is a writer, director and executive producer for the FX series "Pose" and the Netflix limited series "Hollywood." She's also the New York Times bestselling and trailblazing author of two memoirs, Redefining Realness (2014) and Surpassing Certainty (2017) about her journey as a trans woman.
Janet has received Harvard University's Artist of the Year Award in 2019 and was named on of The Hollywood Reporter's "Women in Entertainment Power 100" and included on Vanity Fair's "New Establishment" list -- adding to her Peabody Award, Television Academy Honors, two AFI Awards and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for "Pose."
Onscreen, she appeared in Jay-Z's music video for "Family Feud," directed by Ava DuVernay, and guest-starred in Alex Garland's FX on Hulu limited series, DEVS. She will make her feature directorial debut with the Sammy Davis-Kim Novak film, "Scandalous." She lives and writes in New York City.- Actor
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Jake Graf is a London based actor, writer and director who has been creating his own content since 2011. Working independently, Jake has developed a wealth of experience in all aspects of filmmaking, and his extensive catalogue of self-auteured work over that time is testament to his passion and determination. He is a creative and performance-driven director with an excellent eye for detail and knowledge and experience of all stages of the filmmaking process.
His first 9 films have screened at over 100 festivals and won in excess of 60 awards internationally, including 4 consecutive nominations at the Iris Prize Film Festival. All have been used as educational resources in schools, prisons and universities worldwide.
First feature film 'Lavender' is in development with BAFTA nominated MisFits Entertainment ('McQueen', 'Alleycats'). Jake aims to elicit acceptance and understanding through the medium of film and is developing two television drama pilots with strong LGBTQ themes.
Recent roles include ITV's 'Butterfly', DBO's 'Different For Girls' and opposite Keira Knightley in feature film 'Colette'.
He is a patron for Mermaids, AKT and Ditch The Label and a judge for the European Diversity Awards, The Rainbow Honours and the National Diversity Awards.- Writer
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- Director
Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight creative relationship with her sister Lilly. After the siblings dropped out of college, they started a construction business and wrote screenplays. Their 1995 script, Assassins (1995), was made into a movie, leading to a Warner Bros contract. After that time, the Wachowskis devoted themselves to their movie careers. In 2012, during interviews for Cloud Atlas and in her acceptance speech for the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award, Lana spoke about her experience of being a transgender woman, sacrificing her much cherished anonymity out of a sense of responsibility. Lana is known to be extremely well-read, loves comic books and exploring ideas of imaginary worlds, and was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in creating Cloud Atlas.- Writer
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Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she attended Emerson College in Boston but dropped out.
Lilly teamed up with her older sibling, Lana Wachowski, and began working on films. Their first script was optioned and formed the basis for the film Assassins (1995). The Wachowskis went on to make their directorial debut with the self-written Bound (1996), which was well-received. They followed this with the smash hit The Matrix (1999) and went on to produce two successful sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
Other projects include scripting and producing the cult hit V for Vendetta (2005), a live-action version of a Japanese anime series; Speed Racer (2008); Cloud Atlas (2012); and the ambitious epic Jupiter Ascending (2015).- Actress
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Caroline 'Tula' Cossey was assigned male at birth but went on to transition and have a successful modeling career.
My Story is Tula's candid thought provoking, enlightening, humorous, heart wrenching and motivational account of her struggles: her troubled childhood being bullied and taunted in East Anglia, her dreams of coming out as herself, the operations that liberated her sexually, and the journey from showgirl to James Bond girl to top international model.
At the height of her career, Tula had appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar and graced the covers of many top fashion and beauty magazines and top calendars around the world. She was also the first transgender model to appear in Playboy magazine and was featured on the cover of multiple international editions.
After she was twice exposed by the News of the World, Tula's career plummeted and her marriage to multimillionaire Elias Fattal was annulled. In the spring of 1989, she was forced to make a unique appeal to the European Commission of Human Rights: she was fighting for the legal validation of her marriage as female and the right to have her birth certificate corrected after gender reassignment surgery.
Her activism led to appearances on Donahue, Joan Rivers, Howard Stern, Geraldo, Montel Williams, Maury Povich, Arsenio Hall, Neal Boortz, David Frost, Gloria Hunniford, BBC's Question Time, Jonathan Ross, and numerous other television and radio shows. She has also often been featured on Entertainment Tonight and had a day named after her in Atlanta, Georgia and was given the key to the city.
My Story is not just the true account of Tula's battle for the body she needed to survive and her struggle for the legal rights she deserved as a woman. It is above all an inspirational exemplification of the triumph of the human spirit over seemingly insurmountable adversity and suffering.- Actress
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Daniela Vega Hernández is a Chilean transgender actress and lyrical singer. She was born in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile. She was the first child of Igor Vega, a printing owner, and Sandra Hernández, a housewife. After a time, the family moved to Ñuñoa, where her brother Nicolás was born. At the age of eight, one of her teachers discovered her talent to sing opera. She began performing in small productions in Santiago, which developed in her a taste for arts.
After finishing high school, she started making a life as hair stylist. In her spare time and without any other formal education, she got involved with the local acting atmosphere. One her first plays was "La mujer mariposa" (The Butterfly Woman), where she starred.
In 2014 she got notoriety when she appeared in the video clip of the songwriter Manuel García's song "Maria". The same year she made her filming debut in The Guest (2014).
2017 has been a prolific year in her career. The play "Migrantes" was chosen as one of the best in the Festival Teatro a Mil. She also starred the Chilean movie A Fantastic Woman (2017). The film was released in the 67th edition of the Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Berlin International Film Festival) and was critically acclaimed, eventual winning Best Foreing Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards (Oscars).- Actress
- Art Department
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Alexis Arquette (born Robert Arquette) (death: September 11, 2016) was an American actress. Arquette was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (Nowak), a Jewish actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Lewis's family's surname was originally "Arcouet"; Lewis's father was comedian Cliff Arquette, who went by the stage name of Charley Weaver. Arquette was distantly related to American explorer Meriwether Lewis. Actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette are her siblings.- Actress
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Hailie Sahar is an award-winning Actor, Producer, Director, Singer, and Writer.
Sahar made history as one of the five transgender lead actors to star in Ryan Murphy's culturally groundbreaking FX series, Pose. Staring as Lulu, the Mother of the House of Ferocity, the ensemble went on to be globally recognized and awarded, included several Emmy Awards over the course of its successful three seasons.
Hailie has been featured in Vogue, Essence, Variety, Allure, OUT Magazine among other substantial titles worldwide, and in 2020 was named one of the "Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine. She is one of the handful of trans women to be highlighted by Playboy Magazine paving a way for solidarity for all.
Sahar's film credits range from HBO Max's original docu-series, Equal, portraying community pioneer, Sylvia Rivera, Freeform's Good Trouble as the dynamic series regular, Jazmin, Amazon Studio's Transparent, USA's Mr. Robot, and also starred in the off-Broadway production, Charm in New York City's MMC Theater. Sahar Executively Produced and Co-Directed the PAFF recognized thought-provoking documentary, Beyond Ed Buck, debuting in 2022.
In the fall of 2020, Deadline announced Sahar's collaboration with Emmy Award-winning Director, Anthony Hemmingway for the Sir Lady Java biopic. She is set to Executively Produce and star as the trailblazing Los Angeles icon.
Hailie has overcome many challenges presented to her as a transgender woman, and was crowned "Miss L.A. Pride" and "Queen U.S.A." She was honored with an invitation to speak on the HIV/AIDS epidemic at The Ronald Reagan International Trade Center for the 57th Presidential Advisory Council in Washington DC and continues to contribute to The East LA Women's Center against Domestic Violence.- Producer
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Selene Rafaela Kapsaski is a writer, film director, and producer living in Manchester, England. Selene is the director of the cult Horror Musical Spidarlings (2016) released by Troma Entertainment and the upcoming Sci-Fi Film The Moon Is a Hologram.
Selene Kapsaski is also the director and a co-creator of the US TV show London Calling (2015) presented by Jeff Kristian. She directed the award winning short film My Head Hurts (2000) as well as several music videos and theatre plays. Selene directed the documentary Laganja's Dance School (2019) featuring RuPaul's Drag Race star Laganja Estranja. Selene also directed a segment for the erotic film anthology Films Confiscated from a French Brothel (2021).
Selene studied Film at the New York Film School, Athens and Sound Engineering at the City of Westminster College. She worked as a production assistant on Dario Argento's Giallo (2009). For several years Selene worked and toured with the theatre ensemble Act Provocateur International. Previous directorial works in theatre include staging 'That Abortion Play' by controversial playwright Greg Moulder (T-Decadence). Selene has also occasionally acted in plays including portraying the role of Ian Brady in an adaptation of Fassbinder's 'Pre-Paradise Sorry Now' (2006).
Selene's debut novella 'Nazi Sniper' was published in 2015 by Sleazy Viking Press. Her writing has appeared in Art Decades, Weng's Chop, Black Giraffe Quarterly (Dynatox Ministries), Mass Movement Magazine, Scene4 Magazine and Filmrage. Selene also edited and published a xerox-zine called In Punk We Trust Inc.
Selene Kapsaski publicly came out as a trans woman in 2019.- Actress
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- Producer
Zoey Luna is a Latina, transgender, Actress, Advocate, and personality. She's made appearances in films and tv shows such as "Dear Evan Hansen", "Pose", and had her first break at only 16 years old in Rosario Dawson's directorial debut "Boundless". Zoey cemented her position in this career by landing one of the four lead roles in Blumhouse & Sony's "The Craft Legacy". She's just wrapped filming on Parker Brennon's first feature "Hauntology"! More is definitely on the horizon for this starlet but until then you can check out interpretations of her childhood in documentaries Zoey participated in such as HBO's "15: A Quinceanera Story", "Raising Zoey", or "Laverne Cox presents: The T Word".- Director
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Yance Ford is an Oscar nominated director and producer based in New York City. His debut film Strong Island won the 2017 Sundance U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, the Gotham Award for Best Documentary, and the Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Doc. Strong Island was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards, where Ford made history as the first transgender director nominated for an Oscar. Strong Island won the Primetime Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Film and was nominated for a George Foster Peabody Award.
At the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors, Ford became the first nominee ever to win Best Direction, Best Debut, and Best Feature.
His work can be seen in the FX series Pride, the Netflix series Trial by Media, the Apple+ series The Me You Can't See, the Showtime comedy Work In Progress, and the documentary The Color of Care on The Smithsonian Channel. Ford was a staff writer in the HBO mini-room for adapting the bestselling novel The Vanishing Half.
Yance is a former Series Producer at the documentary anthology series POV where, during his tenure with the series, his curatorial work at POV garnered 5 Emmy Awards and 16 Emmy nominations.
Ford is a MacDowell Colony Fellow, and Sundance Institute Fellow and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019. His work has been supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, Creative Capital, Cinereach, The Ford Foundation, and others.
Ford is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America. His next feature film is a Netflix Original documentary set for release in 2023.- Actress
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Trace Lysette is an actress and producer best known for her recurring role as Shea in all 5 seasons of Amazon's critically acclaimed series Transparent and for the feature film Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Constance Wu.
She has also guest starred and recurred in other productions such as the drama series Midnight Texas based on the trilogy of the same name by U.S. writer Charlaine Harris, the choral series POSE, and Derek Waters' sketch comedy Drunk History. She also took part in Tarell Alvin McCraney's coming-of-age drama series David Makes Man, and Martin Gero's Quantum Leap reboot among others.
She most recently played the title role in Monica, opposite academy award nominees Patricia Clarkson and Adriana Barraza in Andrea Pallaoro's latest film which premiered at Venice Film Festival and received an eleven and a half minute standing ovation.- Actress
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Alexandra Billings is an American actress, singer, and teacher. Billings, a trans woman, played one of TV's first openly transgender characters in 2005 made-for-TV movie Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. She is also known for portraying the recurring character Davina in the Amazon series Transparent and has played transgender characters in ER, Eli Stone, How to Get Away with Murder, Never Have I Ever, Grey's Anatomy and The Conners.- Actress
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Rebecca Root was born in Woking, Surrey, England in 1969 and was assigned male at birth. She moved to rural Oxfordshire when she was 11 and attended Bartholomew School, Eynsham. As a young person she performed with local drama groups as well as the prestigious National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, where she was a contemporary of Lucy Briers, Jonathan Cake, and Daniel Craig. In 1987 she moved to London full time in order to train as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
Upon graduation in 1990, Rebecca began work in a range of television and theatre productions, notably Keeping Up Appearances (1990), Casualty (1986), The Lady's Not For Burning, Hamlet, and Tartuffe.
As Rebecca Root neared the age of 30, having always struggled with her gender identity, she realized she needed to transition to female and consequently took a hiatus from her performance career, during which time she gained her MA in Voice Studies at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, and developed her practice as a voice teacher.
Root never closed the door completely on acting however, and the BBC2 sitcom Boy Meets Girl (2015) (2015) marked a significant moment in her career when she became the first trans actor to appear in a trans role in a British television comedy. The same year she made her feature film debut alongside Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl (2015). More film, TV, radio, and theatre appearances followed and Rebecca quickly became a popular face in the performance industry.
She is a passionate advocate for LGBT rights and social acceptance, and is Patron of the charities Diversity Role Models and Liberate Jersey.
Rebecca continues to practice as a voice coach, working principally with trans clients, alongside an increasingly busy acting schedule. She lives in Sussex with her partner Elizabeth Menabney.- Producer
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Zackary Drucker is an independent artist, cultural producer, and trans woman who breaks down the way we think about gender, sexuality, and seeing. She has performed and exhibited her work internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals including the Whitney Biennial 2014, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, MCA San Diego, and SF MoMA, among others. Drucker is an Emmy-nominated Producer for the docu-series "This Is Me", as well as a Producer on Golden Globe and Emmy-winning "Transparent".- Actress
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Critic's Choice nominated actress Josie Totah is an immensely talented actress, writer, and producer with a gift for bringing dynamic characters to life. As she fearlessly evolves her body of work with each new project, Totah is fast proving to be one of Hollywood's most engaging and sought-after actresses. Totah has been recognized by numerous prestigious publications including being named to The Hollywood Reporter's Top 30 Stars Under 18, Forbes 30 Under 30 (Hollywood), Teen Vogue's 21 Under 21, Out Magazine OUT100 and Seventeen Magazine's 6 Women Under 21 Who Are Changing the World.
Josie Totah can currently be seen as the co-lead in AppleTV+'s period-drama series, THE BUCCANEERS, based on an unfinished book by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton. In the series created by Katherine Jakeways and directed by BAFTA winner Susannah White, Josie received critical acclaim for her grounded dramatic performance as "Mabel" alongside Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Mia Threapleton and Christina Hendricks.
Prior to that Josie starred as"Lexi", the most popular girl at Bayside High in the critically-acclaimed reboot of the iconic series SAVED BY THE BELL from Universal Television and Peacock. The series was created by Emmy-winning writer Tracy Wigfield and features several members of the original cast. Totah received critical praise for her standout performance and was nominated for a Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Totah also serves as a producer of the series which was the recipient of the GLAAD Media Award for Best Comedy Series in 2022.
Josie can also be seen in the feature film MOXIE directed by Amy Poehler. The film, based on Jennifer Mathieu's novel of the same name about girls who start a feminist revolution in high school, premiered on Netflix in 2021.
Josie also starred in Amazon's half-hour pilot GOOD PEOPLE, created by Whitney Cummings and Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels. The pilot focuses on three generations of women, played by Lisa Kudrow, Whitney Cummings, and Totah, all working in the ombudsman's office of a college. Josie is Tallulah, the smart, brash, Generation Z voice of social injustice. The pilot also co-stars Greg Kinnear, Martin Short, and Ian Harding.
Totah is also known for her starring role in NBC's comedy television series CHAMPIONS created by Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy. The series focuses on a charismatic 15-year-old, 'Michael' (Totah), who is sent to live with his estranged father 'Vince' (Anders Holm) who is living the bachelor dream in New York City. Totah received critical acclaim for the role and was deemed the series' breakout star, garnering instant affection from fans and critics.
Totah can be seen starring alongside Adam Devine in Walt Disney Pictures' MAGIC CAMP. The young-adult comedy follows a former magician who returns to his youth camp to reignite his career. In Summer 2017 she was also seen in Columbia Pictures & Marvel Studios' SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING as 'Seymour.' Totah also appeared in Chris Kelly's debut feature OTHER PEOPLE opposite Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, and Zach Woods, which was released in September 2016. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where Totah received rave reviews for her riveting performance and was included in Variety's 2016 Breakout Stars portfolio, InStyle Magazine's 10 Rising Stars to Watch and a Most Inspirational Person at Sundance.
In 2015, Totah starred in the sixth and final season of Fox's hit series GLEE as 'Myron Muskovitz', a strong-armed prodigy and child tyrant in one. This follows her performance in Disney Channel's Kids' Choice nominated series JESSIE, for which Totah received a 2014 Young Artist nomination for Best Performance in a TV Series-Recurring Young Actor 10 & Under.She starred in several notable television series including: Comedy Central's The Other Two, CBS' Primetime Emmy nominated series 2 BROKE GIRLS, Fox's Golden Globe nominated comedy NEW GIRL, TV Land's Primetime Emmy nominated comedy THE EXES, Disney's Primetime Emmy nominated animation series SOFIA THE FIRST, as well as recurring in the Netflix series, No Good Nick. She also starred in ABC's comedy BACK IN THE GAME alongside James Caan and Maggie Lawson.
In addition to her career in front of camera, Totah is a television and film writer and currently serves as a producer on the Peacock series SAVED BY THE BELL. At age 15 she sold her first television pitch to Universal Television/NBC. The single-camera sitcom with the working title AUNT NANCY, based on her real-life aunt, had Totah set to produce alongside Adam and Naomi Scott, as well as star in it. She is currently working on new scripts and original projects.
Totah is also an LGBTQ activist who regularly appears on panels discussing LBGTQ rights and inclusion of LGBTQ characters in film and television. Totah was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign who honored her with the prestigious Visibility Award in 2018 and the Upstander Award in 2019. She was named by Out Magazine to Out100. Totah is also a celebrity ambassador for GLAAD and GLSEN where she serves as a member of the GLSEN Game Change Council.- Producer
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Our Lady J is an Emmy-nominated writer and producer, best-known for her writing on Pose, Transparent, and American Horror Story. Before Lady J's career in television, she toured the world performing as a singer/songwriter, as well as a collaborative pianist and musical director for pop, theatre, and classical music (Sia, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, among others). Our Lady J holds the honor of being the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well as the first out trans writer to be hired in a television writers room. She has received two Peabody Awards, three American Film Institute awards, three Writers Guild Award nominations and two NAACP Image Award nominations. As a producer, her shows have garnered a combined total of 48 Emmy nominations, 12 Emmy wins, 13 Golden Globe nominations, 3 Golden Globe wins, 20 Critics' Choice nominations, and 3 Critics' Choice wins, among others.- Additional Crew
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Jazz Jennings was born on 6 October 2000 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Mean Girls (2024), Dangling Hope (2017) and Painting Leah (2016).- Isis King, an American actress, model and activist, is one of this generation's most influential transgender women. She rose to fame as the first woman of transgender experience to compete on both the 11th and 17th (All-Star) cycle of America's Next Top Model while living in New York in the Ali Forney Center for LGBTQ homeless youth.
As an actress, King has played pivotal roles in the Emmy award-winning Netflix series When They See Us and on hit shows such as L-Word: Generation Q, Equal, Good Trouble, The Bold and The Beautiful and Shameless. As a model, King has graced the covers of LGBTQ and mainstream magazines and has slayed the runway for many notable fashion designers, including Fenty by Rihanna, Gabrielle Union, Christian Cowan and Betsey Johnson.
King is an ambassador of the human spirit and believes in the importance of following your heart. She travels the country speaking to young adults at colleges and universities about self-love and living in the truth of your existence. - Actor
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Elliot Fletcher was born in Los Angeles, California. He is an actor, known for Shameless, The Fosters, Faking It, and Young Hollywood. Additionally, Elliot has worked in the theater with several productions and has performed his original music compositions for local audiences. He was selected to be included on the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 List. Elliot looks forward to a long and rewarding career.- Actor
- Make-Up Department
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Lachlan Watson is an American actor, born and raised in Raleigh, NC. Lachlan was homeschooled from preschool through their graduation from High School. Lachlan got an early start acting in local Raleigh theater companies and working with their family in community theater productions. Lachlan played Jeffery Skilling's daughter in their first professional theater production with Burning Coal Theatre at age 10. Lachlan has been involved in nearly every aspect of the theater production from acting to costumes and dressing and has multiple makeup design credits.
Lachlan's first love of the theater is performing Shakespeare, having acted in over 6 professional and community theater productions of the Bard. As a performer, Lachlan learned trapeze, silks and other aerial skills as well as participated in historical reenactments throughout the region. Lachlan is also working on producing their own professional production of "The Tempest".
Early in their career Lachlan received many acting roles, including an episode of Drop Dead Diva (2009) in which they played a transgender boy fighting for use of the school's bathroom. The episode, Identity Crisis (2014), won a GLAAD Media award in 2015 for Outstanding Individual Episode in a Series without a Regular LGBT character.
They starred as Theo Putnam, a transgender kid in the Netflix original series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018). They played the characters of Glen/da in the SyFy USA Network series Chucky Season 2.
Lachlan, as one of the youngest self-identified non-binary actor, is an outspoken advocate/activist for LGBTQ+ rights and community. In 2018 Lachlan was featured on a Netflix produced talk segment titled, "What I Wish You Knew: About Being Non-Binary".
They are also interested in fashion photography and jewelry design and have recently attended several fashion shows in Paris as part of Fashion Week.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Silas Howard is an award-winning feature film, documentary film, music video, web series and television director and writer, with a longtime focus in telling honest, boundary-shattering narratives filled with groundbreaking characters. His career took off in 2001, when his first feature film, By Hook or By Crook premiered at Sundance Film Festival, ultimately winning Howard five Best Feature awards across the festival circuit. Howard has since directed and written award-winning feature films, documentaries, musical videos, web series and television episodes. Recent television credits include Transparent, The Fosters, Faking It, Hudson Valley Ballers, and NBC's upcoming series This Is Us.
What's next for Silas Howard? San Francisco Film Society, in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, has awarded Howard their 2015 Filmmaking Grant, to produce his newest feature film, The Lusty, about the world's first exotic dancers' union.
Silas Howard received his MFA at UCLA in directing and is a Film Independent Directors Lab Fellow, Nantucket Screenwriting Colony Fellow, the 2014-15 Arthur Levitt Fellow at Williams College and a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow.- Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. They are known for playing Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Taylor Mason in Billions (2016). Their role on Billions is the first gender non-binary character shown on American television. Dillon is also the founder and the producing director of MIRROR/FIRE Productions.
- Actress
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- Producer
Jesse James Keitel is an actress, writer, and artist from eastern Long Island, NY. She has been an advocate in moving the needle for the LGBTQ+ community's timely representation in Hollywood and was honored with the Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign in 2022. Keitel's groundbreaking casting as Jerrie Kennedy on David E. Kelley's 'Big Sky' made history marking her as ABC's first openly transgender series regular. Jesse attended Pace University in New York City where she received a BFA in Acting.- Carlie Guevara is known for The Garden Left Behind (2019), SPACESHIP (2021) and Anna Tivel: The Question (2019).
- Actress
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- Producer
Alexandra Jordan Grey is an actress, writer, and singer. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in seven foster homes, she was determined not be a stereotype and to always follow her dreams of making it on the small screen. After high-school, she relocated to California where she began studying Theater at California State University Northridge and soon after began a career in television. Her roles include Empire (2015), How to Get Away with Murder (2014), and The Alienist (2018). In 2021, she joined the cast of the CBS action/adventure series Macgyver, where she played Parker Phillips - a new electrical engineer brought on to help solve cases with the Macgyver team.- Actor
- Music Department
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Alex Blue Davis was born on 23 April 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Grey's Anatomy (2005), Grey's Anatomy: The Webisodes (2009) and NCIS (2003).- Composer
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Wendy Carlos, one of the great innovators in synthesized and electronic music, was born as Walter Carlos in Rhode Island on November 14, 1939. She underwent a sex-change operation in 1972, details of which she revealed during a surprise Playboy interview in 1979. Walter's last credited release is "Sonic Seasonings" (1972). Wendy's first credited release is the "Tron" soundtrack (1982), which was released on CD in 2002.- Writer
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Leslie Feinberg was born on 1 September 1949 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She was a writer, known for Stone Butch Blues, Growing Up Creepie (2006) and Outlaw (1994). She was married to Minnie Bruce Pratt. She died on 15 November 2014 in Syracuse, New York, USA.- Actress
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Candis was born in Maui, Hawaii. Candis Cayne has become one of the United States' most popular and sought-after transgender actresses. Candis first made a name for herself at the famed NYC gay hot-spot "Boy Bar", where her performances drew raves. A classically trained dancer, Candis has thrilled audiences from coast-to-coast with her amazing gift for dance, choreography and glamour.
Candis can be seen in the hit ABC series Dirty Sexy Money where she played actor Billy Baldwin's (Patrick) transgender love interest Carmelita. Candis was the first transgender actress to have a recurring role on a prime-time series. Recently, Candis has had guest-starring spots in various shows and a recurring role in The Magicians. Also, check out the 2020 Netflix documentary "Disclosure" for a more in-depth understanding of transgender representation in media and society where Candis speaks candidly about her experiences as a transgender actress.- Actor
- Make-Up Department
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Originally from San Diego, California, Jazzmun made her first national television appearance on the 1980s talent variety show Puttin' on the Hits (1984), in which she split her body half in male drag and half in female drag, lip-syncing as a "duet". Finding work immediately after that appearance for her theatrical and modeling talents, she moved to Los Angeles and secured agent Ralph Lliteras to represent her. Since then Jazzmun has performed all over the world performing as either her stage character "Jazzmun", her trademark "Whitney Houston" of which she performed as in the female stage review Le Cage, "Grace Jones" or any number of other characters. Drag icon RuPaul even hired Jazzmun to perform in his music video "A Little Bit Of Love", which spoofed drag queens as aliens out to conquer the world. Jazzmun has proven to be a consummate performer and, when not appearing on television or stage, can be seen in a variety of Los Angeles nightclubs promoting her talents in a variety of ways.- Actress
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Bianca Leigh is known for Transamerica (2005), Hurricane Bianca (2016) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Patti Harrison was born on 31 October 1990 in Orient, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Together Together (2021), The Lost City (2022) and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019).- Ianne Fields Stewart (pronouns: she/her/they/them) is a black, queer, and transfeminine New York-based storyteller working at the intersection of theatre and activism. Their work and she are dedicated to interrupting the exclusivity of luxury by making things like entertainment, nourishment, and self care accessible to the most marginalized in their community. In a world that is constantly traumatizing Black bodies she believes that Black queer and trans people should have the space and time to center collective emotional, physical, and sensual pleasure.
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Ser is a non-binary, Imagen Award nominated American actor and stand up comic/solo performer/writer. As a stand up comic they have performed at The Comedy Store, Flappers, The Ice House in Pasadena, The Ha Ha, Tao Comedy Studio. Ser Anzoategui is the creator of the critically acclaimed solo show, ¡Ser! which won 2 L.A. Weekly awards. They toured briefly before being tapped for the role of the first openly queer masculine presenting character on an original Hulu show, Daysi, in East Los High season 3. Following East Los High, Ser landed additional roles on Crazy Ex Girlfriend, The Fosters, Shameless. Ser was active in the anti gentrification movement in north east la and surrounding communities. They are most known for their portrayal of Eddy in Starz' Vida, which reviews named them the break out star.
A published writer, they contributed to the Malcs academic journal. As a playwright, they were a finalist in the Downtown Urban Theatre Festival in NYC with Reg E Gaines as dramaturg. ¡Ser! was selected as one of the plays listed on the Kilroys list. The solo play, ¡Ser!, had a world premiere at Los Angeles Theatre Center, collaborating with Louie Perez of legendary Chicano band Los Lobos, penning original lyrics to the music of the solo show. Ser was a selected playwright for the 2017 Maria Irene Fornes Playwrighting workshop at Notre Dame in Chicago right before starting production on VIDA Season 1.
Ser has been an active Eastside community member since 2004, making numerous contributions including collaborations with the East La Housing Corporation, Teada, National Performance Network, Mujeres De Maiz, Latino Equality Alliance, California Endowment, Gender Justice LA, TransLatina Coalition, the L.A. LGBTQ Center's Mi Centro, Casa 0101, and university departments/student groups.
Outside of entertainment and artivism, Ser's hobbies include singing in the car while waiting in traffic, karaoke, mutual aid for trans/non-binary Bipoc, meditation, yoga, creating mindful recipes for cooking, hummingbird watching, swimming, playing in the ocean.
Ser is up and coming in the industry, but perhaps even more importantly, they are playing a significant role in empowering and advocating for local community as well as educating the larger society through entertainment.- Actor
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Zach Barack is a transgender actor, singer, and comedian from the northern suburbs of Chicago who is featured in film and television. He is credited as the first openly transgender actor in a Marvel film. He was born in Evanston, Illinois on November 17, 1995 and raised in a nearby suburb. He writes music and performs as a stand-up comedian to acting in TV and film.- Actress
- Producer
Savannah is a Transgender actress originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada who has been studying acting for 20+ years. She has been a union performer since 2006. She can be seen on Beauty and the Beast on the CW and Killjoys on SYFY and in the award winning short film Junior's Giant. In 2017 she was featured in WE are Canada: Future 50 portrait series. Savannah completed a Marketing Management program at Ryerson University in Toronto. An accomplished athlete who is a member of the 2015 Canadian National Women's Dodgeball team. She is the first out Trans athlete in Canadian history to compete in team sports internationally.- Eva Robins was born on 10 December 1958 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is an actress, known for Tenebrae (1982), The Adventures of Hercules (1985) and Hercules (1983).
- Actress
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Candy Darling was born on 24 November 1944 in Long Island, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Women in Revolt (1971), The Death of Maria Malibran (1972) and Flesh (1968). She died on 21 March 1974 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
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Woodlawn was born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Her mother, Aminta Rodriguez, married the baby's father, a German-American sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed in Puerto Rico, but they divorced when his military service ended. When Woodlawn was nine, her mother moved to New York and remarried, to Joseph Ajzenberg, a Polish Jewish immigrant whom she met while waiting tables at a resort in the Catskills Mountains. The new family eventually relocated to Miami Beach, Florida.- Actress
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Mya Jeanette Taylor is an American actor/singer. She is a rising transgender woman in the entertainment business well known for her leading role in Sean Baker's film Tangerine (2015). Her career began its rise when the film became one of the biggest films at the 2015 Sundance Festival. It will be released by Magnolia Pictures on July 10th, 2015.- Actress
- Producer
Carmen Carrera is a trailblazer, performing artist, actress and fashion Muze. Getting her start on RuPauls Drag Race as a drag performer before transitioning into the woman she is today, she became the first openly trans model to be signed to the prestigious modeling agency, Elite Model Management of New York City and became the first model in history to be petitioned by the public to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She made her television acting debut along side Gina Rodriguez on the CW's hit show, Jane the Virgin, and made her silver screen debut alongside Meryl Streep in Jonathan Demme's Ricki & The Flash. Since then she's been an outspoken activist for trans inclusivity and body diversity being featured in the pages of Vogue, W Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Time Magazine, and Elle Magazine to name a few. Most recently she has started her own digital marketing agency called CC3 Entertainment which focuses on creating opportunities for LGBTQ influencers in the digital space. She continues to be an ally for women's issues and an inspirational for all of us to be who we truly are.- Blu del Barrio is a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns. Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role of Adira on Star Trek: Discovery (2017). Del Barrio has been acting in theater since the age of seven, and they're incredibly excited to make their television acting debut in season three of Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
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Jay Jackson is an American choreographer, drag queen, and cannabis rights activist based in Los Angeles, California. Under the stage name Laganja Estranja he competed on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, finishing in eighth place. Laganja performed moderately well on the show, winning a challenge while partnered with eventual runner-up Adore Delano. During the show, Laganja became infamous for her over-the-top dramatics, catchphrases, and emotional breakdowns. Eventual winner Bianca Del Rio credited Laganja as the root of every memorable quote from the following season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Jay is a choreographer at Beyond Belief Dance Studio in Mesquite, Texas, a studio owned by his drag mother, Alyssa Edwards. In 2016, Jay and friends developed Laganja's Dance School, a hip hop-oriented jazz-funk choreography class and confidence workshop. The workshop is held in North Hollywood, California, and also tours abroad. In 2014, Jay contributed vocals to a cover of RuPaul's "Jealous of My Boogie", for the album RuPaul Presents: The CoverGurlz. On June 4, 2018 he debuted on So You Think You Can Dance (United States) on Fox.- Actress
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Adèle Anderson was born on 14 June 1952 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Company Business (1991), Hotel Babylon (2006) and Lady Jane (1986).- Producer
- Actress
- Editor
Calpernia Addams was born on 20 February 1971 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for Transamerica (2005), Transproofed (2009) and Casting Pearls (2007).- Actress
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Sandra Caldwell is a celebrated actress with numerous stage, television, and movie credits to her name. She got her start as a showgirl in New York and traveled the world before settling down for a spell in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While there, she wrote and starred in a one-woman show called "The Guide to Being Fabulous After You've Skinned Your Knee." It was during this time that she came out publicly as transgender and auditioned for a transgender role in the off-Broadway play "Charm." In 2015, she starred in the TV Mini-Series "The Book of Negroes." Additionally, in 2020, she spoke candidly about transgender representation in the media in the Netflix documentary "Disclosure."- Actress
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Christine Jorgensen was an actress, nightclub entertainer, and the first transgender person to be widely publicized in America. On December 1, 1952, her transition was the subject of a front-page story in the New York Daily News and she became a celebrity overnight.
Christine sold the exclusive rights of her story to William Randolph Hearst's The American Weekly, which published her five-part series, "The Story of My Life," in 1953. She also launched a successful nightclub act, recorded several songs, and appeared in TV, radio, and theatrical productions. From the 1960s until her death in 1989, Christine lectured at college campuses, discussing gender identity and advocating for transgender rights.
Christine published her autobiography, Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography, in 1967, and went on to sell over 400,000 copies. She was also the subject of a biopic, The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970). Her 1957 interview with Nipsey Russell has been depicted in the 2005 Off-Broadway production, Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Recently she was portrayed by Jamie Clayton in Equal (2020).
Christine died of bladder and lung cancer in 1989. She was inducted into Chicago's Legacy Walk celebrating LGBT history in 2012, honored in San Francisco's Rainbow Walk in 2014, and included in the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at Stonewall National Monument in New York City in 2019.- Dawn Langley Simmons was born on 15 October 1922 in Kent, England, UK. She was married to John-Paul Simmons. She died on 18 September 2000 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
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Octavia St. Laurent was born on 16 March 1964 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Saint of Fort Washington (1993), Paris Is Burning (1990) and Mirror, Mirror (1996). She died on 17 May 2009 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.- Music Artist
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Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republic Records in 2021.
Kim Petras was born in the city of Cologne. Her mother is a choreographer and artist, her father is an architect and her older sister is also a singer. While she was assigned male at birth, her parents said that from the age of two Petras knew she was a girl. In 2006, Petras, then aged 13, appeared on a German television current affairs show in which she discussed her medical gender transition. At age 14, Petras appeared in a documentary and a talk show, in a push to get permission for early sex reassignment surgery at age 16, before the minimum age of 18 in Germany. These appearances resulted in international media coverage of her transition, touting her as the "world's youngest transsexual".
In September 2007, she was a model for a German chain of hair salons. Petras was evaluated by the head of the psychiatric unit at Frankfurt Hospital, Dr Bernd Meyenburg, and approved for gender confirmation surgery at 16 years old; Petras announced, in November 2008, that the surgery was completed. The Daily Telegraph claimed Petras was the youngest person in the world to have had that surgery at the time. About her surgery, she stated "I was asked if I feel like a woman now - but the truth is I have always felt like a woman - I just ended up in the wrong body".
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Petras said the first song she ever wrote was "about this dude in second grade who didn't like me back".[13]
Petras began recording music as a teenager, releasing her debut extended play One Piece of Tape in 2011. She independently released her debut international single in 2017 Kim Petras: I Don't Want It at All (2017), in the music video she appears together with Paris Hilton, forming a duo of explosive blondes. The song was followed by Billboard-charting singles Kim Petras: Heart to Break (2018), in the music video she is a princess and Julio Marcelino is the prince. Following her early success, Petras released a collection of digital singles which would later comprise her unofficial body of work known as Era 1. Petras released her debut album Clarity, on 28 June 2019. The record was preceded with a nine-week-long promotional campaign, during which Petras released one single per week with an accompanying visual lyric video. Clarity received acclaim from music critics, reached number seven on the Heatseekers Chart and number 26 on the Independent Albums chart. Following this, Petras released her second studio album, Turn Off the Light in October 2019. In 2020, Petras saw further success with her songs Kim Petras: Malibu (At Home Edition) (2020) accompanied by a very summery music video featuring big names like Paris Hilton who repeats with Kim and others like Demi Lovato, Charli XCX, the sisters Jessie J and AJ Michalka, Nikita Dragun and many others.
In 2021 Petras signed with Republic Records and released the 7-track EP Slut Pop in 2022.
On 30 July 2022, Petras seemingly confirmed via Twitter that the album titled Problématique had been scrapped. On 2 August 2022, many songs believed to be on the album leaked online.
Petras is a pop singer who also makes electronic dance music, dance-pop, electropop and bubblegum pop. She credits the late 1990s and early 2000s pop scene, as well as 1980s Italo disco, as the primary basis for her sound. Petras' inspirations include Katy Perry, Cher, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, Madonna and the Spice Girls, as well as Boy George, Debbie Harry, Queen, Freddie Mercury, Judy Garland, Baby E, Lil Aaron, Liz Y2K., and Kesha.- Actress
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Gigi Gorgeous is a YouTube star, transgender activist, author, television personality, actress, model and LGBTQ icon. She has nearly 8 million followers across her social platforms and almost half a billion views on her popular YouTube channel. Born Gregory Lazzarato and raised outside Toronto, Canada, Gigi was a nationally ranked diving champion. In 2008, Gigi's rise to stardom began when she created her YouTube channel, posting beauty, fashion and makeup tutorial videos as a Toronto high school student, while also encouraging her viewers to express themselves in the face of bullies and harassment. At the age of 19 she came out on her YouTube channel, identifying as a gay male. In 2013, she announced that she was a transgender woman. She legally changed her name to Gigi Loren Lazzarato in 2014, a year in which she documented her transition on her channel.
In January 2017, her feature-length documentary "This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous", premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles Gigi's life and transition and was directed by two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple. The film was released in limited theatres and lives on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) for SVOD. "This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous" won the Streamy Award for Best Feature and the Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary in 2017. It was nominated for The MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Documentary and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. Last year Gigi was named one of Time Magazine's "25 Most Influential People on the Internet", one of "Forbes 30 Under 30" and won YouTuber of the Year at the Shorty Awards. She was awarded the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award in 2014 for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ youth, and The Streamy Award for Best Beauty Channel the following year.
On April 2nd, 2019, Gigi will release her hilariously candid memoir "He Said, She Said: Lessons, Stories and Mistakes from My Transgender Journey" with Harmony Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Featuring never before seen photos, personal stories, and shockingly raw and vulnerable moments of her transition, "He Said, She Said" gives readers an opportunity to meet Gregory... the once awkward, teenage boy who was bound for the Olympics before being thrust into the spotlight with her decision to embrace her true self. Gigi expertly weaves humor into her very personal narrative and reminds us of who she really is-and has always been-with anecdotes, life lessons, and of course, Gigi-isms.
Gigi has appeared in PopTV's "Nightcap", "Me and My Grandma" alongside TV legend Rhea Perlman, and on Project Runway All Stars, E!'s Good Work, Trailblazers, MTV Music Video Awards, GLSEN Respect Awards, amongst others. As a model she has appeared on the covers of The Advocate and FASHION, and has been featured in spreads for Paper, Galore, Kode, Refinery29, and Out. She serves as a frequent muse of August Getty Atelier and has modeled for Red Dress Collection for Macy's, Nicopanda for MAC, and for Christian Siriano's newest perfume, People Are People. She hosted a series alongside friend Kylie Jenner for the "Kylie" app and starred in Adam Lambert's music video "Another Lonely Night." Gigi has worked with top brands such as Crest, Pantene, Too Faced, MAC, and L'Oreal. She also had a year-long endorsement deal with Revlon in 2017.
In October 2018, Gigi partnered with CRUSHXO and the Keep A Breast Foundation to create a new lipstick in honor of her mother, who she lost as a teenager to breast cancer. The lipstick is named after her mother, Judy, and ten percent of proceeds from the product during Breast Cancer Awareness Month benefit The Keep A Breast Foundation, an organization that raises awareness and offers education around breast cancer.
Recently, Gigi has spoken on panels for The UN Foundation Celebrating 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Teen Vogue Summit on Limitless Beauty, The Beverly Center's Everyone Welcome Event on Celebrating Inclusion & Cultural Shifts, and The Chelsea Film Festival 2nd Annual Women in Power Benefit. She has also participated in the Global Summit on Mental Health Culture Change and the LA LGBT Center Vanguard Awards.
In 2016, Gigi was denied entry into Dubai for being a transgender woman and was released after spending over five hours in detainment at the Dubai International Airport. Gigi responded to the incident by calling for equality and legal protections for LGBTQ people. Gigi works closely with several LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD, LA LGBT Center and Children's Hospital of LA Transyouth Program. Her Halloween 2017 event for the Transyouth Program raised $50K.
In March 2018, Gigi and girlfriend Nats Getty announced their engagement. Gigi and Nats reside in Los Angeles, California.- Actress
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Erika Ervin, known professionally as Amazon Eve, tours the world modeling and making public appearances. At 6'8" without heels, Amazon Eve has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest model in the world in 2011. She grew up in a small town in central California and was discovered in 2009 by the editor of Zoo Weekly while in Australia. Amazon Eve is best known for her roles in "Hemlock Grove" and "American Horror Story: Freak Show", and stars in the films "Chimera Strain" and "Falling South".- Harmony Santana is an American film actress. She is most noted for her appearance in the 2011 film Gun Hill Road, for which she garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and became the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a major acting award in the United States.
At the time of her performance in Gun Hill Road, Santana lived at Green Chimneys, a group home for LGBT youth in Manhattan. Being in Green Chimneys drove her to become an activist for HIV & AIDS, Homeless Youth, and Bullying. She was discovered by director Rashaad Ernesto Green at the Queens Pride parade after he had difficulty finding the right performer for the role.
She is of mixed Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage.
In addition to Gun Hill Road, Santana has also had supporting roles in Eating Out 4: Drama Camp and Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend. In 2014 she went on to do short films such as Futurestates: The Living and You're Dead To Me. - Actress
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Michelle Hendley was born on 23 March 1991 in Columbia, Missouri, USA. She is an actress, known for Boy Meets Girl (2014), Blindspot (2015) and The Player (2015).- Actress
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Ian Harvie is an American actor, comedian, and writer known best for his work on "Transparent" on Amazon, "Mistresses" on ABC, "Young and Hungry" on Freeform, and Will & Grace on NBC. Harvie also starred along side Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Jordan Harrison's play "Log Cabin", off Broadway in New York. HIs debut one-hour stand-up comedy special "May The Best Cock Win" is on Starz. Ian Harvie lives in Los Angeles with his partner and their two dogs.- Andreja Pejic was born on 28 August 1991 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is an actress, known for The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018), Habit (2021) and The Other Me (2022).
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Brian Michael Smith was born in Ann Arbor, MI. He is an actor known for roles in 9-1-1 Lone Star, Queen Sugar and The L Word: Generation Q.
After appearances on TV shows such as NBC's Chicago P.D., HBO's Girls, and Showtime's Homeland, Smith rose to prominence for his ground-breaking performances on television and advocacy for better trans representation in media. His role as Toine Wilkins, a transgender police officer, in Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar (2017) on OWN launched him into a series of high-profile roles including political strategist Pierce Williams in Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q (2019) and, most notably, firefighter Paul Strickland in Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1 Lone Star (2020). With Lone Star, Smith became the first out Black trans man in a series regular role.
Smith studied theatre and film production at Kent State University. Upon graduating, he began teaching and mentoring youth in filmmaking which he continued in New York through Tribeca Film Institute's Tribeca Teaches Program. He discovered the importance of community and visibility while he worked with queer youth at the Manhattan LGBT Center which led him to pursue his passion for acting, moving to Los Angeles.
Since Queen Sugar, Brian Michael has leveraged his visibility and platform to advocate for better trans representation in TV and film, empowering youth to create their own media and storytelling.- Director
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Sydney Freeland was born on 29 October 1980 in Gallup, New Mexico, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Drunktown's Finest (2014), Rez Ball and Echo (2023).- Actor
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Ellie Desautels is a non-binary actor who is best known for their debut television role as Michael Hallowell, a transgender teenage boy, in NBC's Rise (2018). Born and raised in Connecticut, Ellie received their Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Manhattanville College. Ellie's most recent work was with Mirrorbox Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where they starred as Nut in Orange Julius. Short film credits include Mirage and Sever (dir. Cristian Ramirez).
During their final year in college, they wrote and performed in their senior thesis performance project titled Oh, Sweet Child, which emphasized the importance of transgender representation by bringing real trans and non-binary stories into the spotlight.
During college, Ellie was discovered by Shirley Grant Management. They were auditioning for a year and a half before booking their debut TV role on Rise (2018), which they booked while still pursuing their theatre degree in their final year at Manhattanville College. Ellie's greatest passion aside from acting is working to improve trans and non-binary representation in film and television. They're also a singer-songwriter.- Tom Phelan is known for The Fosters (2013).
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Bibiana Fernández was born on 13 February 1954 in Tánger, Morocco. She is an actress, known for Rowing with the Wind (1988), Law of Desire (1987) and Matador (1986). She was previously married to Asdrúbal Ametller.- Actress
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Born in the Philippines and raised on the island of Guam, Rain Valdez is a trailblazing force in the entertainment industry, breaking boundaries as an accomplished actress, writer, and producer. Rain made history with her stellar performance in the groundbreaking series Razor Tongue, catapulting her to become the first Filipino American Transgender Actress nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the "Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series" category. Her exceptional talent garnered not only this prestigious recognition but also a 'Special Recognition' GLAAD Award.- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez is known for Tangerine (2015), 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards (2016) and Made in Hollywood (2005).
- Quei Tann is an actress known for They/Them (2022) American Horror Story (2022) and How To Get Away With Murder (2019) She was born in Los Angeles, California. Tann began her career, submitting herself to America's Next Top Model (2018). After being cast in Cycle 23 of the modeling franchise, she was eliminated on the first episode. Tann turned that public rejection into a positive. Leveraging her short stint on reality TV to land a talent agent. Tann credits her tenacious spirit, and work ethic, as the catalyst to her emergence as one of the brightest talents of Young Hollywood.
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Originally from Southern California, Shakina is a performer, director, writer, producer, and social activist living in New York City. She is most known for her work as Lola on the Hulu comedy series Difficult People (seasons 2 and 3) and as the Founding Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory, where she has supported the development of over 100 new musicals including her own autobiographical rock musical, Manifest Pussy. Shakina is a Lilly Award winner, TRU Humanitarian Award winner, two-time Drama League Fellow, and a proud graduate of University of California Santa Cruz (Community Studies) with an MFA and PhD from UC Riverside. More: shakeenz- Elizabeth Coffey is known for Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974) and There's a Zombie Outside.
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Leo Sheng was born on May 18, 1996 in Hunan, China. He was adopted and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA by two moms who were social workers. Sheng is an actor known for Adam (2019), Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q (2019), and Disclosure (2020).
Sheng, an out transgender man, is a vocal advocate for queer and trans communities, and authentic queer and trans representation in media.- Arisce Wanzer is a transgender American model and actress currently residing in Hollywood, California. She is best known for her spread in Vogue Germany and Opening Ceremony video campaign. She has walked in Miami Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Latin Fashion Week, and L.A. Fashion Week. Her acting roles include sharing a scene opposite Oscar winner Mo'nique in the feature film Interwoven as well as playing a secretary in the pilot for the new series [Un]Afraid.
- Ian Alexander was born on 20 April 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Last of Us: Part II (2020), The OA (2016) and Daughter (2022).
- Alexia Garcia is known for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Saturday Church (2017) and Pose (2018).
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Ms. Aneesh Sheth (she/her/hers) is a singer, actress, producer, director, and transgender activist. Born in Pune, India and relocation to the United States at an early age, she quickly found a passion for music, studying piano, flute, and classical voice training. After receiving her BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for Musical Theatre, she spent the next few years working on tour including with the Broadway National Tour of A.R. Rahman's Bombay Dreams, and regionally with several companies including PlayGround SF, Playwrights Foundation, The Asian American Theatre Company, Village Theater and The 5th Avenue Theatre before returning to New York. Her off-Broadway credits include Southern Comfort, Twelfth Night: Mobile Unit, Public Studio, Public Forum, and Shakespeare Initiatives programs at the Public Theater, as well as Soho Rep, Lincoln Center Theater, NAMT, NYMF and WP Theater.
In addition to her two-decade long stage career, she is a familiar face in television and film, having made her network debut on NBC's Outsourced and since appearing in Hulu's Difficult People, HBO's High Maintenance and The Other Two, NBC's New Amsterdam, Insomnia on Revry+, and most recently The Walking Dead on AMC. She is most notably known as "Gillian", assistant to the titular character, in the third and final season of Marvel's Jessica Jones now on Disney+. She also made a cameo in IFC's A Kid Like Jake alongside Jim Parsons and can be seen as a principal in First One In on Amazon Prime. Coming up, she will appear as a principal character in Amazon Prime's Red, White & Royal Blue, a film adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by New York Time's best-selling author Casey McQuiston, with a screenplay and direction by Olivier and Tony Award winner Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance) releasing om August 11, 2023.
Along with her work in theatre, film, and television, Aneesh sits on the Board of Directors for The Sappho Project, and is an event host, trans activist, educator, and panelist. In March 2013 Advocate Magazine honored Aneesh Sheth on their 40 Under 40 List.
In January 2020 she was awarded the HRC Visibility Award at the HRC Annual Gala for her activism and advocacy by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ political lobbying organization in the United States committed to protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ+ individuals.
She is represented by Take 3 Talent Agency and managed by 1022m Management.
June 2023- Tamara M. Williams is known for The Garden Left Behind (2019), Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020) and Pose (2018).
- Ivana Black is known for The Garden Left Behind (2019).
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Leiomy Maldonado was born on 28 April 1987 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Pose (2018), Icona Pop: All Night (2013) and Philiph Kirkorov: The Color of Mood is Blue (2018).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jake Zyrus (known as Charice Pempengco prior to his gender transition) was born in Cabuyao, Philippines. When he was three years old, he witnessed his abusive father point a gun at his mom during an episode of domestic violence. Along with his mother and younger brother Carl, they left their father searching for a better life.
Zyrus was very young when his mother noted that his rendition of Happy Birthday was very high-pitched and on-key. When he was four years old, his mother Raquel came home to discover Zyrus standing on top of the kitchen table singing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. She initially thought the radio was on, and Celine was singing. Zyrus had learned to operate the karaoke machine by observing his mother, who was a singer in a band, practice with her bandmates. It was then that Zyrus' singing talent was discovered.
At the age of seven, with money hard to come by and with little food to put on the table, Zyrus urged his mother to teach him how to sing and let him join singing contests to help support their family. He went around the provinces of Laguna and Batangas, entering amateur singing contests in town fiestas and later, on little known shows on television. He started winning most of the competitions he joined, often borrowing money from friends and neighbors for the bus fare and then paying them back after winning. He estimates he joined 80-100 singing contests all in all.
In 2005 when he was twelve years old, he joined Little Big Star, a singing contest for children on TV network ABS-CBN, loosely patterned after American Idol. He was eliminated after the first round but was called back as a wild card contestant later on in the show. From there, he was a consistent top scorer in the elimination rounds but only wound up as a third placer in the finals due to low text votes. Dejected as he was counting on winning the grand prize of P1 million pesos ($20,000) for his family, he wanted to give up on singing. He made minor appearances on TV shortly after Little Big Star, dancing backup and singing in the background on variety shows, but he had fallen off the radar. He eventually decided to give it all up and return to regular schooling.
Little did he know that David Dueñas (a.k.a FalseVoice), a fan of him, was so in awe of his powerful vocals and performances on Little Big Star that he started uploading them on YouTube. His videos were racking up millions of hits online, and one of his videos caught the eye of StarKing, a Korean variety show. In 2007, StarKing invited then 15-year old Zyrus to come to South Korea to perform. Dressed in pink and wearing pigtails, Zyrus blew the roof off the set as he performed a hair-raising and powerful rendition of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. The studio audience was floored to hear such a big voice coming out of such a small child.
The video of that StarKing performance went viral on YouTube, garnering millions of views until the producers of The Ellen Degeneres Show took notice. Ellen aired an on-air invitation for Zyrus to come to her show. A month later, in December 2007, Zyrus and his mother flew to America for the first time to appear on the show, where Zyrus sang And I Am Telling You and Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. The audience was blown away, giving Zyrus the first two standing ovations she had ever received in his life. Zyrus went home to the Philippines, an instant celebrity.
In May 2008, Zyrus was invited to guest on Oprah, for a themed show called World's Smartest Kids. He sang "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston and bought the audience to their feet, giving him another standing ovation. No one was more impressed than Oprah Winfrey herself, though, incredulously asking him, "Girl, that was fantastic! Who are you?!"
The next day, Charice and his mother were already on a plane waiting to take off for the Philippines when Oprah called to stop the plane and bring them back to her office. Oprah had been so impressed with the child and couldn't get him off her mind. Oprah listened to Zyrus' story and told him, "Don't lose hope. I promise you something big will happen." She then called legendary music producer David Foster who took Zyrus on under his wing.
Zyrus, as David Foster's protégé, suddenly found himself singing duets with Andrea Bocelli in Italy and with his idol Celine Dion in Madison Square Garden. He also shared the stage with other big names such as Michael Buble and Josh Groban. He performed at three of President Barack Obama's pre-inauguration galas and made a cameo appearance as himself in 2009's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. He also appeared on the Oprah show three more times after his initial appearance, the most recent one being last May 11, 2010, a day after his 18th birthday, to debut his international album CHARICE. His single Pyramid with singer Iyaz topped the Billboard Dance chart at #1. During its first week, his album sales landed him in the #8 spot on the US Billboard Hot 200 chart, making him the first-ever Asian artist in history to enter the Billboard top 10.
In June 2010, it was announced that Zyrus landed a recurring guest role on the hit TV series Glee, playing the character of Sunshine Corazon, a Filipino foreign exchange student to rival actress Lea Michele's character, Rachel Berry.- Amiyah Scott was born on 11 January 1988 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Star (2016), Sugar Baby (2021) and When We Grow Up (2021).
- Music Department
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix is an American musician, composer, and philosopher. She is best known for her work as creator, lead singer, and guitarist of black metal band Liturgy. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix was born in 1985 in New York City, the child of two best-selling self-help authors. Hunt-Hendrix grew up in New Mexico, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York.- Actress
- Yasmin Finney was born on 30 August 2003 in Manchester, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Heartstopper (2022), Doctor Who (2023) and Mars (2022).
- Actress
- Composer
Zión Moreno is a Mexican-American actress, writer and former model. She was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has appeared in K-12 (2019), upcoming Mexican Netflix series, Control Z (2020) and soon HBO max reboot Gossip Girl (2020).
She resides in Los Angeles, California.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mina Orfanou was born on 3 May 1982 in Rhodes, Greece. She is an actress, known for Strella (2009), Oikogeneia soi mple (2016) and Oi Vasiliades (2012).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Tommy Dorfman is an actress, writer, photographer, and director from Atlanta, GA. She graduated with a degree in acting from Fordham University in 2015. First known for her role as Ryan Shaver on 13 Reasons Why, Tommy has since worked in television, film, and theater - recently starring in Jeremy O. Harris' hit play Daddy at The Signature. She has photographed the cover of Paper Magazine, Fucking Young!, and American studies and appeared in ad campaigns for Calvin Klein and Fendi. She lives between Los Angeles, California, and New York City with her dogs, Dabbs and Fiona.- Director
- Actress
- Composer
Sophie was an experimental pop artist and producer and trans rights activist. Sophie's debut 2018 debut album "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" earned the musician a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. She worked with Madonna in 2015 to co-produce the single "Bitch, I'm Madonna" and collaborated with Charli XCX on the EP Vroom Vroom.