CHARLES PIERCE - R.I.P. ~

  
"I'd like people who see my work to remember me as an actor--a good actor--who made his living by doing some really good impressions. The fact that I went from rags to bitches was just one of those quirks of fate written in the stars." --Charles Pierce  

 

 

Charles Pierce, renowned female impersonator of such Hollywood legends as Bette Davis, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, Katherine Hepburn, et. al. died May 31, 1999. He was 73.


Pierce was noted for his uncanny ability to conjure up the images of female celebrities using subtle forms of mimicry such as facial expressions and vocal inflections, rather than relying on the requisite heavy makeup and elaborate drag costumes to carry the illusion. He often demonstrated his acting skill with impressions of the screen stars doing scathing impressions of one another.


Over the years I attended many of his performances and was in awe of his delivery and presentation while maintaining the "character" he was presenting. He wasn't a drag. He was an essence of the subject.


Bright, witty, intelligent are apt descriptions of his performances.


Pierce wanted his motives to be clearly understood. "I'm not doing it to be a woman," he said. "I'm doing it to be a star." And he shone brightly.


Services were held 1 p.m. on June 19th at the Church of the Hills in Forest Lawn Hollywood.