Michelle DuBarry
Born
Russell Alldread

(1931-11-23) November 23, 1931
Bowmanville, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
OccupationDrag queen
Career
Former groupsPhase One

Michelle DuBarry is the stage name of Russell Alldread (born November 23, 1931), a Canadian drag queen,[1] who was awarded the title of the World's Oldest Performing Drag Queen by the Guinness World Records in 2015.[2][3] However, the distinction was disputed by another performer, who was subsequently awarded the title in 2016.[4][5]

Background

Born in Bowmanville, Ontario in 1931,[1] Alldread was a performer in childhood, winning an award for his singing at the Port Hope Music Festival in 1939.[6] Around the same time, he had his first experience dressing in drag, when his cousins dressed him in a strapless gown for a photo shoot.[6] He continued to be involved in theatre until moving to Toronto at age 18.[6]

He worked for General Motors and began having relationships with men,[6] although he met and married a woman in 1957.[6]

Performing career

After divorcing from his wife in 1961, Alldread began performing in drag shows, initially under the name Anita Modé.[6] He adopted the name Michelle DuBarry in 1969 upon joining the Phase One drag troupe,[6] taking his new performing surname from the 1943 film Du Barry Was a Lady.[6] When his colleagues in Phase One later moved to Vancouver, DuBarry formed a new trio, The Great Impostors, with Tammy Autumn and Rusty Ryan.[6]

In his day job, Alldread worked as a women's shoe salesman.[3]

As DuBarry, he has been involved in the Trillium Monarchist Society and the Expressions Club, and has held the title of Empress of Toronto in the Imperial Court System.[6] He continued to perform as a drag queen in Toronto,[7] including bar shows and charity fundraisers for causes such as HIV/AIDS awareness and Gilda's Club.[8] DuBarry served as grand marshal of Toronto's Pride parade in 2007.[8]

DuBarry's signature number as a performer is Nancy LaMott's "We Can Be Kind".[9][10]

Following the announcement of DuBarry's Guinness distinction, some residents of Portland, Oregon argued that the title should instead be awarded to Darcelle XV, who is a year older than Alldread.[11] Darcelle was awarded the title by Guinness on August 15, 2016.[12]

In 2020 DuBarry appeared as a guest in the seventh episode of the first season of Canada's Drag Race, appearing as a judge in the Miss Loose Jaw Pageant, that week's maxi challenge.[13][14]

In 2021, CBC Radio One's The Doc Project aired a documentary feature on DuBarry, suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated shutdown of nearly all drag-related venues and events in 2020, had dampened Alldread's enthusiasm for going out as Michelle anymore.[15] In 2022, after beginning to show some symptoms of dementia, Alldread moved into a long-term care home, and a sale of some of his drag outfits and jewellery was staged at The 519 in April.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "On the Town with Michelle DuBarry". National Post, November 24, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Michelle DuBarry named world's oldest performing drag artist". The Independent, November 30, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Guinness Names Toronto Resident 'World's Oldest Performing Drag Queen'". The Advocate, December 3, 2015.
  4. ↑ Viegas, Mallieka (2019-06-26). "One of the World's Oldest Drag Queens Shares Memories of Life in Toronto in the 1950s". FASHION Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  5. ↑ Isola, Laurie (2016-08-17). "Darcelle Crowned World's 'Oldest Drag Queen Performer' By Guinness". OPB. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Michelle DuBarry: Was, and is, a lady". Daily Xtra, November 28, 2001.
  7. ↑ "Toronto drag queen Michelle DuBarry honoured with Guinness World Record". Global News, December 1, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Marching on in fine fashion; Popular drag queen chosen to head parade in recognition of her leadership, charity work". Toronto Star, June 14, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Fourscore and DuBarry". Daily Xtra, November 17, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Toronto’s oldest drag queen takes world record". Toronto Star, November 29, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Guinness World Records names Toronto’s Michelle DuBarry oldest drag queen". Pop Goes the News, November 25, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Oldest drag queen". Guinness World Records, August 15, 2016.
  13. ↑ Manzocco, Natalia (2020-06-15). "Canada's Drag Race announces celeb guests". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  14. ↑ Alter, Rebecca (2020-08-31). "Canada's Drag Race Recap: Your Lace Line Looks Like Barf". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  15. ↑ Jeffrey Vallis, "After a year of pandemic isolation, have we seen the last of Canadian drag legend Michelle DuBarry?". The Doc Project, May 28, 2021.
  16. ↑ Beth Macdonell, "World's once 'oldest drag queen performer' selling costume collection in Toronto". CTV News Toronto, April 26, 2022.
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