Tag: Where Are They Now

Where are the cast of Brokeback Mountain now?

So what happened to the cast of Brokeback Mountain?

It was one hell of a game changer. A short-story from Ang Lee that was turned into a major Hollywood film. It raked in millions in Box Office receipts and home / rental sales, but where is the cast now?

Jake Gyllenhaal

When Brokeback Mountain was released, Jake was already a renown Hollywood star, having made his name in films like Donnie Darko and The Day After Tomorrow. However, after appearing as Jack Twist in BBM, Jake’s stock as an actor had a phenomenal rise. His appearance in films has netted film studios nearly a billion dollars in box office revenues. Brokeback Mountain is his third biggest movie, preceded by Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time ($90.7m) and The Day After Tomorrow ($186m)

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger was big box office news up until his untimely death in 2008. He died of a heart attack brought on by prescription drug intoxication. The lifetime gross box office of his films is over $955,000,000, with over half of this coming from the smash film, The Dark Knight in which he played one of the scariest Jokers of all time. Again, like Jake, Brokeback Mountain was his third most financially successful film in which he played Ennis Del Mar. This success was preceded by The Patriot and followed by A Knight’s Tale. The last film in which he starred was 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Anne Hathaway

via GIPHY

Since Anne was in BBM as Jack’s wife, she’s not stopped working, becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors. Since 2005 she has starred in over 19 films, the highest grossing was The Dark Knight Rises. She outstrips the boys’ lifetime grosses by over a $1bn with a stunning worth of $2.4 bn in box office receipts.

Michelle Williams

via GIPHY

Michelle started her film career in the family favourite Lassie in 1994. BBM was her third film of 2005, where she played the wife of Ennis. At the time she and her co-star Heath Ledger were a couple, however, they split in 2007. Since BBM she’s appeared in 16 feature films. The best-selling was Oz The Great And Powerful which grossed $234m at the Box office.

Randy Quaid

BBM is Randy’s 2nd best-selling film, the first being Roland Emmerich’s’ Independence Day in 1994 where he managed to save the world by flying a jet into the Alien’s mothership. The 66-year-old has appeared in over 90 films and grossed a stunning $948m in box office receipts.

21st September 2020
Are the cast of The Birdcage still alive?

It’s been over twenty years since the hit camp comedy The Birdcage was released but what has happened to the cast now?

Where is the cast of The Birdcage now?

Robin Williams – Armand Goldman

Embed from Getty Images

Sadly Robin Williams lost his life in 2014 when he took his own life. He was one of the world’s most loved actors and had a slew of box office-busting credits to his name, the majority of these were in the 90s. In total, his films have grossed over $3.2 billion in receipts, making him one of the top 20 highest grossing actors of all time. His two biggest films are Mrs Doubtfire and the Disney smash, Aladdin.

Nathan Lane – Albert Goldman

Embed from Getty Images

Nathan Lane‘s first film credit is for the 1987 film, Ironweed. He worked a number of smaller roles (with the exception of his voice work on Disney’s Lion King) until The Birdcage catapulted him into the big players in Hollywood. He is known for his voice work as much as his acting becoming the voice of the much-loved Pumbaa for The Lion King, he’s also voiced the films Stuart Little and Astro Boy. More recently appeared in the Vanishing of Sidney Hall, which had a limited release in the US in early 2018.

Dan Futterman – Val Goldman

Embed from Getty Images

The on-screen son of Armand and Albert went on to write the screenplay for Capote in 2005, which garnered him an Oscar for Best Motion of the year. He also starred in Will And Grace in 2003. Most recently he’s written and produced for the Amazon Prime TV show, The Looming Tower.

Dianne West – Louise Keeley

Embed from Getty Images

Dianne has had a steady career since the blockbuster The Birdcage, but nothing that tops the box office numbers for the comedy. Currently, she’s in the CBS / Amazon Prime comedy, Life In Pieces. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in television.

Gene Hackman – Sen. Kevin Keeley

Embed from Getty Images

Gene retired from acting in 2004. Instead, he focused on writing novels. He has written three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004) and Escape from Andersonville (2008). He also wrote Payback at Morning Peak, was released in 2011 and his most recent was Pursuit, in 2013.

Calista Flockhart – Barbara Keely

Embed from Getty Images

After the Birdcage, Calista became a huge star, thanks to her playing the lead and title part of Ally McBeal in the late 90s and early noughties. She starred in 112 episodes of the juggernaut show. She then went on to star in 110 episodes of Brothers and Sisters. In terms of film, The Birdcage is by far her biggest grossing movie.

Hank Azaria – Agador

Embed from Getty Images

Who can forget the amazing Agador “these shoes make me fall down” Spartacus? Hank is probably most famous for his voice work on The Simpsons. He plays Moe the bartender, Comic book guy, Superintendent Chalmers, Disco Stu, Apu, Chief Wiggum, and Doctor Nick Rivera. In total, he’s played 32 characters on the long-running cartoon. However, he does crop up in smaller roles in films and starred in the 2014 TV series – Huff, which is definitely worth a watch.

Christine Baranski – Katherine Archer

Embed from Getty Images

Christine is a huge TV star in her own right. She’s appeared in hits like: Cybill, The Good Wife and now The Good Fight. In terms of films, some of her biggest hitters include, Mamma Mia! Chicago and the musical Into The Woods.

Mike Nichols – Director

Embed from Getty Images

Mike died in 2014 a heart attack at the age of 83. In his long and distinguished career, he directed Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, The Graduate, Angels In America. His last film was 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War.

18th February 2019
Where are the cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert now?

It’s 25 years since cult classic, The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert was released. So what has happened with the cast since 1994?

Priscilla is the 38th most successful LGBT film on record, although its reach is arguably much bigger than this. It’s one of the few LGBT films that has been made into a successful worldwide smash musical. Not even The Birdcage can claim that.

Terence Stamp (Bernadette Bassenger)

English actor Terence Stamp, who turns 80 this year, has had a highly successful acting career having appeared in countless hits such as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Valkyrie and even a Star Wars film. He’s been married just once. In 2002 at the age of 64 to a 29-year-old woman who he met in a pharmacy. The couple divorced in 2008 – and he’s not married since.

Hugo Weaving (Mitzi Del Bra)

Most famously Hugo played the evil and ever-present Agent Smith in The Matrix just a few years after taking the lead role in Priscilla. He is still making films, his most recent are Mortal Engines and Black 47. He has been in a relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Katrina Greenwood since 1984 and they have two children together.

Guy Pearce (Felicia Jollygoodfellow)

English born Guy Pearce made his name in the soap Neighbours in which he appeared in from 1986 to 1989. He starred in 496 episodes. After leaving Neighbours he appeared in 12 episodes of competitor soap, Home and Away. Priscilla remains one of Guy’s most successful films where he is the lead, although Iron Man 3 is by far the most lucrative film he’s made, followed by The King’s Speech. Guy is still making films and music. Guy is also a passionate songwriter and has released an album, Broken Bones which dropped in 2014. He is planning a second to be released in 2018.

Bill Hunter (Bob Spart)

Unfortunately, Bill Hunter died in 2011 from liver cancer. He was married three times all ending in divorce. He appeared in more than 60 films, with Priscilla being one of the most successful. His most notable role though maybe the 1995 smash Muriel’s Wedding where he played Muriel’s father, Bill Heslop. His final film as in 2011, called The Cup.

Julia Cortez (Cynthia Campos)

Julia has just two film credits to her name, Priscilla and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. She now owns a Financial Services business in Sydney having retired from showbiz in 1994.

Sarah Chadwick (Marion Barber)

Sarah is most famous in her native Austraila as Dr Rowie Lang in the long-running soap, The Flying Doctors. Since Priscilla, she has continued her work in TV and starred in Home And Away in 2011 and 2017.

Mark Holmes (Benjamin Barber)

He was just 10 when he starred in Priscilla, but it wasn’t his first acting credit. He was in the 1992 film The Leaving Of Liverpool, which also starred Priscilla co-star Bill Hunter. After 1998 he seemingly dropped his acting career as he has not appeared in any other films or TV shows since, according to IMDB.

2nd July 2018
Where are the cast of Absolutely Fabulous now?

Absolutely Fabulous is a landmark TV show – and instantly gained itself a cult following from the first airing back in 1992.

What is Jennifer Saunders up to now?

Its cult status has meant that 100s of world-famous actors, models, singers and VIPs have clamoured to take part in the show. But what have the main players got up to since the main show ended in 2012. Weird fact alert, have you ever noticed that the five main characters, Edina, Patsy, Saffy, Mother and Bubble are all played by actors whose named begin with J!

Jennifer Saunders

Photo by David Appleby. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Jennifer has remained a powerful player in the world of comedy but her work as an actor is widely celebrated. She’s a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, screenwriter and actor. Jennifer has lent her voice to numerous and iconic characters in films. She’s appeared in The Simpsons, Shrek 2, Minions, Corline and more recently Sing. in 2016 she sadly announced that she was done with Ab Fab and wanted to focus on new projects and spend more time with her family.

Joanna Lumley

What is Joanna Lumley up to now?

Travel is hugely important to Joanna and she regularly hosts programmes based on her travels. She’s fronted shows like: Joanna Lumley’s Postcards, Joanna Lumley’s India and Joanna Lumley’s Japan. She also has turned her attention to presenting and in 2017 presented the 71st British Academy Film Awards. Aside from Ab Fab, Lumley is famous for her stint as Purdey in The New Avengers.

Jane Horrocks

Jane plays Bubble and Katy Grin in Ab Fab and remains famous for her roles in Ab Fab but also for the huge box office hit, Little Voice, which was released in 1998. Horrocks is a highly successful voice actor having appeared in 12 animated films including, Arthur Christmas, Christmas Carole: The Movie and Chicken Run. On TV Horrocks remains very visible having starred in 37 episodes of the comedy Trollied.

June Whitfield

June has been awarded an OBE, CBE and in 2017 was awarded the DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to drama and entertainment. The Ab Fab movie remains her last acting credit, although she has appeared in hundreds of TV, Film or Radio shows/episodes.

Julia Sawalha

What is Saffy from Ab Fab up to now?

Julia got her break in the Teen drama Press Gang on ITV, but Ab Fab remains her biggest hit. She appeared in 40 episodes of Lark Rise to Candleford until 2011. Since then she’s appeared in numerous TV dramas but as a day character only.

Christoper Malcolm

Scottish born Christopher played Saffy’s gay father in the original series of Absolutely Fabulous. Sadly Christopher passed away in 2014 at the age of 67. His daughter revealed that Christopher died from cancer. His last TV credit was a 2011 episode of Ab Fab. His other TV credits included Lovejoy and Only Fools And Horses.

Christopher Ryan

Christopher Ryan Edina’s second ex-husband, Marshall. Christopher was working in TV and Theatre regularly up until 2013 having made his name in the extremely successful 80’s hit comedy show The Young Ones. He returned to the big screen in 2016 with the Ab Fab movie.

Naoko Mori

Naoko played Sarah (probably mostly known as “TittyKaKa” Saffy’s friend turned freaky stalker. Naoko last appeared in Ab Fab in 2011 – and didn’t feature in the Absolutely Fabulous movie. However, her acting career has gone from strength to strength with many appearances as a day player on shows like Midsomer Murders, You, Me and The Apocalypse and Doctor Who. From 2006 until 2008 she starred in 26 episodes of Torchwood alongside John Barrowman.

Helen Lederer

CREDIT: Supplied, Matt Crockett

Helen along with her castmate Harriet Thrope (they play Catriona and Fleur) appeared in the 2016 Absolutely Fabulous movie. Helen worked on her own theatre talk show called, WTF. She also starred in Splash! with Tom Daley. She is also an author having released her debut book, Losing It in 2015. In 2017 she appeared in Celebrity Big Brother and was the seven celebrity to be evicted from the series.

Harriet Thrope

Most famous for her receptionist character Carole in the Brittas Empire, although she has starred in films like The Calendar Girls and Life Is Sweet. Harriet continues to work in theatre and turns up on the odd celebrity edition of TV shows like The Weakest Link.

Twiggy

Twiggy’s television and film career has tailed off in the last few years. She worked extensively on America’s Next Top Model during cycles 5 to 9. She starred in Ab Fab during 2000 and 2001 as an unhappy client (and next door neighbour) of Edina.

Kate O’Mara

Patsy Stone’s sister, Jackie. Sadly Kate O’Mara passed away in 2014 at the age of 74 from Ovarian cancer. O’Mara was a famed film and TV actor. Her biggest projects were The Brothers, in which she starred in 30 episodes, Triangle in which starred in 27 episodes and Howards’ Way (26 episodes) but she’s probably most known for her camp role as Caress Morell, the sister of Alexis Colby in Dynasty in which she starred in seasons 6 and 7 in 1986.

1st June 2018
Where are the cast of The Birdcage now?

It’s been over twenty years since the hit camp comedy The Birdcage was released but what has happened to the cast now?

Robin Williams – Armand Goldman

Sadly Robin Williams lost his life in 2014 when he took his own life. He was one of the world’s most loved actors and had a slew of box office-busting credits to his name, the majority of these were in the 90s. In total, his films have grossed over $3.2 billion in receipts, making him one of the top 20 highest grossing actors of all time. His two biggest films are Mrs Doubtfire and the Disney smash, Aladdin.

NEXT >>> Nathan Lane

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

28th March 2018
The Winners of RuPaul’s Drag Race – Where Are they Now?

Hey Squirrel Friends, with 2018 promising to bring us two seasons of Drag Race madness (Season 10 and All-Stars 3), we thought it was time to take a look at what the winning queens are up to now – whether they’ve sashayed their way to mainstream success like a modern-day RuPaul, or been left behind like Roxxxy Andrews at the bus stop…

Bebe Zahara Benet

via GIPHY

Kicking things off, it’s time to shout “CAMEROON!” for Season 1 Winner Bebe Zahara Benet
In the realms of fandom, Season 1 has taken on a mythical status due to just how hard it is to find – not available on streaming or on-demand services, it’s almost as difficult to watch as Valentina in a lip sync. As a result, the queens of season 1 are not as well-known as the ones from later seasons – despite it being an enjoyable season with some great performers such as Victoria “Porkchop” Parker (Hey Porkchop!), Tammie Brown and Ongina. Bebe Zahara Benet won the competition with fierce outfits, big hair and a lot of international influence – and she’s worked consistently ever since. She’s released several singles, recently stomped down the catwalk for Marco Marco, and is still performing Drag on a regular basis

Tyra Sanchez

via GIPHY

Ah, the other Tyra.

Beautiful, unpredictable Tyra was one of the youngest contestants ever to appear on the show, beating Raven to the crown and going on to be maybe the most controversial winner that Drag Race has seen. Not one to back down from a fight, she’s become embroiled in spats with various other Drag Race alumni and faced outrage for some of her Twitter comments. She recently (falsely) declared fellow Season 2 competitor as dead – resulting in a spat that involved fellow Queens Raven and Tatianna.

Away from shady outbursts on Twitter though, she’s proven herself to be a real force to be reckoned with – her looks are stunning and she’s in high demand as a Drag Race performer, recently appearing at Drag Con in New York.

Raja

via GIPHY

Season 3 introduced the world to some brilliant performers – Carmen Carrera, Manila Luzon and Stacey Layne Matthews amongst others. Raja gave a knockout snatch game performance as Tyra Banks, stunned with her fashion-forward outfits, and took part in perhaps the sexiest lipsync of all time – cavorting with Carmen Carrera to Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”. Since winning Season 3, Raja is probably best known for her work with Raven on World of Wonder’s “Fashion Photo Ruview”, which provides fashion critiques on outfits worn by Drag Queens – mainly current contestants and alumni of Drag Race. Outside of drag, Raja (or Sutan) is an in-demand make-up artist, appeared in the music video for Blondie’s “Princess of Mars” earlier this year, and has just completed a summer-long run of her one-woman show, “Gawdess”

Sharon Needles

via GIPHY

Beautiful, spooky and stupid – Sharon Needles won a season often considered one of the show’s best, what with Willam’s shock removal, Phi Phi and Sharon’s fierce rivalry, and literally every moment involving the large and in charge, chunky yet funky, Latrice Royale.

Sharon’s horror-inspired drag brought something fresh to the Drag Race world – that combined with a quick wit and likeable manner made her a worthy winner, and she’s gone on to be incredibly successful. Since the show Needles has released two albums, hosted evenings of horror films on Logo TV, and even had a day named in her honour in her native Pittsburgh. Recently featuring in a fantastic interview about her love of horror films for the BFI, Sharon continues to be in high demand as a touring artist, and will be returning to the UK in both October and December this year to give us her brand of intelligent, unique and bloody drag.

Chad Michaels

via GIPHY

2012 saw the arrival of All-Stars – a season that invited contestants from the previous four seasons a chance to return and compete for a place in the “All-Stars Hall of Fame”. Forcing contestants to pair up made for hugely entertaining viewing, even if the “She-Mergency” Lip Sync concept fell a little flat. Fourth season Queen and Cher impersonator Chad Michaels fought his way to the top spot, and since securing his spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame, is still in high demand both as a drag performer and as an uncannily accurate Cher lookalike. Recent television appearances included 2 Broke Girls and Jane the Virgin, and whilst Chad’s website is currently in progress, social media shows that he’s still performing – recently appearing at RuPaul’s Drag Con in New York.

Jinkx Monsoon

via GIPHY

It was Monsoon season all over the world in Season 5, when the world’s best (and possibly only) narcoleptic Jewish drag queen took the crown. In a series packed with drama – from the rivalry of Alyssa and Coco through to the unholy trinity that was Rolaskatox, Jinkx’s sweet nature and sheer talent saw her rising above the rest – entertaining as Little Edie in Snatch Game and destroying Detox with an accomplished lip-sync to Yma Sumac’s “Malambo No 1”.

Since appearing in the show Jinkx has had huge success in the theatre – appearing in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hairspray, and in Cabaret musical The Vaudevillians. Jinkx also recently voiced a character in the tv show Steven Universe, which sparked some controversy, with some fans upset that a drag queen was voicing a character whose species had, up until then, been voiced by women. Jinkx was more than happy to set the record straight on social media, letting fans know that the character is supposed to be non-binary, something Jinkx identifies as, preferring the pronouns they/them when not in drag. This autumn sees Jinkx appearing in “Hokem Pokem” – a parody of Hocus Pocus starring Peaches Christ and Holestar, and will also be touring the UK throughout November and December in a new production of The Vaudevillians.

Bianca Del Rio

via GIPHY

Season 6 got off to a sickening start with a varied bunch of Queens – rock chick Adore Delano, fishy Queen Courtney Act, and long tall glass of dairy, Milk, amongst others. Costume designer Roy Haylock stood out from the start as the hilarious Bianca Del Rio and won with a combination of humour, sarcasm, and a surprisingly big heart. Able to whip up a dress in under five minutes and read a Queen to filth in a few choice words, Del Rio has gone on to be one of the most successful winners ever. Since leaving the show she’s had several sell-out stand-up comedy tours, starred in her own film (Hurricane Bianca – worth a watch!), with Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate, due out later this year. Bianca’s about to embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand this November, before returning to the UK on her “Blame it on Bianca Del Rio” tour, with dates starting in Liverpool July 2018.

Violet Chachki

via GIPHY

Season 7 introduced some serious fan favourites to the world of Drag Race, with characters like Katya, Trixie Mattel and Ginger Minj battling it out to take the crown. In the end, Violet Chachki ruled victorious with her incredible sense of style, her burlesque and bondage-inspired looks combining the vintage aesthetic of Bettie Page with the modern designs of Thierry Mugler. Since leaving the show, Violet has been in high demand as both a model and a performer, and can currently be seen touring the US on the Werq the World Tour.

Bob The Drag Queen

via GIPHY

Entering the workroom “Purse First” was Bob the Drag Queen – who’d been inspired into doing drag after watching Season 1 and loving the work of Bebe Zahara Benet. Bob was a clear frontrunner throughout the competition – beating off experienced Queens such as the caustic Acid Betty, and Britney impersonator Derrick Barry. Making it to the final three with lovable Kim Chi and long-legged Naomi Smalls, Bob’s comedy skills saw him snatch the crown and reign supreme. Bob’s been a busy winner – his TV Special Suspiciously Large Woman debuted, he starred in the film Cherry Pop, and has even released his own comic book “Kickass Drag Queen”. He’s currently also touring the US in the Werq the World Tour.

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000

via GIPHY

Originally appearing in season five of Drag Race, Alaska returned for All-Stars 2 along with fan favourites such as Katya, Detox, Alyssa Edwards and Adore Delano.

The competition was ridiculously tough, but Alaska came out on top almost every week– and even a last-minute meltdown (poor performance in a task had her offering a bribe to Detox to let her stay) didn’t stop her from claiming that crown. Since winning she’s released a few singles, both independently and with the “AAA Girls” – (a group consisting of Alaska and fellow drag queens Willam and Courtney Act) and walked in a Marco Marco fashion show. She’s set to be touring across the US with the AAA girls over the next month, but is returning to the UK for a few shows in mid-October.

Sasha Velour

Season 9 marked a big change for Drag Race – with the show moving to main channel VH1, earning it far more viewers than ever before. A strong cast of characters entered the workshop – and whilst some disappointed (courtesy of Charlie Hides performing an entirely stationary lip-sync, and Miss Valentina demanding to keep it on…), others rose to the top, forming a final four packed full of top talent and tight tucks. A new channel meant a new concept for the finale, with the four top queens entering into a “Lip Sync Tournament”. A quick change by Peppermint and a legendary wig reveal by Sasha Velour led to them battling it out in the final lip sync, with Sasha Velour coming out on top. An artistic, intelligent and sensitive Queen, Sasha was already an established figure on the Brooklyn drag scene, publishing a drag magazine called Velour, and hosting a monthly drag show called “Nightgowns”. Work on these projects has continued into Sasha’s reign, and she’s spending the next few months touring the US. 2018 will see her heading over to Europe and the UK with her Party Monster Ball – guest starring the drinkable Milk and legendary icon Amanda Lepore.

The Future

Think you done already done had herses? Well, think again – in a reveal almost as good as Roxxy Andrews infamous second wig, 2018 will see not one, but two seasons of Drag Race airing. January will see All-Stars 3 hit screens, with the Queens rumoured to be competing ranging from Season 1 Winner Bebe Zahara Benet through to Season 9’s Aja. That’ll be followed by Season 10, which should be airing in late spring/summer 2018. Again, Queens for that are unconfirmed – with the exception of Eureka O’Hara, returning after her knee-popping exit in Season 9.

As the show approaches its 10th Anniversary, the fabulous engine that is RuPaul’s Drag Race shows no sign of slowing down. Filling the screens with love, pathos and a cast of sickeningly talented performers, it’s become clear that the world needs RuPaul’s Drag Race now more than ever.

Can I get an Amen?

26th September 2017
Where are the cast of Queer As Folk UK now?

It’s fair to say that Queer As Folk was a game changer for British television. It broke boundaries and totally f**ked with the heads of the readerships of several right-wing newspapers, but 18 years on, where are the cast now?

CREDIT: Channel 4

The show, which followed the lives of three gay men in Manchester, became a classic in the LGBT hall of fame. Those of us, old enough to remember, can recall how the show courted acclaim and controversy in equal measure – but unlike the US version the UK’s QAF was gone as quickly as it arrived after 10 episodes over two series, QAF was put to bed never to return to British screens again.

So in the 20 years since the show’s end, what’s happened to the cast?

Charlie Hunnam

Since the heady days of “I’m doing it, I’m really doing” Charlie has cemented himself a career in Hollywood starring in major blockbusters like Pacific Rim, The Lost City of Z and the newly-released King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

Apparently, he even turned down the starring role, eventually filled by Jamie Dornan, in the mega-hit, Fifty Shades Of Grey.

NEXT >>> AIDEN GILLIAN >>>

13th September 2017
Where are the cast of Paris Is Burning now?
It’s nearly 30 years since the release of one of the most important documentaries about the LGBT+ community. Released in 1990 Paris Is Burning documents the lives of the New York ball culture and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it.
Table of Contents
Dorian Corey 1937 – 1993
Pepper LaBeija 1948 – 2003
Venus Xtravaganza 1965 – 1988
Octavia St. Laurent 1964 – 2009
Willi Ninja 1961 – 2008
Angie Xtravaganza 1964 – 1993
Freddie Pendavis
Junior Labeija
The film, by Jennie Livingston, focuses on the lives of eight individuals. Most of the film’s stars are now dead and many died from AIDS-related illnesses.

Dorian Corey 1937 – 1993

Drag queen performer and mother and founding member of the house of Corey. She was the house mother of Angie Xtravaganza, who went on to form her own House of Xtravaganza.
Corey died in 1993, three years after the film’s release. She died of an AIDS-related illness in New York at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

Pepper LaBeija 1948 – 2003

LaBeija died in 2003 from a heart attack in New York at the age of 54. For the final ten years of LaBeija life, LaBeija was largely bedridden due to type 2 diabetes. Both feet amputated as a result. She had two children and daughter and son.

Venus Xtravaganza 1965 – 1988

Venus was killed before the end of filming and release of Paris Is Burning. Her body was discovered under a bed at the Duchess Hotel in New York according to her House mother Angie Xtravaganza. She had been strangled. Her body was discovered four days after her death. Her killer has never been found and her death remains an open, unsolved crime. According to the New York Post, New York has about 9000 unsolved murders since 1985.

Octavia St. Laurent 1964 – 2009

Octavia St. Laurent and later Octavia St. Laurent Mizrahi died after a long battle with cancer. She was a singer and a songwriter and in 2005 was working on a set of recordings which were never released.

Willi Ninja 1961 – 2008

Willi died from AIDS-related heart failure in New York in 2008. He was 45. He had a career that spanned film, music and choreography. He starred in two Janet Jackson music videos, “Escapade” and “Alright” before his death. He also released his own single, “Hot” in 1994. He was known as the “godfather of Voguing”.

Angie Xtravaganza 1964 – 1993

Angie Xtravaganza died three years after the film’s release. She was a founding member of the House of Xtravaganza and house mother to Venus Xtravaganza. She died at the age of 28 from an AIDS-related liver disease.

Freddie Pendavis

Freddie went on to have just two other film credits after Paris Is Burning, namely The Joan Rivers Show in 1989 and the film Strays in 1997. Twenty-five years after Paris Is Burning Freddie was the only star who attended an anniversary screening of the film.

Junior Labeija

Is still alive although not much is known about what he’s up to now.

The film’s maker Jennie Livingston is still alive. She has filmed five other films the last of which Earth Camp One is still in progress.
1st March 2017
X Factor runner ups: Where are they now?

Sometimes the runner up acts do better than the actual winner – actually, this is pretty much standard practice. We have a look at the X Factor runner ups to see where they’re today and how their careers panned out.
1 Series 1
2 Series 2
3 Series 3
4 Series 4
5 Series 5
6 Series 6
7 Series 7
8 Series 8
9 Series 9
10 Series 10
11 Series 11
12 Series 12
13 Series 13

<

h2>Series 1

Series 1

G4

Embed from Getty Images

The classical pop-opera lads released four albums, with three of them being successful. They disbanded in 2007 apparently because they were “sick” of each other. An attempted re-band was made in 2015 when they released their flop Christmas album G4 Christmas. Only three of the original members performed on the album after Matthew Stiff decided not to rejoin. They lost out to Steve Brookstein.

<

h2>Series 1

Andy Abraham

Embed from Getty Images

Who can forget the Dustbin man turned pop star Andy Abrahams. He released 3 studio albums and a “best of” however only two of those albums charted. Andy can now be spotted on stage performing in musicals. He lost out to Shayne Ward.

<

h2>Series 3

Ray Quinn

CREDIT: Ray Quinn/ Instagram

Ray Quinn has become a bit of body builder since his time in X Factor, he’s also appearing in musicals. He released just one album Doing It My Way, which reached number 1 in the UK and sold over 300,000 copies. He lost out to Leona Lewis.

<

h2>Series 4

Rhydian

Embed from Getty Images

Who could forget the platinum blonde Welshman. Losing out to Leon Jackon in 2007 didn’t harm Rhydian’s recording career having released five albums. The first two managed to achieve Platinum and Gold sales status. The following three managed to reach the top 40. Oh, and he got most of his clothes off when he played Rocky in Rocky Horror!

<

h2>Series 5

JLS

Embed from Getty Images

JLS are the only boyband to come runner up, but not the most successful one – that crown goes to One Direction who actually came third in series 7. JLS has a slew of hits including 5 number one singles. They also released four albums all of which entered the top 3 in the charts. They disbanded in 2013 and left fans with a compilation album called Goodbye.

<

h2>Series 6

Olly Murs

CREDIT: Olly Murs / Instagram

Olly is probably the most successful solo male artist to come out of X Factor having clocked up four number one albums and four number one singles. Thirteen of his 20 singles have reached the top 20. He’s also gone on to become a TV presenter. He lost out to Joe McElderry.

<

h2>Series 7
Rebecca Ferguson

Embed from Getty Images

Rebecca was the first woman to come runner up on the X Factor has she’s gone on to release a number of albums and is a spokeswoman for Walkers Crisps. She also opened a shop called Beauty Boudoir in 2012. She lost out to Matt Cardle.

<

h2>Series 8

Marcus Collins

CREDIT: Monty McKinnen

Marcus was the only openly gay finalist to come runner up. He released an album but is now appearing on stage in various musicals. Including Kinky Boots and Hairspray. He lost out to Little Mix.

<

h2>Series 9

Jahméne Douglas

CREDIT: PR Supplied

Jahméne has a largely forgettable career despite being hailed as one of the X Factor‘s best vocalists ever. He’s released a number of albums, but it’s his seemingly changing face that keeps him in the public spotlight. He lost out to James Arthur in 2012.

<

h2>Series 10

Nicholas McDonald

Embed from Getty Images

I mean who knows what’s happened to Nicholas? He released one album called In the Arms Of An Angel which reached number 6 in the UK charts. He lost out to Sam Bailey.

<

h2>Series 11

Fleur East

Fleur was hot favourite to achieve massive world-wide successful after she was the first to sing “Uptown Funk” during the live shows. However, her career has seemingly and sadly stalled after her second and third single “More and More” and “Breakfast” failed to chart. They were both from her 2015 album Love, Sax and Flashbacks which only managed to achieve 60,000 sales in the UK. She has resigned with another Sony Music label and hopes to launch an international singing career. She lost out to Ben Haenow.

<

h2>Series 12

Reggie ‘n’ Bollie

Embed from Getty Images

Reggie ‘n’ Bollie were the second group to become runner-up from the X Factor have largely fallen out of the public eye since placing second. They released two singles, the first of which achieved a charted of 26, the second failed to chart. They lost out to Louisa Johnson.

<

h2>Series 13

Saara Aalto

©Thames / Syco

It’s too early to tell how Saara’s career post X Factor will turn out, but she’s already made history by becoming the first openly bisexual woman to reach the final.