Transgender And Drag At The Oscars! A Fabulous Pictorial!

By Michael Musto Mon., Dec. 12 2011 at 9:45 AM

Categories: Film

In Albert Nobbs, Glenn Close (above) convincingly plays a woman who dresses like a man in order to nab some employment in 19th-century Ireland.

But it's the kind of stunt that can also nab you awards consideration.

Here are some other actors who switched genders (or donned drag) and grabbed Oscar recognition.

MARLENE DIETRICH's only nomination was for playing a smoky cabaret singer in 1930's MOROCCO. This was her come-as-you-are look.

JUDY GARLAND in the classic musical A CROSS-DRESSER IS BORN

JACK LEMMON went undercover as a lady in the 1959 screwball classic SOME LIKE IT HOT. He was nominated for Best Actor, but didn't win. "Nobody's perfect."

CHRIS SARANDON got a supporting nomination for 1975's DOG DAY AFTERNOON, in which Chris's sexual reassignment surgery was being paid for by hubby Al Pacino's bank robbing. It was like Bonnie & Christine Jorgensen.

Best Actor nominee DUSTIN HOFFMAN found he was much better liked as Dorothy in 1982's cross-dress classic TOOTSIE. Been there.

The same year as Tootsie, JULIE ANDREWS got a nomination for playing a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman pretending there are bugs in the food in VICTOR/VICTORIA.

LINDA HUNT was riveting as a guy (the petite, half-Chinese photographer Billy Kwan) in 1983's YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY. Linda deservedly won Best Supporting Actress -- yes, Actress.

WILLIAM HURT nabbed Best Actor for 1985's KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, playing the campy, imprisoned queen with a taste for Hollywood kitsch. Brava!

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GWYNETH PALTROW copped Best Actress for 1998's SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, in which all's well that ends male.

HILARY SWANK copped her first of two Oscars for playing Brandon Teena, a biological girl living as a boy, in 1999's BOYS DON'T CRY. An astounding performance full of heart and conviction.

FELICITY HUFFMAN was nominated for Best Actress for the 2005 road trip TRANSAMERICA, in which her son didn't know that his dad was now his mother. Felicity made a believable transsexual.

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CATE BLANCHETT was nominated for playing Bob Dylan in 2007's I'M NOT THERE. Strangely, her Oscar win was for playing a woman! (Katie Hepburn.)

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subsilentio

What's funny is that Cate Blanchett is the only actor in that movie who actually looked like Bob Dylan.

Givemelamore

As for my self , I,ve always had more of an infatuation, and joyous enlightenment in going full- throtle in drag. I didn,t care where I was in AMERICA or abroad. My perference was and is to stroll my ass in full theatrical eye opening drag. Karen you point is well taken. Montage or a treatise it would be a little more educational to the general public and those less informed gays out there. I,ve had many a heated vehement petty quarrel over my drag and some dog faced bitchs opinion on female-impersonation. Now Mr. MUSTO more in likely did not have the time to have these points to be made to his gay public. But Karen I think it would make a greatly needed explantion on the topic of all the differences. It is definitey a topic close to my heart.All being said . Thank-you Micheal on the montagre or treatise which ever it was, my favorite is the marvelous Marlene Dietrich. But I think Joy Brown would of been better than Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, as the lady!

Sanders

Right, but this was a montage of people who were nominated for Oscars and Jack Lemmon was nominated.

Karen

The problem with articles like the above is that it does nothing to clarify the confusion held by lot of the general public over the difference between drag, transgender, and transexual.

Karen

Freckles

Who said it was a treatise designed to explain the difference between drag, transgender, and transsexual??? It's a photo montage of different performance in different states of gender crossing. Please relax and lighten up!!!

Karen

No one said it was a treatise, in that you are correct. It is also a good photo montage and some of those films are indeed good. However, I was just politely drawing attention to a persistant problem we face in the media every day, the confusion and misunderstanding of those labels which are very different. A lot of problems a result from this.

Huh

Well, these photos and descriptions were specific as to drag, transgender, etc, so you're the only one adding to the problem.

Patches

Yeah, in case someone's been living under a rock and never heard of these classic movies, the captions pretty much spell it out.

"Jack Lemmon goes undercover as a woman..."

"Linda Hunt plays a man."

"Julie Andrews plays a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman..."

"Felicity Huffman plays a transsexual..."

Rolph

Musto puts together 13 shots of cross dressers that were nominated and TWO tards have to weigh in with "What about Jaye Davidson?" Shut the fuck up, assholes.

J.Sinclair

Rolph.. there's no need to be rude OK!

Lovejordina

What about Jaye Davidson in "The Crying game"? He was nominated in 1992 to best supporting actor for playing a transexual.

Guest

Not much of a reader, are you?

Rocklobster52

Jay Davidson?

Suzinne

Of course!

Musto

I purposely left one out because there's always someone saying "But what about...?" without commenting on any of the ones included. Shove Jaye Davidson way up yourself.