Name Lori Shannon | ||
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Born May 18, 1938 ( 1938-05-18 ) Santa Barbara, California U.S. Occupation Female impersonator, actor, comedian Died February 13, 1984, San Francisco, California, United States Similar Michael Greer, Heklina, Lady Clover Honey | ||
Lori Shannon
Lori Shannon born Don Seymour McLean, (May 18, 1938 - February 13, 1984) was an openly gay female impersonator who was associated with the drag revues at Finocchio's club in San Francisco. He wrote an entertainment column for the Bay Area Reporter.
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He stood 6-feet-5 in his heels and considered himself "a stand-up comic in a dress," relished startling tourists with one-liners at Finocchio's.
To the American television audience, Shannon was best known for portraying female impersonator Beverly LaSalle in three episodes of the CBS sitcom All in the Family. The episodes in which he appears are "Archie the Hero" (1975), "Beverly Rides Again" (1976), and "Edith's Crisis of Faith, Part 1" (1977). The character represented somewhat of a breakthrough, being the first instance of a drag queen being portrayed in a sympathetic light on U.S. television.
Shannon died of a heart attack at the age of 45 at Mission Emergency Hospital in San Francisco on February 13, 1984.