Guilda

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Guilda
Guida in 1984
Born
Jean Guida

(1924-06-21)June 21, 1924
France
DiedJune 27, 2012(2012-06-27) (aged 88)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
NationalityFrench, Canadian
Occupation(s)drag queen, cabaret pop singer, actor
Years active1940s–2004

Guilda was the stage name of Jean Guida (June 21, 1924 – June 27, 2012), a French and Canadian drag queen who built a long and sustained career as a cabaret and variety entertainer.[1]

Early life[edit]

Guida claimed to have been the son of an Italian countess whose family surname was de Mortellaro,[2] although journalist Alan Hustak later found that he was unable to verify this as there was no record of the de Mortellaro surname in directories of Italian nobility.[1] Following World War II, he began his career as a female impersonator in Le Carrousel de Paris, taking his stage name from the 1946 Rita Hayworth film Gilda.[3][4] In 1946, he had a small acting role in Yvan Noé's film Une femme coupée en morceaux [fr].[2]

In 1951, he toured internationally as a stage double for French cabaret performer Mistinguett;[5] discovered by American theatre impresario Lou Walters, he moved to New York City for a time as a headliner of his own show, before moving to Montreal once his American work visa expired.[1]

Career[edit]

In Montreal, Guilda became a star performer at the Chez Paree club, becoming renowned for celebrity impersonations of Hayworth, Mistinguett, Marlene Dietrich, Édith Piaf, Barbra Streisand and Marilyn Monroe,[1] and performed regularly on Quebec television variety shows.[6]

In 1965, he performed a sold-out show at Montreal's Salle Wilfred-Pelletier.[1] In 1967, he opened his own drag cabaret club, Chez Guilda, near the Montreal Forum.[1]

In the 1970s, Guilda had a number of acting roles in the films of Denis Héroux, including The Awakening (L'amour humain), There's Always a Way to Find a Way (Y'a toujours moyen de moyenner!) and Don't Push It (Pousse mais pousse égal).[7] He also launched the theatrical revue Guilda's Follies, blending both musical and sketch comedy performances, in 1975,[8] undertook a performance tour of the United States in 1977,[9] and published his first autobiography Guilda, elle et moi in 1979.[2]

In the 1980s, Guilda appeared in an episode of Télévision de Radio-Canada's annual New Year's Eve special Bye Bye, portrayed the Chevalier d'Éon in an episode of Radio-Canada's dramatic anthology series Les Grands Esprits,[6] and appeared in André Forcier's 1988 film Kalamazoo.[7] In 1983 he launched the stage revue Viva Guilda.[10] In 1985, he acted in a production of Sylvie Lemay's stage play Qui a vendu la meche?.[11] He was the subject of the television documentary film Allez Guilda! in 1986;[6] in the same year, he also undertook a Canadian tour,[12] performing most notably at Expo 86 in Vancouver.[13]

Having largely retired from stage performing by the late 1980s, he also took up painting, and had a number of exhibitions of his artistic work in the early 2000s.[5] In 2004, he mounted a return show at Montreal's Théâtre National to mark both his 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his Montreal stage debut.[2] He published a second autobiography, Guilda: Il était une fois, in 2009.[1]

Over the course of his career, Guilda also recorded and released a number of albums of cabaret pop.

Guida died in 2012, at the age of 88.[14] Guida, who identified as bisexual, was married a number of times and fathered three children.[1]

Legacy[edit]

In 2014, Guilda was the subject of Julien Cadieux's documentary film Guilda: Elle est bien dans ma peau.[15]

In 2022, Rita Baga impersonated Guilda in the Snatch Game episode of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Richard Burnett (July 26, 2012). "Remembering Guilda: Trailblazing Montreal drag queen dies at 88". Xtra!.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b c d Alan Hustak, "Drag queen still a draw at 80". Montreal Gazette, February 16, 2004.
  3. ^ "Guilda, le transformiste précurseur de la diversité sexuelle". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  4. ^ "Disques Merite, les idoles de jeunesse !". 2016-03-12. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12.
  5. ^ a b Robert Rothon (June 3, 2009). "The colourful and scandalous Guilda". Xtra!.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b c "Guilda, reine des cabarets". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  7. ^ a b ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Arts- (28 June 2012). "Mort de l'artiste travesti Jean Guilda". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  8. ^ Lawrence Sabbath, "Guilda's back with gowns and memories". Montreal Star, October 27, 1975.
  9. ^ Stephen James-Searle, "Guilda to tour United States". Montreal Star, April 27, 1977.
  10. ^ Thomas Schnurmacher, "What a drag! Dietrich, Piaf will 'summer' in Laurentians". Montreal Gazette, July 8, 1983.
  11. ^ Marianne Ackerman, "Female impersonator Guilda is no drag". Montreal Gazette, October 17, 1985.
  12. ^ "Guilda planning national tour". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, December 31, 1985.
  13. ^ "A world of entertainment". The Province, April 29, 1986.
  14. ^ "Le travesti Jean Guida est mort". Le Journal de Montréal. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  15. ^ "" Guilda, elle est bien dans ma peau » de Julien Cadieux en primeur à « 1001 vies "". Le Lien MULTIMÉDIA :: le portail des professionnels du numérique au Québec (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  16. ^ Kevin O'Keeffe (November 26, 2022). "'Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World' Episode 2 recap: Snatched at the Summit". Xtra!. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.

External links[edit]

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