Michelle DuBarry | |
|---|---|
| Born | Russell Alldread November 23, 1931 Bowmanville, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Career | |
| Former groups | Phase 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]
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]
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]