Craig Russell
Russell Craig Eadie (January 10, 1948 – October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name Craig Russell, was a Canadian female impersonator and actor.
Born in Toronto, Russell was an internationally acclaimed drag entertainer and actor.
As a teenager, Russell and became president of Mae West’s fan club, and he briefly worked and lived in Los Angeles as her secretary.
He returned to Toronto where he moved in with the writer Margaret Gibson. He worked as a hairdresser while pursuing his career as a stage entertainer.
By 1971, he was a regular performer in Toronto gay clubs and had a burgeoning international following. He toured Las Vegas, Hollywood, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Sydney.
His celebrity impersonations included Carol Channing, Bette Davis, Mae West, Barbra Streisand, Tallulah Bankhead, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Midler, Anita Bryant, Shirley Bassey, Peggy Lee and Judy Garland.
In 1977, Russell starred in the film Outrageous!, based on a short story written by Gibson about their time as roommates.
The film was entered into the 28th Berlin International Film Festival, where Russell won the Silver Bear for Best Actor, and Russell was a Canadian Film Award nominee for Best Actor in 1977.
A decade later, in 1987, he starred in a sequel to Outrageous!, titled Too Outrageous!.
Russell also released an album titled “Glamour Monster” in 1987 with the help of his manager and publicity agent Gino Empry, and multiple producers, so profits could contribute funds to AIDS research.
A play titled Margaret and Craig, written by David Solomon, based on the writing of both Russell and Gibson, was in development. The play was produced in workshop at Vassar College’s Powerhouse Theater in Summer 2011 with Mario Cantone as Russell and Jeni Verdon as Gibson.
In 2020, Brian Bradley published the biography Outrageous Misfits: Female Impersonator Craig Russell and His Wife, Lori Russell Eadie.