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Lory Shannon
(May 18, 1938 - February 13, 1984) USA

Don Seymour McLean Lory Shannon

Female impersonator, actor, comedian

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Lory Shannon (right), born Don Seymour McLean (left) in Santa Barbara, California, 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 .

He considered himself "a stand-up comic in a dress," relished startling tourists with one-liners at Finocchio's. His stage persona was notable due to his size (6'6"), raspy basso voice, and sarcastic humor.

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 .

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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