John Cabell "Bunny" Breckinridge (August 6, 1903 – November 5, 1996) was an American actor and drag queen, best known for his role as "The Ruler" in Ed Wood's film Plan 9 from Outer Space, his only film appearance.

Family

He was the great-great-great-grandchild of U.S. Attorney General John Breckinridge (and the great-grandchild of both 14th U.S. Vice President and Confederate general John C. Breckinridge and Wells Fargo Bank founder Lloyd Tevis).

Early life

Breckinridge was born in Paris, France; he spent time at Eton College and Oxford University in England.

Career

Plan 9 from Outer Space

thumb|right|Breckinridge with fellow actors [[Joanna Lee (writer)|Joanna Lee and Dudley Manlove in Plan 9 from Outer Space]]

In 1956, Breckinridge agreed to play the role of an alien leader in the film Graverobbers from Outer Space (later retitled Plan 9 from Outer Space), directed by his friend, Ed Wood. Wood and Breckinridge were introduced to one another by their mutual friend Paul Marco, who played Kelton the Cop in three Wood films. The film premiered March 15, 1957, at the Carlton Theatre in Hollywood.

Breckinridge and Marco were living together in the latter's modest home at the time, despite the fact that he was a struggling B-movie actor and Breckinridge was an independently wealthy socialite. David Demering, who played the airplane co-pilot in the film, also lived with them.

Breckinridge's previous stage experience convinced Wood to cast him as the alien ruler who oversees an attempt to take over the Earth using an army of reanimated corpses. Indeed, his background made him one of the few truly experienced actors in the entire cast. Dressed in a pajama-like outfit which is curiously less ornate than those worn by his underlings, he sports very visible mascara and lipstick, and constantly rolls his eyes and mugs for the camera.

Later years

Breckinridge continued his theatrical career throughout the 1950s, but in small local productions, such as playing the role of The Inquisitor in Richard Bailey's production of The Lark in Carmel.

By 1980, Plan 9 from Outer Space had amassed a cult following among B-movie buffs as the "worst film ever made", making Breckinridge's name known to a new generation. Meanwhile, he returned to stage acting, appearing mostly in local productions in San Francisco.

In 1994, Breckinridge was surprised to find himself portrayed as a character in a major motion picture, played by Bill Murray in Tim Burton's 1994 biopic Ed Wood. His advanced years and failing health, however, prevented him from participating in any of the publicity surrounding the film.

Breckinridge maintained homes on each coast – one in New Jersey and one in San Francisco.

He died on November 5, 1996, at age 93, in a nursing home in Monterey, California. He was quoted in his obituary as saying, "I was a little bit wild when I was young, darling, but I lived my life grandly."

Sexuality

Openly gay With the nationwide attention given to Christine Jorgensen's sex change in 1952, Breckinridge became more determined than ever to begin transitioning. In 1954, he announced plans to travel to Denmark and undergo the operation so he could marry his male secretary. Breckinridge was by this time a grandparent, and his granddaughter supported him in his efforts. Shortly thereafter, a San Francisco judge scuttled his Denmark trip by ordering him into court for failing to make good on an earlier agreement to pay $8,500 a year to support his elderly, blind mother in England. He then made arrangements with a sex-change surgeon in Mexico, but had a serious car accident while traveling there. He gave up his pursuit of the matter afterwards.

In the 1960s, Breckinridge gave permission to the author Gore Vidal to write what Breckinridge thought would be a biography. However, though partly inspired by some events in real life, the bestselling book that resulted was a work of fiction: Myra Breckinridge.

References

  • Bunny's Obituary