Julian Eltinge (born William Julian Dalton; May 14, 1881 – March 7, 1941) was an American actor notable for playing female characters. After appearing in the Boston Cadets Revue at the age of ten in feminine garb, Eltinge garnered notice from producers and made his first appearance on Broadway in 1904. As his star began to rise, he appeared in vaudeville and toured Europe and the United States, even giving a command performance before King Edward VII. Eltinge appeared in a series of musical comedies written specifically for his talents starting in 1910 with The Fascinating Widow, returning to vaudeville in 1918. His popularity soon earned him the moniker "Mr. Lillian Russell" for the popular beauty and musical comedy star.

Hollywood beckoned Eltinge and in 1917 he appeared in his first feature film, The Countess Charming. This led to other films, including 1918's The Isle of Love with Rudolph Valentino and Virginia Rappe. By the time Eltinge arrived in Hollywood, he was considered one of the highest paid actors on the American stage; but with the arrival of the Great Depression and the death of vaudeville, Eltinge's star began to fade. He continued his show in nightclubs but found little success. He died in 1941 at his Manhattan apartment ten days after a show at a nearby nightclub.

Early years

Eltinge was born in Newtonville, Massachusetts, to Julia Edna Baker and Michael Joseph Dalton. It is believed that his father was a mining engineer and that early in his life he traveled out west with his father, ending up in Butte, Montana. In his early teens, Eltinge dressed in women's clothing and performed in saloons patronized by ranchers and miners. Upon discovering this in 1899, his father beat him and his mother sent him back to Boston, where the 17-year-old worked in dry goods as a salesman while studying dance.

The early film star Pauline Frederick and Eltinge were childhood friends. They met up again at boarding school in Boston when Eltinge was already making a name for himself on the vaudeville stage. He dared her to apply to one of the music halls, which was the start of her career on stage and in films.

Most sources cite his first female role originally having been at the age of ten with the Boston Cadets Review at the Tremont Theater in Boston. He is reported to have played the role so well that the next year the revue was written around him which led to minor roles elsewhere. But as to how he came to perform as a female a decade later with the Boston Cadets, sources differ. In some versions he was taking cakewalk lessons from a Mrs. Wyman's dance studio when he demonstrated to his teacher a remarkable ability to emulate females. It is said to be Mrs. Wyman who encouraged William to study the art of female impersonation.

left|thumb|Eltinge in The Fascinating Widow (1911)

Broadway and vaudeville

Eltinge's first appearance on Broadway was in the musical comedy Mr. Wix of Wickham which opened September 19, 1904 at the Bijou Theatre in New York City. The show was produced by E. E. Rice and included music by Jerome Kern among others.

During this time, Eltinge began performing in vaudeville. Unlike many of the female impersonation acts that existed at that time, like Bert Savoy, Eltinge did not present a caricature of women but presented the illusion of actually being a woman. He toured simply as "Eltinge" which left his sex unknown and his act included singing, dancing and quick costume changes in a variety of female roles, including a Gibson Girl-like role called "The Sampson Girl". At the conclusion of his performances, he would remove his wig, revealing his true nature to the surprise of the often unknowing audience.

The Fascinating Widow and beyond

upright|thumb|Another publicity photo for The Fascinating Widow

In 1911, Eltinge opened one of his most famous shows, The Fascinating Widow, at New York's Liberty Theater. In it, he played Hal Blake who disguises himself as "Mrs. Monte" in a Charley's Aunt-like plot. The show only ran 56 performances in New York, but toured the nation successfully for several years. He appeared with Rudolf Valentino in the 1920 film An Adventuress (released as The Isle of Love in the U.S.). After filming, Eltinge continued touring onstage and did so until 1927. He also made two films, Madame Behave and The Fascinating Widow, in 1925.

Personal life

right|thumb|Eltinge on a voyage to Japan with a woman (vaudeville actress Laurette Bullivant) he identified to the photographer as his wife, c. 1920

Despite the graceful femininity he exhibited on stage, Eltinge used a supermasculine facade in public to combat the rumours of his homosexuality. This sexual duality led to Chicago Tribune drama critic Percy Hammond's using the term "ambisextrous" to describe him.

Eltinge may have been gay, as Milton Berle and many others who worked with him believed. Actress Ruth Gordon stated in a New York Times article that he was "as virile as anybody virile." There is no existing record of a lover of either sex, though stories did abound.

On February 25, 1941, Eltinge fell ill while performing at Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe nightclub in New York City. He was taken home and died in his apartment ten days later on March 7. His death certificate lists the cause of death as a cerebral hemorrhage.

See also

  • Bothwell Browne
  • Karyl Norman
  • Bert Savoy
  • Andrew Tribble

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Banham, Martin ed. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. 1992.
  • Bloom, Ken. Broadway: An Encyclopedic Guide to the History, People and Places of Times Square. Facts on File, New York, NY. 1991.
  • Bordman, Gerald and Thomas L. Hischak. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, 3rd Edition. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2004.
  • Erdman, Andrew L. Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2024.
  • Winford, E. Carlton. Femme Mimics. Winford Company, Dallas, TX. 1954.

Further reading

  • Photographs of Julian Eltinge held by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
  • Julian Eltinge Project - A comprehensive website with many images and much detailed information.
  • Review of Eltinge film The Countess Charming / Calgary Herald - 03 November 1917