Alexandra Billings
Encyclopedia
Alexandra Scott Billings (born March 28, 1962, Inglewood
, California
) is an American
transgender
actress. She is the first trans woman to have played a transgender character on television.
teacher at Los Angeles Harbor College
and the musical director for the L. A. Civic Light Opera House, which influenced her interest in theater. She assisted, working backstage in the shadow of such stars as Carol Burnett
(Once Upon a Mattress
), and Yul Brynner
(The King and I
). She also appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar
and The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd
.
pageant in 2000, and 2001.
theaters, most notably The Bailiwick Theater, Light Opera Works
, Court Theatre
, and the Tony Award
winning Steppenwolf Theatre. She has collaborated on plays with such notable authors as Larry Kramer, Tina Landau
, and Jamie Pachino. She has received one Joseph Jefferson Award, and 5 After Dark Awards for her work in Chicago Theater.
Her one woman autobiographical show has toured to Boston
, Chicago
, Los Angeles
and off Broadway.
. She has also played transsexual characters in episodes of Karen Sisco
, ER
, Eli Stone
and Grey's Anatomy
.
, in which she commented on gay marriage spurring the economy.
with her wife Chrisanne. They were married in a commitment ceremony in Chicago on December 4, 1995.
Alexandra Billings was chosen as the Grand Marshall for the Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois on June 28, 2009.
Inglewood
-Australia:*Inglewood, Queensland*Inglewood, Victoria*Inglewood, Western Australia-England:*Inglewood, a house in Cheshire*Inglewood Forest, Cumberland-United States:*Inglewood, California*Inglewood, Nebraska*Inglewood, Mecklenburg County, Virginia...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
actress. She is the first trans woman to have played a transgender character on television.
Early life
Billings' father, Robert Billings, was a musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
teacher at Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Harbor College is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles. LAHC serves mainly students from Harbor City, Carson, San Pedro, Gardena, Lomita, Wilmington and the Palos Verdes Peninsula....
and the musical director for the L. A. Civic Light Opera House, which influenced her interest in theater. She assisted, working backstage in the shadow of such stars as Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
(Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
), and Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
(The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
). She also appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
and The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd
The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd
The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The musical is best known for producing the standards "Who Can I Turn To?" and "Feeling Good." The show title is a transposition of the phrase "the smell of the...
.
Stage and Pageant Work
In the early 1980s, Billings worked under the stage name Shante at the famed Baton Show Lounge in Chicago, Illinois. Winning a series of beauty contests, she was named Miss Wisconsin, Miss New York, Miss Chicago, Miss Illinois, and Miss Florida. She also served as a judge of the Miss ContinentalMiss Continental
Miss Continental is an annual transgender beauty pageant founded in 1980. It is organized by the founder of the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago and is usually held over Labor Day weekend.-Winners:*1980: Chilli Pepper*1981: Heather Fontaine...
pageant in 2000, and 2001.
Theater
Most of Billings' professional work has been in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
theaters, most notably The Bailiwick Theater, Light Opera Works
Light Opera Works
Light Opera Works is a resident professional not-for-profit musical theatre company in Evanston, Illinois. It was founded in 1980 by Philip Kraus, Bridget McDonough , and Ellen Dubinsky....
, Court Theatre
Court Theatre (Chicago)
The Court Theatre is a professional theatre located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The Court Theatre is affiliated with the University of Chicago, receiving in-kind support from the University and operating within the larger University umbrella...
, and the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winning Steppenwolf Theatre. She has collaborated on plays with such notable authors as Larry Kramer, Tina Landau
Tina Landau
Tina Landau is an American playwright and theatre director.Born in New York City to film and television producers Edie and Ely Landau, Landau moved with her family to Beverly Hills, California, where she graduated from Beverly Hills High School before attending Yale University, where she directed...
, and Jamie Pachino. She has received one Joseph Jefferson Award, and 5 After Dark Awards for her work in Chicago Theater.
Her one woman autobiographical show has toured to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and off Broadway.
TV career
She has appeared in the 2003 made-for-TV movie Romy and Michelle: A New Beginning on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. She has also played transsexual characters in episodes of Karen Sisco
Karen Sisco
Karen Sisco is a television series about a fictional United States Marshal created by novelist Elmore Leonard.As a U.S. Deputy Marshal, based on Miami, Florida's Gold Coast, Karen must deal with the underbelly of South Beach nightlife and Palm Beach highlife while tracking down fugitives. She also...
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Eli Stone
Eli Stone
Eli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
and Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
.
Singing
Billings is also a professional singer who performs in theaters and nightclubs throughout the United States. She recorded her second CD, The Story Goes On, in 2003, which was produced by Lampkin Music and directed by Russ Long. Her first CD "Being Alive" was up for Grammy consideration. She was a recipient of the New York MAC Hanson Award for Cabaret Artist of the Year in 2004.Teaching
She has taught Viewpoints at the Steppenwolf Summer School since 2002, as well as Louis University, The University of Chicago, Illinois University, for the Illinois Theatre Convention, at Act One Studios, and various Master classes and workshops around the Chicago area. Currently, she teaches alongside Steppenwolf company members Tom Irwin and Jeff Perry at the Steppenwolf School West in Los Angeles California.Film
Billings appeared in the 2010 GLBT film FAUXFAUX
FAUX is a 2010 USA drama film, directed and written by Christopher Michael Beer focusing on the influence economics has on sexuality. -Cast:*Andrew Sass ... Caleb*Jemar Rovie-Frenchwood ... Rin*Matthew Fenney ... Denny*Nicole Kruex ... Theresa...
, in which she commented on gay marriage spurring the economy.
Personal life
Billings lives in Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with her wife Chrisanne. They were married in a commitment ceremony in Chicago on December 4, 1995.
Alexandra Billings was chosen as the Grand Marshall for the Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois on June 28, 2009.
External links
- Alexandra Billings website
- Alexandra Billings via Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame