Eddie Izzard  

Sure, he may be a guy with a weird last name, a stand-up comedian, a pianist, an actor on film, stage, and T.V., and also a charity work and campaigning activist—but the name Eddie Izzard is and forever will be associated with the terms “cross-dressing” and “transvestism” (yes, it’s a word).

Eddie Izzard was born as Edward John Izzard in Adem, Yemen to British parents on February 7, 1962, shortly after which the family moved to Northern Ireland (later in 1962, when Izzard was still a baby) to Skewen, Wales (1967) to Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, where the family settled. Unfortunately, Izzard’s mother died from cancer in 1968 (when Izzard was just six years old)—this tragic event affected Eddie, who found some solace in comedy.

Inspired by the comedic works of Monty Python (John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry ones, and Michael Palin), actor Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and late comedian Bill Hicks, Izzard began “working the streets” (in a non-prostitute way, as far as we know) with his comedic act after being kicked out of his accounting course at the University of Sheffield. He ended up working as a street performer somewhat successfully in both Europe and the U.S. throughout much of the 1980s, after which he began appearing in a number of venues as a stand-up comedian, sometimes ad-libbing to Billy Connolly’s routines; his very first appearances was in 1987 at London’s The Comedy Store.

Izzard eventually found success as a stand-up comic, although he wasn’t really recognized in the U.S. until 1999, when Dress to Kill, which he had performed on tour a year earlier, aired on HBO. He won two British Comedy Awards (1993 and 1996) and two Emmy Awards, both in 2000. Izzard’s comedic style is sometimes hard to describe, but it’s influenced by Monty Python; does not involve scripts (Izzard is reportedly dyslexic); involves him often changing characters, topics, and jokes; contains impersonations (“God,” impersonating James Mason’s voice; “Noah,” impersonating Sean Connery’s voice; and John F. Kennedy), rambling, monologues, mimicry, and even pantomime; and often discusses or mocks religion and pop culture.

Of course, much of Izzard’s stand-up comedy routines, as well as his personal life, have involved his cross-dressing and transvestite tendencies—both on and off the stage. He calls himself a “male tomboy,” a “male lesbian,” and an “executive transvestite” rather than just a “weirdo”—and maintains he’s not homosexual or bisexual, but simply enjoys dressing in women’s clothing and makeup from time to time, both on and off the stage. Sorry, but that sounds a little “weird” and gay to us.

Besides stand-up comedy and transvestism, Izzard is also an actor, having appeared a number of times on stage, film, and T.V. since the mid-1990s. His most notable works include starring in the Broadway production A Day in the Death of Joe Egg a number of times (for which he was nominated for a few Tony Awards); playing the role of Roman Nagel in both Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen (starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon); playing Professor Bedlam/Barry in My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) alongside Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, and Rainn Wilson; and co-starring opposite Minnie Driver in the new FX T.V. series The Riches, a drama series about a family of crooks.