Charles Busch

Charles Busch is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, and drag performer whose camp-style plays and film roles often feature him in leading-lady drag. Born in New York City and raised in Hartsdale, New York, he studied drama at Northwestern University, where he began writing his own material after struggling to get cast. He started performing his plays off-off-Broadway in 1978, and his best-known work, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, reached Broadway in 2000, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. He has appeared in film adaptations of his plays, including Psycho Beach Party (2000) and Die, Mommie, Die! (2003), the latter winning him a Sundance Film Festival award for his performance. He also co-wrote, directed, and starred in A Very Serious Person (2006) and The Sixth Reel (2021), and had a recurring role on the HBO series Oz. In 2024 he was added to the Theater Hall of Fame.