Transgender Australian cabaret performer Carlotta was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2020 for services to the performing arts and the LGBTQI+ community. (Photo, circa 2000.)
According to Wikipedia, ‘Carlotta began her professional career in 1959’:
… as an original cast member of the long-running Sydney-based male revue Les Girls cabaret show, which had an international following, in Sydney’s Kings Cross. Carlotta performed spot numbers as a singer and comedian and eventually became the show’s compere and lead attraction.
Although best known as a cabaret performer, in 1974 Carlotta appeared briefly on the television series Number 96 as Miss Robyn Ross, in a comedic storyline that saw her coming out as transgender… Her appearance on the show marked the first time a transgender character was portrayed by a transgender actor worldwide.
As a TV presenter, Carlotta was a featured panelist on talk show Beauty and the Beast, as well as a regular guest on the entertainment program Studio 10
**This photograph is part of an IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**
Bill McAuley‘s 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at ‘The Age’ in Melbourne.
He has several published collections, including ‘Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley’ and ‘Last light on Victoria Dock, 1999‘. To see more from Bill, click here.
Support independent journalism Subscribe to IA.
Related Articles