The book recalls Cole’s life, including his childhood, military service, and experiences as Darcelle.
That same year, Cole and Sharon Knorr published his memoir, Just Call Me Darcelle. In 2011, she served as grand marshal of the Portland Rose Festival‘s Starlight Parade and received the city’s Spirit of Portland Award. Darcelle attends many social functions throughout the city. The business was fined after Neuhardt performed a “ballet-like adagio” with another man.ĭarcelle and the Showplace have become part of Portland’s culture over the years. Avoiding an Oregon law that prohibited the use of more than one instrument during performances, entertainers at Darcelle XV Showplace lip-synched. Cole has described Darcelle’s persona as having “sequins on the eyelids, lots of feathers, big hair, big jewels, and lots of wisecracks”. The name “Darcelle” honors French actress and singer Denise Darcel.ĭarcelle wore false eyelashes, jewelry, and shiny clothing. Cole was discharged from the military in the late 1950s following the Korean War, Cole worked at a Fred Meyer store and described himself as having “a crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses”.Ĭole, who had an interest in acting and had worked at Portland Civic Theater, developed his “alter ego” Darcelle and came out as gay. That same year, Cole and Sharon Knorr published his memoir, Just Call Me Darcelle Knorr also served as director of Cole’s 2010 one-person show of the same name.ĭuring his childhood, where he was described as a shy, “four-eyed sissy boy”. In 2010, Darcelle served as grand marshal of the Portland Rose Festival‘s Starlight Parade and received the city’s Spirit of Portland Award. In 1999, Darcelle became the oldest female impersonator on the West Coast, after the closing of San Francisco’s drag venue Finocchio’s Club. During the 1970s, the Showplace became a popular destination for cabaret and drag performance. He left his wife and began a relationship with his artistic director Roxy Neuhardt, although they remained legally married, his relationship with his children was strained. By 1969, he had developed the “alter ego” Darcelle and came out as gay. In 1967, due to urban renewal Cole purchased a tavern in northwest Portland called Demas, which became Darcelle XV Showplace.Ĭole first wore a woman’s dress at age 37. He first purchased a coffeehouse called Caffé Espresso, which later relocated and was expanded to include a basement jazz club called Studio A. Funds he received from the military helped Cole start new business ventures. Cole, a drag queen, entertainer, and cabaret owner and operator in Portland, Oregon, United States, Guinness World Records has certified her as the oldest drag queen performer on the West Coast, and her career as an entertainer as of 2021 spans 55 years.Ĭole was born in 1930 and raised in the Linnton neighborhood and served in the United States Armed Forces, and was discharged after the during Korean War in the late 1950s, after which he lived a “conventional” life in southeast Portland with his wife and two children. Darcelle XV (born November 16, 1930), is the stage name of Walter W.