Lori Shannon

Lori Shannon (May 18, 1938 – February 13, 1984), born Don Seymour McLean, was an openly gay[1] female impersonator, most widely known for his recurring role from 1975 to 1977 as Beverly LaSalle on the popular sitcom All in the Family. He was associated with the drag revues at Finocchio's club in San Francisco,[2] and wrote an entertainment column for the Bay Area Reporter.[3]

Lori Shannon
Born
Don Seymour McClean

(1938-05-18)May 18, 1938
Santa Barbara, California U.S.
DiedFebruary 13, 1984(1984-02-13) (aged 45)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationFemale impersonator, actor, comedian
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

Biography

Shannon stood 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) in his heels and considered himself "a stand-up comic in a dress", who enjoyed startling tourists with one-liners at Finocchio's.[4]

Shannon appeared in three episodes of the CBS sitcom All in the Family as Beverly LaSalle, a female impersonator: "Archie the Hero" (1975), in which Archie Bunker gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, not realizing he is male; "Beverly Rides Again" (1976), in which Archie uses him to play a practical joke on a friend; and "Edith's Crisis of Faith, Part 1" (1977), in which his murder leads Edith Bunker to question her faith in God. The role was noteworthy for its uncommonly respectful and sympathetic treatment of Beverly as a "transvestite".[5][4][6]

On February 13, 1984 Shannon died of a heart attack at the age of 45 at Mission Emergency Hospital in San Francisco.[4][7]

References
  1. Romesburg, Don (2005-09-13). "Openly gay TV actors". The Advocate. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  2. Hamlin, Jesse (1999-11-04). "What a Drag: Finocchio's to Close: Cross-dressers have entertained at club for 63 years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  3. "Interview with David De Alba". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  4. "Drag queen Don McLean dies". SFGate. Hearst Communications, Inc. 1984. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  5. Wong, Curtis M. (2019-06-27). "Here's How 'All In The Family' Depicted Gender Nonconformity In 1975". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  6. Nahmod, David-Elijah. "All in the Family Kicked Open Doors For LGBTs on Television". southfloridagaynews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  7. "Don Seymour "Lori Shannon" McLean". findagrave.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
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