Carol Carlotta Spencer

Biography

Early life and personal life Carlotta was born in Balmain, New South Wales on 2 September 1943, to mother Evelyn Byron, who worked for the Australian Arm of the International Red Cross and an unknown father

As a child, she was taught song-and-dance routines by her mother. Neither her mother nor her stepfather approved of her subsequent transgender performing career, and she found solace in a woman she affectionately called her "Aunty Hazel". She had sex reassignment surgery in 1971.

In 2024, she lived in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.

Career

Les Girls cabaret Carlotta's stage name was sourced from that of Empress Carlota of Mexico. Managed by impresario Lee Gordon, who had organised tours to Australia by Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, she began her career as an original cast member of the long-running stage male revue Les Girls (pronounced lay-girls) cabaret show, which started in 1962 in the purpose-built nightclub building owned by Abe Saffron in the heart of Sydney's Kings Cross. The revue was performed exclusively by males in drag costume, and Carlotta performed spot-numbers as a singer and comedian. She eventually became known as "The Queen of The Cross" as the show's compere and lead attraction, performing also in Leagues clubs while touring with the show. In the story it was soon revealed that Robyn was in fact a transsexual showgirl, a revelation that led to the end of her romance, meaning she left the show. It is the first time anywhere in the world a trans TV character would be played by a trans actress.

From 1997, Carlotta became a regular panellist on the talk show Beauty and the Beast, hosted by Stan Zemanek. Between 2013 and 2018, she made regular appearances as a panel member on morning show Studio 10.

Biographical telemovie A 90-minute telemovie, Carlotta, was screened in June 2014 with Jessica Marais acting the title role. The film "presents a romanticised perspective that offers only hints of the harsher realities of Byron's complex life." based on her 2003 book I'm Not That Kind of Girl. Produced by Brett Elliott and Richard Bernardo, the 90-minute show consisted of classic storytelling, stand-up comedy, lavish costumes, and "Les Girls" dance performances throughout. She has also toured with her one-woman show Carlotta: Live and Intimate. She toured, performing such songs by Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and her late friend Peter Allen, performing with a three-piece band headed by Michael Griffiths in 2019.

Awards and honours Carlotta was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2020 for services to the performing arts and the LGBTIQ community. She has also been awarded The Kings Cross Award for services to tourism, the Drag Industry Variety Award, and the Australian Club Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, a bronze sculpture was dedicated to her in Kings Cross, where she also has a star on the pavement.

Health In 2018, in an exclusive interview with New Idea, Carlotta stated she was suffering from a urinary tract infection, which subsequently caused bladder cancer, but doctors had discovered it early and were able to successfully surgically remove the tumour.

Books Carlotta has published two books:

He Did it her Way: Carlotta, legend of Les Girls (with James Cockington) (1994), Chippendale . Carlotta: I'm not that kind of girl (as told to Prue MacSween) (2003), Pan Macmillan: Sydney. .

As of 2013, these biographies and memoirs have been out of print.

Additionally, Carlotta was a featured artist in the 1969 photo book Birds of the Cross.