Tracey Lee

Tracey Lee (real name Maxwell Ritchie) (1933 – 8 April 1990) was an internationally acclaimed Australian cabaret artiste and female impersonator who was active from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Early life Born in Sydney in 1933, Maxwell Ritchie was the youngest of eight children of strict parents. As a Sydney newspaper reported four decades later, "as a boy of ten, little Max from Manly was one of those star-struck kids who used to paper their bedroom walls with movie star pin-ups".

Professional life

Early career in Australia Ritchie initially began working as a commercial artist for a city department store, but, as he later put it, "I couldn't see myself for the rest of my life sitting in an office in the back of a store, so I suppose that's what drove me into this line of work".

Lee also toured extensively through Africa. He became the first professional female impersonator to perform on stage in South Africa, and also appeared in Rhodesia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Senegal and Kenya. It was also reported that actress Sylvia Miles was one of Lee's biggest fans.

During his extensive world travels over several decades, Lee met (and even befriended) some of the Hollywood actresses whom he had idolised as a child, including Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and Katherine Grayson. From the early 1970s, Lee mostly performed in his native Sydney, appearing in cabaret, pantomimes and stage shows. In one notable instance, he "created a precedent on the Australian stage by playing Bette Davis as Margo Channing in the stage play All about Eve.

Retirement and death By the late 1980s, Lee had retired from performing and spent much of his time working for AIDS-related charities in Sydney. In April 1989, some of Lee's movie memorabilia collection was offered as part of the Hooray for Hollywood auction in Melbourne. The auction generated interest from around the world, with actor Roddy McDowall reportedly bidding for Lee's Bette Davis scrapbooks.

Tracey Lee died almost a year later, on 8 April 1990. A brief newspaper notice stated that he was survived by six of his seven siblings and was "loved uncle to their families and beloved of his many friends". Lee's funeral took place at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium on 12 April.

The renowned Australian entertainer died from AIDS-related complications in 1990.

Repertoire Tracey Lee performed impersonations of: Clara Bow Bette Davis Marlene Dietrich Eartha Kitt Margaret Rutherford Cecilia Sisson (silent film star with a speech impediment, also impersonated by Carol Channing)

Appearances

Stage Hello Australia (Lido Theatre Restaurant, 1967) - ensemble revue The Spice of Life (Doncaster Theatre Restaurant, 1970) - revue, with Gloria Dawn and Johnny Ladd Three's Company (Manly Music Loft, 1973) - revue, with Gloria Dawn and John Begg All about Eve (St James Playhouse, 1973) - as Margo Channing Cellar Folk (Journey's End Wine bar, 1976) - cabaret Cinderella (St James Playhouse, 1977–78) - as Ugly Stepsister An Evening with Margaret Rutherford (Playhouse Theatre, 1979) - one-man show Duke's Place: A Tribute to John Wayne (Coogee Comedy Theatre Restaurant, 1979) Blithe Spirit (Bondi Pavilion Theatre, 1980) - as Madame Arcati Pool's Paradise (Bondi Pavilion Theatre, 1981) - as The Bishop of Lax The Importance of Being Ernest (Bondi Pavilion Theatre, 1986) - as Lady Bracknell

Film The Set (1970) - as Theo Demolition (1978) - as Drag Queen

Television This Day Tonight (1973) - guest appearance as Bette Davis The Bert Newton Show (1973) - guest appearance as Margaret Rutherford Hello Hollywood (1975) - TV special, with Gloria Dawn and Normie Rowe Chopper Squad (1978) - as "Patches" Show Biz (1979) - interviewed by movie critic Bill Collins

Legacy In October 1972, it was reported that Lee was working on an autobiography, to be titled From Under My Wig. At the time, it was stated that several American publishers had "already shown great interest in it" and, furthermore, that one unnamed impresario had expressed interest in adapting the book as a feature film.

Queensland-based artist Libby Woodhams, who knew Lee when she worked in Sydney in the late 1980s, paid homage to him with a piece of artwork titled Four places and only one chair. Described as "a tribute to Tracy Lee, a drag queen, who did so much for the gay community", the artwork was inspired by a visit to Lee's "sparsely furnished house where, in the dining room, was a table exquisitely laid for four with lace tablecloth, glasses and cutlery - and only one chair".