English performer, writer and activist Bette Bourne was BOTD in 1939. Born Peter Bourne in London to a working-class family, he first performed on stage aged four. After leaving school, he worked briefly as a journalist and apprenticed as a printmaker, before studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He worked largely in theatre, including a touring production of Christopher Marlowe‘s Edward II and William Shakespeare‘s Richard II alongside Ian McKellen, and made brief appearances in TV series The Avengers and The Prisoner. In 1970, he joined the newly-formed Gay Liberation Front (largely, he said, because of the prospect of meeting attractive fellow members), wearing women’s clothing and adopting the name “Bette”. Avoiding the stereotypes of traditional drag performance, he described himself as “a gay man in a frock”, adopting a low-key, ironic persona reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich. In 1976, he joined the New York queer cabaret troupe Hot Peaches, returning to London where he founded the all-male gay musical theatre company Bloolips. Bourne co-wrote and directed 13 productions with the company over 20 years, developing cult status in London and New York, and praised as “bizarrely funny” by The New York Times. In the 1990s, he turned to solo performance, appearing as Lady Bracknell in a revival of Oscar Wilde‘s play The Importance of Being Earnest and collaborating with playwright Neil Bartlett. He is best known for portraying his friend Quentin Crisp in one-person show Resident Alien, written by Tim Fountain. First performed in 1999, the show became a hit in London and New York, winning Bourne several industry awards including an OBIE. His later stage work included Noël Coward‘s The Vortex, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, Joe Orton‘s Funeral Games and a stage adaptation of the horror-comedy film Theatre of Blood. In 2009, he collaborated with playwright Mark Ravenhill on the autobiographical play A Life in Three Acts and later played Queen Victoria in Ravenhill’s short play Ripper. In 2014, Ravenhill directed the documentary It Goes With the Shoes, profiling Bourne’s life and work. A long-time resident of London, little is known about Bourne’s personal relationships. He died in 2024, aged 84.