Jim Bailey

Birth Name:

James William Bailey

Birth Place:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Profession

Actor, Soundtrack

In addition to his numerous headlining shows, he also performed for Princess Diana and four U․S․ presidents
Attended the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and trained as a lyric tenor
Began his career in New York as a chorus member in stage productions and summer stock performer
First became famous for his impersonation of female comic Phyllis Diller, whom he met after moving to Los Angeles to perform in nightclubs as himself
Quote: "From the first minute on stage when I am Barbra Streisand, I look like her, talk like her, I have her mannerisms ․․․ I am Barbra, not an imitation ․․․ [With] my Las Vegas debut in 1970, I opened doors for all the guys who came to town in dresses․"
Quote: "I don't want to be remembered as one of those guys who ․․․ pretended to be female․ I want to be remembered for the uniqueness of the art form I created․ Not just lip-synching, not just wearing dresses, but singing, acting, the makeup, the details․"
Best known as a singer, actor and gender illusionist who was famous for his impersonations of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee
Appeared in a memorable episode of Lucille Ball's sitcom "Here's Lucy" in 1972, in which he impersonated Phyllis Diller
Being a classically-trained vocalist allowed him to do all of his own singing instead of lip-syncing, prompting the Boston Globe to write, "If he were to appear at Madison Square Garden instead of Barbra, who could possibly tell the difference?"
His first singing impersonation was of Judy Garland, who praised his act when she saw it and became his mentor shortly before her death in 1969

Jim Bailey

Fast Facts