Jorge Lafond's 71st Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 71st birthday of Brazilian actor, drag queen, comedian, and dancer Jorge Lafond. Jorge Luiz Souza Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro on this day in 1952.

Jorge realized he was gay at a very young age, and tried to hide it in his adolescence. What he never disguised was his love for dancing. He studied classical ballet and African Dance, and later graduated in performing arts from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. He began dancing at nightclubs and cabarets, then toured the United States and several countries in Europe with a folk group he belonged to for 10 years. 

In 1974, he landed one of his first TV jobs and became a dancer for the Globo TV program Fantástico. After his television break, he went on to appear in various programs including Viva o Gordo, the soap opera Sassaricando, and the telenovela Kananga do Japan. With his rising popularity on television shows, he was soon casted in several films and received praise for his roles in Rio Babilônia, Sonhei com Você, and Bar Esperança.

Lafond began openly practicing his drag artistry in 1992 on the SBT program A Praça é Nossa as the character Vera Verão. The humorous Vera put Jorge in the spotlight, but he sometimes wasn’t invited to show up as his full authentic self. Many spaces did not welcome Jorge as an openly gay man who wore non-traditional clothing. 

Nonetheless, Lafond was a trailblazer who introduced new identity representation into the culture which helped break down traditional, homophobic ways of thinking. He was and continues to be a role model for other gay in South America and around the world. He showed off his dance, fashion, and comedy skills and never apologized for being outside of anyone’s expectations about what an entertainer should be.

Happy birthday, Jorge Lafond! Thank you for showing us all how to show up in the world as our true selves.