Line #22 Music/Liberace


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/liberace.jpg]]
2	->''"Liberace was one of the biggest stars in America. He was a kind of a phenomenon."''
3	-->-- '''Creator/MichaelDouglas''', who played him in ''Film/BehindTheCandelabra''
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5	Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987), known by those close to him as "Lee" or "Walter", was an American pianist, singer and actor. Born to Polish and Italian immigrants, he was a ChildProdigy, learning to play the piano at age 4, and able to remember even difficult pieces by the time he was 7. He soon went on to play with well-known orchestras, and toured throughout the United States.
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7	In the 1940s, he moved away from classical music, adding some traditional "pop" styling to his piano music. This soon found success, and for the next four decades, he would become a fixture in the entertainment world. As well as his own TheEponymousShow in the 1950s and frequent guest appearances AsHimself on variety shows, he had a memorable GuestStar turn in ''Series/Batman1966'' in [[ActingForTwo a dual role]] as concert pianist Chandell and his gangster twin Harry. His two-part episode drew the highest ratings of the series. He would also go on to get a residency show in Vegas, star in motion pictures (his turn as a coffin salesman in ''Film/TheLovedOne'' being a particular high point), and become the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
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9	He was also well-known for his oft-mocked [[{{Camp}} flamboyant style]], dressing in nice suits and elaborate costumes, and buying many expensive items, earning the nickname "Mr. Showmanship".
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11	Throughout his life, there was much speculation about his sexuality, which was fueled by tabloid publications in the [[TheFifties mid-1950s]]. Liberace vehemently denied that he was gay, and sued the British ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers Daily Mirror]]'' and the American ''Confidential''. The famous phrase "I laughed all the way to the bank" originates from a response he had to a poor review of his work - in later reviews he said he ''cried'' all the way to the bank, including when suing the ''Daily Mirror'', but the original stuck. He won the ''Mirror'' suit in 1959, and the ''Confidential'' suit was settled out of court. Nonetheless, parodies of Liberace played up his flamboyance (if such a thing were possible) and generally treated him as [[TransparentCloset "obviously" gay]] without saying so out loud.
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13	In 1985, he tested positive for HIV, a fact he concealed from the public. He died 18 months later on February 4, 1987. He was officially outed by Creator/BettyWhite, a longtime friend, in an interview in 2011, when she admitted that she often [[TheBeard bearded]] for him at public events. Even Website/TheOtherWiki now acknowledges that he was gay.
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15	Liberace was reportedly a huge influence on Music/EltonJohn, and gave Music/BarbraStreisand her first big break.
16	----
17	!!Tropes:
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19	* TheAce: It can be forgotten due to his persona that Liberace was a genuinely extremely talented piano player, able to play almost any song just by ear from a young age.
20	* BaldnessAngst: He was so insecure about his hair loss that he wore a toupee at all times, even in bed.
21	* BunnyEarsLawyer: His camp demeanor and garish outfits aside, he was an exceptionally talented pianist.
22	* {{Camp}}: He exemplified this term during his lifetime, with his showy on-stage persona and dressing in shiny, elaborate outfits.
23	* ChildProdigy: He was an exceptionally talented piano player by the age of seven by which time he could play any song just by ear.
24	* DeadpanSnarker: He was famous for his dry wit and remarks both during shows and offstage, more than a few of which [[SelfDeprecation were directed at himself]].
25	* DodgyToupee: He was famous for donning these after going bald in his middle age and would even sleep with them on.
26	* ElvisHasLeftThePlanet: ''Magazine/ForteanTimes'' ran a [[https://www.scribd.com/article/516282000/Space-Liberace main article]] which over six pages brought together all the stories that not only Elvis, but also '''Liberace''' had left the planet in an alien spacecraft. Apparently Space Liberace returned to play a gig somewhere in the backwoods of the USA. (Fyffe, Alabama, allegedly saw the most unique "coming out of retirement" gig in history.)
27	* IconicItem: In addition to the costumes, there were his candelabras, which he would always put on his pianos before playing them.
28	* LargeHam: He was never anything less than theatrical. There's a reason his nickname was "Mr Showmanship".
29	* NeverBareheaded: After going bald in middle age, he would never let himself be seen without a toupee, even sleeping with one on, and refusing to do a face lift procedure when he was told it would mean taking off his wig.
30	* NiceGuy: He was known for being very gracious and friendly to fans and kind to crew members who worked on his shows.
31	* NiceToTheWaiter: When filming a television special in England, he made a point of learning the names of all the production crew. Years later when he returned to make another show, he was able to greet every crew member by name.
32	* OpenSecret: His sexuality was basically known by everyone in the music industry even if neither Liberace himself nor anyone else would ever say it out loud.
33	* PimpedOutCape: Many of his outfits featured these; in fact, that's his image on the trope page.
34	* PimpedOutCar: He owned a number of fancy cars, which were just as shiny and elaborate as his costumes and accessories, and often arrived onstage in one of them.
35	* SelfDeprecation: He was more than happy to make jokes at his own expense such as famously quipping at the 1982 Academy Awards that "I made my greatest contribution to motion pictures years ago. I stopped making them".
36	* TeenGenius: He first played professionally at the age of fourteen and did so regularly throughout his teen years, becoming his family's main source of income.
37	* TransparentCloset: Though he never admitted it while he was alive, even having his obituaries lie about his cause of death (AIDS was still widely considered a "gay disease" at the time), everyone who ever knew Liberace in person for more than five minutes knew he was gay.

Context Music / Liberace