Background

Quentin Crisp was born as Denis Charles Pratt on December 25, 1908, in Sutton, United Kingdom. He was the fourth child of Spencer Charles Pratt and Frances Marion Pratt.

Education

Quentin Crisp studied at Kingswood House School. In 1926 he studied journalism at King's College London. However, he failed to graduate in 1928 and took art classes at the Regent Street Polytechnic (today the University of Westminster).

Career

At the end of 1930, Quentin Crisp left home and moved to the center of London. At that time he wrote his first book Lettering for Brush and Pen. Soon he wrote another book Colour In Display. Crisp attempted to join the British army at the outbreak of the Second World War, however, was rejected and declared exempt by the medical board. In 1940 Crisp moved into a first-floor flat at 129 Beaufort Street, Chelsea, and two years later he left his job as engineer's tracer and became a model in life classes in London.

In 1968 Quentin Crisp published one of his famous books The Naked Civil Servant, which got good reviews. In 1975 the television version of The Naked Civil Servant was broadcast on British and US television and made both actor John Hurt and Crisp himself into stars. Crisp devised a one-man show based on his book. The first half of the show was an entertaining monologue loosely based on his memoirs, the second half was a question-and-answer session with Crisp picking the audience's written questions at random. This show became very popular and sold out the Duke of York's Theatre in London in 1978. After this success, Crisp took his show to New York. In 1981 he moved to New York where he found a small apartment on East 3rd Street in Manhattan's East Village.

Quentin Crisp continued to perform his one-man show, published books on the importance of contemporary manners and writing film reviews and columns for UK and US magazines and newspapers. He also acted in films. He made his debut as a film actor in the Royal College of Art's low-budget production of Hamlet (1976). Crisp also appeared in the 1985 film The Bride. Later in 1992, he was persuaded by Sally Potter to play Elizabeth I in the film Orlando. And the next year he had a cameo in the drama Philadelphia. In 1993 he was chosen to deliver the first "Alternative Christmas Speech". In December 1998 he celebrated his ninetieth birthday performing the opening night of his one-man show, An Evening with Quentin Crisp, at The Intar Theatre on Forty-Second Street in New York City. The next year he died of a heart attack one month before his birthday.

Achievements

• Quentin Crisp was famous for his one-man show based on his autobiography The Naked Civil Servant. He also wrote such books as How to Have a Life Style and Manners from Heaven.
  
  Crisp was the role model for Sting's 1988 single "Englishman in New York". He was chosen by Channel Four to deliver the first "Alternative Christmas Speech", a counterpoint to the Queen's Christmas speech, in 1993.

Works

More photos

• book

  • And One More Thing

    (And One More Thing is a companion book to The Last Word, ...)

    2019
  • How to Go to the Movies

    (Since moving to New York City over a decade ago, Quentin ...)

    1988
  • How to Have a Life Style

    (In this survival guide for the nonconformist, the author ...)

    1975
  • Manners from Heaven: A Divine Guide to Good Behavior

    (Directs mischievous wit toward proper etiquette for the e...)

    1984
  • The Naked Civil Servant

    (In this autobiography, Quentin Crisp describes his unhapp...)

    1968
  • Resident Alien

    (The British writer, who exiled himself to New York City i...)

    1996
  • Lettering for Brush and Pen 1936

• monument

  • Resident Alien

    (The widely acclaimed Resident Alien chronicles the advent...)

    1990

• movie

  • Orlando

    (Tilda Swinton and Billy Zane star in this Award-winning f...)

    1992
  • Philadelphia

    (Emotional powerhouse stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washingto...)

    1993

Views

Quentin Crisp caused controversy and confusion in the gay community by jokingly calling homosexuality "a terrible disease". He also criticized Diana, Princess of Wales and her attempts to gain public sympathy following her divorce from Prince Charles.

Crisp also had highly individual views on social manners and the cultivating of style.

Quotations: "Life was a funny thing that happened to me on the way to the grave".

"It is explained that all relationships require a little give and take. This is untrue. Any partnership demands that we give and give and give and at the last, as we flop into our graves exhausted, we are told that we didn’t give enough".

"There are three reasons for becoming a writer: the first is that you need the money; the second that you have something to say that you think the world should know; the third is that you can’t think what to do with the long winter evenings".

Personality

In his teens, Crisp enjoyed wearing make-up and painting his nails and became a figure of fun at school.

Connections

Father:

Spencer Charles Pratt

Mother:

Frances Marion Pratt

Frances Marion Pratt worked as a governess.

Sister:

Katherine Pratt

Brother:

Gerald Pratt

Brother:

Lewis Pratt

References

• Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia This remarkably informative and entertaining guide explores in amazing depth more facets of today's gay and lesbian culture than any other one-volume reference work. With quotes, facts, reading lists, and useful tables from famous pseudonyms to gay detective novels, Completely Queer is the first guide to cover both lesbian and gay male points of view, offering information on their common concerns as well as their different histories and interest.
  1999