Murray Hill is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

comedian and

drag king Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. A typical drag show may incorporate dancing, acting, stand-up comedy and singing, eit ...

entertainer. He is the entertainer persona of Busby Murray Gallagher, although this persona is maintained even in private settings. Murray Hill is the self-proclaimed "hardest-working middle-aged man in show business". In ''The Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures'',

Jack Halberstam Jack Halberstam (; born December 15, 1961), also known as Judith Halberstam, is an American academic. Since 2017, he has been a professor in the department of English and comparative literature and the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, an ...

praised Hill for "transforming masculinity and exposing its theatricality with profound results". ''

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'' called him "the current reigning patriarch of the downtown performance community"Meet Downtown's New 'It' Boy
Ada Calhoun, ''

'', January 9, 2005. and the '' Seattle Weekly'' called him a "pioneer" of drag kings.

Biography

Hill started performing in 1995, when the East Village's cutting-edge chic waned as the neighborhood

gentrified Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the econ ...

, the art galleries moved for cheaper rent in Chelsea, and the music scene shifted to the Pacific Northwest. His famous impersonations include

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

. Hill was part of a 1990s wave of comedians and performers whose talent stood out in the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

and East Village scene, emblematic of the neighborhood as portrayed in the musical ''

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''. Hill is a frequent emcee in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

of such events as the annual "Ms. Lez" competition, a bingo night with co-host drag queen Linda Simpson, and a variety of

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

and theater performances.Murray Hill at the Siren Music Festival
Hillary Chute, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', July 17–23, 2002. Hill was the opening act for a tour of the rock band Le Tigre and has opened for

The Gossip Gossip (or The Gossip) was an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas, originally active from 1999 until 2016. For most of their career, the band consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Brace Paine, and drummer Hannah ...

. He has performed at parties given by

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

, Ivana Trump, and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

; and his acts incorporate homages to

Joey Adams Joey Adams (born Joseph Abramowitz; January 6, 1911 – December 2, 1999) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio host, nightclub performer and author, who was inducted into the New York Friars' Club in 1977 and wrote the book ''Bors ...

, Benny Hill,

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

, and Henny Youngman. Hill had cameos in John Cameron Mitchell's 2006 film, '' Shortbus'', and in

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's ''

Bored to Death ''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, Ne ...

''. He also appears in ''Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque'', a film about NYC's burlesque scene with a focus on performer Dirty Martini. Hill and Michael Musto appeared in the video for TV on the Radio's song "No Future Shock." As of February, 2022, Hill is a supporting cast member in Hulu's ''

Life & Beth ''Life & Beth'' is an American comedy-drama series starring Amy Schumer, Violet Young, Michael Cera, Yamaneika Saunders, Michael Rapaport and Susannah Flood. It premiered on Hulu on March 18, 2022. In April 2022, the series was renewed for a t ...

'' and in the

Series, Somebody, Somewhere. Hill is

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

Gallery

File:Loz_reporter2013.png, Hill doing a story in the East Village of

File:Murray Hill Miss Dirty Martini 2011 Shankbone 3.JPG, Hill with frequent collaborator Miss Dirty Martini at the Copacabana in 2011 File:Murray Hill by David Shankbone.jpg, Murray Hill in 2007, during his last show at Mo Pitkins' House of Satisfaction in the East Village

References

External links

Murray Hill's official websiteMurray Hill's profile in GothamistMurray Hill guest starred on episodes 10 and 20 of Radio Happy Hour
* Murray Hill on the life and versatility of a New York drag king from WikiNews
Murray Hill on the performance scene in New York, from Queery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Murray American drag kings Culture of New York City American LGBT artists Comedians from New York City American performance artists American neo-burlesque performers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Transgender artists Transgender men Transgender drag performers

Biography

Gallery

See also

References

External links