Francis García (born José Francisco García Escalante; 6 April 1958 – 10 October 2007), known by the artistic name "Francis", was a Mexican entertainer who was a famous actress, vedette and stage costume designer.

Career

Born in Campeche, Campeche as Francisco Garcia Escalante, she first gained attention as a dancer in vedette shows, held at the famous "Blanquita" theater, some of which included a

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

s' ballet. Her first mainstream breakthrough was in the said theater during the casting for a movie called "Bellas de noche" (1975) where she was given a role, resulting in her later getting her own show at the Blanquita called "Francis, la fantasia hecha mujer" ( Francis, the fantasy made woman ) which successfully ran for 17 years, she also performed in

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at the theater "Los Pinos", which was the home of her touring shows. She was an actress, comedian, singer, lip-syncher and choreographer/dancer. During her theater and television shows, she impersonated famous Latin female singers such as Colombian

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

, Spaniard

Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...

and Mexicans

Gloria Trevi Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known as Gloria Trevi (), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television hostess, music video director and businesswoman known as "The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop". ...

Alejandra Guzmán Gabriela Alejandra Guzmán Pinal (born February 9, 1968), known professionally as Alejandra Guzmán, and nicknamed "La Reina de Corazones" (The Queen of Hearts) is a Mexican musician, singer, composer, and actress. With more than 30 million album ...

, and

Lupita D'Alessio Lupita D'Alessio (, born Guadalupe Contreras Ramos on 10 March 1954 in (Mexico City, México) is a Mexican singer and actress. She is nicknamed ''La Leona Dormida'' (a title of one of her songs, which translates to "The sleeping lioness"). Biog ...

as well as doing stand-up comedy and Vegas-style dancing numbers. Fashion designer

Mitzi Mitzi or Mitzy is a feminine given name of German origin. Originally a nickname for girls named Maria in German-speaking populations, Mitzi became a given name in its own right, even outside of Germany. Several early-20th-century American actresses ...

, a long-time friend, credits Garcia with helping him during his time of need and aiding in starting his design empire. She was a beloved public personality in Mexican showbiz and appeared in several movies, telenovelas, variety shows and broadcasts of her theater comedy shows, most notable was her stage persona as a female impersonator during a time when Mexican society was very close-minded and homosexuality was considered a minor crime, she was the first openly gay celebrity in the country and a passionate activist for equality and human and gay rights until her death. During her lifetime she was relentlessly questioned if she ever wanted to surgically become a woman, which she vehemently denied quoting religious beliefs and jokingly expressing that in today's society, she'd rather get surgery to make her penis bigger, as women are more popular with "something extra" down there... She never had feminisation surgeries, she did however have rhinoplasty to help her achieve her famed

characterization which was highly acclaimed.

Death

Garcia died of a lung

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (t ...

in a

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

hospital on 10 October 2007. She was 49 years old.

References

1958 births 2007 deaths People from Campeche City Mexican transgender actresses Mexican LGBT entertainers Respiratory disease deaths in Mexico Deaths from pulmonary thrombosis Mexican vedettes 20th-century Mexican LGBT people {{mexico-actor-stub