Let's be frank. No one plays a queen quite so well as John Inman. There's a certain swagger to his walk, an edge to his delivery of the double entendre that sets him above the legions of drag acts and camp comics. Though he has never spoken openly about his private life, those who have watched him on stage or television could be left in little doubt about his sexuality.
But after decades of silence, Inman has a confession to make. For the past 28 years he has been involved in a serious relationship. And here's the shocking part: it's with a woman.
--The Express, 22 January 1999
The above snippet explains better than I ever could the allure of John Inman and his ever-ambiguous sexual orientation.
"I'm free..."
Mr. Inman was born on 28 June 1935. At the age of 13, his career on the stage began in end-of-the-pier performances in Blackpool.
John seems to love the stage the most; he never owned a television growing up. His debut in London's West End came in the musical Ann Veronica, at the Cambridge Theatre, followed by seventeen months at the Windmill Theatre. His love for pantomime continues to present day (42 appearances, to be exact) despite the role that made him a household name, that of menswear salesperson Mr. Humphries on the hit comedy Are You Being Served?, being one of the theatrical staples of the show for its full run (1972-1985).
He also suffered through the short-lived reunion of the original cast for the 1990 follow-up Grace And Favour.
The question of Mr. Inman's sexual proclivities continues, despite his continued pleas that he is 100% heterosexual. He has been famous for ages in the UK, and is also warming hearts with his limp-wristed charm, present day, on AYBS? reruns, flowing heavily into PBS lineups stateside. But whether he likes it or not, this role is what keeps him loved and recognized (and employed) on both sides of the Atlantic.
Does John Inman love taking an inside leg as much as his TV character did? Perhaps we'll never know.
We do know that he has progressed from his famous role of queeny Humphries, into full drag, for his pantomime role as Dame Wanda Twankey in assorted performances of Aladdin, most recently in Woking.
In addition to his television and stage credits, John also played the male secretary to a female executive in the movie Take A Letter, Mr. Jones (1981).
Other television appearances of note:
Charitable recognitions:
Factoid:
John is a chronic asthma sufferer, as were his father and brother, who died in their 50s from complications arising thereof. He smoked about 60 cigarettes a day, finally deciding to quit when a severe attack landed him in the hospital.
He died on 8 March 2007.
http://www.johninman.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/entertainment/theatre/john_inman1.shtml
http://www.grace-brothers.com/Meeting_john_inman.htm
http://www.jeddy.org/aybs/news/str8.txt
http://www.jeddy.org/aybs/news/btvoped.txt
http://www.amiannoying.com/view.asp?ID=4721
http://www.asthma.org.uk/infoan24.html