Władziu Valentino Liberacenote (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 Child Prodigy, 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.
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 The Eponymous Show in the 1950s and frequent guest appearances As Himself on variety shows, he had a memorable Guest Star turn in Batman (1966) in 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 a long residency in Las Vegas, star in motion pictures (his turn as a coffin salesman in The Loved One being a particular high point), and become the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
He was also well-known for his oft-mocked flamboyant style, dressing in nice suits and elaborate costumes, and buying many expensive items, earning the nickname "Mr. Showmanship".
Throughout his life, there was much speculation about his sexuality, which was fueled by tabloid publications in the mid-1950s. Liberace vehemently denied that he was gay, and sued the British 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 (not an easy task, given that he basically played his own flamboyance almost to the max) and generally treated him as "obviously" gay without saying so out loud.
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 Betty White, a longtime friend, in an interview in 2011, when she admitted that she often bearded for him at public events. Even The Other Wiki now acknowledges that he was gay.
Liberace was reportedly a huge influence on Elton John, and gave Barbra Streisand her first big break. He also befriended Elvis Presley, and visited with The Beatles when they played a concert in Las Vegas in 1964. He's still an icon in Vegas, where there's a museum devoted to him, and his mansion was given an official designation as a historic site.
Tropes related to his onstage persona:
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He was as camp as they come with his costumes, rings and demeanor but he was still an exceptionally talented piano player.
- Camp: He exemplified this term during his lifetime, with his showy on-stage persona and dressing in shiny, elaborate outfits.
- Deadpan Snarker: He was famous for his dry wit and remarks both during shows and offstage, more than a few of which were directed at himself.
- Dodgy Toupee: He began wearing them after going bald in middle age with the difference between his natural hair and his wigs being very obvious. He reportedly refused to ever take them off, not even when sleeping.
- Elvis Has Left the Planet: Fortean Times ran a 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.) - Iconic Item: In addition to the costumes, there were his candelabras, which he would always put on his pianos before playing them.
- Large Ham: He was never anything less than theatrical. There's a reason his nickname was "Mr Showmanship".
- Last-Name Basis: He famously went by just his last name as a performer though he was always addressed as "Lee" personally.
- Pimped-Out Cape: Many of his outfits featured these; in fact, that's his image on the trope page.
- Pimped-Out Car: 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.
- Self-Deprecation: 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".