Larry Edwards (entertainer)
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Larry Edwards | |
|---|---|
 Edwards (right) with Frank Marino, 2018 | |
| Born | Larry Edwards Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Hot Chocolate |
| Occupation | female impersonator |
| Website | http://www.larryedwardslive.com/ |
Larry Edwards, also known by his drag persona Hot Chocolate, is an American entertainer. Known for his performances in Las Vegas, primarily as a Tina Turner female impersonator. Edwards has also competed in national pageants, being crowned as Miss Gay America in 1980.[1][2]
Edwards has made numerous appearances on film and in television, including Miss Congeniality 2, What's Love Got to Do with It, the documentary Pageant, and the competition series The Next Best Thing.
Edwards studied Fashion Merchandising at Massey Business College in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]
Edwards performed in Frank Marino's Las Vegas drag-revue show Divas as Tina Turner and previously performed in the long-running hit show La Cage at the Riviera Hotel and Casino.[4] Edwards met Tina Turner at a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show.[5][6]
Edwards was the Celebrity Grand Marshall of the Las Vegas Pride Parade in 2010.[7] Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman awarded Edwards the Keys to the city for his work in promoting the hospitality industry of the area.[8]
In 2019, when Celine Dion announced her 2019/2020 Courage World Tour, she released a video titled "Ciao for now Las Vegas", in which she leaves Las Vegas in a car full of drag queens.[9] Impersonator Steven Wayne stood in for Dion, alongside drag queens; Bryan Watkins, Crystal Woods and Hot Chocolate as Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Tina Turner.[10][11]
He released a music video in 2020 featuring the remixed version of "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Kygo.[12]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | What's Love Got to Do with It | Tina Turner Impersonator (uncredited) | (Film) |
| 1995 | Rolling Stones: Voodoo Lounge | Female impersonator | (Video Game) |
| 2005 | Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Patti LaBelle Impersonator / Tina Turner Impersonator #2 | (Film) |
| 2007 | The Next Best Thing: Who Is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? | Tina Turner | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Las Vegas Auditions" |
| 2008 | Get Happy | Self | (Short film) |
| Pageant | Self as Pageant Judge / Miss Gay America 1980 | (Documentary Film) | |
| 2010 | 360° Around the World | Self | (Documentary film) |
| 2013 | Celebrity Page | Self / Tina Turner | (TV Series), 2 episodes: "22 September 2013" and "4 December 2013" |
| Toddlers & Tiaras | Celebrity Judge / Tina Turner | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Las Vegas: LalapaZOOza" | |
| 2014 | Long Island Medium | Tina Turner | (TV Series documentary), 1 episode: "On The Road: Las Vegas Part II" |
| Travelator | Tina Turner | (Film) | |
| 2015 | You Have to Believe | Tina Turner | (Video short) |
| 2016 | Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens | Background extra | (Film) |
| 2017 | Caraoke Showdown | Proud Mary / Tina | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Proud Mary, Tina, Britney and Cher" |
| 2018 | Last Laugh in Vegas | Pamela Manderson and Tina Turner | (TV Series documentary), 2 episodes: "Episode #1.3" and "Episode #1.4" |
| 2019 | The Talk | Himself | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Episode #10.39" |
References[edit]
- ^ "Meet three Las Vegas drag stars with unique takes on the exploding genre - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ St. James, James (July 30, 2020). "Simply the Best! The Legendary Hot Chocolate Releases Her OWN Version of the New Tina Turner "What's Love Got to Do with It" Remix". www.worldofwonder.net. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05.
- ^ "Beyond the Rope - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Frank Marino's Divas". Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Hot Chocolate". www.houstonlgbthistory.org. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "RuPaul's DragCon LA 2018: Chad Michaels, Derrick Barry and Hot Chocolate Spilled Tea at "Seeing Stars" Panel". DerekPlease.com. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Las Vegas Pride 2010" (PDF). lasvegaspride.org.
- ^ "Larry Edwards | Independent Film Quarterly". Archived from the original on 2023-04-09.
- ^ "Ciao for now Las Vegas". YouTube. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ Suzannah Showler (28 August 2019). "Céline Dion is Everywhere". The Walrus. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Steven Wayne". Retrieved 2 September 2019 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Vegas Tina Turner artist returns to character". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2024-03-18.