Today marks the annual commemoration event honoring those who've been killed in anti-trans crimes. You can find a list of events taking place from now through the weekend here if you're so inclined. Not all of the events are today some waiting for the weekend for better attendance numbers. Here in NYC the march starts in the Bronx and walks down to Harlem.
Since this is The Film Experience, and since identity politics are always shifting/evolving and since hate crimes don't care about the particulars of self-identification we thought we'd commemorate the day with a broad cloth. And with a list in chronological order..
27 Oscar and/or Globe Nominated Trans (or Cross Dressing*) Characters
*we realize these are different things
How many have you seen? Which are your favorite?
Marlene Dietrich in Morocco (1932)
Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot (1959)
Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria (1982) - GLOBE WINNER (also oscar nom)
Robert Preston in Victor/Victoria (1982)
John Lithgow in The World According to Garp (1982)
Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982) - GLOBE WINNER (also Oscar nom)
Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously (1983) - OSCAR WINNER
(this is an unusual case... it's merely the case of a female actor playing a male character)
Barbra Streisand in Yentl (1983) -GLOBE NOM ONLY
William Hurt in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) - OSCAR WINNER
Ellen Barkin in Switch (1991) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game (1992)
Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire (1993) -GLOBE WINNER (No Oscar Nom)
Terence Stamp in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
That Oscar snub still stings. He's so great as Bernadette... "F*** ABBA".
Johnny Depp in Ed Wood (1994) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Patrick Swayze in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar (1995) -GLOBE NOM ONLY
John Leguizamo in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar (1995) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Nathan Lane in The Birdcage (1996) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998) - OSCAR & GLOBE WINNER
Hilary Swank in Boy's Don't Cry (1999) - OSCAR & GLOBE WINNER
John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Felicity Huffman in Transamerica (2005) - GLOBE WINNER (also Oscar nom)
Cillian Murphy in Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007) - GLOBE WINNER (also Oscar nom)
(as with Linda Hunt a female playing a male character)
John Travolta in Hairspray (2007) - GLOBE NOM ONLY
(and the reverse - a man playing a woman's role)
Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs (2011)
Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs (2011)
and soon... maybe...
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
I am shedding water-proof mascara tears that I can't include Anthony Perkins (Psycho) or Tilda Swinton (Orlando) on this list.