MarcusCraig (Diamond Lil)
- Performer
- Actor
In the late 1970s actor and singer Marcus Craig ( aka Diamond Lil) popularised the glittering world of drag for mainstream New Zealand. His hit cabaret act featured talents like Billy T James and Tina Cross; his duet with Fred Dagg made the pop charts. His television credits include satirical series Something to Look Forward to, various guest slots and the role of co-host on variety show Top of the World.
Biography
Entertainer Marcus Craig was best known as Diamond Lil, the "50 year old mutton-dressed-as-lamb who simply adores sailors, common as muck but with a heart of gold".
His drag act became an sensation, entertaining 1970s nightclub audiences with ostentatious costumes, lashings of innuendo and a voice Sunday News once described as a "crosscut saw wrapped in toilet paper". Craig had a complex relationship with his creation. "I’ve never aimed to be a female impersonator," he said. "What makes people laugh at Lil is that she’s so obviously a man and there’s no pretence at anything else".
Screenography
Awards
1981 Variety Artists of New Zealand Benny Award
For Services to Entertainment
“Every joke Lil’s ever told has a double meaning. If they get the wrong one, that’s their business. ”
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