Dolly Van Doll
Carla Follis (born 1938 at Turin),[1] known by her stage name Dolly Van Doll,[2] is an Italian trans vedette, entrepreneur, and artist who has developed most of her career in Spain. She is especially known for her music hall performances in the 1960s and 70s and for her role in Barcelona’s nightlife scene.[3][4]
Career
[edit]Dolly Van Doll was born in Turin, Italy, in 1938, and from a young age expressed her identity as a trans woman. At age three, she already said she wanted to be a dancer, and by age ten, she expressed her desire to be a woman.[5]Her childhood was also marked by the events of World War II in Italy.[6][2]
In the 1960s, Van Doll worked in Berlin (at the cabaret Chez Nous), Hamburg (at Bar-Celona), and Paris, where by 1962 she had become the leading performer at the cabaret Le Carrousel.[7][8]In 1964, she underwent gender-affirming surgery in Casablanca, performed by Dr. Georges Burou,[9] becoming one of the first Italian trans women to undergo this surgery.[5]At that time, she rose to fame in the French trans scene.[7]
After a heartbreak, Dolly moved to Spain in 1971, where she quickly began performing at Sala Gambrinus in Barcelona. That same year, she also performed at the renowned Barcelona de Noche.[1]In 1972, she debuted with the show Noches de otoño, followed by Delirio de estrellas and Loco, loco cabaret. In 1974, she performed in the show Travestí at the Teatro Victoria, and in 1976 she was master of ceremonies in a performance that launched the career of famous Argentine drag artist Ángel Pavlovsky.[1]Van Doll also influenced Angie Von Pritt during this period.[10]
After performing at other venues such as Blue Moon and Red Sun, she moved to Valencia with her then-boyfriend Fernando, whom she later married. In Valencia, she opened her own venue, Belle Époque, inaugurated during Christmas of 1976. In 1982, she opened a second Belle Époque in Barcelona, located on Muntaner Street,[1]and the following year she performed in the New Year's Eve gala on TV3.[11]
She played a small role in the 1988 film Entreacte, starring Rosario Flores. That same year she closed her Valencia venue, and in 1995, she also closed the one in Barcelona.[1]In 2007, she published her autobiographical book De niño a mujer. Un canto a la libertad, al amor y la dignidad, narrating her life story up to that point.[1]
Stage Shows (selected)
[edit]- Noches de otoño (1972)
- Delirio de estrellas (1972)
- Loco, loco cabaret (1973)
- Travestí (1974)
- Belle Epoque (1989)
Filmography
[edit]- Per molts anys (1984)
- Arsenal (1985)
- Cinema 3 (1988)
- Entreacte (1989)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Vegas, Valeria (2020). Libérate: la cultura LGTBQ que abrió camino en España (1 ed.). Dos Bigotes. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-84-121428-8-4. OCLC 1229083120. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b "La vedet, Dolly Van Doll, aquesta setmana a 'Noms propis'". RTVE.es (in Catalan). 2024-03-15. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Dolly van Doll, un referent del music-hall i la nit més canalla de Barcelona". beteve.cat (in Catalan). 2022-02-21. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Dolly Van Doll y la Belle Époque. Music halls, teatros y cabarets canallas de Barcelona". Drag is Burning by Rubén Antón. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Dolly Van Doll: sempre ha sabut que era una dona". Cadena SER (in Catalan). 2023-06-20. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Matos, Pilar (2007). De niño a mujer. Biografía de Dolly van Doll. Un canto a la libertad, al amor y la dignidad. Arcopress. ISBN 9788496632103.
- ^ a b "Pierrot-Memorias Espectáculo Capitulo 7º". www.carlaantonelli.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ ""Travestís" Por Pierrot". www.carlaantonelli.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Dolly Van Doll: "Lo peor que me ha pasado es ser vecina de los Pujol"". El Mundo. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Pierrot-Memorias Trans Capitulo 4º". www.carlaantonelli.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Dolly Van Doll". IMDb (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2025.