|
| Adam Guerra (born September 5, 1983), known as Venus D'Lite, is an actor-performer famous for his drag queen persona. Venus hit the scene with his drag performances in 2002 and quickly secured notoriety as the preeminent Madonna impersonator of our time. He has appeared in a variety of television programs, films, and music videos. Venus was featured contestant on Season 3 of the reality television show, RuPaul's Drag Race. Venus D'Lite was born in Los Angeles. His name was inspired by the 1986 Bananarama hit cover song "Venus". Growing up, Venus was heavily influenced by the music and pop culture of the '80s. His mother was responsible for exposing Venus to icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Grace Jones, and Barbara Streisand. He was also influenced by the musical Cabaret while growing up. His fascination with Marilyn Monroe and Madonna paved the road to his success as one of the industry's most talented drag performers. Venus first hit the stage in drag with a Marilyn impersonation in 2002, marking the 40th anniversary of Monroe's death. This performance led to Venus appearing as Marilyn on the reality sitcom: The Anna Nicole Smith show. Admirers soon began to draw parallels between Venus and his childhood idol Madonna due to physical similarities. His extraordinary ability to transform into Madonna made him enormously popular in the Southern California gay scene. The newfound fame led to Venus appearing on the daytime talk show Ricki Lake where she performed Madonna's "Like a Virgin". Venus later went on to appear in Christiana Aguilera's video "Hurt" in 2006. This was followed with a role in the 2007 satirical comedy "The Comebacks" which to this date is the only motion picture featuring a Madonna female impersonator. D'Lite is currently the youngest cast member of the acclaimed drag show: The Dreamgirls Revue and performs frequently at several Los angeles gay clubs. In December 2010, Venus will be start in a new holiday-themed play by Tony Blass, Madonna's Christmas Carol, in which the famed impersonator will star as the Material Girl. |