Candy Darling (born James Lawrence Slattery, November 24, 1944 – March 21, 1974) was an American actress. Best known as a Warhol superstar, she became a prominent figure in New York's downtown cultural scene of the 1960s and 1970s.
Darling rose to fame for her performances in Pop artist Andy Warhol's underground films Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971). She was also featured in the work of filmmakers and playwrights including Paul Morrissey, Werner Schroeter, Jackie Curtis, and Tennessee Williams. Darling performed in several Off-Off-Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including Vain Victory: The Vicissitudes of the Damned (1971), Small Craft Warnings (1972), and The White Whore and the Bit Player (1973).
A pioneer for transgender visibility, Darling was celebrated for her glamorous Old Hollywood-inspired persona and candid wit. She was a muse to rock and roll musicians of the era, including the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed, who referenced her in his songs. Darling died from lymphoma at the age of 29 in 1974.
Early life
Childhood and family Candy Darling was born on November 24, 1944, in the Forest Hills, Queens neighborhood of New York City. She was the youngest child of Theresa "Terry" Slattery (née Phelan) and John F. Slattery. Her older half-brother, Warren, had a different biological father.
Terry entered Darling in children's beauty contests. She was reportedly named "Most Beautiful Baby Girl" in a beautiful baby contest at the Gertz department store, and Warren recalled that their mother entered her in the Mirror Charming Child Contest when she was five.
Terry worked as a receptionist and office worker for the Jockey Club at the Empire State Building, while Slattery worked as a cashier for the New York Racing Association at racetracks in the New York area. According to Terry, his gambling frequently left the family short of money, requiring her to work and sometimes borrow money from her mother to pay the mortgage. During the off-season, Slattery worked as a bartender.
In a later interview with Darling's friend Jeremiah Newton, Terry recalled that her husband was frequently abusive toward her and that his drinking and gambling contributed to tensions in the household. She described occasions when she fled with the children to her mother's nearby home and called the police after her husband threatened them. Terry temporarily pursued divorce proceedings following an assault but reconciled with him before the case reached court.
The family moved to North Merrick on Long Island in the mid-1940s. They lived on Crocus Avenue until 1957, when Terry and Slattery divorced. Terry used her share from the sale of their house to purchase a home in Massapequa Park, while Slattery moved to neighboring Massapequa.
Adolescence and early identity Darling developed an early fascination with Hollywood actresses and glamour. As a child, she would fill the bathtub with blue food coloring to imitate Technicolor, surround herself with her mother's plants, and use a yellow towel as a wig to portray Lana Turner in The Prodigal (1955). She also wore her mother's high heels and makeup and walked across an ocelot coat while imagining herself as Turner in the film. A few years later, she became fascinated by Kim Novak after seeing The Eddy Duchin Story (1956). Darling said she was particularly drawn to women with white hair, which she considered "the prettiest."
Darling attended Park Side Junior High School and later Massapequa Park High School, dropping out at age 16 in 1961. That year, she enrolled in a cosmetology course at the DeVern School of Cosmetology in Baldwin, Long Island. When she graduated from DeVern's in October 1961, she was already working at a beauty parlor.
In 1962, Terry Slattery remarried Darling's father, but the marriage lasted only two months. Terry was experiencing financial difficulties and had hoped his return would provide additional support after Darling had dropped out of high school. By this time, Darling had begun developing a feminine presentation and was leading "double life." Her hair was growing toward her collar, and she sometimes wore makeup when her mother was away. Darling also began dating men. In a diary entry dated March 12, 1962, she wrote about going out with a boy named Barry and expressed concern that her mother suspected she was seeing him.
Darling began frequenting the Hayloft, a gay bar in Baldwin, with friends Sharon and Lorraine Newman. By this period, she had begun using the name Candy. Darling's mother Terry found lipstick and a compact when washing her jeans, but it's unclear when she first learned that Darling was presenting as a woman. Terry later recalled that neighbor told her that Darling had been seen at the Hayloft wearing what appeared to be her clothing. When Darling returned home, Terry confronted her. Darling left the room and returned wearing a dress. Terry gradually came to accept Darling's feminine presentation.
Early Manhattan years and medical transition During this period, Darling began making trips to Manhattan. Actor and playwright Charles Ludlam recalled meeting her in Washington Square Park in either 1962 or 1963, when the park was a gathering place for the city's gay community. He remembered her as "beautifully dressed, but looked like a girl wearing men's clothes."
By early 1963, Darling had also met Seymour Levy, who lived on Bleecker Street near Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village. Levy's apartment became a base for Darling during her early years in Manhattan, where she increasingly became involved in the city's downtown gay and artistic circles. Darling began occasionally visiting Club 82, a nightclub in Manhattan that featured performers billed as "femme impersonators."
By 1964, Darling had aspirations to become a model. She reconnected with a former schoolmate Beau Maas, who owned an antique store on Bleecker Street, and posed for pictures in the shop. That year, Darling also began exploring medical transition. In a June 1964 diary entry, she wrote that she was "seriously considering the sex change," and in August recorded her desire to begin electrolysis and hormone treatment. In September, she received the telephone number of endocrinologist and sexologist Harry Benjamin, but did not meet with him until the following year. In April 1965, Terry wrote to Benjamin granting permission for tests and treatment for Darling.
Friendships and downtown scene Darling met Holly Woodlawn in Greenwich Village and the two became close friends, spending weekends at Darling's home in Massapequa Park. Woodlawn recalled that Darling was then known as Candy Cane, having previously used names Hope Dahl and Candy Dahl. According to Woodlawn, Taffy Titz began calling her "Candy, darling" after they met through English Pat, and the name eventually became Candy Darling. The earliest known use of the name appears in a letter postmarked May 6, 1965.
That month, Darling was ordered by the Selective Service System to report for a physical examination. She reported on June 9 and later told her friend George Abagnalo that she began crying during the examination and was allowed to leave. She received a 4-F classification the following month, exempting her from military service.
In 1966, Darling worked several short-lived jobs while living under the name Hope C. Slattery. A W-2 records earnings of $382.12 from the Hotel Ila in Long Beach, although the nature of the position is unknown. A W-2 from the investment firm Cutter & Dixon documents $740 in earnings, where she worked as a file clerk and receptionist.
In March 1966, Darling brought Woodlawn to Seymour Levy's apartment to watch Color Me Barbra, where they met actor Jackie Curtis. That summer, Darling met Jeremiah Newton, then a high school student from Queens who had recently begun exploring Greenwich Village's gay scene. Newton recalled asking Darling whether she was comfortable wearing women's clothing, since she did not dress that way full-time. She replied, "I don't discuss my flaw with anyone," using "flaw" to refer to her penis. Newton sometimes encountered her at the Tenth of Always, an after-hours club on Third Street where transgender people were permitted to socialize.
Darling lived with actress Hope Stansbury for a time near the Caffe Cino. Playwright Robert Heide recalled that the two women influenced one another. Although later accounts attributed Darling's use of the name Hope to Stansbury, Darling had used it intermittently since her teenage years. Darling also became friends with Off-Off Broadway actress Helen Hanft, whom she met at the Caffe Cino, and began visiting Hanft at her apartment on East 16th Street.
Career Early theater work Jackie Curtis wrote a role for Darling in Glamour, Glory, and Gold: The Life and Legend of Nola Noonan, Goddess and Star, a satirical play about the pursuit of Hollywood stardom. Curtis based Darling's character, Gregg Wilson, partly on the aspiring actress Gregg Adams, played by Suzy Parker in The Best of Everything. Ron Link agreed to direct the production, which was staged at the Playwright's Workshop at Bastiano's Cellar Studio in the East Village.
During the summer of 1967, Darling worked as a barmaid at Slugger Ann's, a bar owned by Curtis' grandmother. At the time, she was living at Hotel Seventeen near Stuyvesant Park. In August, Darling met Pop artist Andy Warhol in the West Village while accompanying Curtis, who introduced her as "Hope Slattery." Warhol later recalled being struck by her appearance. Curtis invited Warhol to the opening of Glamour, Glory, and Gold, which premiered on September 13, 1967 and marked Darling's first theatrical performances.
The play received a positive review in The New York Times, where critic Dan Sullivan wrote: "A skinny actress billed as Candy Darling also makes an impression. Hers was the first female impersonation of a female impersonator I have ever seen." Link and Curtis had kept Darling's gender identity private during the production. Darling also agreed to maintain her privacy, wanting to be viewed and reviewed as a woman.
In January 1968, Darling appeared briefly in Charles Ludlam's When Queens Collide, his version of Conquest of the Universe, performed by the Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Ludlam had remembered Darling from her days around Washington Square Park, where he had thought she had "potential for the theatre" because of her beauty and "ambivalent sexual aura or personality." He cast her among the chorus of Fire Women, who appeared in the opening scene.
By February 1968, Darling was rehearsing with playwright Tom Eyen, who had begun working at Bastiano's Cellar Studio the previous year. Eyen revived his earlier play Give My Regards to Off-Off Broadway, directed by Link, who cast Darling in the lead role of Hosanna B. Hump—her first leading role. The production was held over for 5 weeks. A Wall Street Journal review praised Darling's performance as having "superb Andy Warhol élan." Warhol attended the play and was later seen with Darling and Viva. Eyen recalled Darling telling him afterward, "Andy's going to make me a star." On the final weekend of the run, Darling signed a contract making Link her manager.
The day after Give My Regards to Off-Off Broadway closed, Darling signed a contract with producer Arthur Steuer to appear as a "nude dancer" in Psychedelic Burlesque. The show opened April 1, 1968, at the Mayfair Theatre, and Darling performed a Statue of Liberty-themed striptease. The Village Voice described Darling as "a lean one with the expressive range of a Warhol superstar."
Emergence as a Warhol superstar