Joey Arias

Joey Arias

Born: October 3, 1949
in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
A fixture of New York City’s vibrant downtown performance scene for 30-plus years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. Arias lived and worked with legendary musician Klaus Nomi until Nomi’s death in 1983. However, he has long since stepped out of Nomi’s shadow to gain fame in his own right as a performance artist, cabaret singer and drag artist. Arias has distinguished himself with scandalous wit, sleek style and an extraordinary voice... evocative of Billie Holiday yet uniquely his own. Arias has performed worldwide at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Freedom Theatre in London. Arias was tapped by Cirque du Soleil to originate the role of the emcee in their Las Vegas spectacular Zumanity. After 6 years in that role, Arias returned to New York where he became the star and co-creator of Arias With a Twist with master puppeteer Basil Twist. The show was a critical and commercial hit and extended repeatedly for a total of 8 months. On film, he has appeared in Mondo New York, Big Top Pee Wee, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Wigstock - The Movie, Flawless and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, among others.

Movies for Joey Arias...

Wig
Title: Wig
Character: Self
Released: May 4, 2019
Type: Movie
Spotlighting the art of drag, and centered on the New York staple Wigstock, this documentary showcases the personalities and performances that inform the ways we understand queerness, art and identity today.
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After Louie
Title: After Louie
Character: Jai the Chanteuse
Released: March 17, 2017
Type: Movie
As an AIDS activist and member of ACT UP in the 1980s and 90s, Sam witnessed the deaths of too many friends and lovers. Battlewounded and struggling with survivor's guilt, Sam now resents the complacency of his former comrades and derides what he sees as the younger generation's indifference to the politics of sex, and of death. An unexpected intimacy with a much younger man challenges Sam's understanding of contemporary gay life. Through this unconventional romance, he is forced to deal with the trauma that so informs his past, their present, and an unknown future.
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The Zanctuary
Title: The Zanctuary
Character: Dora Ramona del Pilar
Released: July 6, 2016
Type: Movie
The Zanctuary is a decadent bar in Lower Manhattan owned by a former prostitute, Dora Ramona del Pilar. An undercover police detective follows an investigation on human trafficking discovering what's hidden under the bar: rooms filled with Dora's terrible sins and her attempts at redemption.
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Jobriath A.D.
Title: Jobriath A.D.
Character: Himself
Released: June 15, 2012
Type: Movie
Called "The American Bowie," "The True Fairy of Rock & Roll" and "Hype of the Year," Jobriath's reign as the first openly gay rock star was brief and over by 1975. Now, 35 years later, "Jobriath A.D." spotlights his life, music, groundbreaking influence and the new generations of fans slowly re-discovering him.
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Title: She's Living for This
Character: Joey Arias / Various Characters
Released: February 24, 2012
Type: TV
She’s Living for This is an American television comedy and variety series created by Keith Levy and Josh Rosenzweig. The show currently airs on LGBT cable network here!. The series stars drag performer Sherry Vine. The series premiered on February 24, 2012. here! produced six episodes for season one. The network announced a second season of the show to begin production in the summer 2012 for a fall 2012 premiere. In 2012 it was announced that episodes of She's Living for This would be made available on online video service Hulu.
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Arias With a Twist
Title: Arias With a Twist
Character: Himself
Released: February 14, 2010
Type: Movie
Focuses on the collaboration between cabaret and drag artist Joey Arias and master puppeteer Basil Twist, whose 2008 show brought them some of the biggest success of their careers.
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Cirque du Soleil: LoveSick
Title: Cirque du Soleil: LoveSick
Character: Himself
Released: June 6, 2008
Type: Movie
This fascinating reality program exposes the ups and downs of a group of Cirque du Soleil performers as they put together "Zumanity," a new, highly erotic show in Las Vegas. Filmed over two years, Lovesick follows the diverse group of artists -- coy Cuban stripper Alex, feisty New York drag queen Joey, stylish British dancer Laetitia and debutante princess Jonel -- along with Creation Director Andrew and Spymonkey, the outrageous clown quartet.
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The Nomi Song
Title: The Nomi Song
Character: Himself
Released: March 23, 2004
Type: Movie
Looks like an alien, sings like a diva - Klaus Nomi was one of the 1980s' most profoundly bizarre characters to emerge through rock music: a counter tenor who sang pop music like opera and brought opera to club audiences and made them like it. The Nomi Song is a film about fame, death, friendship, betrayal, opera, and the greatest New Wave rock star that never was!
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Flawless
Title: Flawless
Character: Stormy
Released: November 26, 1999
Type: Movie
An ultraconservative police officer suffers a debilitating stroke and is assigned to a rehabilitative program that includes singing lessons - with the drag queen next door.
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Dragtime
Title: Dragtime
Character: Himself
Released: October 11, 1997
Type: Movie
A film that revels in the sheer delightful fabulousness of drag! A joyful look into the lives of some of the most famous drag queens of today: Varla Jean Merman, Candis Cayne, Lady Bunny and Lypsinka. These frocked out femmes of fashion light up the screen!
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Drunks
Title: Drunks
Character: Ruby
Released: March 14, 1997
Type: Movie
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts - some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don't call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child - as they talk about their lives at the meeting
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To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Title: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Character: Justine
Released: September 7, 1995
Type: Movie
A cross country trip to Hollywood is cut short by an unreliable engine & an unpleasant encounter with law enforcement. With the power of drag, three self proclaimed career-girls bring a bit of much needed beauty to rural middle America!
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God Save the Queens
Title: God Save the Queens
Released: June 23, 1995
Type: Movie
Creative documentary on the drag queen movement and its origins in Paris, New York and Madrid.
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Wigstock: The Movie
Title: Wigstock: The Movie
Character: Self
Released: June 9, 1995
Type: Movie
The three-decade-old annual Manhattan gathering of drag queens and their fans is portrayed in this colorful documentary. The film concentrates on the spectacle of the event, providing abundant examples of the elaborate costumes, flamboyant wigs, and campy musical performances that characterize the event.
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Naked in New York
Title: Naked in New York
Character: Self
Released: November 10, 1993
Type: Movie
Naked in New York begins in the car of grown up Jake, he is talking to us about his girlfriend, Joanne, and to whom you can turn to for help while facing life. From there it flashes back to his memories of his parents, college, house across from a squirrel infested peanut factory, best friend, writing career and Joanne.
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Deadly Game
Title: Deadly Game
Character: Ramirez
Released: July 10, 1991
Type: Movie
A group of seven strangers, including a dancer, a doctor, a teacher, and a disgraced former football player, are brought together on an island owned by the mysterious Osirus. There they are told that at some point in their lives, they crossed Osirus and now must face his revenge. The seven must reach a boat on the opposite side of the island before Osirus and his hunters track them down and kill them.
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Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
Title: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
Character: Hitchhiker
Released: September 30, 1988
Type: Movie
Arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts to claim her inheritance, horror hostess Elvira receives a less than enthusiastic reception from the conservative locals -- amongst them, her sinister uncle Vincent, who, unbeknownst to her, is an evil warlock.
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Big Top Pee-wee
Title: Big Top Pee-wee
Character: Shim
Released: July 22, 1988
Type: Movie
Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever.
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Mondo New York
Title: Mondo New York
Character: Fish Out Of Water / A Hard Days Night
Released: April 22, 1988
Type: Movie
A young woman wanders around New York City and stumbles across a number of strange characters and settings that represent the "underground" areas of the city. She sees stand up comedy in Central Park, a prostitution auction, a voodoo ceremony, an S&M club, and a number of very interesting performance artists. These are just a few of the sights and sounds of New York that she encounters.
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Vandemonium Plus
Title: Vandemonium Plus
Released: December 31, 1987
Type: Movie
Ann Magnuson is launched off the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle while doing a bong rip, and into a strange fantasy world airbrushed on the side of a van. Will she make it back to our world in time for the Vulcan Death Grip show?
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Mermaids on Heroin
Title: Mermaids on Heroin
Character: Meridian
Released: July 1, 1985
Type: Movie
"Mermaids on Heroin" is a 1985 13-minute video written and staring New York performer Joey Arias. Features Fred Schneider from the B-52s.
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The Long Island Four
Title: The Long Island Four
Released: December 23, 1980
Type: Movie
Based on the true story of four Nazi saboteurs who infiltrated the US in 1942 and were quickly caught and executed, this 80-minute ode to America's irresistibly corruptive allure was the only underground feature by writer-director Anders Grafstrom. A Swedish art director who relocated to NYC, he created this grandiose No-Wave, Super-8 color-epic at the age of 23, only to die in a Mexican car accident a few months after completing the film.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - David Bowie Backup Singer (uncredited)
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.