Warhol Superstar Jackie Curtis was born on February 19, 1947 in New York City as John Holder Jr. With strong beliefs regarding gender conformity, Curtis was quoted in a New York Times article stating, “I’m not a boy, not a girl. I am not gay, I am not straight, I am not a drag queen, I am not a transvestite, I am Jackie.” She acted in two of Warhol’s films, Flesh and Women in Revolt. Her devotion to Warhol was represented with a tattoo on her arm reading “Andy.”
In addition to acting, Curtis also wrote screenplays. Curtis wrote the script for a few of Warhol’s films, including films in which she acted, as well as the film Big Badge. Jackie Curtis graduated from Hunter College in 1975, with aspirations of becoming a singer. When she couldn’t make a career work on Broadway, she decided to start writing and performing in her own plays. Curtis was also a published poet, whose work appeared in The Poets’ Encyclopedia in 1979. However, like many of the superstars that frequented The Factory, Curtis’ life was cut short by a tragic death. She was pronounced dead from heroin overdose at the age of 38 in 1985.
