Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn was born on October 26, 1946, as Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl. She left home at 16 and hitchhiked to New York. Woodlawn did whatever she had to do to survive. She describes the hardships of her teenage years in her memoir, A Low Life in High Heels: “At the age of 16, when most kids were cramming for trigonometry exams, I was turning tricks, living off the streets and wondering when my next meal was coming.” Woodlawn was eventually was cast in Jackie Curtis’ play, Glamour, Glory and Gold (The Life and Legend of Nola Noonan Goddess and Star). The second production of Glamour, Glory and Gold was one of Robert De Niro’s first performances.
Woodlawn claimed that she was one of Warhol’s superstars when she was, though she was never veritable a superstar in the way that others who frequented The Factory Warhol. However, she was still able to intrigue Warhol and Morrisey when they discovered her. Morrissey was the first to cast her in the film Trash and later in Women in Revolt. Like other Warhol superstars, she is also referenced in Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” specifically in the lyrics “Holly came from Miami F.L.A / Hitchhiked her way across the U.S.A.” Holly Woodland passed away on December 6, 2015.
