RuPaul

Linked to RuPaul

Share Feedback

RuPaul Andre Charles was born to Ernestine “Toni” Fontenette and Irving Charles in San Diego, California, on November 17, 1960. His parents, who relocated from the South during the Great Migration, named him after roux, a mixture of flour and fat common in Creole cooking.

Courtesy of Paula Gately Tillman

A young RuPaul leans against a Peachtree Street sign outside of a Krystal restaurant in Atlanta in 1988.

Updated Recently

King Center

King Center

4 weeks ago
DeKalb County

DeKalb County

1 month ago
Alma Thomas

Alma Thomas

1 month ago
Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville

1 month ago

A More Perfect Union

The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.