Lea DeLaria Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. She is best known for hr role in Orange Is the New Black as Carrie “Big Boo” Black. Lea has also held roles in movies like Plump Fiction, The First Wives Club, Rescuing Desire, among others. She is the voice of Ms. Fritter in the video game Cars 3: Driven to Win.

She has been nominated for the 1998 Drama Desk Award in the category “Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical” for On The Town. She has also taken home some industry awards including Screen Actors Guild Award, Orlando Film Festival, and Theatre World Award.

Born Name

Lea DeLaria

Nick Name

Lea

Sun Sign

Gemini

Born Place

Belleville, Illinois, United States

Residence

Belleville, Illinois, United States

Nationality

Education

Lea DeLaria attended the St. Mary’s Elementary School in Belleville.

Occupation

Comedian, Actress, Jazz Singer

Family

• Father – Robert George DeLaria (Jazz Pianist, Social Worker)
• Mother – Jerry Jean DeLaria (Home Maker)
• Siblings – Thana (Sister), Bradley DeLaria (Brother), Richard DeLaria (Brother), Mary Elizabeth Feltman (Sister)

Manager

Lea Delaria is managed by The Katz Company (Talent Management Company), New York, USA.

Genre

Jazz

Instruments

Vocals

Labels

Warner Bros. Records

Build

Large

Height

5 ft 2 in or 157.5 cm

Weight

85 kg or 187.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Lea Delaria has dated –

1. Chelsea Fairless (2013-2017) – DeLaria and Chelsea, a Fashion Designer, started dating in 2013, got engaged in 2015 but separated in January 2017.
2. Jennifer Foley – Lea and actress Jennifer Foley dated in the past.
3. Dalia Gladstone (2021-Present) – Lea’s relationship with Dalia Gladstone first came into the spotlight in July 2021 after she posted a picture with Dalia on her social media. In April 2023, Lea called Dalia her “wife” during an interview and confirmed that they had secretly tied the knot.

 Race / Ethnicity

White

She has Italian ancestry on her father’s side and English and Scottish ancestry on her mother’s side.

Hair Color

Dyed Black

Eye Color

Blue

Sexual Orientation

Lesbian

Distinctive Features

• Short, rotund stature
• Jet black hair
• Shaved Sides

Religion

Lea was brought up as a Catholic.

Best Known For

• Releasing comedy albums Bulldyke in a China Shop and Box Lunch (Rising Star)
• Releasing Jazz albums Play It Cool, Double Standards, The Very Best of Lea DeLaria, Lea DeLaria – The Live Smoke Sessions, and House of David
• Appearing in movies like Homo Heights, Edge of Seventeen, Fat Rose and Squeaky, Dear Dumb Diary, Support the Girls, among others
• Acting in TV shows such as The John Larroquette Show, Tom Clancy’s Op-Center, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, In Through The Out Door, Further Tails of the City, Baroness von Sketch Show, Shameless,  among others
• Appearing in Broadway and films like On the Town, Edge of Seventeen, The Rocky Horror Show, among others

First Album

Lea DeLaria released her first comedy album Bulldyke in a China Shop in 1994.

She released her first Jazz album Play It Cool in 2001. It consisted of the songs like The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, Cool, I’ve Got Your Number and 8 more.

First Film

Lea DeLaria made her theatrical film debut as Elise’s Fan (as Lea De Laria) in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club.

First TV Show

She made her TV show debut as a ‘Guest Host’ on the documentary series In the Life in 1993.

Lea DeLaria Facts

1. In Catholic school, she learned how to make the nuns laugh to avoid beatings and that is where she became interested in comedy.
2. She attended St. Mary’s Elementary School in Belleville from kindergarten through 8th grade.
3. In her performances, she makes reference to her Catholic upbringing.
4. She appeared in The Arsenio Hall Show making her the 1st openly gay comic on a late-night talk show.
5. Lea was criticized for calling herself a “queer! big dyke”. Hall defended her by saying, “If she wants to call herself a dyke, that’s her business!”
6. She has Italian ancestry on the side of her paternal grandparents.
7. Lea played Eddie and Scott, 2 male characters in the 2000 Broadway revival of “The Rocky Horror Show.”
8. She integrates traditional and modern be-bop jazz into her stand-up comedy.
9. She described herself as a friendly, big butch dyke when she started her comedy career in the Mission District.
10. DeLaria was the voice of Helga Phugly in The Oblongs, a short-lived, animated 2001 sitcom.
11. She directed a musical revue “Ten Percent Revue” on gay pride. The mostly sold-out shows were performed in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and Provincetown.
12. She deleted an Instagram post that called for violence against Donald Trump supporters.
13. As a teenager, she started singing in jazz clubs before going into stand-up comedy.
14. She has a book ‘Lea’s Book of Rules for the World.’
15. Lea hosted the 1st all-gay stand-up comedy special for Comedy Central’s Out There In December 1993.
16. She finds it ironic that she is a lesbian because she understands men so completely while she finds women the most confusing, annoying people in the world who are a total mystery to her.
17. According to her, she tries to change the world as a standup comedian. As a lesbian, she tries to pick up the prettiest girl in the room and as an entertainer, she tries to entertain, she tries to push boundaries in her comedy.
18. John Coltrane influenced her musical style. Although she tries to find her own style.
19. When she came out as Lesbian, her Italian Catholic parents did not speak to her for 5 years. They eventually made peace with it though.
20. She starred in the 1998 musical comedy Dos Lesbos, about 2 lesbians dealing with the issues of living together.
21. DeLaria received the Equality Illinois Freedom Award on February 14, 2015, for her work as “a cutting-edge performer who has used her talent to enlighten and entertain Americans.”
22. She suffers from type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. She has to take medicine and watch what she eats.
23. Lea lost over 50 lbs through dietary changes and medication in the past.
24. She knew about her condition later in life because she did not have money to go to a doctor initially.
25. She originally auditioned for a role as a prison guard on Orange Is The New Black. The part of Big Boo was specifically written for her.
26. Lea emceed the “Second March for Lesbian and Gay Rights” in Washington in 1987.
27. She did a musical tour in Australia in November 2008 playing in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
28. In a June 2021 interview, Lea revealed that she was gay-bashed at the age of 24 and was later admitted to the hospital after suffering multiple injuries.

Featured Image by Lea DeLaria / Instagram