Meet Amanda Lear. She’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma swathed in a designer ensemble and ready for her close-up. In HBO Max’s Enigma, she shares the spotlight with April Ashley, which focuses on the two pioneering women as it examines their unusual journeys to fame, as well as the complexities associated with gender identity.
A singer, songwriter, artist, actress, model, muse, and the “European Queen of Disco,” Amanda Lear’s background remains something of a mystery, with many details either obscured or disputed. Yet despite the ambiguity, she continues to captivate pop culture enthusiasts and queer historians alike, celebrated as a trailblazer in contemporary culture.
Here is everything we know about Lear, but sometimes, the lines between truth and fiction are a little blurry at best.
Where is she from?
According to AmandaLear.com, the official site of the icon, she was born in Vietnam in 1950 to an English marine officer and an Asian mother. According to the site, after her parents divorced, she shared her life between her English family and her mother’s new life in France.
However, most biographers and sources state that her birth year falls around 1939, as Lear has stated different dates and years to the press. As for her birthplace, the most credible locations appear to be Saigon and Hong Kong, though Lear herself has claimed origins ranging from Singapore and Switzerland.
What is she best known for?
Lear began her career as a high-fashion model in the 1960s, walking runways for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and Yves Saint Laurent, and was photographed by legends such as Richard Avedon and David Bailey.
She then became a close companion and muse to Salvador Dalí, but also became a well-established painter herself, with her art displayed in many galleries later in her life.
In the 1970s disco era, she tore up the Billboard charts with hits such as “Follow Me,” “Queen of Chinatown,” and “Fashion Pack.” During this time, she was frequently in the company of David Bowie, who she referred to as her “mentor.” She was also romantically linked to Bryan Ferry and appeared on the cover of Roxy Music’s 1973 album For Your Pleasure.
In 1979 she married French aristocrat Alain Philippe Malagnac d’Argens de Villèle. They remained married until he perished in a fire in 2000.
By the time the ’80s rolled around, she was on the TV circuit, making her way through talk shows, reality shows, and as a presenter thanks to her obvious charisma and risqué humor.
What makes made her infamous?
Unlike Enigma’s other iconic subject April Ashley, who openly confirmed her trans identity, Amanda Lear’s journey has been far more ambiguous. She has repeatedly denied being transgender or sidestepped the question with a series of clever comebacks, yet rumors have followed the diva since the 1960s.
It was even reported that the rumor may have been started by Dalí himself, who believed Lear could benefit from the intrigue. “It’s always been the Grecian ideal: the hermaphrodite, the divine being,” he allegedly told her. “You’re neither a girl nor a boy. You’re angelic, an archetype.”
And though she continued to deny it to the press, her lyrics told a different story that fueled the rumors. In the song “I’m a Mistery and Fabulous (Lover, Love Me),“ Lear sings: “The surgeon built me so well / That nobody could tell / I was somebody else.”
“You are totally free to choose your destiny. Think what you think, think what you want. I know who I am,” she says in the doc.
What is she doing today?
Lear continues to paint and show her work at galleries around the world, remaining a vibrant presence in the art world.
Enigma, June 24, HBO
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