Editing Quentin Crisp (section)

{{Short description|English writer and actor (1908–1999)}}
{{For|the writer of supernatural fiction|Quentin S. Crisp}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| birth_name   = Denis Charles Pratt
| image        = QuentinCrisp-RossBennettLewisPHOTO.jpg
| caption      = In New York City, 1992
| name         = Quentin Crisp
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1908|12|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], Surrey, England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1999|11|21|1908|12|25|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Manchester]], England
| occupation   = Writer, illustrator, actor, artist's model
| notableworks = ''[[The Naked Civil Servant (book)|The Naked Civil Servant]]''
| signature    = Quentin Crisp's Signature.svg
}}
'''Quentin Crisp''' (born '''Denis Charles Pratt'''; {{Birth date|1908|12|25|df=y}}&nbsp;– {{Death date|1999|11|21|df=y}}) was an English [[raconteur]], whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well known, he was an [[artist's model]], hence the title of his most famous work, ''[[The Naked Civil Servant (book)|The Naked Civil Servant]]''. He afterwards became a gay icon due to his flamboyant personality, fashion sense, and wit. His iconic status was occasionally controversial due to his remarks about subjects like the [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS crisis]], inviting censure from [[gay activists]] including [[human rights|human-rights campaigner]] [[Peter Tatchell]].<ref name="Tatchell">{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/peter-tatchell-quentin-crisp-was-no-gay-hero-1852122.html|title=Peter Tatchell: Quentin Crisp was no gay hero|date=29 December 2009|work=The Independent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105153024/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/peter-tatchell-quentin-crisp-was-no-gay-hero-1852122.html|archive-date=5 November 2012|access-date=4 December 2023}}</ref>

During his teen years, he worked briefly as a [[rent boy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.messynessychic.com/2019/09/03/unearthing-the-curious-quentin-crisp/|title=Unearthing the Curious Quentin Crisp|date=3 September 2019}}</ref> He then spent thirty years as a professional model for [[life class]]es in art colleges.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.modelreg.co.uk/st_Articles5.php|title=Quentin Crisp Archives|website=modelreg.co.uk}}</ref> The interviews he gave about his unusual life attracted great curiosity, and he was soon sought after for his personal views on social manners and the cultivation of style.

His one-man stage show was a long-running hit both in Britain and America, and he also appeared in films and on television. Crisp defied convention by criticising both [[gay liberation]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales]].<ref name=Tatchell/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/quentin-crisp-interview-old-spice-1193631.html|title=Quentin Crisp interview: Old Spice|date=21 December 1998|work=The Independent}}</ref>