Advertisement

John Cabell “Bunny” Breckinridge

Advertisement

John Cabell “Bunny” Breckinridge Famous memorial

Birth
Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France
Death
5 Nov 1996 (aged 94)
Monterey, Monterey County, California, USA
Burial
Burial Details Unknown Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Actor. He was born August 6th, 1902 in Paris, France to a wealthy family. Nicknamed "Bunny," he was the great-grandson of US Vice President John C. Breckinridge, for whom he was named, and was also the great-grandson of the founder of the Wells Fargo Bank, Lloyd Tevis. Breckinridge grew up in England and attended Eton College and Oxford University where he studied theater. In 1927 while working in theater in Paris, France Breckinridge married the daughter of a French Countess and the couple had a daughter together but divorced in 1929. Relocating to London, England Breckinridge became a noted Shakespearean performer before moving to San Francisco, California. In 1954 Breckinridge made media headlines when he announced his intention to emulate Christine (formerly George) Jorgensen by traveling to Denmark to have a sex-change operation. Breckinridge also made known his intention to marry Jean Claude, his male secretary. Breckinridge was now a grandfather and his progressive granddaughter supported him in his efforts. Legend has it that Breckinridge was inspired to get a sex change operation in part because of the Ed Wood film "Glen or Glenda." Unfortunately, his plans fell through when he was severely injured in a car accident while traveling in Mexico. Also in 1954 Breckinridge was successfully sued by his infirm mother and ordered to pay her an annual support stipend of $8500. Despite all the above Breckinridge is best remembered for his only film appearance as the ruler of aliens in the 1958 "Plan Nine From Outer Space" a film written, directed and produced by Edward D. Wood Jr. widely acknowledged as being the worst director of all time. Ironically Breckinridge obtained the role of the Ruler in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" because he was a houseguest of Paul Marco at the time the film was shooting. David Demering who played co-pilot Danny obtained his role in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" in the same fashion. Ironically Breckinridge was one of the few seasoned actors working on the film. Breckinridge's performance in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was a camp classic. Breckinridge wore pajamas similar to those worn by his underlings, very visible mascara and lipstick. Breckinridge could be seen visibly reading cue cards on the set floor, constantly rolling his eyes and mugging for the camera. Some Ed Wood fans speculate that this was merely the actor's attempt to deal with the over the top character he was portraying, the inane dialogue and ludicrous plot. Remarkably "Plan Nine From Outer Space" is Breckinridge's only screen appearance. Shortly after "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was completed and released, Breckinridge took two teenage boys in his care with him to Las Vegas, Nevada and was arrested and charged with ten counts of sex perversion. Breckinridge was committed for one year to the Atascadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Upon release from Atascadero, Breckinridge returned to San Francisco, California and actually became noted socially for the celebrities he befriended, including Princess Margaret, Elvis Presley, and Ed Sullivan. During the 1960s Breckinridge was known to open his home to members of the growing hippie movement, who enjoyed his stories of his wild flamboyant youth, not to mention his progressive opinions on free love and gay rights. Breckinridge also returned to stage acting, appearing in several local productions. Later Breckinridge relocated to New Jersey but occasionally returned to San Francisco for extended stays. In 1994 Bill Murray portrayed John "Bunny" Breckinridge in the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood" about the life of the (in)famous director. Contrary to the film there was no evidence that Ed Wood and John "Bunny" Breckinridge knew each other prior to the filming of "Plan Nine From Outer Space" despite this and other historical inaccuracies most fans of Ed Wood embraced the film and it re-introduced movie-goers to Ed Wood and many of his contemporaries including John "Bunny" Breckinridge. Unlike other members of the Ed Wood entourage Bunny Breckinridge lived to see the film and the cult phenomenon that surrounded Ed Wood after the film's release but Breckinridge's advanced age and failing health prevented him from interacting with fans to any great degree.
Actor. He was born August 6th, 1902 in Paris, France to a wealthy family. Nicknamed "Bunny," he was the great-grandson of US Vice President John C. Breckinridge, for whom he was named, and was also the great-grandson of the founder of the Wells Fargo Bank, Lloyd Tevis. Breckinridge grew up in England and attended Eton College and Oxford University where he studied theater. In 1927 while working in theater in Paris, France Breckinridge married the daughter of a French Countess and the couple had a daughter together but divorced in 1929. Relocating to London, England Breckinridge became a noted Shakespearean performer before moving to San Francisco, California. In 1954 Breckinridge made media headlines when he announced his intention to emulate Christine (formerly George) Jorgensen by traveling to Denmark to have a sex-change operation. Breckinridge also made known his intention to marry Jean Claude, his male secretary. Breckinridge was now a grandfather and his progressive granddaughter supported him in his efforts. Legend has it that Breckinridge was inspired to get a sex change operation in part because of the Ed Wood film "Glen or Glenda." Unfortunately, his plans fell through when he was severely injured in a car accident while traveling in Mexico. Also in 1954 Breckinridge was successfully sued by his infirm mother and ordered to pay her an annual support stipend of $8500. Despite all the above Breckinridge is best remembered for his only film appearance as the ruler of aliens in the 1958 "Plan Nine From Outer Space" a film written, directed and produced by Edward D. Wood Jr. widely acknowledged as being the worst director of all time. Ironically Breckinridge obtained the role of the Ruler in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" because he was a houseguest of Paul Marco at the time the film was shooting. David Demering who played co-pilot Danny obtained his role in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" in the same fashion. Ironically Breckinridge was one of the few seasoned actors working on the film. Breckinridge's performance in "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was a camp classic. Breckinridge wore pajamas similar to those worn by his underlings, very visible mascara and lipstick. Breckinridge could be seen visibly reading cue cards on the set floor, constantly rolling his eyes and mugging for the camera. Some Ed Wood fans speculate that this was merely the actor's attempt to deal with the over the top character he was portraying, the inane dialogue and ludicrous plot. Remarkably "Plan Nine From Outer Space" is Breckinridge's only screen appearance. Shortly after "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was completed and released, Breckinridge took two teenage boys in his care with him to Las Vegas, Nevada and was arrested and charged with ten counts of sex perversion. Breckinridge was committed for one year to the Atascadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Upon release from Atascadero, Breckinridge returned to San Francisco, California and actually became noted socially for the celebrities he befriended, including Princess Margaret, Elvis Presley, and Ed Sullivan. During the 1960s Breckinridge was known to open his home to members of the growing hippie movement, who enjoyed his stories of his wild flamboyant youth, not to mention his progressive opinions on free love and gay rights. Breckinridge also returned to stage acting, appearing in several local productions. Later Breckinridge relocated to New Jersey but occasionally returned to San Francisco for extended stays. In 1994 Bill Murray portrayed John "Bunny" Breckinridge in the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood" about the life of the (in)famous director. Contrary to the film there was no evidence that Ed Wood and John "Bunny" Breckinridge knew each other prior to the filming of "Plan Nine From Outer Space" despite this and other historical inaccuracies most fans of Ed Wood embraced the film and it re-introduced movie-goers to Ed Wood and many of his contemporaries including John "Bunny" Breckinridge. Unlike other members of the Ed Wood entourage Bunny Breckinridge lived to see the film and the cult phenomenon that surrounded Ed Wood after the film's release but Breckinridge's advanced age and failing health prevented him from interacting with fans to any great degree.

Bio by: Kyle Brinkmann



Advertisement

Advertisement

How famous was John Cabell “Bunny” Breckinridge ?

Current rating: 3.53061 out of 5 stars

49 votes

Sign-in to cast your vote.