Entertainer and activist. Born in Paris, France, Coccinelle, she was the daughter of a young mother who sold fresh flowers for a living. By her own account, at the age of four she became aware that there was something different, and by her early teens she dyed her brown hair platinum blond and began wearing women's clothing. One of her favorite outfits, a red and black polka-dot dress, garnered her the nickname Coccinelle (French for ladybug), which she used as her stage persona beginning with her 1953 debut performance at the Paris cabaret Chez Madame Arthur. In 1958, she heard about Dr. Georges Burou, a gynecologist in Morocco who was known pioneer of vaginoplasty, or gender reassignment surgery. That year, she traveled to Casablanca for surgery, becoming the first French person to do so. Upon her return to France, Coccinelle stirred a media sensation that catapulted her to fame. Becoming a household celebrity, she revamped her stage theatrics to mimic renowned sex-symbols of the day such as Marilyn Monroe and France's own Brigitte Bardot. In 1959, she appeared in films, the first being "Europa di notte" by director Alessandro Blasetti, "Los Viciosos" (1962) and "Días de Viejo Color" (1968). Italian singer Ghigo Agosti, who was fascinated by the major controversy over Coccinelle, dedicated the song "Coccinella" to her in 1958. She later recorded her own hit songs and albums. After her operation, France modified the law to allow the gender indicated on birth certificates to be amended following gender confirmation surgery, and she legally changed her name to Jacqueline-Charlotte Dufrensnoy. In 1963, she was featured in her own revue "Cherchez la femme" at the Paris Olympia Hall and became the house madame at the famous nightclub Le Carrousel de Paris, which also featured regular acts by other famous trangdender performers, such as British royale April Ashley. In 1960, she married François Bonnet, a sports journalist, the first of her three husbands. Their union became the first officially sanctioned transgender marriage in France, and established transgender persons' legal right to marry. This also made her the first openly transgender person to be married in the Catholic Church. This marriage ended in divorce in 1962. She was married to Paraguayan dancer Mario Costa from 1963 until his death in 1977 and to fellow transgender activist Thierry Wilson from 1996 until her death. A strong advocate for transgender rights, she founded the organization "Devenir Femme" which provided emotional and practical support for transgender people in transition. She also helped establish the Center for Aid, Research, and Information for Transsexuality and Gender Identity. She published an autobiography, "Coccinelle," in 1987. Coccinelle became the most celebrated transgender star in Europe and for over 25 years she toured the world. She entertained for the Emperor Shah of Iran, and befriended the likes of Edith Piaf, Juliette Greco, Joan Collins, and Bob Hope. For ten years she performed cabaret in Germany, holding her last public performance in 1990. She was hospitalised in July 2006 after a stroke, and she died the following October.