Leroy Griffith
Leroy Griffith | |
|---|---|
Griffith with a club performer | |
| Born | March 26, 1932 Poplar Bluff, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1949–present |
| Known for | Stage shows (Hello Burlesque, This Was Burlesque, etc.); chief executive officer of Club Madonna |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 5 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Website | instagram |
Leroy Charles Griffith (born March 26, 1932) is an American theater and nightclub proprietor, former Broadway and off-Broadway theater producer and director, and former burlesque and adult film producer. In a career spanning over 75 years, he has owned, leased, or operated more than 70 theaters, cinemas, and nightclubs across the United States, dating from the burlesque era of the 1950s to the present. Earl Wilson, among others, nicknamed him "Burlesque King."
During burlesque's heyday, Griffith was a prolific producer of live stage shows featuring showgirls, strippers, comedians, vaudevillians, and other stars of the era. As burlesque declined in popularity, he made the crossover to exhibiting as well as producing adult films and operating strip clubs, notably past and present Miami-area clubs such as Club Madonna, Deja Vu, and Wonderland.
His business endeavors in the adult entertainment industry have, for decades, put him at odds with restrictive municipalities, and he has taken legal action, often successfully, to defend his constitutional rights and be able to operate his establishments. His and others' trailblazing victories helped to make the adult entertainment industry more accepted and tolerated in 20th and 21st century American society.