Marsha P. Johnson

Acting

Marsha P. Johnson

Born 1945-08-24 · Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Marsha P. Johnson (August 24, 1945 – July 6, 1992) was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera. Popular in New York gay life, Johnson was also active in the City's art scene, modeling for Andy Warhol, and appearing onstage with the drag performance troupe Hot Peaches. Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street" for being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village. Beginning in 1987, Johnson was an AIDS activist with ACT UP. Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992. While initially ruled a suicide by the NYPD, controversy and protest followed the case, eventually re-opened as a possible homicide.

Acting credits

The Stroll poster
6.5

The history of New York’s Meatpacking District, told from the perspective of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell, who walked “The Stroll” for a decade, reunites her community to recount the violence, policing, homelessness, and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights.

The Stroll

2023

Vito poster
7.0

In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.

Vito

2011

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders poster
NR

“Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders" peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of the 1980 thriller, "Cruising." Directed by William Friedkin, the film triggered fierce protests from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of a serial killer targeting gay men in New York's leather bars. Friedkin drew inspiration from the brutal murder of Variety reporter Addison Verrill, blurring the boundaries between cinematic fiction and real-life tragedy.

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

2026

Happy Birthday, Marsha! poster
3.5

It's a hot summer day in June 1969. Marsha plans a birthday party for herself, but no one shows up. Sylvia, Marsha's best friend, suggests they meet at Stonewall instead, where Marsha can perform. When the police arrive to raid the bar, Marsha is among the first to fight back.

Happy Birthday, Marsha!

2018

After Stonewall poster
5.6

This sequel to "Before Stonewall" documents the history of gay and lesbian life from the riots at Stonewall in 1969 to the present. Narrated by Melissa Etheridge, the film explains the work, struggles, victories, and defeats the gay community has weathered to become a vibrant and integral part of North American society.

After Stonewall

1999

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson poster
7.1

Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

2017

Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson poster
4.5

Marsha P. Johnson was a drag queen, sex worker, and LGBT activist who fought at Stonewall and knew Andy Warhol. She was a New York fixture who made her motto her middle name: "Pay it no mind". This documentary about her life includes the last interview she gave before the suspicious circumstances of her death in 1992.

Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson

2012

We've Been Around poster
9.0

In this documentary, director Rhys Ernst tells the previously untold histories of transgender pioneers. Trans people have always been here, throughout time, often hidden in plain sight.

We've Been Around

2016

ANOHNI Live Experiencce poster
6.0

Live Experience of ANOHNI's latest album, 'My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross', with films by Colin Whitaker & Michael Kasino and featuring: Jimmy Hogarth; Nomi Ruiz; Hunter Schafer; Johanna Constatine.

ANOHNI Live Experiencce

2023

Reel in the Closet poster
8.0

Never before seen home movies made by queer people dating back to the 1930s and the struggle to save them before they are lost forever.

Reel in the Closet

2015

Pollinator poster
NR

The artist walks through a garden, with additional footage featuring Black trans activist Marsha P. Johnson.

Pollinator

2023