The Naked Civil Servant

"The Naked Civil Servant" is the title of the autobiography by the British eccentric, author, and entertainer Quentin Crisp, that was adapted as a British television movie in 1975. John Hurt, in the role of Quentin Crisp, won Best Actor at the British Academy Television Awards in 1976. The film THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT turned Quentin Crisp into an overnight success. Today Jack Gold's film is counted among Britain's top 100 television movies of the 20th. century.
Quentin Crisp introduces the film claiming “Any film, even the worst one, is at least better than real life.” Already as a child he realised that he was 'different', that he was not sexually attracted to women. His parents struggled to identify what was “wrong with him”, seeking medical advice and, finally, sent him off to art college… Quentin reached a turning point upon meeting a transvestite prostitute. He discovered the joys of make-up and became addicted to exhibitionism. Quentin paraded his homosexuality in an era when most gay life was lived hushed behind closed doors. As a result he suffered both physical and verbal abuse on a regular basis. Not at all adverse to the idea, Quentin began working as a prostitute. Despite his conventional relationship with a ‘straight’ civil servant, trouble ensuedwhen nosy neighbours reported their noisy ‘activities’ overheard through the nearby bedroom window to the police...
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Quentin Crisp is widely regarded as being the first Englishman to openly declare his homosexuality. In this adaptation of his autobiography, published in 1968, Crisp himself puts in an appearance in order to introduce the audience into his flamboyant life. With John Hurt turning in a performance of congenial dignity as Crisp, Jack Gold’s adaptation was to turn the real Crisp into an icon of the gay rights movement and a universally accepted ‘fashion queen’.
John Hurt portrayed Crisp once again in the film AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (2008) and won the SPECIAL TEDDY AWARD 2009 for his outstanding performance.
In 1990 Jonathan Nossiter made a documentary on Crisp in RESIDENT ALIEN.