Joey Arias
A fixture of New York City’s vibrant downtown performance scene for 30-plus years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. Arias lived and worked with legendary musician Klaus Nomi until Nomi’s death in 1983. However, he has long since stepped out of Nomi’s shadow to gain fame in his own right as a performance artist, cabaret singer and drag artist. Arias has distinguished himself with scandalous wit, sleek style and an extraordinary voice... evocative of Billie Holiday yet uniquely his own. Arias has performed worldwide at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Freedom Theatre in London. Arias was tapped by Cirque du Soleil to originate the role of the emcee in their Las Vegas spectacular Zumanity. After 6 years in that role, Arias returned to New York where he became the star and co-creator of Arias With a Twist with master puppeteer Basil Twist. The show was a critical and commercial hit and extended repeatedly for a total of 8 months. On film, he has appeared in Mondo New York, Big Top Pee Wee, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Wigstock - The Movie, Flawless and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, among others.
Known for
ActingBirthday
October 3, 1949Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
22Place of birth
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USAAlso known as
Joseph Arias, Joe AriasCast credits
Arias With a Twist
HimselfThe Zanctuary
Dora Ramona del PilarJobriath A.D.
HimselfWigstock: The Movie
SelfDeadly Game
RamirezCirque du Soleil: LoveSick
HimselfMondo New York
Fish Out Of Water / A Hard Days NightDragtime
HimselfElvira: Mistress of the Dark
HitchhikerThe Nomi Song
SelfFlawless
StormyBig Top Pee-wee
ShimAfter Louie
Jai the ChanteuseMermaids on Heroin
MeridianWig
SelfTo Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
JustineDrunks
RubyVandemonium Plus
God Save the Queens
Naked in New York
Self