Paul Morrissey


Paul Morrissey is an American film director, best known for his association with Andy Warhol. He was also director of the first film in which a transgender actress, Holly Woodlawn, starred as a cisgender woman and girlfriend of the main character played by Joe Dallesandro in Trash.

Life and career

Of Irish extraction, Morrissey attended Ampleforth College and Fordham University, both Catholic schools, and later served in the United States Army. A political conservative and self-described "right-winger", who has publicly protested against immorality and anti-Catholicism, Morrissey's long-term collaboration with the low-keyed, apparently apolitical Warhol was viewed by many as "a successful mismatch", although both men did share some traits, e.g. both were practicing Catholics from ethnic backgrounds.
Morrissey's bold, avant-garde direction in film making is often attributed to his relationship with Warhol and The Factory, although Morrissey claimed in his memoir, Factory Days, that this is not the case.
Despite his conservative background, Morrissey was among the first film directors to cast transgender women from Warhol's inner circle as cisgender women in his films Trash and Women in Revolt.
For an analysis of each of Morrissey's feature films see Maurice Yacowar, The Films of Paul Morrissey.

Filmography