- Birth nameBenjamin Brock Hamlet Putnam
- Nicknames
- BenDeLaCreme
- DeLa
- Sweet as pie and sharp as cheddar, the Terminally Delightful BenDeLaCreme is known for combining her background in performing and visual arts with a love of spectacle, glamour, and Saturday morning cartoons.
She has dazzled crowds throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia, premiered four critically acclaimed solo shows Off-Broadway, as well as written, directed, and produced myriad narrative works and variety spectaculars that have played to sold-out audiences for over a decade. BenDeLaCreme's live performances have received glowing reviews: "Keeping you entertained while making you think about your place in the world is all a part of the BenDeLaCreme experience," said Forbes and Billboard raves that her work "...soars past entertainment and into the realm of theatrical art."
BenDeLaCreme has appeared on two seasons of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race, her first go-round securing her a spot among the show's "15 Fan Favorites of All Time." After being crowned "Miss Congeniality" on Season 6, she returned to compete on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars on VH1 where she garnered more challenge wins than any other competitor in the show's history, among other series records.
Continuing to break new ground by, and for, drag artists, DeLa's production company, BenDeLaCreme Presents, produced its first national tour with, To Jesus, Thanks for Everything! -Jinkx and DeLa, co-created and co-written by BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. In 2019, the queens hit the road again with a brand new holiday show titled, All I Want for Christmas is Attention. That tour was a sold-out sensation and marked DeLa's first producer credit for an international tour. In 2020, BenDeLaCreme self-produced, directed and co-wrote her debut film under BenDeLaCreme Presents, "The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special" which became a critical and commercial success, leading to an exclusive licensing deal with Hulu. DeLa is thrilled to add producing and directing her first film feature to her long list of career achievements. BenDeLaCreme also made a cameo appearance along with Jinkx Monsoon in Hulu's biggest film debut to date, "The Happiest Season."- IMDb mini biography by: BenDeLaCreme
- Won title of "Miss Congeniality" on season six of reality show RuPaul's Drag Race (2009).
- Performs in drag under the name BenDeLaCreme. The name is a play on the French phrase, "creme de la creme" meaning the best of the best. It's also a play on his actual name. He commonly refers to himself as "Ben" or "DeLa" to distinguish between whether he's speaking as his private male persona or the stage female persona.
- His mother passed away from cancer when he was 13. He has stated that the 'terminally delightful' persona he exudes whilst in drag helped him to get through his grief and depression.
- Takes inspiration from 1950's pin-up girls, the dancer Ann Miller and from Jeffery Roberson/Varla Jean Merman's 'Holiday Ham'.
- Don't fear the drag queen, fear the devil inside the drag queen.
- DeLa for short, De for shorter, Ms Creme if you're nasty.
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