To earn the nickname “Mr. Showmanship,” it helps to own a marble-coated Las Vegas mansion, preferably with a Sistine Chapel-style mural above your California King. Liberace is the only person who has earned this title and is undoubtedly one of the greatest Las Vegas celebrity legends of all time.
Liberace, whose birth name was Wladziu Valentino Liberace, was known as “Lee” to his friends and “Liberace” to the rest of the world. His four-decade-long career in show business was marked by an unparalleled trail of opulence that no one has matched to this day. For two decades, from the 1950s to the 1970s, he was the world’s highest-paid entertainer.
Liberace resided in his Las Vegas home until he died in 1987, and it became a symbol of nightlife, practice space, and an extraordinary life. His bedazzled rise to fame was an endless journey towards gaudier and grander things, and his mansion, which spanned 14,393 square feet, was one of the most defining aspects of his persona, alongside his presence on stage.
Liberace’s contribution to the growth of Sin City cannot be overstated, as he significantly impacted Las Vegas during his time there.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
In 1919, Liberace was born to Italian and Polish immigrants in West Allis, Wisconsin. His father encouraged him and his sibling to pursue music as a career, and at the age of four, Liberace began playing the piano. By eight, he had already met one of his idols, the Polish pianist Pederewski. When he became a teenager, he helped his family through the Depression by tickling the ivories everywhere, from strip clubs to local radio shows.
When he was 20 years old, he began performing with the Chicago Symphony and toured the Midwest with them. But as he continued to play classical music, he realized that he loved playing all kinds of music. He also noticed that if he was more entertaining and provided a little showmanship, he would reach more audiences and made more money.
Consequently, he dropped his Americanized first name, Walter, and began to use his last name, an unusual step in show business at the time and an attention-getter. He then turned to custom pianos and costumes. He famously said, “I don’t give concerts. I put on a show.” Although he did not enjoy criticism of his piano playing, he joked that he cried all the way to the bank. Later on, he even quipped, “I don’t cry all the way to the bank anymore. I bought a bank.”
From TV to Las Vegas
Liberace’s career was greatly aided by television. He hosted his own immensely popular show in the 1950s and made frequent guest appearances on other programs, which significantly boosted his album sales. The success of his shows also inspired affectionate parodies, although they also brought unwanted attention. In 1956, an English reviewer accused Liberace of being gay after a performance, which prompted a libel lawsuit that he ultimately won, despite continued rumors about his sexuality.
Despite his success on television, Liberace’s career did not quite reach the level of movie stardom he had hoped for. He experienced some setbacks but managed to persevere.
Las Vegas held a special place in Liberace’s heart and was his actual home. He first performed there in 1944, but it took some time for him to achieve financial success. In 1955, he broke a new record by becoming the highest-paid performer in Las Vegas, earning $50,000 per week at the Riviera. He later went on to earn over $250,000 per week playing at the Hilton, where he helped launch Barbra Streisand’s career by hiring her as his opening act when the Hilton opened as the International Hotel in 1969.
His Showmanship is Still Alive
Liberace is no longer with us. But his spirit and pizzazz continue to have influence all over Las Vegas. His sense of showmanship has helped many performers, including Elvis Presley, whose tenure at The New Frontier was floundering before Liberace gave him some tips on how to wear costumes and display showmanship.
Liberace was the first performer to wear the gold lame jacket, which Freddie Mercury, James Brown, Little Richard, and most notably, Elton John, all replicated. He helped transform Sin City from a dusty gambling town in the desert to the Entertainment Capital of the World.
