Biography
Chameleon is word often applied to J. A. Valentine.
A character actor from the minute he was ambulatory, everything not nailed down became a hat. He currently wears many hats, literally and figuratively; actor, impersonator, drag performer, emcee, immersive comedian, game show host and costumer.
His onstage trajectory began with dance roles in musicals and a sprinkling of classical theatre. Eventually he sprouted high heels, honing his drag personas in such San Francisco nightspots as Heklina’s T-Shack and Peaches Christ’s Midnight Mass Players. A transforming beat of makeup became the X-factor that led to such bucket-list roles as Frank-n-Furter, the Emcee and Fagin, as well as grande dames like Theodora; She-Bitch of Byzantium. Satire is where he is most at home, appearing in such genre spoofs as Star Trek Live, Stale Magnolias and Harry Poofter.
Almost by fluke, he was drafted into a tree lighting ceremony at a local shopping center, owing in part to the Christmas tree costume he had fashioned for the previous Halloween. That same night, event producer Rick Herns tapped him for a series of customized roasts at corporate parties, wherein Jinglepants the Elf read performance reviews from Santa’s “Naughty & Nice” list. A monster was created and a career in special events was born.
He now maintains an arsenal of fully costumed characters and impersonations that have been employed at special events of every description for nearly 30 years. Whatever the occasion; trade shows, private parties, bat mitzvahs or supermarket openings, he supplies improvised immersive comedy and impeccably designed personas. He’s entertained in the homes of Robin Williams, Barry Bonds, Danielle Steele and Rita Moreno, to name-drop a few.
For 15 years he served as inventory manager of American Conservatory Theatre’s costume department, where he also received his best training as an actor. Here he enjoyed a varied diet of designing shows for ACT’s MFA program, conducting costume fittings for private rentals and organizing the stock of one of America’s largest and most prolific regional theaters. Mentored by rentals manager Callie Floor, this position schooled him in period costuming and the cultural context behind what we wear. Among his favorite assignments was designing “The Rocky Horror Show” for the newly renovated Strand Theatre.
Drag continues to be a main feature of his stage work. Spring of 2024 will see the revival of “Bitchslap” at Oasis, a spoof on nighttime soaps of the 1980s, featuring a cast of drag luminaries. He can be seen in Darcy Drollinger’s feature film “Shit and Champagne” and it’s upcoming sequel, “Lady Champagne”. Most recently, Valentine portayed Miss Tracy Mills in “The Legend of Georgia McBride” at Center Rep in Walnut Creek, November, 2023.
