Cult figure

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See cult (disambiguation) for more meanings of the term "cult".

A cult figure or cult icon is a person who attracts the attention of a small band of aficionados. Some cult figures are well-known to the general public (Andy Warhol, Christopher Walken) while others are mostly obscure outside of a subculture (Ed Wood Jr., Vanessa Duriès).

In most of the cases, the work of a cult figure is unusual or exists outside current trends in his or her field. Thus, his or her appeal is limited to only a small group.

Although most cult figures are artists and entertainers who are genuinely recognized for their talent, others gain a following mostly for strange behavior (Wesley Willis, Ellen Feiss) or particularly memorable 15 minutes of fame (William Hung, Clara Peller)

Who is a cult figure?

The term cult figure is difficult to define and different people may or may not qualify as cult figures by different standards.

The term usually refers to someone who is admired by a small group of fans and not by the general public or at least not for the same reasons he or she is admired by the general public. For example, Christopher Walken and Crispin Glover are both known for their acting abilities to the general public but to their cult followings, Walken is better known for his recognizable mannerisms and Glover for his strange behavior.

The term usually does not refer to a person who is both a widely celebrated figure in culture at large and the object of the acute interest of many dedicated fans, such as Johnny Cash, J.D. Salinger or George Lucas. The term also usually does not refer to a widely significant figure who is particularly important to a subculture, such as Madonna in gay culture or John Lennon in hippie and neo-hippie culture.

In some cases, a cult following is so large or so infamous that the figure becomes a household name. Examples include The Grateful Dead, Bruce Lee and Elvira. Still these people are usually considered cult figures because a relatively small group of fans are responsible for their fame.

Selected list of cult figures

Actors and actresses

• André the Giant - 6 foot, 10 inch actor and professional wrestler dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world," also the inspiration of the street art campaign André the Giant Has a Posse
• Bruce Campbell - self-proclaimed B-movie actor, known for dropping memorable one-liners as Ash in the comedy/horror film The Evil Dead and its sequels
• Mara Corday - Playboy magazine centerfold and Earl Carroll showgirl who became a "B-movie" actress in the 1950s
• Zbigniew Cybulski - actor known as the "Polish James Dean"
• Chuck Norris- actor and martial arts star, parodied often for his role on Walker, Texas Ranger.
• Divine - drag queen who starred in many underground films of John Waters
• Crispin Glover - Actor, director and general renaissance man known for his eccentric behavior
• Bruce Lee - Slim, well-toned Chinese American actor and martial artist who has become the most recognizable icon of martial arts films
• Traci Lords - Infamous underage porn star who went on to act in several non-pornographic cult films
• Chuck Norris - martial artist and actor who starred in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger and is the subject of an Internet meme attributing fantastic, often superhuman, feats and characteristics to the actor (See Chuck Norris facts).
• William Shatner - actor best known for playing the over-emotional Captain Kirk on and its film sequels. He is also known for his often mismanaged and bizarre attempts to advance his profile beyond his best-known role, including his much-satirized singing career
• Mr. T - Mohawked, jewelry-studded 1980s icon best known from the television series The A-Team and the film Rocky III, in which he said the ubiquitous catch phrase "I pity the fool." He also appeared in several kitschy educational videos in which he strangely kept-up his "tough guy" tone.
• Dyanne Thorne - actress known for playing the icecold in a series of women in prison films, currently an ordained minister
• Christopher Walken - Widely respected film actor known for his slow intonation, intense gaze and droll sense of humor, winner of Mutant Viewers' 2005 Cult Lifetime Achievement Award [link]
• Adam West - actor known for playing Batman in the campy 1960s television series and for his willingness to make odd meta-references to his best-known role and inability to escape its shadow, including his portrayal of “Mayor Adam West” on the animated series Family Guy.

Directors

• Roger Corman - Prolific producer and director of offbeat, low-budget horror films, whose resourcefulness and budgeting have been widely studied by amateur filmmakers.
• David Lynch - Director who balances Hollywood ethos with artistic surrealism, deemed "Jimmy Stewart from Mars" by Mel Brooks
• Lloyd Kaufman - co-founder of Troma Entertainment and director of low-budget films known for their plentiful nudity, gore, violence, and black humor
• John Waters - Filmmaker known for his campy style, outrageous subject matters and edgy sense of humor; his films have been both complimented and derided as in bad taste.
• Ed Wood, Jr. - Prolific director of movies that have been deemed "z-grade." Wood was named the "the worst filmmaker of all time" by The Golden Turkey Awards although some movie buffs appreciate his sheer passion for filmmaking.

Singers and musicians

• Syd Barrett - Original Pink Floyd front man and psych folk artist known for his gleeful, childlike songs; strange behavior and eventual mental breakdown
• The Grateful Dead - Long-running, psychedelic rock band known for their improvisational live shows. They have become symbols of the hippie lifestyle, especially to those who have embraced it long after it was fashionable.
• Roky Erickson - Singer/songwriter known for his fervent, growling vocals and abrasive musical techniques as leader of The 13th Floor Elevators and as a solo artist, also known for his reclusive lifestyle and erratic behavior
• Kool Keith - Prolific rapper and hip-hop producer, known for his complex, stream-of-consciousness verbal flow, raunchy lyrics, multiple onstage personas, and eccentric behavior
• William Hung - Chinese American college student who developed a cult following after he performed an off-key rendition of Ricky Martin’s "She Bangs" while auditioning for the television series American Idol.

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