Landon Cider

{{Infobox person

| name = Landon Cider

| image = Boulet Brothers Season 3 Cast (crop 6) (cropped).jpeg

| caption = Landon Cider in promotional artwork for season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, 2019

| birth_name = Kristine Bellaluna

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| occupation = Drag king, actor, host

| spouse = Gabi

| website = {{URL|landoncider.com}}

}}

Landon Cider (born Kristine Bellaluna) is an American drag king, actor and host. He won season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula and was crowned the "World's Next Drag Supermonster".

Early life and background

Kristine Bellaluna was born and raised in Los Angeles, and performs under the name Landon Cider.{{cite news|url=https://www.themarysue.com/dragula-landon-cider-drag-king-winner/|title=It's About Time: Dragula Winner Landon Cider and the History of Drag Kings|date=November 4, 2019|first=Brittany|last=Knupper|website=The Mary Sue|accessdate=January 17, 2021}} Bellaluna began her career as a theatre actor in Southern California. She took a hiatus from theatre following the death of her mother, and later became interested in drag after attending drag shows at the Starlette Revue.{{Cite web|title=The Making of a King: Documentarian Focuses on Long Beach Subculture-Within-a-Subculture • Long Beach Post News|url=https://lbpost.com/news/lgbtq/the-making-of-a-king-documentarian-focuses-on-long-beach-drag-king-culture|access-date=2020-09-24|website=lbpost.com|date=26 August 2013 }} In an interview with Gay Times, Cider cited male impersonator Vesta Tilley, Australian drag king Sexy Galexy and lesbian icon Stormé DeLarverie as inspirations.{{Cite web|date=2019-11-06|title=The Boulet Brothers' Dragula winner Landon Cider on why drag kings are "more ironic" than drag queens|url=http://gaytimes.co.uk/culture/129272/the-boulet-brothers-dragula-winner-landon-cider-on-why-drag-kings-are-more-ironic-than-drag-queens/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=GAY TIMES|language=en-US}}

Career

Landon Cider began his career performing in the Southern California drag circuit, where he became one of the more well known drag kings.{{Cite web|date=2018-11-08|title=Learning to Be a Man in the World of Drag Kings|url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/learning-to-be-a-man-in-the-world-of-drag-kings|access-date=2020-09-24|website=MEL Magazine|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Lauren|first=Paige|title=Front Paige News: Landon Cider -|url=https://werrrk.com/2018/07/19/landon-cider/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=werrrk.com|date=19 July 2018 |language=en-US}} He performs Drag King Explosion at Hamburger Mary's.{{Cite web|date=2019-07-16|title=Are Drag Queens Hogging the Stage in LA?|url=https://thepridela.smmirror.com/2019/07/are-drag-queens-hogging-the-stage-in-la/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=The Pride LA|language=en-US}} He is the master of ceremonies for the annual Los Angeles event series Bent, which celebrates drag and queer identities.{{Cite book|last=Heller|first=Meredith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ay3JDwAAQBAJ&q=landon+cider&pg=PT179|title=Queering Drag: Redefining the Discourse of Gender-Bending|date=2020-01-21|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-04567-6|language=en}}

Cider was the main focus of Nicole Miyahara's 2013 documentary The Making of a King.

Cider began working with World of Wonder in 2016 and appeared on James St. James' Transformations.{{Cite web|title=Drag Me: Spotlight on the Kings|url=https://www.kxsu.org/2019/05/15/drag-me-spotlight-on-the-kings/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=KXSU 102.1 FM|language=en-US}} He later hosted the first King Panel at DragCon.{{Cite web|title=INTRODUCING: LANDON CIDER|url=http://www.alrightdarling.com/ad-online-1/2016/12/19/introducing-landon-cider|access-date=2020-09-24|website=ALRIGHT DARLING|language=en-US|archive-date=2019-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917103827/http://www.alrightdarling.com/ad-online-1/2016/12/19/introducing-landon-cider|url-status=dead}} Cider wrote an op-ed for The Advocate, criticizing RuPaul's position that females performing drag does not have the irony that males performing drag does.{{Cite web|date=2016-09-01|title=Dear 'Drag Race': It's Time to Let Kings Compete|url=http://www.advocate.com/television/2016/9/01/dear-drag-race-its-time-let-kings-compete|access-date=2020-09-24|website=www.advocate.com|language=en}}

In 2019, Cider joined the cast of season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, becoming the first drag king to appear on an American drag competition show.{{Cite magazine|date=2019-10-29|title=Landon Cider, the First Drag King to Appear On a U.S. Drag Competition Show, Wins 'Dragula' Season 3|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8541256/dragula-season-3-winner-landon-cider|access-date=2020-09-24|magazine=Billboard}} He won the season and was crowned the "World's Next Drag Supermonster" by the Boulet Brothers.{{Cite web|last=Owens|first=Paige|date=2019-10-29|title=Landon Cider crowned Boulet Brothers' 'Dragula' season 3 winner|url=https://www.altpress.com/features/dragula-season-3-winner-landon-cider-boulet-brothers/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Alternative Press|language=en-US}}

Cider was also a judge on Alaska Thunderfuck's "Drag Queen of the Year Pageant" that year.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-28|title=This Is the Queen That Won Alaska's Drag Queen of the Year Pageant|url=https://www.out.com/drag/2019/5/28/queen-won-alaskas-drag-queen-year-pageant|access-date=2020-09-24|website=www.out.com|language=en}} He was listed on Pride Magazine's "11 Drag Kings You Should Definitely Know About".{{Cite web|date=2018-03-22|title=11 Drag Kings You Should Definitely Know About|url=https://www.pride.com/entertainment/2018/3/22/11-drag-kings-you-should-definitely-know-about|access-date=2020-09-24|website=www.pride.com|language=en}}

In February 2020, Cider hosted Pride Union's 18th Annual Drag Show Finals with Manila Luzon.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-21|title=Pride Union hosts 18th annual Drag Show Finals|url=http://www.sww.dailyorange.com/2020/02/pride-union-hosts-18th-annual-drag-show-finals/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=The Daily Orange|language=en-US}}

Landon Cider hosts Socially Distant, a digital drag livestream. The show aired on April 2, 2020, and featured drag artists such as Hugo Grrrl and Charli Deville.{{Cite web|date=2020-04-01|title=Your Quarantine Needs More Drag Kings|url=https://www.papermag.com/landon-cider-socially-distant-livestream-2645608632.html?rebelltitem=7#rebelltitem7?rebelltitem=7|access-date=2020-09-23|website=PAPER|language=en}} He was featured on the HBO reality television show We're Here.{{Cite web|title=We're Here: The Fantasy Comes Together With Landon Cider (Episode 5 Clip) {{!}} HBO|url=https://popaxiom.com/were-here-the-fantasy-comes-together-with-landon-cider-episode-5-clip-hbo/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Popaxiom|date=22 May 2020|language=en-US}} Cider appeared in the 2020 book Rainbow Revolutions by Magnus Hastings.{{Cite book|last=Hastings|first=Magnus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WLyDwAAQBAJ|title=Rainbow Revolution|date=2020-11-24|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1-7972-0818-3|language=en}}

In September 2022, it was announced that Cider would be starring in the Hulu original variety special Huluween Dragstravaganza, which aired on October 1, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Trainor |first=Daniel |date=September 21, 2022 |title=Watch Kesha & Some Drag Legends In Trailer for Halloween Musical - E! Online |url=https://www.eonline.com/amp/news/1347116/kesha-and-a-bunch-of-drag-legends-join-forces-in-trailer-for-hulus-new-halloween-special |access-date=October 1, 2022 |website=E Online}}{{Cite web |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |date=September 14, 2022 |title=Monét X Change, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, more join Hulu's Huluween Dragstravaganza Halloween special |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mon-t-x-change-ginger-153100806.html |access-date=September 14, 2022 |website=Yahoo! Entertainment |language=en-US}}

Cider appears as a regular judge in the second season of the Canadian drag competition series Call Me Mother.{{Cite magazine |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |title='Dragula' winner Landon Cider joins 'Call Me Mother' season 2 as judge |url=https://ew.com/tv/landon-cider-joins-call-me-mother-season-2-as-judge/ |access-date=2022-10-18 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014173315/https://ew.com/tv/landon-cider-joins-call-me-mother-season-2-as-judge/ |url-status=live }} Cider was then announced as a rotating judge for the fifth season of Dragula.{{Cite web |title=The Boulet Brothers Announce Fifth and 'Best-Looking' Season of 'The Boulet Brothers' Dragula' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/the-boulet-brothers-dragula-season-5-premiere-date-announced-7971412 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}

Personal life

Bellaluna is a survivor of oral cancer. She identifies as a lesbian, and has a wife named Gabi.

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

2013

|The Making of a King

|Himself

|Documentary

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
{{nowrap\|Year}} ! {{nowrap\|Title}} ! {{nowrap\|Role}} ! {{nowrap\|class="unsortable" \| Notes}}
2019 \| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula \| Contestant \| Season 3, Winner (10 episodes)
2020 \| We're Here \| Himself \| Guest (Season 1, episode 5)
2021 \| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula \| Himself \| Guest judge (Season 4, episode 6)
rowspan="2"\|2022 \| Huluween Dragstravaganza \| Himself \| Variety special (1 episode)
Call Me Mother \| Judge \| Season 2 (9 episodes)
2023 \|The Boulet Brothers' Dragula \|Judge \|Season 5

class="wikitable sortable"

! {{nowrap|Title}}

! {{nowrap|Role}}

! {{nowrap|class="unsortable" | Notes}}

2019

| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula

| Contestant

| Season 3, Winner (10 episodes)

2020

| We're Here

| Himself

| Guest (Season 1, episode 5)