Candis Cayne

(UPDATED: March 14, 2012)

Even in this day and age, actress Candis Cayne of "Dirty Sexy Money" fame was capable of doing something most others only wish for- a major character in a primetime TV series. She is a beautiful lady with a great deal of talent and personality. She, however... was born a he. Candis Cayne is a Hawaiian girl who was born as a Hawaiian boy named Brendan McDaniel in Maui, Hawaii. Brendan has a fraternal twin named Dylan McDaniel. I would say she is someone who really provides hope for the transgendered community as far as being in a major role like her role as Carmelita Rainer in "Dirty Sexy Money." It is perhaps even more intriguing that this is a transgendered woman in a major primetime TV series. And for the record, I have NEVER seen a single episode of "Dirty Sexy Money" on TV. This blog entry is a digest piece on the actress so sweet, she has a sweet name- the Hawaiian candy cane known as Candis Cayne.

--- Candis Cayne ---

Here is a look at the transgendered actress:

^ from: skywaterblue.livejournal.com, by way of thesun.co.uk - Candis Cayne in a fabulous photo shoot.

(most information here according to Wikipedia and IMDb)

Most know Candis Cayne as Carmelita Rainer, the transgendered girlfriend of a character named Patrick Baldwin in ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money." She has also played other roles in other different series and titles. The least of which include "Drop Dead Diva" as Allison Webb and Alexis Stone in "Nip/Tuck," But way back in 1995, Candis was still Brendan McDaniel in "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar."

Again, I think for a transgendered woman to land a major role in a hit primetime TV series is certainly groundbreaking. It shows how far we've come along as people and how far the entertainment business has come along. The one thing I take away from Candis' acting roles is that it comes down to talent and personality. Before Candis Cayne is anything else or any other label, she is an actress first and foremost. Actresses act. Her acting skill and talent was enough to land her a role like what she got in "Dirty Sexy Money" among other roles. Candis Cayne having this kind of transparency in mainstream media only makes this deal as sweet as her name.

--- Candis Cayne and the LGBT Community ---

Candis Cayne is a tour de force in the LGBT community. Before acting, the 5'10" actress has been part of the female impersonation scene in New York City. Candis even won the 2001 Miss Continental USA pageant for female impersonators. Like most other transgendered people (let alone M2F transgenders), she cares more about just living a happy and free life as anyone else without the label of "transgender" attached to her. Despite this, she calls the LGBT community as "the last great minority" and is very much involved with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Here is a public service announcement Candis did back in 2008 GLAAD:



I know Candis Cayne said that she's not trying to be some spokeswoman for the TG community, but I think if she can achieve this level of popularity, this would give almost any transgendered person hope in helping give that person a chance to accomplish his/her dreams. It all comes down to talent and having enough talent to land a major role in a major TV series/show or movie. The label of "transgender" usually gets some people riled up just because of the usage of a certain label to describe someone not of their birth gender.

--- What Would I Tell Candis Cayne (If She Were to Read This)? ---

Keep up the great work with all that you do. You are an inspiration for many people through your tireless efforts in various forms of media. You are a great person and a great personality to us all. Perhaps the name Candis is a great one because you're as sweet as candy as an actress and in other aspects of life.





Want you some more Candis Cayne? Here are some links you can look up online:

• Candis Cayne official home page
• Candis Cayne on IMDb
• Candis Cayne on Myspace
• Candis Cayne on TV.com
• Candis Cayne on TVGuide.com

Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
• Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)