QUENTIN CRISP once paid me the grand, pontifical compliment that I was "his representative here on earth." This referred to my having played him in the film of his autobiography, The Naked Civil Servant. At the time, Quentin was untraveled and 60 years old. He referred to the latter part of his expected life as "the twilight of my life." I suggested that "sunset" would be a more accurate description. He lived to be 90, and the soft light of his sunset enriched the lives of many people.
When I first met Quentin, he declared, "I don't believe in abroad--I think everyone speaks English behind our backs!" After the success of Servant, Quentin was invited to New York. So from Chelsea in London he came to the Chelsea Hotel in New York--where upon entering he declared, "Home!" If Quentin ever harbored a regret in his life, it was that he had not found New York earlier.
Servant was an extraordinary piece about an extraordinary man. A man born into seeming impossibility; not uncared for, but equally not understood. Here was a boy of charm and intellect. An enchanted creature that had no apparent place upon this earth. Where would he roam? His life has answered that question. He never wavered from his crusade. Listen he always did. Respect he always had. Love from his generous soul he always offered.
--John Hurt, actor