Who Is America's Most Beloved Cross-Dressing Male Movie Star?

4. Martin Lawrence, Big Momma's House ($117M)

Tyler Perry might have conjured a cultural movement with his Madea character, but he has Martin Lawrence to thank for leading the cross-dressing charge in contemporary comedy. (Lawrence, in turn, can thank Eddie Murphy for leading the fat-suited revolution with his 1996 vehicle The Nutty Professor.) 2000's Big Momma's House introduced audiences to Lawrence's undercover FBI agent Malcolm Turner, who pulls a Mrs. Doubtfire to catch a criminal. Big Momma's House notched a surprising $117M domestic box office, kicking off a franchise that continued with the less successful sequel Big Momma's House 2 ($70M domestic/$138M worldwide). Does the series have enough juice to propel a second sequel, this week's Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, to the top of the box office? A better question: Doesn't franchise newcomer Brandon T. Jackson deserve a better fate than this?

3. John Travolta, Hairspray ($118M)

John Travolta's gender-bending turn in the 2007 remake Hairspray may not have been the main attraction, but it was a scene-stealing performance nonetheless. The family-friendly update of John Waters' 1988 comedy featured Travolta in the role made legendary by Divine, and though Travolta didn't quite fill Divine's pumps, his be-wigged, fat-suited turn was an oddity and an attraction that helped boost the musical to a $118M domestic box office.

2. Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie ($177M)

In Tootsie, aging actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) moonlights as an actress and becomes a popular soap opera star -- a premise copied liberally in subsequent cross-dressing comedies, but overwhelmingly appreciated by American audiences upon its release in 1982. The difference between Tootsie and, say, Juwanna Mann? Tootsie notched ten Oscar nods, including a Best Supporting Actress win for Jessica Lange. The acclaim helped the Sydney Pollack-directed pic reign over the box office for a whopping 13 weeks; it eventually racked up a $177M domestic box office return.

1. Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire ($219M)

If you're Tyler Perry, here's who you should be studying: Robin Williams, whose turn as the lovable, plump housekeeper Mrs. Doubtfire (really an estranged father who disguises himself in drag to spend time with his children) won over America's hearts and pocketbooks during the 1993 holiday season. After debuting over Thanksgiving weekend, the Chris Columbus pic held a spot in the Top 10 for 19 weeks on its way to a whopping $219M domestic performance -- and, just as impressively, Mrs. Doubtfire earned even more ($222M) overseas, making Robin Williams not only America's favorite cross-dressing male star of all time, but also the entire world's.

Box office reports courtesy of Box Office Mojo

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