By Jenna Jarrah
In the early 80s, Denise Bella Vlasis never thought her work visiting children in foster homes and hospitals dressed as Madonna would launch her a career as the top Madonna impersonator in Hollywood.
Dressing up as Madonna was something she started doing at the request of her mom, Vlasis says, as a source of entertainment for children in foster homes and hospitals.
“I was already a dancer and actress. These facilities wanted entertainment for the kids, and my mom, who was working with them, asked me if I could dress up like the girl everyone thought I was and come and dance,” she recalled.
The girl everyone thought Vlasis was, is the pop-star Madonna who at the time was emerging as a major Hollywood It-girl, and would later become a cultural phenomenon that defined the 80s and 90s.
“As Madonna became more popular, submissions for Madonna parts or Madonna types started to come in,” said Vlasis.
Madonna impersonator Denise Bella Vlasis’ memoir Dear Madonna covers her 40 years portraying Madonna. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Throughout her 42-year career, she has worked as a double for Madonna. She has been cast for roles as a body double and a stand-in in shows on MTV, Disney, Entertainment Tonight, and worked with the pop-star on her Madame X tour.
Vlasis is the author of three books about her career. Her first book, Made You Look, was written in the late 80s when she was “working as Madonna everyday.”
“I would get all these questions on how to be an impersonator and how I got into this line of work, so I decided to compile all my steps and put it into a book, with the intention of helping people break into the industry,” Vlasis said.
Her second book, You’ve Got the Look, was a sequel to Made You Look. Her third book, Dear Madonna, which was inspired by her daughter Sophia, is a homage to the pop-star who Vlasis said “changed her life.” The book was made into a documentary by Vlasis’ daughter, who is an aspiring filmmaker.
“It’s an interesting perspective to have had the interactions with people who think I’m her, with me knowing that I’m not her,” Vlasis said.
As a well-connected impersonator in the entertainment industry, Vlasis would receive “tons of calls” from agents asking to be connected to other individuals who were celebrity impersonators. At the recommendation of a friend, in 1987 she established Tribute Productions.
And more recently, in May of 2025, she was named the Guinness World Record holder for the longest career as a Madonna impersonator.
“I collected all my work, the interviews, the articles, and photos from every month of every year since 1984,” Vlasis said. “I really never intended to have a career this long, but the work always presented itself to me, so I would take it.”
Vlasis describes her career as Madonna as heartfelt and joyous, and plans to work as Madonna for as long as she is able to.