Divine

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1945-10-19

Deathday 1988-03-07 (42 years old)

Place of Birth Towson, Maryland, USA

Also Known As Harris Glenn Milstead

Divine

Biography

Divine (19 October 1945 – 7 March 1988), né Harris Glenn Milstead, was an American actor, singer and drag queen. Described by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century", Divine often performed female roles in both cinema and theater and also appeared in women's clothing in musical performances. Even so, he considered himself to be a character actor and performed male roles in a number of his later films. He was often associated with independent filmmaker John Waters and starred in ten of Waters's films, usually in a leading role. Concurrent with his acting career, he also had a successful career as a disco singer during the 1980s, at one point being described as "the most successful and in-demand disco performer in the world." Born in Baltimore, Maryland, into a conservative, wealthy middle class family, he became involved with John Waters and his acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, in the mid-1960s and starred in a number of Waters's early films such as Mondo Trasho, Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. These films have since become cult classics. In the 1970s, Milstead made the transition to theater and appeared in a number of productions, including Women Behind Bars and The Neon Woman, while continuing to star in such films as Polyester, Lust in the Dust and Hairspray. The New York Times said of Milstead's '80s films: "Those who could get past the unremitting weirdness of Divine's performance discovered that the actor/actress had genuine talent, including a natural sense of comic timing and an uncanny gift for slapstick." He was also described as "one of the few truly radical and essential artists of the century… was an audacious symbol of man's quest for liberty and freedom." Since his death, Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly with those in the LGBT community.

Known For

Actor

2020
Disclosure

as Edna Turnblad (archive footage)

2018
Studio 54

as Self (archive footage)

2018
Howard

as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)

2016
Discolocos

as Self (archive footage)

2015
Tab Hunter Confidential

as Self (archive footage)

2013
I Am Divine

as Self (archive footage)

2013
Cachitos de hierro y cromo

as Self (archive footage)

2011
The British Guide to Showing Off

as Self (archive footage)

2010
Uncle Bob

as Self

2010
2007
DIVINE R.I.P.

as Self (archive footage)

2004
Sex 'n' Pop

as Self (archive footage)

2002
The Cockettes

as Self (archive footage)

2000
Divine Trash

as Self

1999
In Bad Taste

as Self (archive footage)

1998
Soul Ache

as Actriz cantante (Singer actress)

1992
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music

as Self (archive footage)

1990
The Neon Woman

as Flash Storm (archive footage)

1988
Out of the Dark

as Det. Langella

1988
Hairspray

as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile

1985
Trouble in Mind

as Hilly Blue

1985
Lust in the Dust

as Rosie Velez

1985
1981
Polyester

as Francine Fishpaw

1980
The Alternative Miss World

as Self - Guest of Honour

1974
Female Trouble

as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson

1972
Pink Flamingos

as Divine / Babs Johnson

1970
Multiple Maniacs

as Lady Divine

1970
The Diane Linkletter Story

as Diane Linkletter

1969
Mondo Trasho

as Divine / Greaser in Alley

1968
Eat Your Makeup

as Jacqueline Kennedy

1967
Roman Candles

as Party Guest / Man with Scarf

Crew

1988
Out of the Dark

as In Memory Of