Divine
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 19, 1945
- Died
- March 7, 1988 (aged 42)
- Birthplace
- Towson, Maryland, USA
Biography
Divine (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 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
Photos
Filmography
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
Movie
New Line: Independent Legacies
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Too Disgusting To Be Confused
Movie · as Self
My Life with the Waters
Movie · as Self
Disclosure
Movie · as Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
Howard
Movie · as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
Movie · as Self
Studio 54
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
Movie · as Self (archive)
Crime and Beauty: Remembering "Female Trouble"
Movie · as Self (archive)
Discolocos
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Night Flight: Born Again
Movie · as Self
Tab Hunter Confidential
Movie · as Self (archive)
I Am Divine
Movie · as Self (archive)
Cachitos de hierro y cromo
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
The Sex of Death e o Homem Invisível
Movie · as Singer (archive footage)
The British Guide to Showing Off
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Uncle Bob
Movie · as Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter
Movie · as Self (archive)
DIVINE R.I.P.
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Roots of 'Hairspray'
Movie · as Self (archive)
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
TV · as Self · 4 eps
Sex 'n' Pop
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 6 eps
The Cockettes
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Divine Trash
Movie · as Self
In Bad Taste
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Soul Ache
Movie · as Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
Movie
Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Neon Woman
Movie · as Flash Storm (archive footage)
Out of the Dark
Movie · as Det. Langella
Hairspray
Movie · as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
Movie · as Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
Movie · as Self
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
Movie · as Self
Trouble in Mind
Movie · as Hilly Blue
Lust in the Dust
Movie · as Rosie Velez
Divine Waters
Movie · as Self
Tales from the Darkside
TV · 1 ep
Late Night with David Letterman
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Polyester
Movie · as Francine Fishpaw
The Alternative Miss World
Movie · as Self - Guest of Honour
Tally Brown, New York
Movie
Female Trouble
Movie · as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Underground and Emigrants
Movie · as Self
Pink Flamingos
Movie · as Divine / Babs Johnson
Multiple Maniacs
Movie · as Lady Divine
The Diane Linkletter Story
Movie · as Diane Linkletter
Mondo Trasho
Movie · as Divine / Greaser in Alley
Eat Your Makeup
Movie · as Jacqueline Kennedy
Roman Candles
Movie · as Party Guest / Man with Scarf