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.
Filmography
all 52
Movies 46
self 35
TV Shows 6
Disclosure (2020)
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends (2018)
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’ (2018)
Studio 54 (2018)
Howard (2018)
Discolocos (2016)
Night Flight: Born Again (2016)
Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
Cachitos de hierro y cromo (2013)
I Am Divine (2013)
The British Guide to Showing Off (2011)
Uncle Bob (2010)
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)
Arias With a Twist (2010)
DIVINE R.I.P. (2007)
Here’s Looking at You, Boy (2007)
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema (2006)
Sex 'n' Pop (2004)
The Cockettes (2002)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda (2000)
In Bad Taste (1999)
Soul Ache (1998)
Divine Trash (1998)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot (1995)
Divine: Live at the Hacienda (1994)
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music (1992)
The Neon Woman (1990)
The Incredibly Strange Film Show (1988)
The Incredibly Strange Film Show: John Waters (1988)
Out of the Dark (1988)
Hairspray (1988)
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology (1987)
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3 (1987)
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1 (1987)
Trouble in Mind (1985)
Lust in the Dust (1985)
Divine Waters (1985)
Tales from the Darkside (1984)
Night Flight (1981)
Polyester (1981)
The Alternative Miss World (1980)
Tally Brown, New York (1979)
Underground and Emigrants (1976)
Female Trouble (1974)
Pink Flamingos (1972)
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Roman Candles (1967)
My Life with the Waters
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
Ratings
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1945-10-19
Deathday1988-03-07 (42 years old)
Birth NameHarris Glenn Milstead
Birth PlaceBaltimore, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
ResidencesLos Angeles, United States of America
Also Known AsHarris Glenn Milstead
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