Divine

Divine

Birthdate
October 19, 1945 (79 years old)
Place of Birth
Towson, Maryland, USA
Date of Death
March 7, 1988
Known For
Acting

Details

Birthdate
October 19, 1945 (79 years old)
Place of Birth
Towson, Maryland, USA
Date of Death
March 7, 1988
Known For
Acting

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.

Divine's LGBTQ+ Titles

Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos
Divine / Babs Johnson
Hairspray
Hairspray
Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
Female Trouble
Female Trouble
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Studio 54
Studio 54
Self (archive footage)
I Am Divine
I Am Divine
Self (archive footage)
Tab Hunter Confidential
Tab Hunter Confidential
Self (archive footage)
Multiple Maniacs
Multiple Maniacs
Lady Divine
Lust in the Dust
Lust in the Dust
Rosie Velez

Acting (46)

My Life with the Waters as Self
2020
Disclosure as Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
2018
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
2018
Studio 54 as Self (archive footage)
2018
Howard as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
2016
Discolocos as Self (archive footage)
2016
Night Flight: Born Again as Self
2015
Tab Hunter Confidential as Self (archive footage)
2013
Cachitos de hierro y cromo as Self (archive footage) (1 episode)
2013
I Am Divine as Self (archive footage)
2011
The British Guide to Showing Off as Self (archive footage)
2010
Uncle Bob as Self
2010
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self (archive footage)
2007
DIVINE R.I.P. as Self (archive footage)
2005
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop as Self (4 episodes)
2004
Sex 'n' Pop as Self (archive footage) (6 episodes)
2002
The Cockettes as Self (archive footage)
2000
Divine Trash as Self
2000
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda as Self (archive footage)
1999
In Bad Taste as Self (archive footage)
1998
Soul Ache as Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
1995
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
1994
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
1992
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music as Self (archive footage)
1990
The Neon Woman as Flash Storm (archive footage)
1988
The Incredibly Strange Film Show as Self (1 episode)
1988
Out of the Dark as Det. Langella
1988
Hairspray as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
1987
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology as Self
1987
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1 as Self
1987
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3 as Self
1985
Trouble in Mind as Hilly Blue
1985
Lust in the Dust as Rosie Velez
1985
Divine Waters as Self
1984
Tales from the Darkside (1 episode)
1981
Polyester as Francine Fishpaw
1980
The Alternative Miss World as Self - Guest of Honour
1979
Tally Brown, New York
1976
Underground and Emigrants as Self
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

Writing (2)

1994
Divine: Live at the Hacienda • Writer
• Writer
1970
The Diane Linkletter Story • Writer
• Writer

Crew (1)

1988
Out of the Dark • In Memory Of
• In Memory Of