Known For
Acting
Born
Oct 19, 1945
Died
Mar 07, 1988
Place of Birth
Towson, Maryland, USA
Credits
53 titles
Divine
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
Filmography
Too Disgusting To Be Confused
Self
My Life with the Waters
Self
Disclosure
Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
Self
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
Self (archive)
Crime and Beauty: Remembering "Female Trouble"
Self (archive)
Studio 54
Self (archive footage)
Howard
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
Discolocos
Self (archive footage)
Night Flight: Born Again
Self
Tab Hunter Confidential
Self (archive)
I Am Divine
Self (archive)
Cachitos de hierro y cromo
Self (archive footage)
The Sex of Death e o Homem Invisível
Singer (archive footage)
The British Guide to Showing Off
Self (archive footage)
Uncle Bob
Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter
Self (archive)
The Roots of 'Hairspray'
Self (archive)
DIVINE R.I.P.
Self (archive footage)
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
Self
Sex 'n' Pop
Self (archive footage)
The Cockettes
Self (archive footage)
Divine Trash
Self
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
Self (archive footage)
In Bad Taste
Self (archive footage)
Soul Ache
Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco
Self (archive footage)
The Neon Woman
Flash Storm (archive footage)
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
Self
Out of the Dark
Det. Langella
Hairspray
Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
Self
Trouble in Mind
Hilly Blue
Lust in the Dust
Rosie Velez
Divine Waters
Self
Tales from the Darkside
Late Night with David Letterman
Self - Guest
Polyester
Francine Fishpaw
The Alternative Miss World
Self - Guest of Honour
Tally Brown, New York
Underground and Emigrants
Self
Female Trouble
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Pink Flamingos
Divine / Babs Johnson
Multiple Maniacs
Lady Divine
The Diane Linkletter Story
Diane Linkletter
Mondo Trasho
Divine / Greaser in Alley