Divine

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

46

Gender

Male

Birthday

1945-10-19

Day of death

1988-03-07 (42 years old)

Place of Birth

Towson, Maryland, USA

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

  • Tales from the Darkside

    Tales from the Darkside

  • Female Trouble

    Female Trouble

  • Pink Flamingos

    Pink Flamingos

  • Cachitos de hierro y cromo

    Cachitos de hierro y cromo

  • In Bad Taste

    In Bad Taste

  • The Alternative Miss World

    The Alternative Miss World

  • The Incredibly Strange Film Show

    The Incredibly Strange Film Show

  • Trouble in Mind

    Trouble in Mind

  • Hairspray

    Hairspray

  • Disclosure

    Disclosure

  • Tally Brown, New York

    Tally Brown, New York

  • I Am Divine

    I Am Divine

  • Studio 54

    Studio 54

  • Mondo Trasho

    Mondo Trasho

  • Divine Trash

    Divine Trash

  • Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3

    Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3

  • Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1

    Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1

  • Underground and Emigrants

    Underground and Emigrants

  • Soul Ache

    Soul Ache

  • The Neon Woman

    The Neon Woman

  • Out of the Dark

    Out of the Dark

  • Night Flight: Born Again

    Night Flight: Born Again

  • Multiple Maniacs

    Multiple Maniacs

  • The British Guide to Showing Off

    The British Guide to Showing Off

  • Polyester

    Polyester

  • The Cockettes

    The Cockettes

  • Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop

    Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop

  • Lust in the Dust

    Lust in the Dust

  • Tab Hunter Confidential

    Tab Hunter Confidential

  • Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco

    Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco

  • Roman Candles

    Roman Candles

  • Howard

    Howard

  • My Life with the Waters

    My Life with the Waters

  • BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends

    BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends

  • Sex 'n' Pop

    Sex 'n' Pop

  • Divine Waters

    Divine Waters

  • The Diane Linkletter Story

    The Diane Linkletter Story

  • Too Disgusting To Be Confused

    Too Disgusting To Be Confused

  • Eat Your Makeup

    Eat Your Makeup

  • Uncle Bob

    Uncle Bob

  • Queen: Magic Years  - A Visual Anthology

    Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology

  • DIVINE R.I.P.

    DIVINE R.I.P.

  • Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda

    Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda

  • Divine: Shoot Your Shot

    Divine: Shoot Your Shot

  • Divine: Live at the Hacienda

    Divine: Live at the Hacienda

  • Discolocos

    Discolocos