Divine
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Oct 19, 1945
- Died
- Mar 7, 1988 (aged 42)
- Place of birth
- Towson, Maryland, USA
- Credits
- 53
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
Pink Flamingos
1972Movie
Divine / Babs Johnson
Hairspray
1988Movie
Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
Female Trouble
1976Movie
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Polyester
1981Movie
Francine Fishpaw
Disclosure
2020Movie
Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
Multiple Maniacs
1970Movie
Lady Divine
Filmography
Too Disgusting To Be Confused
2025Movie
Self
My Life with the Waters
2021Movie
Self
Disclosure
2020Movie
Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
2018Movie
Self
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
2018Movie
Self (archive)
Crime and Beauty: Remembering "Female Trouble"
2018Movie
Self (archive)
Studio 54
2018Movie
Self (archive footage)
Howard
2018Movie
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
Discolocos
2016Movie
Self (archive footage)
Night Flight: Born Again
2016Movie
Self
Tab Hunter Confidential
2015Movie
Self (archive)
I Am Divine
2014Movie
Self (archive)
Cachitos de hierro y cromo
2013TV
Self (archive footage)
The Sex of Death e o Homem Invisível
2012Movie
Singer (archive footage)
The British Guide to Showing Off
2011Movie
Self (archive footage)
Uncle Bob
2010Movie
Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter
2008Movie
Self (archive)
The Roots of 'Hairspray'
2007Movie
Self (archive)
DIVINE R.I.P.
2007Movie
Self (archive footage)
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
2005TV
Self
Sex 'n' Pop
2004TV
Self (archive footage)
The Cockettes
2002Movie
Self (archive footage)
Divine Trash
2000Movie
Self
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
2000Movie
Self (archive footage)
In Bad Taste
1999Movie
Self (archive footage)
Soul Ache
1998Movie
Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
1995Movie
Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco
1992Movie
Self (archive footage)
The Neon Woman
1990Movie
Flash Storm (archive footage)
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
1988TV
Self
Out of the Dark
1988Movie
Det. Langella
Hairspray
1988Movie
Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
1987Movie
Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
1987Movie
Self
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
1987Movie
Self
Trouble in Mind
1985Movie
Hilly Blue
Lust in the Dust
1985Movie
Rosie Velez
Divine Waters
1985Movie
Self
Tales from the Darkside
1984TV
Late Night with David Letterman
1982TV
Self - Guest
Polyester
1981Movie
Francine Fishpaw
The Alternative Miss World
1980Movie
Self - Guest of Honour
Tally Brown, New York
1979Movie
Underground and Emigrants
1976Movie
Self
Female Trouble
1976Movie
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Pink Flamingos
1972Movie
Divine / Babs Johnson
Multiple Maniacs
1970Movie
Lady Divine
The Diane Linkletter Story
1970Movie
Diane Linkletter
Mondo Trasho
1969Movie
Divine / Greaser in Alley
Eat Your Makeup
1968Movie
Jacqueline Kennedy
Roman Candles
1967Movie
Party Guest / Man with Scarf
New Line: Independent Legacies
Movie
Self (archive footage)
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
Movie