CineScope
Divine picture

Divine

Acting
Known For

42 Years Old

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.

Born

Towson, Maryland, USA on 19th October 1945

Died

7th March 1988

All Credits

Cachitos de hierro y cromo Image
Cachitos de hierro y cromo
Self (archive footage)
Tales from the Darkside Image
Tales from the Darkside
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop Image
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
Self
Sex 'n' Pop Image
Sex 'n' Pop
Self (archive footage)
Pink Flamingos Image
Pink Flamingos
Divine / Babs Johnson
Disclosure Image
Disclosure
Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
Hairspray Image
Hairspray
Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
The Incredibly Strange Film Show Image
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
Self
Studio 54 Image
Studio 54
Self (archive footage)
Howard Image
Howard
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
Tab Hunter Confidential Image
Tab Hunter Confidential
Self (archive footage)
Polyester Image
Polyester
Francine Fishpaw
Female Trouble Image
Female Trouble
Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Lust in the Dust Image
Lust in the Dust
Rosie Velez
Soul Ache Image
Soul Ache
Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
Out of the Dark Image
Out of the Dark
Det. Langella
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends Image
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
Trouble in Mind Image
Trouble in Mind
Hilly Blue
In Bad Taste Image
In Bad Taste
Self (archive footage)
Multiple Maniacs Image
Multiple Maniacs
Lady Divine
Night Flight: Born Again Image
Night Flight: Born Again
Self
I Am Divine Image
I Am Divine
Self (archive footage)
The Cockettes Image
The Cockettes
Self (archive footage)
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3 Image
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1 Image
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
Self
The Diane Linkletter Story Image
The Diane Linkletter Story
Diane Linkletter
Uncle Bob Image
Uncle Bob
Self
No Image
Roman Candles
Party Guest / Man with Scarf
The Neon Woman Image
The Neon Woman
Flash Storm (archive footage)
Divine Trash Image
Divine Trash
Self
The Alternative Miss World Image
The Alternative Miss World
Self - Guest of Honour
Divine Waters Image
Divine Waters
Self
Mondo Trasho Image
Mondo Trasho
Divine / Greaser in Alley
The British Guide to Showing Off Image
The British Guide to Showing Off
Self (archive footage)
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music Image
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music
Self (archive footage)
Underground and Emigrants Image
Underground and Emigrants
Self
Divine: Shoot Your Shot Image
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
Queen: Magic Years  - A Visual Anthology Image
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
Self
Tally Brown, New York Image
Tally Brown, New York
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda Image
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
Self (archive footage)
No Image
My Life with the Waters
Self
Eat Your Makeup Image
Eat Your Makeup
Jacqueline Kennedy
Divine: Live at the Hacienda Image
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
Discolocos Image
Discolocos
Self (archive footage)
DIVINE R.I.P. Image
DIVINE R.I.P.
Self (archive footage)