
Cast
Divine
Acting
Cast
Divine
Known for
Acting
Born
1945-10-19
From
Towson, Maryland, USA
Died
1988-03-07
Also known as Harris Glenn Milstead
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.

Pink Flamingos
as Divine / Babs Johnson

Disclosure
as Edna Turnblad (archive footage)

Hairspray
as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile

Polyester
as Francine Fishpaw

Tab Hunter Confidential
as Self (archive)

Multiple Maniacs
as Lady Divine

Female Trouble
as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson

Howard
as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)

Studio 54
as Self (archive footage)

Trouble in Mind
as Hilly Blue

The Cockettes
as Self (archive footage)

Out of the Dark
as Det. Langella

I Am Divine
as Self (archive)

Roman Candles
as Party Guest / Man with Scarf

Lust in the Dust
as Rosie Velez

Mondo Trasho
as Divine / Greaser in Alley

Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
as Self (archive)

In Bad Taste
as Self (archive footage)

Starz Inside: In the Gutter
as Self (archive)

The Diane Linkletter Story
as Diane Linkletter

Divine Trash
as Self

Underground and Emigrants
as Self

Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco
as Self (archive footage)

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

Night Flight: Born Again
as Self

Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
as Self

Soul Ache
as Actriz cantante (Singer actress)

The British Guide to Showing Off
as Self (archive footage)

Tally Brown, New York

Divine Waters
as Self

Uncle Bob
as Self

The Neon Woman
as Flash Storm (archive footage)

Eat Your Makeup
as Jacqueline Kennedy

Too Disgusting To Be Confused
as Self

Divine: Shoot Your Shot

The Alternative Miss World
as Self - Guest of Honour

Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
as Self

Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
as Self

DIVINE R.I.P.
as Self (archive footage)

My Life with the Waters
as Self

Divine: Live at the Hacienda

Discolocos
as Self (archive footage)

The Sex of Death e o Homem Invisível
as Singer (archive footage)

Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
as Self (archive footage)