Harris Glenn Milstead (October 19, 1945 â€" March 7, 1988), better
known by his stage name Divine, was an American actor, singer, and
drag queen. Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John
Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles
in cinematic and theatrical productions, and adopted a female drag
persona for his music career.Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a
conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest
in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he
had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters,
who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline of "the most beautiful
woman in the world, almost." Along with his friend David Lochary,
Divine joined Waters' acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, and adopted
female roles for their experimental short films Roman Candles (1966),
Eat Your Makeup (1968), and The Diane Linkletter Story (1969). Again
in drag, he took a lead role in both of Waters' early full-length
movies, Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970), the latter of
which began to attract press attention for the group. Divine next
starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which proved a hit on the
U.S. midnight movie circuit, became a cult classic, and established
Divine's fame within the American counterculture.After starring as the
lead role in Waters' next film, Female Trouble (1974), Divine moved on
to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside
San Francisco drag collective, The Cockettes. He followed this with a
performance in Tom Eyen's play Women Behind Bars and its sequel, The
Neon Woman. Continuing his cinematic work, he starred in two more of
Waters' films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of
which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema. Independent
of Waters, he also appeared in a number of other films, such as Lust
in the Dust (1985) and Trouble in Mind (1985), seeking to diversify
his repertoire by playing male roles. In 1981, Divine embarked on a
career in the disco industry by producing a number of Hi-NRG tracks,
most of which were written by Bobby Orlando. He achieved international
chart success with hits like "You Think You're a Man", "I'm So
Beautiful", and "Walk Like a Man", all of which were performed in
drag. Having struggled with obesity throughout his life, he died from
cardiomegaly, shortly after the release of Hairspray.
known by his stage name Divine, was an American actor, singer, and
drag queen. Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John
Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles
in cinematic and theatrical productions, and adopted a female drag
persona for his music career.Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a
conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest
in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he
had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters,
who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline of "the most beautiful
woman in the world, almost." Along with his friend David Lochary,
Divine joined Waters' acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, and adopted
female roles for their experimental short films Roman Candles (1966),
Eat Your Makeup (1968), and The Diane Linkletter Story (1969). Again
in drag, he took a lead role in both of Waters' early full-length
movies, Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970), the latter of
which began to attract press attention for the group. Divine next
starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which proved a hit on the
U.S. midnight movie circuit, became a cult classic, and established
Divine's fame within the American counterculture.After starring as the
lead role in Waters' next film, Female Trouble (1974), Divine moved on
to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside
San Francisco drag collective, The Cockettes. He followed this with a
performance in Tom Eyen's play Women Behind Bars and its sequel, The
Neon Woman. Continuing his cinematic work, he starred in two more of
Waters' films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of
which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema. Independent
of Waters, he also appeared in a number of other films, such as Lust
in the Dust (1985) and Trouble in Mind (1985), seeking to diversify
his repertoire by playing male roles. In 1981, Divine embarked on a
career in the disco industry by producing a number of Hi-NRG tracks,
most of which were written by Bobby Orlando. He achieved international
chart success with hits like "You Think You're a Man", "I'm So
Beautiful", and "Walk Like a Man", all of which were performed in
drag. Having struggled with obesity throughout his life, he died from
cardiomegaly, shortly after the release of Hairspray.
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