Having struggled with obesity throughout his life, he died from cardiomegaly, shortly after the release of Hairspray.ĭescribed by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century", Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks and songs.Ī worthwhile documentary film devoted to his life is I Am Divine (2013). He achieved international chart success with hits like ’Shoot Your Shot’ (1981), ‘You Think You're a Man’ (1984) and ‘Walk Like a Man’ (1985), all of which were performed in drag. Meanwhile, 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 starred in two more of Waters' films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema. Then Divine moved to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside San Francisco drag collective The Cockettes. Divine next starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which became a cult classic and established Divine's fame within the American counterculture. The female impersonator from Baltimore grew from the. Milstead met maverick film director & good friend, John Waters, at high. Closely associated with independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical productions, and adopted a. queen and still a cult figure, he was primarily a comedy actor. Harris Glenn Milstead (Octo March 7, 1988), better known by the stage name Divine, was an American actor, drag queen, and singer. drag stage troupe in 19767 he appeared onstage in New York and London in a parody. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline "the most beautiful woman in the world, almost."ĭivine joined Waters' acting troupe and adopted female roles for their experimental short films. Harris Glenn Milstead, more commonly known as Divine, became the larger-than-life star in many of director John Waters' raunchy trash films. Originally born Harris Glen Milstead just after the end of WWII, Baltimore's most outrageous resident eventually became the international icon of bad taste cinema, as the always shocking and highly entertaining transvestite performer, Divine. Divine, had appeared in many now infamous and cult films for the independent. Divine was the ultimate queen of filth and debauchery. Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. Divine was an American actor, singer, and drag queen, born as Harris Glenn Milstead.Ĭlosely 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. On this day, 35 years ago, Divine died at the age of 42 ( - ).
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