Too Disgusting To Be Confused
2025 · Movie
as Self
Divine
1945-10-19
•
Towson, Maryland, USA
Writers: ,
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.
Filmography
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My Life with the Waters
2021 · Movie
as Self
Disclosure
2020 · Movie
as Edna Turnblad (archive footage)
Howard
2018 · Movie
as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson (archive footage)
BEAT. Contour. Snatched. How Drag Queens Shaped the Biggest Makeup Trends
2018 · Movie
as Self
Studio 54
2018 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
No image
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
2018 · Movie
as Self (archive)
Crime and Beauty: Remembering "Female Trouble"
2018 · Movie
as Self (archive)
Discolocos
2016 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Night Flight: Born Again
2016 · Movie
as Self
Tab Hunter Confidential
2015 · Movie
as Self (archive)
I Am Divine
2014 · Movie
as Self (archive)
Cachitos de hierro y cromo
2013 · TV Show
as Self (archive footage)
The Sex of Death e o Homem Invisível
2012 · Movie
as Singer (archive footage)
The British Guide to Showing Off
2011 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Uncle Bob
2010 · Movie
as Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter
2008 · Movie
as Self (archive)
DIVINE R.I.P.
2007 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
The Roots of 'Hairspray'
2007 · Movie
as Self (archive)
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
2005 · TV Show
as Self
Sex 'n' Pop
2004 · TV Show
as Self (archive footage)
The Cockettes
2002 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot & Live at the Hacienda
2000 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Divine Trash
2000 · Movie
as Self
In Bad Taste
1999 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Soul Ache
1998 · Movie
as Actriz cantante (Singer actress)
Divine: Shoot Your Shot
1995 · Movie
Divine: Live at the Hacienda
1994 · Movie
Rhythm Divine: The Story of Disco
1992 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
The Neon Woman
1990 · Movie
as Flash Storm (archive footage)
Out of the Dark
1988 · Movie
as Det. Langella
Hairspray
1988 · Movie
as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
1988 · TV Show
as Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3
1987 · Movie
as Self
Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1
1987 · Movie
as Self
Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology
1987 · Movie
as Self
Trouble in Mind
1985 · Movie
as Hilly Blue
Lust in the Dust
1985 · Movie
as Rosie Velez
No image
Divine Waters
1985 · Movie
as Self
Tales from the Darkside
1984 · TV Show
Late Night with David Letterman
1982 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Polyester
1981 · Movie
as Francine Fishpaw
The Alternative Miss World
1980 · Movie
as Self - Guest of Honour
Tally Brown, New York
1979 · Movie
Female Trouble
1976 · Movie
as Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
Underground and Emigrants
1976 · Movie
as Self
Pink Flamingos
1972 · Movie
as Divine / Babs Johnson
Multiple Maniacs
1970 · Movie
as Lady Divine
The Diane Linkletter Story
1970 · Movie
as Diane Linkletter
Mondo Trasho
1969 · Movie
as Divine / Greaser in Alley
Eat Your Makeup
1968 · Movie
as Jacqueline Kennedy
No image
Roman Candles
1967 · Movie
as Party Guest / Man with Scarf
No image
New Line: Independent Legacies
· Movie
as Self (archive footage)
