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Harris "Divine" Milstead

Milstead as "Divine" at Disney.
Born Harris Glenn Milstead
October 19, 1945(1945-10-19)
Towson, Maryland, United States
Died March 7, 1988 (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, United States

Harris Glenn Milstead (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988) was an actor and singer known by his drag persona Divine. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) A drag queen is a person usually a man who dresses (or "drags" in female clothes and make-up for special occasions and usually because they are performing and entertaining He appeared in several of John Waters' films, including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, and Hairspray, as part of Waters' regular troupe of actors known as Dreamlanders. John Samuel Waters Jr (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, Actor, Writer, Celebrity, ---- Pink Flamingos is a 1972 Comedy film directed by John Waters. Female Trouble is a 1974 Comedy film written produced and directed by John Waters starring Divine, David Lochary Polyester is a 1981 John Waters film starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, and Mink Stole. Hairspray is a 1988 comedy written and directed by John Waters. Dreamlanders refers to the cast and crew of regulars whom John Waters has used in his films The New York Times said of Milstead's films in the 1980s, "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. "[1]

Contents


Early life

Milstead's high school yearbook photo at age 17.
Milstead's high school yearbook photo at age 17.

Divine was born Harris Glenn Milstead, the only surviving child born to Harris Bernard Milstead (1917-1993) and Diana Frances "Frances" Milstead (née Vukovich). Frances had suffered two previous miscarriages in 1940 and 1943.

Milstead spent his childhood in the suburbs of Baltimore. He was born in Towson and, at the age of twelve, his family moved to Lutherville, Maryland where he attended Towson High School (he graduated in 1963). It was during those years that he became acquainted with John Waters, who lived in his neighborhood. John Samuel Waters Jr (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, Actor, Writer, Celebrity,

Career

In the 1970s, Milstead starred as Divine in a number of New York City theater pieces, including Tom Eyen's classic camp women's prison drama, Women Behind Bars, which was a major off-Broadway hit in 1976, playing the lead role of the evil matron, Pauline. The City of New York Tom Eyen ( August 14 1940 - May 26 1991) was a Tony Award and Grammy Award winning American Playwright Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. Divine returned to the stage in another Tom Eyen off-Broadway play, The Neon Woman, where he played the role of Flash Storm, the owner of a sleazy strip club plagued by a series of murders. Tom Eyen ( August 14 1940 - May 26 1991) was a Tony Award and Grammy Award winning American Playwright Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. Eyen's play was loosely based on famed burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee's book, The G-String Murders. Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease) Gypsy Rose Lee (also known as Rose Louise Hovick and Louise Hovick) (born January 8 1911 &ndash April 26 1970) was The G-String Murders is a 1941 Detective novel commercially attributed to American Burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee.

Milstead starred in a number of films and was part of the regular cast known as the Dreamlanders. Dreamlanders refers to the cast and crew of regulars whom John Waters has used in his films The Dreamlanders appeared in many of John Waters' earlier works such as Pink Flamingos (in 1972), Female Trouble, Polyester, and Hairspray. ---- Pink Flamingos is a 1972 Comedy film directed by John Waters. Female Trouble is a 1974 Comedy film written produced and directed by John Waters starring Divine, David Lochary Polyester is a 1981 John Waters film starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, and Mink Stole. Hairspray is a 1988 comedy written and directed by John Waters. In 1985 Milstead appeared opposite Tab Hunter in their hit Lust in the Dust, repeating their successful pairing in Polyester. Tab Hunter (born July 11, 1931) is an American Actor and Singer who appeared in more than 40 major Feature films Lust in the Dust is a 1985 film starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Cesar Romero, and Lainie Kazan, directed by Paul

He is also remembered as a major character in the documentary homage Divine Trash by Steve Yeager, covering the life and work of John Waters. Steve Yeager is a documentary filmmaker from Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1988, the British film The Fruit Machine, also known as Wonderland in the United States, used Milstead's songs in a nightclub disco dance sequence that showcased an early Robbie Coltrane in drag as "Annabelle", the club's owner (a cross between Divine and Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz). The United Kingdom has been influential in the technological, commercial and artistic development of cinema. Fruit machine is also a British term Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born 30 March 1950) is a Scottish Actor, comedian and author Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10 1922 – June 22 1969 was an American actress and singer The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s

Late in his career, Milstead also played male roles in his last three films: Trouble in Mind, Hairspray, and Out of the Dark. In Hairspray he played two roles, one male and one female (which he had first done in the earlier Female Trouble). He was also the inspiration for the design of Ursula the Sea-Witch in the Disney classic The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is a 1989 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation with a pencil test beginning on September 23, 1988 and [2]

He visited Bergen, Norway, in the mid-1980s. is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional At that time, Polyester had been a great success at the local cinema. Polyester is a 1981 John Waters film starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, and Mink Stole. He was treated as a real superstar by the press and by the audience to his live show. He told in an interview with Bergen Gay Radio that this was one of only a few times when he had experienced this kind of appreciation. Usually he felt he was just some kind of industrial entertainer.

Death

In 1988 Milstead was cast as a character on the FOX prime-time series Married...With Children. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)

On the evening of March 7th he was in Los Angeles staying in the Regency Hotel, and the night before he was due on set he had dinner with friends. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Regency Hotel was a Hotel in Denver Colorado. Built in the 1960s to serve as a regional Convention center, it was famous locally for its large Afterwards he returned to the hotel, and before entering his room he leaned over the balcony and sang "Arrivederci Roma. "Arrivederci Roma " is a popular Song. Arrivederci is the Italian equivalent of the French Au revoir "

Milstead was known for being on time when working, so when he didn’t show up the next morning for his shoot on the show people became concerned. His manager Bernard Jay went to the hotel at noon to check on him and used his passkey to get in. The autopsy later found he had died in his sleep of heart failure, or an enlarged heart brought on by sleep apnea. Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Cardiomegaly is a medical condition wherein the Heart is enlarged Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in Breathing during Sleep. He was 42 years old. [1]

Filmography

Discography

In the 1980s, Divine released several dance music records which were club music hits in the United States, Europe, and Australia. This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. Synonyms Since around the mid-1980s electronic dance music has enjoyed popularity in many Nightclubs and as of 2006 is the predominant type of music played in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Divine's records comprised synth-heavy disco music, most of it composed, created, performed, and produced by Bobby Orlando. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Bobby Orlando ( 1958) also known as Bobby O is a Disco Dance music Artist and Record producer who was most successful In the United States, Divine's highest-charting songs were "Native Love", peaking at #21 on the Club Play Singles chart, and "Shoot Your Shot", which reached #39 among Club Play Singles. Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Play chart (also known as Club Play Singles, and formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Play chart (also known as Club Play Singles, and formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco Divine's early U. K. releases on the Design Communications label included "Love Reaction" (which many said "borrowed" elements of New Order's big hit "Blue Monday"), "Shake It Up", and "Shoot Your Shot". All of these releases were big gay club hits and minor mainstream chart hits. The Stock, Aitken & Waterman-produced song "You Think You're A Man" was Divine's most successful U. Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio who had great success during the mid-late 1980s K. hit, reaching #16; the song was also a Top 10 hit in Australia, reaching #8. Among the material Divine released on the Proto label in the United Kingdom was "I'm So Beautiful" (the follow-up single to "You Think You're A Man"), "Walk Like A Man" and "Twistin' The Night Away". A compilation of tracks from his Proto catalogue, entitled The Essential Divine, is currently available on iTunes.

Albums

Singles

Disco and Hi-NRG dance hits:

References

  1. ^ a b "Divine" biography. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.
  2. ^ Divine (answers.com)

External links

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