Milstead next starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which was a hit on the U.S. 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 attracted press attention for the group. 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, Milstead 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).
Closely associated with 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.īorn in Baltimore, Maryland to a conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. Harris Glenn Milstead (Octo– March 7, 1988), better known by his stage name Divine, was an American actor, singer, and drag queen. Prospect Hill Cemetery (Towson, Maryland)
