Biography Of Divine (Singer-Actor)

"Divine", pseudonym of Harris Glenn Milstead, was an actor and singer born in Baltimore (Maryland) on October 19, 1945. Born to a middle-class family, at the age of twelve he moved with his parents to Lutherville and dated the "Towson High School". In 1963, after obtaining his diploma, he began to attend the "Marinella Beauty School", where he learned the profession of barber and in a short time he found a job in a hairdresser for women. It was at that time that he developed a great interest in "Drag Queen". In the mid-1960s, Harris joined the acting company of trashy film director John Waters who made him debut with female roles in his first shorts. In 1969 the debut in the first feature film, "Mondo Trasho", followed the following year by "Multiple Maniacs". It was the director Waters who gave it the stage name "Divine". In 1972, thanks to Waters' film "Pink Flamingos", "Divine" became known to the general public. In 1973, he left the cinema to devote himself to the theater with the Drag Queen troupe “The Cockettes”. In the same company was also part Sylvester, who a few years later will undertake a career as a singer. In 1981, after playing the role of Francine Fishpaw in John Waters' "Polyester", "Divine" decided to pursue a career in music. Composer Henry Krieger and his friend Tom Eyen proposed that he sing the song "Born To Be Cheap" (1981). In 1982, composer Bobby Orlando arranged a series of Hi-NRG singles for “Divine”. The songs “Shoot Your Shot”, “Native Love (Step by Step)” and “Love Reaction” achieved a resounding success in all American, Australian and European nightclubs. Due to some disagreements with Bobby Orlando, he left the record company “O” Records and signed to Barry Evangeli's “InTune Music Limited”. Other interesting singles followed: "You Think You're A Man", "I'm So Beautiful", "Twistin 'The Night Away". In 1988 she played the role of Tracy Tumblad in John Waters' "Hairspray-Grease Is Beautiful". On March 7, 1988, Divine was at the "Regency Plaza Suites Hotel" in Los Angeles and died shortly before midnight in her sleep at the age of 42 of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Discography :

Album

1982 - Jungle Jezebel / My First Album

1984 - T Shirts And Tight Blue Jeans (Non Stop Dance Remix)
1988 - Maid In England

Singles

1981 - Born To Be Cheap

1982 - Native Love (Step by Step)
1982 - Shoot Your Shot
1983 - Love Reaction
1983 - Shake It Up
1983 - Hot Plate 10
1984 - Divine Madness
1984 - You Think You're a Man
1984 - I'm So Beautiful
1984 - T Shirts And Tight Blue Jeans
1985 - Walk Like a Man
1985 - Twistin' The Night Away
1985 - Hard Magic
1987 - Hey You
1987 - Little Baby