Harris glenn milstead biography

March 7 marked the 36^th anniversary of the death of the beloved Harris Glenn Milstead, better known to us as Divine.

A character actor at heart, Divine became a cult figure during the ’70s and ’80s for his over-the-top performances as female characters in a string of independent films directed by longtime collaborator John Waters.

He also found success as a disco artist and was a celebrated stage actor and performer.

Born on October 19^th, 1945, Divine came from an upper middle-class background in Baltimore Maryland. As a child Divine, or Glenn as he preferred to be called back then, was overweight and routinely bullied for his size and effeminacy.

After graduating high school in 1963 he went to beauty school to learn hair styling and began working in local salons. It was during this time that Glenn was introduced to John Waters and the two became fast friends, bonding with each other over a mutual admiration for counter-culturalism and the arts.

It was Waters t