Muse of John Waters and icon on 1960s counterculture, drag artist Divine is the subject of a new documentary, I Am Divine, released by Peccadillo Pictures and hitting UK cinemas today. But before heading out to explore his incredible life on the big screen, just who is Divine, and why is he so important?
Divine was born Harris Glenn Milstead to a conservative middle-class family in Maryland. After severe bullying for being overweight and effeminate, he discovered his bisexuality after visiting a psychiatrist. Reluctantly, his parents financed lavish parties for Glenn, as he was known, where he would dress in drag as Elizabeth Taylor. It was not long after this point that Divine met John Waters.
Female Trouble followed, in which Divine played teenage delinquent Dawn Davenport, who sees crime as art, while also playing his first male role as Earl Peterson. At the same time, Divine began a career in theatre, playing a prison matron in Women Behind Bars on the West End and later The Neon Woman in the US. A music career also followed, including disco hits such as Love Reaction and the Stock, Aitken and Waterman produced You Think You’re A Man, which remains an iconic number in the LGBT community.
Just three weeks after the release of Hairspray, Divine passed away of an enlarged heart, aged 42, in 1988. He had been scheduled to make a guest appearance in Married…with Children the next day. The tragedy cut short a career that was always shocking and provocative, and remains culturally significant to this day. Divine’s legacy lives on, from songs written about him by bands such as Antony and the Johnsons, to his appearance being the basis of Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid. Of course, this is only a snapshot of the profound influence Divine has had on the entertainment industry, and I Am Divine is sure to be an illuminating journey of his incredible career.