Harris Glenn Milstead, better known by the stage name Divine, was an American actor, singer, and drag queen. 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.
Divine in 1980
The scene at the end of Pink Flamingos (in which Divine's character Babs Johnson consumes fresh dog feces) became a significant part of American cinema history and dominated discussion of Divine and John Waters' films for decades to come
Glenn Milstead's grave at Prospect Hill Park Cemetery, Towson, Maryland
John Samuel Waters Jr. is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). Waters wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray (1988), which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 musical film. Other films he has written and directed include Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). His films contain elements of post-modern comedy and surrealism.
Waters in May 2014
John Waters signing a fan's jean jacket sleeve at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, 1990.
Waters with historian Jon Wiener in 2010
Waters in 2007