Harvey Fierstein

Biography

Has won four Tony Awards from only four nominations: two in 1983, as Best Actor (Play) and Author of Best Play for "Torch Song Trilogy," a performance he recreated in the film version of the same title, Torch Song Trilogy (1988); a third in 1984, the Book (Musical) Tony for writing the libretto of "La Cage aux Folles;" and the fourth in 2003, as Best Actor (Musical) in the Divine role of Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray." These four awards tie him with Tommy Tune for the most Tony Awards in different categories. The essence of Fierstein's landmark "Torch Song Trilogy" (1988) was autobiographical, since he began performing as a drag queen in Manhattan clubs as early as age 15. 1994 - Won a GLAAD Award for Visibility category. 2000 - Won the Humanitas Prize in the Children's Animation Category for: "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) for episode "The Sissy Duckling". Was known only for playing drag roles Off-Off Broadway (often in plays he wrote himself) until he played his first male role in Robert Patrick III's "The Haunted Host" in Boston. The play was such a personal success for him that when he had to leave the show for four days for his father's funeral, the show closed. Won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2003 Tony Awards for his role in the play "Hairspay". With his Tony Award win for "Hairspray", along with his three previous wins, he ties with Tommy Tune for most Tony Awards for different categories. In the 2003 New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade, he was Mrs. Claus, dressed in drag. Following a severe bout of depression following the break up with a lover, Fierstein wrote about the painful experience and the end result was "The International Stud", which was produced at the Theater for the New City in 1976 (later at La MaMa in 1978) with Fierstein introducing and starring as his Arnold Beckoff character, a gay man whose bisexual lover dumps him for a female. Fierstein went on to write two more plays about Arnold and introduced "Fugue in a Nursery" and "Widows and Children First!", in 1979 at La MaMa, with Fierstein again playing the lead. Eventually Fierstein integrated the three Arnold plays into a single play, "Torch Song Trilogy", which was first presented off-off-Broadway in 1981, and the rest is history.