Harvey Fierstein | |
|---|---|
 Fierstein in 2009 | |
| Born | Harvey Forbes Fierstein (1952-06-06)June 6, 1952 (age 73) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Pratt Institute (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
Harvey Forbes Fierstein (/ˈfaɪərˌstiːn/FIRE-steen; born June 6, 1952)[1] is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice.[2][3][4] He gained notice for his theater work inTorch Song Trilogy, winning both theTony Award for Best Play andBest Actor in a Play. He went on to win theTony Award for Best Book of a Musical forLa Cage aux Folles, thenBest Actor in a Musical for playing Edna Turnblad inHairspray, a role he reprised for theHairspray Live! television special.
On film he appeared inMrs. Doubtfire,Independence Day, and as the voice ofYao in bothMulan andMulan II.
Fierstein also wrote the books for theTony Award-winning musicalsKinky Boots,Newsies, and Tony Award-nominated, Drama League Award-winnerA Catered Affair. He was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame in 2007.[5]In 2025 he was awarded aLifetime Achievement Tony Award.[6]
As one of the first openly gay celebrities in the United States, Fierstein helped turn gay and lesbian life into a viable subject for contemporary drama "with no apologies and no climactic suicides".[7]
Fierstein's distinctive gravelly voice is a result of an overdevelopedvestibular fold in his vocal cords, essentially giving him a "double voice" when he speaks.[8]
Harvey Fierstein was born inBensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Jacqueline Harriet (née Gilbert), a school librarian, and Irving Fierstein, ahandkerchief manufacturer.[9] Fierstein has a brother, Ronald Fierstein.[10] The family belonged to aConservative Jewish temple.[11] Prior to puberty, Fierstein was asoprano in a professional boys' choir.[8]
Fierstein graduated from theHigh School of Art and Design[12] and received aBFA from thePratt Institute in 1973.[13][14]
Fierstein has authored op-eds forThe New York Times[15][16][17] and the PBS seriesIn the Life.[18]
Fierstein began working in the theater as a founding member of The Gallery Players of Park Slope before being cast inAndy Warhol's only play,Pork.[19] Fierstein's other early roles included "a transvestite in his own Flatbush Tosca...a 300-year-old woman, Lillian Russell, and 26 other parts in Ronald Tavel'sMy Fetus Lived on Amboy Street". Fierstein also performed his own drag routine in Greenwich Village, including an impersonation of Ethel Merman singing "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun".[20]
Fierstein is known for the play and filmTorch Song Trilogy, which he wrote and starred in both off-Broadway (with a youngMatthew Broderick) and onBroadway (withEstelle Getty andFisher Stevens).[21] The 1982Broadway production won him twoTony Awards, for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play;[22] twoDrama Desk Awards, for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Actor in a Play;[23] and theTheatre World Award.[24] Fierstein is the first openly gay actor to win a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.[22] The film adaptation ofTorch Song Trilogy earned him anIndependent Spirit Award nomination as Best Male Lead.[25]
Fierstein also wrote thebook forLa Cage aux Folles (1983), winning another Tony Award, this time for Best Book of a Musical, and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Book.[26] During his Tony Award acceptance speech, Fierstein acknowledged his male lover; according toEntertainment Weekly, this was "not a first", but was "still startling to many viewers".[27]
Fierstein narrated the documentaryThe Times of Harvey Milk (1984), for which he won a News & DocumentaryEmmy Award. His playwriting credits includeSpookhouse (1984),Safe Sex (1987), andForget Him (1988).[28]Legs Diamond, his 1988 collaboration withPeter Allen, was a critical and commercial failure, closing after 72 previews and 64 performances, but the songs live on in Peter Allen's biographical musical,The Boy from Oz.
Fierstein was praised[29][30] for his 1990 role as the voice of Karl,Homer Simpson's assistant, in the "Simpson and Delilah" episode ofThe Simpsons.
Fierstein portrayed Mark Newberger inCheers, earning aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1992.[31]
In 1993, Fierstein co-starred withMara Wilson,Lisa Jakub,Matthew Lawrence,Sally Field,Pierce Brosnan, andRobin Williams inMrs. Doubtfire.
In 1994, Fierstein became the first gay actor to play a principal gay character in a television series when he appeared as fashion designer Dennis Sinclair in the short-livedCBS seriesDaddy's Girls.[27]
Fierstein voiced the role of Yao inDisney's animated featureMulan, a role he later reprised for the video gameKingdom Hearts II and the direct-to-DVD sequelMulan II.
Fierstein voiced the character of Elmer in the 1999HBO special based on his children's bookThe Sissy Duckling, which won theHumanitas Prize for Children's Animation.
Fierstein's Broadway acting credits include playing the mother, Edna Turnblad, inHairspray (2002), for which he won aTony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He later replacedAlfred Molina asTevye in the 2004 revival ofFiddler on the Roof.
In 2007, Fierstein wrote the book to the musicalA Catered Affair; he also starred in the production. After tryouts at San Diego'sOld Globe Theatre in September 2007, the show opened on Broadway April 17, 2008. It received 12Drama Desk Award nominations and won theDrama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical.[32]
Fierstein returned to the theater when he reprised the role of Tevye, replacing an injuredChaim Topol, in the national tour ofFiddler on the Roof starting in December 2009.[33]
On February 15, 2011, Fierstein replaced Douglas Hodge as Albin/Zaza in the Broadway revival ofLa Cage aux Folles.[34] The show closed on May 1, 2011, after playing 433 performances and 15 previews.[35]
Fierstein wrote the book for the stage musicalNewsies, along withAlan Menken (music) and Jack Feldman (lyrics). The musical opened on Broadway in March 2012. Fierstein was nominated for the Tony Award for Book of a Musical.[36]
Fierstein wrote the book for astage musical version of the filmKinky Boots with music and lyrics byCyndi Lauper. After a fall 2012 run at theBank of America Theatre in Chicago,[37] it opened at theAl Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway in April 2013. The musical was nominated for thirteen 2013Tony Awards[38] and won six, including best musical.[39]
Fierstein's playCasa Valentina was produced on Broadway by theManhattan Theatre Club at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play opened in April 2014. It was directed byJoe Mantello, with a cast that featuredPatrick Page,John Cullum, andMare Winningham.[40]
Fierstein wrote the teleplay for the December 3, 2015,NBC broadcast ofThe Wiz Live!, featuringStephanie Mills as Aunt Em,Queen Latifah as The Wiz, andDavid Alan Grier as the Lion. The teleplay is an adaptation ofThe Wiz, which ran on Broadway from October 1974 until January 1979.[41]
Fierstein then wrote the teleplay for, and starred in, the 2016 NBC TV broadcast ofHairspray Live! withAriana Grande,Jennifer Hudson,Kristin Chenoweth, andMartin Short.[42]
In April 2016, Fierstein, along with hisKinky Boots collaborator Cyndi Lauper, was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[43]
Fierstein wrote and starred inBella Bella, a solo monologue play about New York CongresswomanBella Abzug. It premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage One at City Center on October 1, 2019, directed by Kimberly Senior.[44]
Fierstein's bookI Was Better Last Night: A Memoir was released on March 1, 2022, and quickly became aNew York Times Bestseller.
Fierstein is openly gay.[7][22] He reportedly dated journalistTed Casablanca from 1987 to 1992.[45][46]
Fierstein is Jewish.[11] In 2005, he said that although he does not believe in God, he prays three or four times each day.[47]
Fierstein has struggled with alcohol abuse. In a 2022 interview, he stated that he stopped drinking alcohol following a suicide attempt in 1996.[22]
Speaking withPeople magazine in February 2022 to promote his memoirI Was Better Last Night, Fierstein stated, "I'm still confused as to whether I'm a man or a woman," and that as a child he often wondered if he'd been born in the wrong body. "When I was a kid, I was attracted to men. I didn't feel like a boy was supposed to feel. Then I found out about gay. So that was enough for me for then". The interview also noted his ease at playing bothTevye inFiddler on the Roof and Edna Turnblad inHairspray. He avoided identifying asnon-binary in the interview, saying he had thought about it a lot and "it's the term that bothers me", but concluded that "I don't think I've missed anything by not making up my mind".[48] On theLGBTQ&A podcast the following month, Fierstein said, "I'm comfortable being me and if I ask myself, 'Would you want totransition?' The answer's no".[49][50]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Garbo Talks | Bernie Whitlock | |
| The Times of Harvey Milk | Narrator | Voice | |
| 1988 | Torch Song Trilogy | Arnold Beckoff | Also the screenwriter (adapted hisown play) |
| 1992 | The Harvest | Bob Lakin | |
| 1993 | Mrs. Doubtfire | Francis "Frank" Hillard | |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Sid Loomis | |
| 1995 | Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde | Yves DuBois | |
| 1996 | The Celluloid Closet | Himself | Documentary |
| Independence Day | Marty Gilbert | ||
| Everything Relative | The Moyle | ||
| Elmo Saves Christmas | Easter Bunny | ||
| 1997 | White Lies | Art Hoarder | |
| Kull the Conqueror | Juba | ||
| Three Little Pigs | The Big Bad Wolf | Voice, short film | |
| 1998 | Mulan | Yao | Voice[51] |
| Safe Men | Leo | ||
| 1999 | Jump | Dish Macense | |
| 2000 | Playing Mona Lisa | Bennett | |
| 2002 | Death to Smoochy | Merv Green | |
| 2003 | Duplex | Kenneth | |
| 2004 | Mulan II | Yao[51] | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Sheila | |
| 2012 | Foodfight! | Fat Cat Burglar[51] | |
| 2014 | Russian Broadway Shut Down | Book Writer | Short film |
| 2017 | Animal Crackers | Esmerelda | Voice |
| 2020 | Disarm Hate | Narrator | Voice, documentary |
| 2022 | Bros | Lewis |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Demon Murder Case | Demon | Voice, television film |
| 1986 | Miami Vice | Benedict | Episode: "The Fix" |
| Apology | The Derelict | Television film | |
| 1988 | Tidy Endings | Arthur | |
| 1990 | The Simpsons | Karl | Voice, episode: "Simpson and Delilah" |
| 1991 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Andrew | Episode: "In the Shadow of Love: A Teen AIDS Story" |
| 1992 | Cheers | Mark Newberger | Episode: "Rebecca's Lover... Not" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Stan Hatter | Episode: "The Dead File" | |
| 1994 | Daddy's Girl | Dennis Sinclair | Series regular (3 episodes) |
| 1997 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "The Matchmaker" |
| Fame L.A. | Jeremy Pinter | Episode: "Do or Die" | |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Mrs. Leaperman | Voice, episode: "Thumbelina" | |
| 1998 | Ellen | Himself | Episode: "It's a Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World!" |
| Hercules | Argus Panoptes | Voice, episode: "Hercules and the Bacchanal" | |
| Stories from My Childhood | Grambo | Voice, episode: "Alice and the Mystery of the Third Planet" | |
| 1999 | Double Platinum | Gary Millstein | Television film |
| 1999 | The Sissy Duckling | Elmer | Voice, television film |
| 2000 | Common Ground | Don | Television film |
| Behind the Music | Himself | Episode: "1984" | |
| 2004 | Biography | Episode: "John Waters" | |
| 2004–07 | Sesame Street | Recurring role (3 episodes) | |
| 2006 | The Year Without a Santa Claus | Heat Miser | Television film |
| 2008 | Family Guy | Tracy | Voice, episode: "The Former Life of Brian" |
| 2009 | How I Met Your Mother | Lily's smoking voice | Voice, episode: "Last Cigarette Ever"[51] |
| 2010 | Nurse Jackie | John Decker | Episode: "Monkey Bits" |
| 2011 | The Good Wife | Judge Francis Flamm | Episode: "Feeding the Rat" |
| 2012 | Submissions Only | Auditioner No. 5 | Episode: "Another Interruption" |
| 2013 | Smash | Himself | Episode: "The Fallout" |
| Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Episode: "Harvey Fierstein & Kim Zolciak" | ||
| 2014 | Saturday Night Live | Episode: "Bill Hader/Hozier" | |
| 2015 | Family Guy | Buster Keaton | Voice, episode: "Stewie Is Enceinte" |
| The Wiz Live! | — | Television special (teleplay writer) | |
| 2016 | Hairspray Live! | Edna Turnblad | |
| 2017 | BoJack Horseman | Himself | Voice, episode: "Commence Fracking") |
| 2018 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Episode: "Jane Curtin & Harvey Fierstein" | |
| 2018–20 | Big Mouth | Jerome | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | The Gourmand | Voice, recurring role (7 episodes)[51] |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1985 | Torch Song Trilogy | Arnold Beckoff | Little Theatre | Broadway |
| 1986 | Albery Theatre | West End | ||
| 1987 | Safe Sex | Ghee | Lyceum Theatre | Broadway |
| 2002 | Hairspray | Edna Turnblad | 5th Avenue Theatre | Regional |
| 2002–2004, 2008–2009 | Neil Simon Theatre | Broadway | ||
| 2004–2006 | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | Minskoff Theatre | |
| 2008 | A Catered Affair | Winston | Walter Kerr Theatre | |
| 2009–2010 | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | North American tour | |
| 2011 | La Cage aux Folles | Albin | Longacre Theatre | Broadway |
| 2019 | The Little Mermaid: An Immersive Live-to-Film Concert Experience | Ursula | Hollywood Bowl | Concert |
| 2019 | Bella Bella | Bella Abzug | Manhattan Theater Club | Off-Broadway |
| 2022 | Guys and Dolls | Joey Biltmore (prerecorded voice, uncredited) | The Kennedy Center | Washington, D.C. |
| Year | Title | Venue | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Torch Song Trilogy | Little Theatre | Broadway | Also starred as Arnold |
| 1983 | La Cage aux Folles | Palace Theatre | Broadway | |
| 1984 | Spookhouse | Playhouse 91 | Off-Broadway | |
| 1987 | Safe Sex | Lyceum Theatre | Broadway | Also starred as Ghee |
| 1988 | Legs Diamond | Mark Hellinger Theatre | Broadway | |
| 2007 | A Catered Affair | Old Globe Theatre | Broadway tryout | |
| 2008 | Walter Kerr Theatre | Broadway | Also starred as Winston | |
| 2011 | Newsies | Paper Mill Playhouse | Broadway tryout | |
| 2012 | Nederlander Theatre | Broadway | ||
| Kinky Boots | Bank of America Theatre | Broadway tryout | ||
| 2013 | Al Hirschfeld Theatre | Broadway | ||
| 2014 | Casa Valentina | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Broadway | |
| 2015 | Funny Girl | Menier Chocolate Factory | Off-West End | Book revisions |
| 2016 | Savoy Theatre | West End | ||
| 2022 | August Wilson Theatre | Broadway |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan | Yao | |
| Mulan Story Studio | |||
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | English version | |
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ |
But for Harvey Fierstein, Bibby's partner from 1987 to 1992, the difference between the two is clear.
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| People | |
| Other | |