Harvey Fierstein
A theatrical pioneer with a voice like gravel, he dragged gay life and drag into the mainstream with heart, humor, and unapologetic honesty.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American actor and playwright·Birthday: June 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Harvey Fierstein's unmistakable rasp is more than a voice; it's the sound of American theater cracking open. He emerged from the off-off-Broadway scene of the 1970s, a gay artist writing and performing his own material when such visibility was rare and risky. His breakthrough, 'Torch Song Trilogy,' was a seismic event—a deeply personal, funny, and poignant play about a drag queen's search for love and family that moved from a tiny workshop to Broadway, winning Tony Awards and making Fierstein a star. He then turned his attention to musicals, writing the book for 'La Cage aux Folles,' a show whose anthem 'I Am What I Am' became a cultural touchstone. In a stunning second act, he stepped in front of the footlights as a performer in drag, winning another Tony for his uproarious turn as Edna Turnblad in 'Hairspray.' Fierstein's career is a testament to the power of insisting on your own story, using wit and sentiment as weapons to expand the idea of who gets to be the hero, and the mother, on the American stage.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Harvey was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Harvey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Harvey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Tony Awards for 'Torch Song Trilogy' (Best Play and Best Actor in a Play) in 1983.
- Won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for 'La Cage aux Folles' in 1984.
- Won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Edna Turnblad in 'Hairspray' in 2003.
- Received a Drama Desk Award for his performance in 'Hairspray' and a Special Tony Award for his body of work in 2023.
Did You Know?
He began performing in drag at the New York club The Ice Palace in Fire Island in the early 1970s.
Fierstein provided the voice of the role of Yao in Disney's 'Mulan' and its sequel.
He is an accomplished visual artist and has exhibited his paintings.
He wrote the book for the musical 'Newsies,' which opened on Broadway in 2012.
““Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.””
