Skip to content
229,518 profiles ranked

Harvey Fierstein

American actor and playwright · United States · On the map · Actors · Born 1952 · age 74

Harvey Forbes Fierstein is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He gained notice for his theater work in Torch Song Trilogy, winning both the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play.

Harvey Fierstein is read about 965 times a day, in 32 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 13 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 127 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare Claim

A life in dates

2022BrosFilm, Louis2019The Dark Crystal: Age of ResistanceSeries, skekAyuk (The Gourmand) (voice)2018Animal CrackersFilm, Esmerelda (voice)2016VH1 Trailblazer HonorsAwardFull Frontal with Samantha BeeSeries, 2016Hairspray Live!Film, 2016Writer2012SmashSeries, Harvey FiersteinFoodfight!Film, 2012Fat Cat Burglar (voice)2006Farce of the PenguinsFilm, Sheila (voice)2005How I Met Your MotherSeries, Lily's Smoking Voice (voice)2004Mulan IIFilm, Yao (voice)2003“To the delight of millions of little children, the Santa in New York's great parade will be half of a same-sex couple. And guess who the other half will be? Me!”In their words27 November 2003Associated Press, 2003-11-27

Tony Award for Best Actor in a MusicalAward2002Death to SmoochyFilm, Merv Green2001Rescued from the ClosetFilm1999Double PlatinumFilm, Gary Millstein1998HerculesSeries, Argus Panoptes (voice)1997Kull the ConquerorFilm, Juba1995“Hello, boys. How are you all? I just love boys. [...] Hello. Are you here alone? Who are you with? ...A woman? At my show? ...We'll make believe. It's theatre.”In their wordsThis Is Not Going to Be Pretty, Live at the Bottom Line (1995)

“Do you remember at the presidential convention where they nominated Bush? Did you know what song they played to bring Bush on stage? No.”In their wordsThis Is Not Going to Be Pretty, Live at the Bottom Line (1995)

“I live in a small fictional town in Connecticut.”In their wordsThis Is Not Going to Be Pretty, Live at the Bottom Line (1995)

“See, I went to an all-gay high school. Art and Design. Now the truth is it wasn’t really all gay, but they bused them in, it was the law.”In their wordsThis Is Not Going to Be Pretty, Live at the Bottom Line (1995)

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildSeries, 1995Mrs. Leaperman (voice)Dr. Jekyll and Ms. HydeFilm, 1995Yves DuBois1993Intimate PortraitSeriesMrs. DoubtfireFilm, 1993Frank1989The SimpsonsSeries, Karl (voice)1986ApologyFilm, The derelict1984Tony Award for Best Book of a MusicalAward1983Theatre World AwardAwardTony Award for Best Actor in a PlayAwardThe Demon Murder CaseFilm, 1983The Demon (voice)1982CheersSeries, Mark Newberger1956Tony AwardsSeries1952Born6 June 1952

People around Harvey

Close ties

Known for

View all 40 titles
  • Mulan 1998
  • Hairspray Live! 2016
  • Torch Song Trilogy 1988
  • The Celluloid Closet 1996
  • The Times of Harvey Milk 1984

Also in Deutsch Français

Filmography 40

96 credits on file

Television 24

Media & music

Listen

Spotify
Loads from Spotify when you press play
Open artist page on Spotify

In their own words 3

,
Harvey Fierstein
,
3 statements, newest first

  1. You’d probably just lost your virginity, I’d probably just lost count.

    , Own words

  2. We had great sex, but we argued politics. [...] Now we enjoy politics and argue sex.

    , Own words

  3. Now they know who we are. We’re counted in their surveys, we’re numbered in their watchfulness, we’re powered in their press. We’re courted, polled, placated.

    , Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

VH1 Trailblazer Honors2016
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical2003
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical1984
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play1983
Theatre World Award1983
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hull-Warriner Award

About this person

He went on to win the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for La Cage aux Folles, then Best Actor in a Musical for playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, a role he reprised for the Hairspray Live! television special.

Country
United States
Category
Actors
Type
Actor
Status
Living
Dates
Born 1952 · age 74

In the same film or series as Harvey

Stephanie MillsAlso in The Wiz Live! (2015)Sean YoungAlso in Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995)Miguel FerrerAlso in The Harvest (1993)Rosie O'DonnellAlso in Hairspray Live! (2016)Andy GriffithAlso in The Demon Murder Case (1983)Wallace ShawnAlso in Animal Crackers (2018)