Jean Elizabeth Hill (November 15, 1946 – August 21, 2013) was an American model and actress most notable for the role of Grizelda Brown in the 1977 film Desperate Living. Hill is considered a Dreamlander (John Waters' regular ensemble of cast members).[1]

Biography

Jean Hill was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of a city sanitation supervisor and a nurse and raised on Druid Hill Avenue in the city's Druid Heights neighborhood. She was a 1965 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. Following high school, she earned an associate degree from Baltimore City Community College and earned a bachelor's degree in special education from what is now Coppin State University. Hill tutored special education students at School 181 in Baltimore.[2]

Known as John Waters' "discovery", he was seeking an overweight African-American woman to play in his 1977 film Desperate Living. Waters' doorman referred her to him. In Waters' book Shock Value, he describes her as "my dream-come-true, four hundred pounds of raw talent".[3]

In the mid-1980s Hill joined fellow Dreamlander Edith Massey in becoming a greeting card model, making her an icon of the gay community. She was a longtime supporter of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. She was also active in local theater and performed at the Arena Players, where she directed and designed costumes.[2]

Death

Jean Hill died on August 21, 2013, in Baltimore, Maryland from renal failure at the age of 66.[4]

Filmography

Year Film Role
1977 Desperate Living Grizelda Brown
1981 Polyester Gospel Bus Hijacker
2000 In Bad Taste Herself
2004 A Dirty Shame Woman on the Fire Escape
2005 All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame' Herself
2010 Frances: A Mother Divine Herself

References

  1. ↑ Bright Lights Film
  2. 1 2 Frederick N. Rasmussen. The Baltimore Sun: Obituaries. Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine 26 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2015
  3. ↑ Queerty: Jean Hill, Greeting Card Model And Star Of John Waters Films, Dies. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Rasmussen, Frederick N. (26 August 2013). "Jean E. Hill, actress in John Waters films". The Baltimore Sun Obituaries. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
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