Line #34 Creator/HarveyFierstein


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fierstein.png]]
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3	->''"Do you remember at the presidential convention where they nominated Bush? Did you know what song they played to bring Bush on stage? No. "The Best of Times" from 'Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'. I said some fag pulled a fast one on them!"''
4	-->--''This Is Not Going to Be Pretty, Live at the Bottom Line''
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6	Harvey Forbes Fierstein (born June 6, 1954 in [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Brooklyn, New York]]) is an American actor and playwright. He made his name with his stage work -- he wrote and starred in ''Theatre/TorchSongTrilogy'' (and later adapted it into TheFilmOfThePlay) and the book of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles''. He was also ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'''s original Edna Turnblad. He also has a significant number of film and TV credits, including ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'' and ''Film/IndependenceDay''.
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8	Fierstein is openly gay, and has advocated for LGBT+ and AIDS visibility, awareness, and representation. He was the first [[QueerCharacterQueerActor openly gay actor to play a principal gay character on TV]], on the short-lived sitcom ''[[Series/DaddysGirls Daddy's Girls]]'', and has played several gay roles since.
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10	He is also known for his signature raspy voice, which is because his vocal cords have an overdeveloped vestibular fold. (Ironically, he was a boy soprano prior to hitting puberty.) You may have heard him as Yao in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' or as Gourmand in ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance''. He also wrote the children's book ''Literature/TheSissyDuckling''.
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12	----
13	!!Filmography
14
15	[[AC:Live-Action Roles]]
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17	* ''Film/TorchSongTrilogy'' (1988): Arnold Beckoff
18	* ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'' (1993): Frank Hillard
19	* ''Film/BulletsOverBroadway'' (1994): Sid Loomis
20	* ''Daddy's Girls'' (1994): Dennis Sinclair
21	* ''Film/DrJekyllAndMsHyde'' (1995): Yves [=DuBois=]
22	* ''Film/IndependenceDay'' (1996): Marty Gilbert
23	* ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'' (1996): The Easter Bunny
24	* ''Film/KullTheConqueror'' (1997): Juba
25	* ''Playing Mona Lisa'' (2000): Bennett
26	* ''Film/DeathToSmoochy'' (2002): Merv Green
27	* ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus''[[note]]live-action remake[[/note]] (2006): Heat Miser
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29	[[AC:Voice Roles]]
30	* ''Film/TheTimesOfHarveyMilk'' (1984): Narrator
31	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' (1998) and ''WesternAnimation/MulanII'' (2004): Yao
32	* ''Literature/TheSissyDuckling'' (1999): Elmer the Duckling
33	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Foodfight}}'' (2012): Fat Cat Burglar
34	* ''[[WesternAnimation/AnimalCrackers2017 Animal Crackers]]'' (2017): Esmerelda
35	* ''WesternAnimation/BigMouth'' (2018-2020): Jerome
36	* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' (2020): The Gourmand
37	!!Stage Credits
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39	[[AC:As Actor]]
40	* ''Theatre/TorchSongTrilogy'': Arnold Beckoff
41	* ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'': Edna Turnblad
42	* ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'': Tevye
43	* ''A Catered Affair'': Winton
44	* ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'': Albin
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46
47	[[AC:As Playwright]]
48	* ''Torch Song Trilogy''
49	* ''La Cage aux Folles''
50	* ''Theatre/{{Newsies}}''
51	* ''Theatre/KinkyBoots''
52	* ''Theatre/TheWiz Live''
53	* ''Hairspray Live'' (also reprised the role of Edna)
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55	----
56	!!Tropes about his career:
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58	* CampGay: Many of his characters (Arnold Beckoff, Frank Hillard, the GayBestFriend in ''Playing Mona Lisa'') have been of the flamboyant and dramatic type.
59	* QueerCharacterQueerActor: Fierstein is openly gay, and became known for playing the flamboyant gay man Arnold Beckoff on ''Torch Song Trilogy''. Some of his roles since (such as ''Daddy's Girls'') have been gay men as well.
60	* PlayingAgainstType: Normally cast as outwardly sympathetic/comic relief characters who more often than not are aligned with the protagonists, or at the very least not completely or obviously morally bankrupt, it's therefore somewhat of a shock to see Harvey take on an unambiguously villainous turn as a murderous and thoroughly corrupt mob boss who thinks nothing of calling a hit on people unwilling to toe the line in ''Film/DeathToSmoochy''.
61	* SmokyVoice: Though his voice isn't the result of cigarettes, sitcoms will occasionally stunt-cast him for the smoky rasp. ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' had him voice Lily when she becomes a smoker and in ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' he played a smoker ex of Rebecca's.
62	* SesameStreetCred: He's appeared on ''Series/SesameStreet'' four times, including the Christmas special ''Elmo Saves Christmas'', where he portrayed the Easter Bunny.

Context Creator / HarveyFierstein