The gravel-voiced Harvey Fierstein was one of the first openly homosexual American actor/playwrights who lent his name and support to gay rights and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) activism during the 1980s and 1990s. His breakthrough work was the autobiographical 1982 play Torch Song Trilogy, dealing with a young man's coming out and his relationship with his mother. Fierstein became familiar to moviegoers for his work as a supporting actor in such blockbuster hits as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Independence Day (1996) and he narrated the 1984 Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, about an assassinated gay politician.

Further Reading:

Fierstein, Harvey. Torch Song Trilogy. New York, Random House, 1984.

"Harvey Fierstein." Current Biography. Vol. 45, 1984.