Jean Hill (actress)

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]

For the eyewitness to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, see Jean Hill. For the British swimmer, see Jean Hill (swimmer).

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. 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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