December 1: The Divine Miss M

Bette Midler was born in Honolulu on this date in 1945. In the mid-1960s, Midler played Tevye’s eldest daughter, Tsaytl, in Fiddler on the Roof for three years, shortly before developing her persona as “the Divine Miss M” at the Continental Baths, a gay men’s gathering place. Gay men have remained a significant fan base for Midler, and she has responded with outspoken support of gay rights. Midler is also the founder of the New York Restoration Project, which develops and protects community gardens in New York City, and she has partnered with the New York Department of Parks and Recreation to plant a million trees in the city (375,000 have taken root so far). She is an advocate of marijuana legalization and has been named by Canada’s Skunk magazine as one of “The top 100 Women of Weed.” Midler has won four Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globes while selling over 30 million records.

“Group conformity scares the pants off me because it’s so often a prelude to cruelty towards anyone who doesn’t want to or can’t join the Big Parade.” —Bette Midler

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