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).Bright Lights Film
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.Frederick N. Rasmussen. The Baltimore Sun: Obituaries. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2015
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".Queerty: Jean Hill, Greeting Card Model And Star Of John Waters Films, Dies. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
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.
Death Jean Hill died on August 21, 2013, in Baltimore, Maryland from renal failure at the age of 66.
Filmography YearFilmRole1977Desperate LivingGrizelda Brown1981Polyester Gospel Bus Hijacker2000In Bad TasteHerself2004A Dirty ShameWoman on the Fire Escape2005All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame''' |Herself |- |2010 |Frances: A Mother Divine''Herself
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