John Waters
2.0Directing

John Waters

Apr 22, 1946 - Baltimore, Maryland, USA

John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). Waters wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray (1988), which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 musical film. Other films he has written and directed include Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). His films contain elements of post-modern comedy and surrealism.

As an actor, Waters has appeared in Sweet and Lowdown (1999), 'Til Death Do Us Part (2007), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), Suburban Gothic (2014), and has appeared in the Child's Play franchise with Seed of Chucky (2004) and third season of the television series Chucky (2024). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006). Throughout his career, Waters has often collaborated with actor and drag queen Divine and his regular cast of the Dreamlanders. More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World.

Waters also works as a visual artist and across different media, such as installations, photography, and sculpture. The audiobooks he narrated for his books Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2015 and 2020, respectively. In 2018, Waters was named an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

Description above from the Wikipedia article John Waters, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Credits

Cast

Media
Movie2006Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On
Movie2004Seed of ChuckyPete Peters
Movie1986Something WildUsed Car Guy
Movie2021The Velvet UndergroundSelf
Movie2004Thinking XXXSelf
Movie2021Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in FloridaSelf [archival]
Movie2006Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton SeaSelf - Narrator (voice)
Movie1999Sweet and LowdownMr. Haynes
Movie2016WeinerSelf (archive footage)
Movie2008The Wild World of Ted V. MikelsNarrator
Movie2002Blood Feast 2: All U Can EatThe Reverend
Movie2023Little Richard: I Am EverythingSelf
Movie2006Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the MainstreamSelf
Movie2022All the Beauty and the BloodshedSelf (Archive Footage)
Movie2006This Film Is Not Yet RatedSelf - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
Movie2013Jingle Bell Rocks!Self
Movie2009It Came from KucharSelf
Movie1989Homer and EddieRobber #1
Movie2006This Filthy WorldSelf
Movie2010William S. Burroughs: A Man WithinSelf
Movie2015Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes StorySelf
Movie1972Pink FlamingosMr. J (voice) (uncredited)
Movie2022The Book of HarthSelf
Movie2000Divine TrashSelf
Movie2011Mangus!Jesus Christ
Movie2012ExcisionWilliam
MovieN/AMy Life with the WatersSelf
Movie2008ObsceneSelf
Movie1999Yesterday's TomorrowsSelf
Movie2012MansomeSelf
Movie2011The Advocate for FagdomSelf
Movie1975Love Letter to EdieSelf
Movie2013Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always OpenSelf
Movie1999In Bad TasteSelf
Movie2023Lynch/OzHost (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
Movie2003A History of SexSelf
Movie2006That Man: Peter BerlinSelf
Movie2014I Am DivineSelf
Movie2010Uncle BobSelf (archiveFootage)
Movie2022Tell Me IggySelf
Movie2007Here’s Looking at You, BoySelf
Movie2010Beautiful DarlingSelf
Movie1995God Save the Queens
Movie1982No Smoking in This TheaterSelf
Movie2022Living with ChuckySelf
Movie2006The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On BroadwaySelf
Movie2010Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore
Movie200642nd Street: From Book to Screen to StageSelf
Movie2014Suburban GothicCornelius
MovieN/AMary Woronov: Cult Queen
MovieN/AThe Brandon Novak StorySelf
Movie2011These Amazing ShadowsSelf
Movie2022Fragments of ParadiseSelf
Movie2007The Junior DefendersNarrator
Movie2024Scala!!!Self
Movie2013The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty MoviesSelf
Movie2019At the Video StoreSelf
Movie2005All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame'Self
Movie2015The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin
Movie2008New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next GenerationSelf
Movie2002Sylvester: Mighty RealSelf
Movie2006Fabulous! The Story of Queer CinemaSelf
Movie2015Tab Hunter ConfidentialSelf
Movie2022A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard
Movie2007Each Time I KillMovie Watcher
Movie2016Wall WritersNarrator (voice)
Movie2007365 Day Project
Movie2011Blank CitySelf
Movie2007HairsprayFlasher
Movie2006Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades
Movie2006(buz'be bur'kle) n. A Study in StyleSelf
Movie2006Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes
Movie2024TURA!Self (archive footage)
Movie2017Mansfield 66/67Self
Movie2006Jackass Number TwoSelf
Movie2016Whatever Happened to GelitinSelf
Movie2000Welcome to HollywoodJohn Waters
Movie2007Jack Smith and the Destruction of AtlantisSelf
Movie1976Edith's Shopping BagSelf
Movie2003Abby SingerJohn Waters (uncredited)
Movie1993Growing Up with John WatersSelf
Movie1988Way USA!
Movie2006Meet The Kuchar Brothers
Movie1991Gastronomic Getaway
Movie2006I, of the Cyclops
Movie2015Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road ChipFirst Class Passenger
Movie2001Memories of OzSelf
Movie2018Sickies Making FilmsSelf
Movie2000Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin StorySelf
Movie2005Inside Deep ThroatSelf
Movie2005It Came from... Baltimore!!Self
Movie2007Spine Tingler! The William Castle StorySelf
Movie1999Forever HollywoodSelf
Movie2017Queercore: How to Punk a RevolutionSelf
Movie1985The Ballad of Sexual Dependency
Movie2018MugworthSir Butler
Movie2008Starz Inside: In the GutterSelf
Movie2008Coven of the HeathenitesSelf
Movie2007Jessica the HippoNarrator (Voice)
Movie1994Serial MomTed Bundy (voice) (uncredited)
Movie2016In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink StoleSelf
Movie1996Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow!
Movie2020The Mystery of the Pink FlamingoHimself
Movie2002The CockettesSelf
Movie1997AnthemSelf
Movie2015Sympathy For The Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final JudgmentSelf
Movie1998PeckerPervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Movie2000Cecil B. DementedReporter
Movie2020Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight MadnessHost
Movie2020Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-FiHost
Movie2012Frankenstein: A Modern MythSelf - Director
Movie1988HairsprayDr. Fredrickson
Movie2019Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy CohnSelf
Movie2009For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film CriticismSelf
Movie1969Mondo TrashoReporter (voice) (uncredited)
Movie1985Divine WatersSelf
Movie2020Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and CampHost
Movie2020Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes
Movie2019Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’Self
Movie2018Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
Movie201930/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand ReleasingSelf
Movie2006Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'Self
Movie1998Anarchy TV
Movie2022Don't Fall in Love with YourselfSelf (Archival)
Movie2024Doc of ChuckySelf
Movie2004Closer Than That: A Documentary on LowHimself
Movie2024As Time Goes By
Movie2025It's Dorothy!Self
Movie2025Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink NarcissusSelf
TV Show1989The SimpsonsJohn (voice)1
TV Show198721 Jump StreetMr. Bean1
TV Show1996The Daily ShowSelf2
TV Show1996E! True Hollywood Story1
TV Show1993FrasierRoger (voice)1
TV Show2012Finding Your RootsSelf1
TV Show1993Homicide: Life on the StreetR. Vincent Smith2
TV Show2006The Henry Rollins Show1
TV Show2007'Til Death Do Us Part13
TV Show2021PrideSelf6
TV Show1998So Graham NortonSelf - Guest1
TV Show2006I Love the '70s: Volume 2Self10
TV Show2018ExplainedNarrator (voice)1
TV Show2022The Andy Warhol DiariesSelf6
TV Show2010Offspring52
TV Show2014HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-LevittSelf1
TV Show1956Tony AwardsSelf - Presenter1
TV Show2013RuPaul Drives...Self - Guest2
TV Show2007The Graham Norton ShowSelf2
TV Show2014Late Night with Seth MeyersSelf1
TV Show2010Fish HooksThe Yeti Lobster (voice)1
TV Show2010Fish HooksEzekiel Freshwater / Hair Man (voice)1
TV Show2007Indie SexSelf1
TV Show2016Search PartySheffield2
TV Show2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenSelf - Guest1
TV Show2013The BlacklistJohn Waters1
TV Show2016The New Yorker PresentsSelf1
TV Show2022Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow1
TV Show2017FEUDWilliam Castle1
TV Show2014ClarenceCaptain Tom (voice)1
TV Show2005My Name Is EarlWalter Hamerick1
TV Show1975Saturday Night LiveSelf - Cameo (uncredited)1
TV Show2003Real Time with Bill MaherSelf9
TV Show2009RuPaul's Drag RaceSelf - Guest Judge1
TV Show2009RuPaul's Drag RaceSelf - Special Guest1
TV Show2021ChuckyWendell Wilkins1
TV Show1988The Incredibly Strange Film ShowSelf2
TV Show1999Law & Order: Special Victims UnitPornmonger Man2
TV Show2018Liverspots and AstronotsO-Dor21
TV Show1992HBO First Look1
TV Show1994Family AlbumVincent2
TV Show2025Everybody's Live with John MulaneySelf - Writer and Film Director1
TV Show2020Helluva BossRolando (voice)1

Crew

Media
Movie1972Pink FlamingosDirectorDirecting
Movie1972Pink FlamingosProducerProduction
Movie1972Pink FlamingosDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1972Pink FlamingosEditorEditing
Movie1988HairsprayDirectorDirecting
Movie1988HairsprayScreenplayWriting
Movie1970The Diane Linkletter StoryEditorEditing
Movie1970The Diane Linkletter StoryProducerProduction
Movie1970The Diane Linkletter StoryDirectorDirecting
Movie1970The Diane Linkletter StoryDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1970The Diane Linkletter StoryWriterWriting
Movie1994Serial MomDirectorDirecting
Movie1998PeckerDirectorDirecting
Movie1998PeckerScreenplayWriting
Movie1990Cry-BabyDirectorDirecting
Movie2004A Dirty ShameDirectorDirecting
Movie2000Cecil B. DementedDirectorDirecting
Movie1977Desperate LivingDirectorDirecting
Movie1974Female TroubleDirectorDirecting
Movie1974Female TroubleScreenplayWriting
Movie1981PolyesterDirectorDirecting
Movie1981PolyesterScreenplayWriting
Movie2016Hairspray Live!Associate ProducerProduction
Movie2007HairsprayOriginal Film WriterWriting
Movie2006This Filthy WorldScreenplayWriting
Movie1967Roman CandlesDirectorDirecting
Movie1967Roman CandlesWriterWriting
Movie2019Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ThanksCrew
Movie1968Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot HeadDirectorDirecting
Movie1968Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot HeadWriterWriting
Movie1964Hag in a Black Leather JacketDirectorDirecting
Movie1968Eat Your MakeupDirectorDirecting
MovieN/ALiarmouthDirectorDirecting
MovieN/ALiarmouthWriterWriting
MovieN/ALiarmouthNovelWriting
Movie1972Pink FlamingosWriterWriting
Movie2007An American CrimeThanksCrew
Movie2015Kiddie FlamingosDirectorDirecting
Movie2015Kiddie FlamingosWriterWriting
Movie1994Serial MomWriterWriting
Movie2004A Dirty ShameWriterWriting
Movie1977Desperate LivingWriterWriting
Movie1977Desperate LivingAdditional PhotographyCamera
Movie1969Mondo TrashoOriginal Music ComposerSound
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsOriginal Music ComposerSound
Movie2025Marisa y GomosoThanksCrew
Movie1981PolyesterProducerProduction
Movie2010Putty HillThanksCrew
Movie1974Female TroubleProducerProduction
Movie1974Female TroubleDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1974Female TroubleEditorEditing
Movie1977Desperate LivingProducerProduction
Movie201930/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand ReleasingDirectorDirecting
Movie1988HairsprayCo-ProducerProduction
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsDirectorDirecting
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsWriterWriting
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsProducerProduction
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1970Multiple ManiacsEditorEditing
Movie1964Hag in a Black Leather JacketWriterWriting
Movie1964Hag in a Black Leather JacketProducerProduction
Movie1964Hag in a Black Leather JacketDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1964Hag in a Black Leather JacketEditorEditing
Movie1967Roman CandlesProducerProduction
Movie1967Roman CandlesDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1967Roman CandlesEditorEditing
Movie1968Eat Your MakeupWriterWriting
Movie1968Eat Your MakeupProducerProduction
Movie1968Eat Your MakeupDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1968Eat Your MakeupEditorEditing
Movie1969Mondo TrashoEditorEditing
Movie1969Mondo TrashoDirector of PhotographyCamera
Movie1969Mondo TrashoProducerProduction
Movie1969Mondo TrashoWriterWriting
Movie1969Mondo TrashoDirectorDirecting
Movie1990Cry-BabyWriterWriting
Movie1991PoisonThanksCrew
Movie2016Hairspray Live!Original StoryWriting
Movie2000Cecil B. DementedWriterWriting