John Waters
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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.
Known for
Credits
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)
as First Class Passenger
Seed of Chucky (2004)
as Pete Peters
Hairspray (2007)
as Flasher
Pink Flamingos (1972)
as Mr. J (narration) (uncredited)
Hairspray (1988)
as Dr. Fredrickson
Serial Mom (1994)
as Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)
Something Wild (1986)
as Used Car Guy
Jackass Number Two (2006)
as Self
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
as Mr. Haynes
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
as Reporter
Inside Deep Throat (2005)
as Self
Thinking XXX (2004)
as Self
Pecker (1998)
as Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Wall Writers (2016)
as Narrator (voice)
Forever Hollywood (1999)
as Self
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema (2006)
as Self
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
as Self
Excision (2012)
as William
Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story (2015)
as Self
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
as Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp (2020)
as Host
Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh (2025)
as Stage Manager
It Came from Kuchar (2009)
as Self
These Amazing Shadows (2011)
as Self
Doc of Chucky (2024)
as Self
Living with Chucky (2022)
as Self
The Cockettes (2002)
as Self
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (2026)
as Self
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness (2020)
as Host
I Am Divine (2014)
as Self
As Time Goes By (2024)
Actor
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)
as Self
You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of "Hairspray" (2007)
as Self
Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
as Self
Welcome to Hollywood (2000)
as John Waters
New Line: Independent Legacies (—)
as Self
Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi (2020)
as Host
The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels (2008)
as Narrator
Suburban Gothic (2014)
as Cornelius
Anarchy TV (1998)
Actor
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
as Self
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (2019)
as Self
Frankenstein: A Modern Myth (2012)
as Self - Director
Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006)
as Self
The Velvet Underground (2021)
as Self
Mugworth (2018)
as Sir Butler
God Save the Queens (1995)
Actor
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009)
as Self
A History of Sex (2003)
as Self
Lynch/Oz (2023)
as Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
Abby Singer (2003)
as John Waters (uncredited)
Eddie Cochran: Don't Forget Me (2026)
as Self
Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell (—)
Actor
365 Day Project (2007)
as Self
Baltigore (—)
as The Broker
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2007)
as Self
It Came from... Baltimore!! (2005)
as Self
Homer and Eddie (1989)
as Robber #1
Scala!!! (2024)
as Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter (2008)
as Self
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2006)
as Self
At the Video Store (2019)
as Self
Here’s Looking at You, Boy (2007)
as Self
The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3D! On Ice! (2010)
as Self
Divine Waters (1985)
as Self
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing (2019)
as Self
Divine Trash (2000)
as Self
This Filthy World (2006)
as Self
In Bad Taste (1999)
as Self
Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On (2006)
Actor
The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin (2015)
Actor
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution (2017)
as Self
The Roots of 'Hairspray' (2007)
as Self
Love Letter to Edie (1975)
as Self
All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame' (2005)
as Self
Yesterday's Tomorrows (1999)
as Self
Fragments of Paradise (2022)
as Self
Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive (2026)
Actor
The Advocate for Fagdom (2011)
as Self
New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next Generation (2008)
as Self
Mary Woronov: Cult Queen (—)
as Self
Tell Me Iggy (2022)
as Self
Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002)
as The Reverend
That Man: Peter Berlin (2006)
as Self
The Last Impresario (2014)
as Self
Blank City (2011)
as Self
Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes (2020)
Actor
Way USA! (1988)
Actor
Sylvester: Mighty Real (2002)
as Self
The Book of Harth (2022)
as Self
The Brandon Novak Story (—)
as Self
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage (2006)
as Self
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1985)
Actor
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida (2021)
as Self [archival]
Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow! (1996)
Actor
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010)
Actor
Mansfield 66/67 (2017)
as Self
(buz'be bur'kle) n. A Study in Style (2006)
as Self
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press (2008)
as Self
Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades (2006)
Actor
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway (2006)
as Self
Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment (2015)
as Self
In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink Stole (2016)
as Self
Each Time I Kill (2007)
as Movie Watcher
It's Dorothy! (2025)
as Self
Mangus! (2011)
as Jesus Christ
Mansome (2012)
as Self
Beautiful Darling (2010)
as Self
Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open (2013)
as Self
Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes (2006)
Actor
Return to Mortville (2026)
as Self
Meet The Kuchar Brothers (2006)
Actor
Mondo Trasho (1969)
as Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Jingle Bell Rocks! (2013)
as Self
The Junior Defenders (2007)
as Narrator
The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies (2013)
as Self
Edith's Shopping Bag (1976)
as Self
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story (2000)
as Self
Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ (2019)
as Self
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’ (2018)
Actor
My Life with the Waters (2021)
as Self
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (2006)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
TURA! (2025)
as Self
Anthem (1997)
as Self
Don't Fall in Love with Yourself (2022)
as Self (Archival)
Female Trouble: On-Set Footage (2018)
Actor
A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard (2025)
as Self
Sickies Making Films (2018)
as Self
Jessica the Hippo (2007)
as Narrator (Voice)
Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus (2025)
as Self
Memories of Oz (2001)
as Self
Gays Against Guns (2026)
Actor
Growing Up with John Waters (1993)
as Self
Nuart Theatre No Smoking PSA (1982)
as Self
The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo (2020)
as Himself
Closer Than That: A Documentary on Low (2004)
as Himself
Whatever Happened to Gelitin (2016)
as Self
The Big Wet (1993)
as Narrator
I, of the Cyclops (2006)
Actor
Coven of the Heathenites (2008)
as Self
Gastronomic Getaway (1991)
Actor