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