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