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