Personal Info
Known For:
Directing
Birthday:
April 22, 1946
Place of Birth:
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Social Media
John Waters
Biography
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
Filmography
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Everybody's Live with John Mulaney | Self - Writer and Film Director |
| 2023 | Digman! | Magnus (voice) |
| 2022 | The Andy Warhol Diaries | Self |
| 2022 | Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow | |
| 2021 | Pride | Self |
| 2021 | Chucky | Wendell Wilkins |
| 2020 | Helluva Boss | Rolando (voice) |
| 2018 | Explained | Narrator (voice) |
| 2018 | Liverspots and Astronots | O-Dor |
| 2017 | FEUD | William Castle |
| 2016 | Search Party | Sheffield |
| 2016 | The New Yorker Presents | Self |
| 2014 | HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Self |
| 2014 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self - Guest |
| 2014 | Clarence | Captain Tom (voice) |
| 2013 | RuPaul Drives... | Self - Guest |
| 2013 | The Blacklist | John Waters |
| 2012 | Finding Your Roots | Self |
| 2010 | Offspring | |
| 2010 | Fish Hooks | The Yeti Lobster (voice) |
| 2010 | Fish Hooks | Ezekiel Freshwater / Hair Man (voice) |
| 2009 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Self - Guest |
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Self - Guest Judge |
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Self - Special Guest |
| 2007 | 'Til Death Do Us Part | |
| 2007 | The Graham Norton Show | Self - Guest |
| 2007 | Indie Sex | Self |
| 2006 | The Henry Rollins Show | |
| 2006 | I Love the '70s: Volume 2 | Self |
| 2005 | My Name Is Earl | Walter Hamerick |
| 2003 | Real Time with Bill Maher | Self - Guest |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Pornmonger Man |
| 1998 | So Graham Norton | Self - Guest |
| 1996 | The Daily Show | Self - Guest |
| 1996 | E! True Hollywood Story | |
| 1994 | Family Album | Vincent |
| 1993 | Frasier | Roger (voice) |
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street | R. Vincent Smith |
| 1992 | HBO First Look | |
| 1989 | The Simpsons | John (voice) |
| 1988 | The Incredibly Strange Film Show | Self |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Mr. Bean |
| 1975 | Saturday Night Live | Self - Cameo (uncredited) |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Presenter |
| Kevin | Armando (Voice) |