John Waters

Known For: Directing
Born: April 22, 1946
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

John Waters

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 (2…

Filmography

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

2026 · Self

Return to Mortville

2026 · Self

Kevin

2026 · Armando (voice)

Gays Against Guns

2026

Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh

2025 · Stage Manager

Room Temperature

2025 · Thanks

TURA!

2025 · Self

Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus

2025 · Self

It's Dorothy!

2025 · Self

A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard

2025 · Self

Everybody's Live with John Mulaney

2025 · Self - Writer and Film Director

Marisa y Gomoso

2025 · Thanks

As Time Goes By

2024

Doc of Chucky

2024 · Self

Scala!!!

2024 · Self

Lynch/Oz

2023 · Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)

Little Richard: I Am Everything

2023 · Self

Digman!

2023 · Magnus (voice)

Don't Fall in Love with Yourself

2022 · Self (Archival)

Fragments of Paradise

2022 · Self

Living with Chucky

2022 · Self

The Book of Harth

2022 · Self

Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow

2022

Tell Me Iggy

2022 · Self

The Andy Warhol Diaries

2022 · Self

Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida

2021 · Self [archival]

The Velvet Underground

2021 · Self

Chucky

2021 · Wendell Wilkins

Pride

2021 · Self

The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo

2020 · Himself

Helluva Boss

2020 · Rolando (voice)

Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp

2020 · Host

Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi

2020 · Host

Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness

2020 · Host

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time

2020 · Self - Host

Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes

2020

30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing

2019 · Self, Director

At the Video Store

2019 · Self

Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn

2019 · Self

Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’

2019 · Self, Thanks

Permanent Green Light

2019 · Thanks

Mugworth

2018 · Sir Butler

Liverspots and Astronots

2018 · O-Dor

Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’

Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’

2018

Female Trouble: On-Set Footage

2018

Explained

2018 · Narrator (voice)

Sickies Making Films

2018 · Self

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution

2017 · Self

FEUD

2017 · William Castle

Mansfield 66/67

2017 · Self

Hairspray Live!

2016 · Associate Producer, Original Story

Search Party

2016 · Sheffield

Wall Writers

2016 · Narrator (voice)

In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink Stole

2016 · Self

Whatever Happened to Gelitin

2016 · Self

The New Yorker Presents

2016 · Self

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

2015 · First Class Passenger

Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment

2015 · Self

The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin

2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015 · Self - Guest

Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story

2015 · Self

Tab Hunter Confidential

2015 · Self

Kiddie Flamingos

2015 · Director, Writer

Suburban Gothic

2014 · Cornelius

The Last Impresario

2014 · Self

Clarence

2014 · Captain Tom (voice)

I Am Divine

2014 · Self

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014 · Self - Guest

HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2014 · Self

Jingle Bell Rocks!

2013 · Self

The Blacklist

2013 · John Waters

RuPaul Drives...

RuPaul Drives...

2013 · Self - Guest

Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open

2013 · Self

The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies

2013 · Self

Frankenstein: A Modern Myth

2012 · Self - Director

Excision

2012 · William

Mansome

2012 · Self

Finding Your Roots

2012 · Self

The Advocate for Fagdom

2011 · Self

Blank City

2011 · Self

Mangus!

2011 · Jesus Christ

These Amazing Shadows

2011 · Self

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

2010 · Self

Fish Hooks

2010 · The Yeti Lobster (voice), Ezekiel Freshwater / Hair Man (voice)

Offspring

2010

Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore

2010

Beautiful Darling

2010 · Self

Putty Hill

2010 · Thanks

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3D! On Ice!

2010 · Self

It Came from Kuchar

2009 · Self

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009 · Self - Guest

For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism

2009 · Self

RuPaul's Drag Race

2009 · Self - Guest Judge, Self - Special Guest

The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels

2008 · Narrator

Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press

2008 · Self

Starz Inside: In the Gutter

2008 · Self

New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next Generation

2008 · Self

Coven of the Heathenites

2008 · Self

365 Day Project

2007 · Self

You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of "Hairspray"

2007 · Self

The Roots of 'Hairspray'

2007 · Self

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story

2007 · Self

The Junior Defenders

2007 · Narrator

Jessica the Hippo

2007 · Narrator (Voice)

Indie Sex

2007 · Self

An American Crime

2007 · Thanks

Hairspray

2007 · Flasher, Original Film Writer

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

2007 · Self

Each Time I Kill

2007 · Movie Watcher

'Til Death Do Us Part

2007

The Graham Norton Show

2007 · Self - Guest

Here’s Looking at You, Boy

2007 · Self

This Filthy World

2006 · Self, Screenplay

Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'

Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'

2006 · Self

Jackass Number Two

2006 · Self

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

2006 · Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway

2006 · Self

I Love the '70s: Volume 2

2006 · Self

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream

2006 · Self

Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On

2006

The Henry Rollins Show

2006

42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage

2006 · Self

Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades

2006

(buz'be bur'kle) n. A Study in Style

2006 · Self

Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes

Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes

2006

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

2006 · Self - Narrator (voice)

Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

2006 · Self

That Man: Peter Berlin

2006 · Self

Meet The Kuchar Brothers

2006

I, of the Cyclops

2006

The Colbert Report

2005 · Self - Guest

My Name Is Earl

2005 · Walter Hamerick

It Came from... Baltimore!!

2005 · Self

All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame'

2005 · Self

Inside Deep Throat

2005 · Self

Seed of Chucky

2004 · Pete Peters

Thinking XXX

2004 · Self

A Dirty Shame

2004 · Director, Writer

Closer Than That: A Documentary on Low

2004 · Himself

Abby Singer

2003 · John Waters (uncredited)

Real Time with Bill Maher

2003 · Self - Guest

A History of Sex

2003 · Self

Sylvester: Mighty Real

Sylvester: Mighty Real

2002 · Self

Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat

2002 · The Reverend

The Cockettes

2002 · Self

Memories of Oz

2001 · Self

Welcome to Hollywood

2000 · John Waters

Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story

2000 · Self

Cecil B. Demented

2000 · Reporter, Director, Writer

Divine Trash

2000 · Self

Sweet and Lowdown

1999 · Mr. Haynes

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999 · Pornmonger Man

In Bad Taste

1999 · Self

Yesterday's Tomorrows

1999 · Self

Forever Hollywood

1999 · Self

Pecker

1998 · Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited), Director, Screenplay

The Roseanne Show

1998 · Self - Guest

So Graham Norton

1998 · Self - Guest

Anarchy TV

1998

Whipped

1998 · Thanks

The View

1997 · Self

Anthem

1997 · Self

E! True Hollywood Story

1996

Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow!

1996

The Daily Show

1996 · Self - Guest

God Save the Queens

1995

Family Album

1994 · Vincent

Serial Mom

1994 · Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited), Director, Writer

The Big Wet

1993 · Narrator

Eurotrash

1993

Frasier

1993 · Roger (voice)

Late Show with David Letterman

1993 · Self - Guest

Homicide: Life on the Street

1993 · R. Vincent Smith

Growing Up with John Waters

1993 · Self

HBO First Look

1992

Poison

1991 · Thanks

Gastronomic Getaway

1991

Cry-Baby

1990 · Director, Writer

The Simpsons

1989 · John (voice)

Homer and Eddie

1989 · Robber #1

The Incredibly Strange Film Show

1988 · Self

Hairspray

1988 · Dr. Fredrickson, Director, Co-Producer, Writer

Way USA!

1988

21 Jump Street

1987 · Mr. Bean

Something Wild

1986 · Used Car Guy

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

1985

Divine Waters

1985 · Self

Nuart Theatre No Smoking PSA

1982 · Self, Director

Late Night with David Letterman

1982 · Self - Guest

Polyester

1981 · Director, Producer, Writer

Desperate Living

1977 · Director, Writer, Additional Photography, Producer

Female Trouble

1976 · Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor, Writer

Edith's Shopping Bag

1976 · Self

Saturday Night Live

1975 · Self - Cameo (uncredited)

Love Letter to Edie

1975 · Self

Pink Flamingos

1972 · Mr. J (narration) (uncredited), Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor, Writer

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970 · Editor, Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Writer

Multiple Maniacs

1970 · Original Music Composer, Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor

Mondo Trasho

1969 · Reporter (voice) (uncredited), Original Music Composer, Editor, Director of Photography, Producer, Writer

Eat Your Makeup

1968 · Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor

Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head

1968 · Director, Writer

Roman Candles

1967 · Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964 · Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor

Tony Awards

1956 · Self - Presenter

My Life with the Waters

My Life with the Waters

— · Self

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen

— · Self

The Brandon Novak Story

— · Self

Baltigore

— · The Broker

Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell

Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell

—

Serial Mom: Surreal Moments

Serial Mom: Surreal Moments

— · Self

New Line: Independent Legacies

New Line: Independent Legacies

— · Self

Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance

— · Director

John Waters · Virelixia