04/22/1946
Baltimore, Maryland, USA:
Growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s, John Waters was not like other children; he was obsessed by violence and gore, both real and on the screen. With his weird counter-culture friends as his cast, he began making silent 8mm and 16mm films in the mid-'60s; he screened these in rented Baltimore church halls to underground audiences drawn by word of mouth and street leafleting campaigns. As his filmmaking grew more polished and his subject matter more shocking, his audiences grew bigger, and his write-ups in the Baltimore papers more outraged. By the early 1970s he was making features, which he managed to get shown in midnight screenings in art cinemas by sheer perseverance. Success came when Pink Flamingos (1972) - a deliberate exercise in ultra-bad taste - took off in 1973, helped no doubt by lead actor Divine's infamous dog-crap eating scene. Waters continued to make low-budget shocking movies with his Dreamland repertory company until Hollywood crossover success came with Hairspray (1988), and although his movies nowadays might now appear cleaned up and professional, they retain Waters' playfulness, and reflect his lifelong obsessions.
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing (2019) Director |
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Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ (2019) Thanks |
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Hairspray Live! (2016) Associate Producer |
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Kiddie Flamingos (2015) Director |
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Kiddie Flamingos (2015) Writer |
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Putty Hill (2010) Thanks |
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An American Crime (2007) Thanks |
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Hairspray (2007) Original Film Writer |
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This Filthy World (2006) Screenplay |
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A Dirty Shame (2004) Director |
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A Dirty Shame (2004) Writer |
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Cecil B. Demented (2000) Director |
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Cecil B. Demented (2000) Screenplay |
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Pecker (1998) Director |
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Pecker (1998) Screenplay |
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Serial Mom (1994) Director |
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Serial Mom (1994) Writer |
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Cry-Baby (1990) Director |
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Cry-Baby (1990) Writer |
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Hairspray (1988) Director |
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Hairspray (1988) Screenplay |
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Hairspray (1988) Co-Producer |
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Polyester (1981) Director |
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Polyester (1981) Screenplay |
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Polyester (1981) Producer |
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Desperate Living (1977) Director |
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Desperate Living (1977) Producer |
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Desperate Living (1977) Writer |
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Desperate Living (1977) Additional Photography |
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Female Trouble (1974) Director |
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Female Trouble (1974) Screenplay |
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Female Trouble (1974) Producer |
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Female Trouble (1974) Director of Photography |
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Female Trouble (1974) Editor |
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Pink Flamingos (1972) Director |
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Pink Flamingos (1972) Producer |
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Pink Flamingos (1972) Director of Photography |
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Pink Flamingos (1972) Editor |
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Pink Flamingos (1972) Writer |
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The Diane Linkletter Story (1970) Editor |
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The Diane Linkletter Story (1970) Producer |
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The Diane Linkletter Story (1970) Director |
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The Diane Linkletter Story (1970) Director of Photography |
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The Diane Linkletter Story (1970) Writer |
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Multiple Maniacs (1970) Director |
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Multiple Maniacs (1970) Writer |
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Multiple Maniacs (1970) Producer |
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Multiple Maniacs (1970) Director of Photography |
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Multiple Maniacs (1970) Editor |
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Mondo Trasho (1969) Editor |
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Mondo Trasho (1969) Director of Photography |
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Mondo Trasho (1969) Producer |
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Mondo Trasho (1969) Writer |
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Mondo Trasho (1969) Director |
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Eat Your Makeup (1968) Director |
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Eat Your Makeup (1968) Writer |
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Eat Your Makeup (1968) Producer |
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Eat Your Makeup (1968) Director of Photography |
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Eat Your Makeup (1968) Editor |
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Roman Candles (1967) Director |
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Roman Candles (1967) Writer |
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Roman Candles (1967) Producer |
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Roman Candles (1967) Director of Photography |
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Roman Candles (1967) Editor |
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Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) Director |
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Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) Writer |
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Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) Producer |
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Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) Director of Photography |
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Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) Editor |
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Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head () Director |
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Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head () Writer |
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Liarmouth () Director |
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Liarmouth () Writer |
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Liarmouth () Novel |