John Waters

Birthday:

04/22/1946

Place of birth:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA:

Biography:

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.



Credits

Scala!!! (2024)
Self
Lynch/Oz (2023)
Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
Self
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)
Self (Archive Footage)
Fragments of Paradise (2022)
Living with Chucky (2022)
Self
The Book of Harth (2022)
Self
Tell Me Iggy (2022)
Self
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida (2021)
Self [archival]
The Velvet Underground (2021)
Self
The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo (2020)
Himself
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
Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes (2020)
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing (2019)
Self
At the Video Store (2019)
Self
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (2019)
Self
Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ (2019)
Himself
Mugworth (2018)
Sir Butler
Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’ (2018)
Sickies Making Films (2018)
Self
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution (2017)
Himself
Mansfield 66/67 (2017)
Self
Weiner (2016)
Self (archive footage)
In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink Stole (2016)
himself
Whatever Happened to Gelitin (2016)
Himself
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)
Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story (2015)
Self
Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
Self
Suburban Gothic (2014)
Cornelius
Jingle Bell Rocks! (2013)
Himself
Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open (2013)
Self
The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies (2013)
Self
I Am Divine (2013)
Self
Frankenstein: A Modern Myth (2012)
Self - Director
Excision (2012)
William
Mansome (2012)
Self
The Advocate for Fagdom (2011)
Himself
Blank City (2011)
Self
Mangus! (2011)
These Amazing Shadows (2011)
Self
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
Self
Uncle Bob (2010)
Self (archiveFootage)
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010)
Beautiful Darling (2010)
Self
It Came from Kuchar (2009)
Self
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009)
Self
The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels (2008)
Narrator
Obscene (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)
Himself
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)
Self
The Junior Defenders (2007)
Narrator
There's a Hippo in my House (2007)
Narrator (Voice)
Hairspray (2007)
Flasher
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2007)
Himself
Each Time I Kill (2007)
Movie Watcher
Here’s Looking at You, Boy (2007)
Self
This Filthy World (2006)
Self
Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006)
Self
Jackass Number Two (2006)
Self
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway (2006)
Himself
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2006)
Himself
Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On (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)
Himself
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
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
That Man: Peter Berlin (2006)
Himself
I, of the Cyclops (2006)
Meet The Kuchar Brothers (2006)
It Came from... Baltimore!! (2005)
Self
All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame' (2005)
Himself
Chucky's Family Vacation (2005)
Pete Peters (Archive Footage)
Inside Deep Throat (2005)
Self
Seed of Chucky (2004)
Pete Peters
Thinking XXX (2004)
Self
Abby Singer (2003)
John Waters (uncredited)
A History of Sex (2003)
Himself
Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002)
The Reverend
The Cockettes (2002)
Self
Memories of Oz (2001)
Himself
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story (2000)
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Reporter
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Mr. Haynes
In Bad Taste (1999)
Self
Yesterday's Tomorrows (1999)
Self
Forever Hollywood (1999)
Self
Welcome to Hollywood (1998)
John Waters
Pecker (1998)
Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Anarchy TV (1998)
Divine Trash (1998)
Himself
Anthem (1997)
Self
Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow! (1996)
God Save the Queens (1995)
Serial Mom (1994)
Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)
Growing Up with John Waters (1993)
Himself
Gastronomic Getaway (1991)
Homer and Eddie (1989)
Robber #1
The Incredibly Strange Film Show: Herschell Gordon Lewis (1988)
Self
The Incredibly Strange Film Show: John Waters (1988)
Self
Hairspray (1988)
Dr. Fredrickson
Way USA! (1988)
Something Wild (1986)
Used Car Guy
Divine Waters (1985)
Self
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1985)
No Smoking in This Theater (1982)
Himself
Edith's Shopping Bag (1976)
Himself
Love Letter to Edie (1975)
Himself
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Mr. J (voice) (uncredited)
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
My Life with the Waters ()
Himself
TURA! ()
Self (archive footage)
The Brandon Novak Story ()
Self
Mary Woronov: Cult Queen ()
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing (2019)
Director
Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ (2019)
Thanks
Hairspray Live! (2016)
Associate Producer
Kiddie Flamingos (2015)
Director
Kiddie Flamingos (2015)
Writer
Putty Hill (2010)
Thanks
An American Crime (2007)
Thanks
Hairspray (2007)
Original Film Writer
This Filthy World (2006)
Screenplay
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Director
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Writer
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Director
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Screenplay
Pecker (1998)
Director
Pecker (1998)
Screenplay
Serial Mom (1994)
Director
Serial Mom (1994)
Writer
Cry-Baby (1990)
Director
Cry-Baby (1990)
Writer
Hairspray (1988)
Director
Hairspray (1988)
Screenplay
Hairspray (1988)
Co-Producer
Polyester (1981)
Director
Polyester (1981)
Screenplay
Polyester (1981)
Producer
Desperate Living (1977)
Director
Desperate Living (1977)
Producer
Desperate Living (1977)
Writer
Desperate Living (1977)
Additional Photography
Female Trouble (1974)
Director
Female Trouble (1974)
Screenplay
Female Trouble (1974)
Producer
Female Trouble (1974)
Director of Photography
Female Trouble (1974)
Editor
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Director
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Producer
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Director of Photography
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Editor
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Writer
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Editor
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Producer
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Director
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Director of Photography
The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
Writer
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Director
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Writer
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Producer
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Director of Photography
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
Editor
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Editor
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Director of Photography
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Producer
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Writer
Mondo Trasho (1969)
Director
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Director
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Writer
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Producer
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Director of Photography
Eat Your Makeup (1968)
Editor
Roman Candles (1967)
Director
Roman Candles (1967)
Writer
Roman Candles (1967)
Producer
Roman Candles (1967)
Director of Photography
Roman Candles (1967)
Editor
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)
Director
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)
Writer
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)
Producer
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)
Director of Photography
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)
Editor
Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head ()
Director
Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head ()
Writer
Liarmouth ()
Director
Liarmouth ()
Writer
Liarmouth ()
Novel