
- Known for
- Directing
- Credits
- 208 films
- Born
- April 22, 1946 (age 80)
- Place of birth
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Directing
John Waters
Also known as John S. Waters, Джон С. Уотерс
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.
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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
Acting 132
- —Mary Woronov: Cult Queen · Self
- —The Brandon Novak Story · Self
- —Baltigore · The Broker
- 2026Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive
- 2026Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World · Self
- 2026Return to Mortville · Self
- 2026Eddie Cochran: Don't Forget Me · Self
- 2026Gays Against Guns
Directing 20
- —Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance · Director
- 201930/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing · Director
- 2015Kiddie Flamingos · Director
- 2004A Dirty Shame · Director
- 2000Cecil B. Demented · Director
- 1998Pecker · Director
- 1994Serial Mom · Director
- 1990Cry-Baby
Writing 20
- 2016Hairspray Live! · Original Story
- 2015Kiddie Flamingos · Writer
- 2007Hairspray · Original Film Writer
- 2006This Filthy World · Screenplay
- 2004A Dirty Shame · Writer
- 2000Cecil B. Demented · Writer
- 1998Pecker · Screenplay
- 1994Serial Mom · Writer
Production 11
- 2016Hairspray Live! · Associate Producer
- 1988Hairspray · Co-Producer
- 1981Polyester · Producer
- 1977Desperate Living · Producer
- 1976Female Trouble · Producer
- 1972Pink Flamingos · Producer
- 1970The Diane Linkletter Story · Producer
- 1970Multiple Maniacs
Camera 8
- 1977Desperate Living · Additional Photography
- 1976Female Trouble · Director of Photography
- 1972Pink Flamingos · Director of Photography
- 1970The Diane Linkletter Story · Director of Photography
- 1970Multiple Maniacs · Director of Photography
- 1969Mondo Trasho · Director of Photography
- 1968Eat Your Makeup · Director of Photography
- 1964
Crew 8
- 2025Room Temperature · Thanks
- 2025Marisa y Gomoso · Thanks
- 2019Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ · Thanks
- 2019Permanent Green Light · Thanks
- 2010Putty Hill · Thanks
- 2007An American Crime · Thanks
- 1998Whipped · Thanks
- 1991Poison · Thanks
Editing 7
- 1976Female Trouble · Editor
- 1972Pink Flamingos · Editor
- 1970The Diane Linkletter Story · Editor
- 1970Multiple Maniacs · Editor
- 1969Mondo Trasho · Editor
- 1968Eat Your Makeup · Editor
- 1964Hag in a Black Leather Jacket · Editor
Sound 2
- 1970Multiple Maniacs · Original Music Composer
- 1969Mondo Trasho · Original Music Composer











