John Waters

ActorCrewDirectorProductionWriter Apr 22 (age 79) Baltimore, Maryland, USA 1956–2026 (70 year career)

6.4 avg rating

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), Seri…

Known For

Film

Hairspray

Flasher

Film

An American Crime

Thanks

Film

Cry-Baby

Director

Film

Jackass Number Two

Self

Film

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

First Class Passenger

Film

Serial Mom

Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)

Film

Sweet and Lowdown

Mr. Haynes

Film

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'

Filmography

Acting (177)

Movies (133)

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

2026

Gays Against Guns

2026

Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh

as Stage Manager

TURA!

as Self

It's Dorothy!

as Self

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

2025

as Self

A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard

as Self

Doc of Chucky

as Self

Scala!!!

as Self

As Time Goes By

Lynch/Oz

as Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)

6.9

Little Richard: I Am Everything

2023

as Self

6.6

Fragments of Paradise

as Self

Living with Chucky

as Self

The Book of Harth

as Self

Tell Me Iggy

as Self

Don't Fall in Love with Yourself

2022

as Self (Archival)

5.0

The Velvet Underground

2021

as Self

6.8

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

2021

as Self [archival]

7.0

The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo

2020

as Himself

5.6

Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp

2020

as Host

6.8

Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness

2020

as Host

6.8

Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi

2020

as Host

6.4

Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes

2020

Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn

2019

as Self

6.1

30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing

2019

as Self

5.3

Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’

2019

as Self

At the Video Store

2019

as Self

10.0

Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’

Sickies Making Films

as Self

The Fancy Gentleman

as Wadworth Thorndyke the Third

Mugworth

2018

as Sir Butler

Female Trouble: On-Set Footage

2018

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution

as Self

Mansfield 66/67

as Self

Wall Writers

as Narrator (voice)

Whatever Happened to Gelitin

2016

as Self

2.0

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

2016

as Self

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

2015

as First Class Passenger

6.0

Tab Hunter Confidential

2015

as Self

7.3

Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story

2015

as Self

5.8

The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin

2015

6.0

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

as Self

I Am Divine

as Self

Suburban Gothic

as Cornelius

The Last Impresario

as Self

Jingle Bell Rocks!

as Self

The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies

2013

as Self

5.9

Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open

as Self

Excision

as William

Mansome

as Self

Frankenstein: A Modern Myth

2012

as Self - Director

7.0

These Amazing Shadows

2011

as Self

7.4

The Advocate for Fagdom

as Self

Mangus!

as Jesus Christ

Blank City

as Self

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

as Self

Beautiful Darling

as Self

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

2010

as Self

6.5

Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore

It Came from Kuchar

as Self

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

2009

as Self

5.7

Starz Inside: In the Gutter

2008

as Self

4.5

New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next Generation

2008

as Self

10.0

The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels

2008

as Narrator

6.0

Coven of the Heathenites

2008

as Self

Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press

2008

as Self

4.4

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

as Self

Hairspray

as Flasher

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story

as Self

The Junior Defenders

as Narrator

365 Day Project

as Self

Jessica the Hippo

as Narrator (Voice)

Here’s Looking at You, Boy

as Self

Each Time I Kill

as Movie Watcher

Meet The Kuchar Brothers

2006

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

2006

as Self

7.5

That Man: Peter Berlin

as Self

Jackass Number Two

as Self

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

2006

as Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'

7.1

Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

2006

as Self

5.4

Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes

2006

This Filthy World

2006

as Self

7.6

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream

2006

as Self

6.3

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

2006

as Self

I, of the Cyclops

2006

42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage

2006

as Self

6.0

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

2006

as Self - Narrator (voice)

6.6

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway

2006

as Self

Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades

2006

Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On

2006

Inside Deep Throat

2005

as Self

6.4

It Came from... Baltimore!!

2005

as Self

7.2

All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame'

as Self

Seed of Chucky

as Pete Peters

Closer Than That: A Documentary on Low

2004

as Himself

Thinking XXX

2004

as Self

5.4

Abby Singer

2003

as John Waters (uncredited)

A History of Sex

as Self

The Cockettes

as Self

Sylvester: Mighty Real

2002

as Self

Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat

as The Reverend

Memories of Oz

as Self

Welcome to Hollywood

as John Waters

Cecil B. Demented

as Reporter

Divine Trash

as Self

Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story

as Self

Sweet and Lowdown

as Mr. Haynes

Forever Hollywood

as Self

In Bad Taste

as Self

Yesterday's Tomorrows

1999

as Self

10.0

Pecker

1998

as Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)

Anarchy TV

Anthem

as Self

Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow!

1996

God Save the Queens

1995

Serial Mom

1994

as Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)

6.7

Growing Up with John Waters

1993

as Self

Gastronomic Getaway

Homer and Eddie

as Robber #1

Hairspray

as Dr. Fredrickson

Way USA!

Something Wild

as Used Car Guy

Divine Waters

as Self

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

Edith's Shopping Bag

as Self

Love Letter to Edie

as Self

Pink Flamingos

as Mr. J (voice) (uncredited)

6.2

Mondo Trasho

1969

as Reporter (voice) (uncredited)

5.1

My Life with the Waters

as Self

Baltigore

as The Broker

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen

as Self

The Brandon Novak Story

as Self

Television (44)

Kevin

2026 Upcoming

as Armando (Voice)

Apr 20

Everybody's Live with John Mulaney

2025

as Self - Writer and Film Director

5.0

Digman!

2023

as Magnus (voice)

6.1

The Andy Warhol Diaries

2022

as Self

6.7

Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow

Chucky

as Wendell Wilkins

Pride

as Self

Helluva Boss

as Rolando (voice)

Explained

as Narrator (voice)

Liverspots and Astronots

as O-Dor

FEUD

as William Castle

Search Party

as Sheffield

The New Yorker Presents

2016

as Self

6.8

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014

as Self - Guest

5.2

Clarence

2014

as Captain Tom (voice)

7.9

HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

as Self

The Blacklist

as John Waters

RuPaul Drives...

as Self - Guest

Finding Your Roots

as Self

Fish Hooks

as The Yeti Lobster (voice)

6.5

Offspring

2010

6.9

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009

as Self - Guest

5.1

RuPaul's Drag Race

2009

as Self - Guest Judge

7.5

The Graham Norton Show

as Self - Guest

Indie Sex

as Self

'Til Death Do Us Part

2007

6.5

I Love the '70s: Volume 2

2006

as Self

The Henry Rollins Show

The Colbert Report

as Self - Guest

My Name Is Earl

as Walter Hamerick

Real Time with Bill Maher

2003

as Self - Guest

6.0

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

as Pornmonger Man

So Graham Norton

as Self - Guest

The Daily Show

as Self - Guest

E! True Hollywood Story

Family Album

as Vincent

Frasier

as Roger (voice)

Homicide: Life on the Street

as R. Vincent Smith

HBO First Look

The Simpsons

as John (voice)

The Incredibly Strange Film Show

as Self

21 Jump Street

as Mr. Bean

Saturday Night Live

as Self

Tony Awards

as Self - Presenter

Crew (79)

Movies (79)

Marisa y Gomoso

2025

Thanks

7.8

30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing

2019

Director

5.3

Permanent Green Light

2019

Thanks

6.4

Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’

2019

Thanks

Hairspray Live!

Associate Producer

Hairspray Live!

Original Story

Kiddie Flamingos

Director

Kiddie Flamingos

Writer

Putty Hill

Thanks

Hairspray

Original Film Writer

An American Crime

Thanks

This Filthy World

Screenplay

A Dirty Shame

Director

A Dirty Shame

Writer

Cecil B. Demented

Director

Cecil B. Demented

Writer

Pecker

Director

Pecker

Screenplay

Whipped

Thanks

Serial Mom

Director

Serial Mom

Writer

Poison

Thanks

Cry-Baby

Director

Cry-Baby

Writer

Hairspray

Co-Producer

Hairspray

Director

Hairspray

Screenplay

Hairspray

Writer

Polyester

Director

Polyester

Producer

Polyester

Screenplay

Desperate Living

Additional Photography

Desperate Living

Director

Desperate Living

Producer

Desperate Living

Writer

Female Trouble

Director

Female Trouble

Director of Photography

Female Trouble

Editor

Female Trouble

Producer

Female Trouble

Screenplay

Pink Flamingos

Director

Pink Flamingos

Director of Photography

Pink Flamingos

Editor

Pink Flamingos

Producer

Pink Flamingos

Writer

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970

Director

5.0

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970

Director of Photography

5.0

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970

Editor

5.0

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970

Producer

5.0

The Diane Linkletter Story

Writer

Multiple Maniacs

Director

Multiple Maniacs

Director of Photography

Multiple Maniacs

Editor

Multiple Maniacs

Original Music Composer

Multiple Maniacs

Producer

Multiple Maniacs

Writer

Mondo Trasho

Director

Mondo Trasho

Director of Photography

Mondo Trasho

Editor

Mondo Trasho

Original Music Composer

Mondo Trasho

Producer

Mondo Trasho

Writer

Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head

1968

Director

4.0

Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head

Writer

Eat Your Makeup

Director

Eat Your Makeup

Director of Photography

Eat Your Makeup

Editor

Eat Your Makeup

Producer

Eat Your Makeup

Writer

Roman Candles

Director

Roman Candles

Director of Photography

Roman Candles

Editor

Roman Candles

Producer

Roman Candles

Writer

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

Director

6.7

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

Director of Photography

6.7

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

Editor

6.7

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

Producer

6.7

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

Writer

6.7