John Waters

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. 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

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The Blacklist

The Simpsons

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Daily Show

The Daily Show

All Movies (138)

• Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World2026 · as Self
• Gays Against Guns2026
• Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh2025 · as Stage Manager
• TURA!2025 · as Self
• Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus2025 · as Self
• It's Dorothy!2025 · as Self
• A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard2025 · as Self
• As Time Goes By2024
• Doc of Chucky2024 · as Self
• Scala!!!2024 · as Self
• Lynch/Oz2023 · as Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
• Little Richard: I Am Everything2023 · as Self
• Don't Fall in Love with Yourself2022 · as Self (Archival)
• Fragments of Paradise2022 · as Self
• Living with Chucky2022 · as Self
• The Book of Harth2022 · as Self
• Tell Me Iggy2022 · as Self
• Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida2021 · as Self [archival]
• The Velvet Underground2021 · as Self
• The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo2020 · as Himself
• Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp2020 · as Host
• Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi2020 · as Host
• Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness2020 · as Host
• Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes2020
• 30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing2019 · as Self
• At the Video Store2019 · as Self
• Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn2019 · as Self
• Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’2019 · as Self
• Mugworth2018 · as Sir Butler
• Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’2018
• Female Trouble: On-Set Footage2018
• Sickies Making Films2018 · as Self
• Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution2017 · as Self
• Mansfield 66/672017 · as Self
• Wall Writers2016 · as Narrator (voice)
• In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink Stole2016 · as Self
• Whatever Happened to Gelitin2016 · as Self
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip2015 · as First Class Passenger
• Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment2015 · as Self
• The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin2015
• Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story2015 · as Self
• Tab Hunter Confidential2015 · as Self
• Suburban Gothic2014 · as Cornelius
• The Last Impresario2014 · as Self
• I Am Divine2014 · as Self
• Jingle Bell Rocks!2013 · as Self
• Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open2013 · as Self
• The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies2013 · as Self
• Frankenstein: A Modern Myth2012 · as Self - Director
• Excision2012 · as William
• Mansome2012 · as Self
• The Advocate for Fagdom2011 · as Self
• Blank City2011 · as Self
• Mangus!2011 · as Jesus Christ
• These Amazing Shadows2011 · as Self
• William S. Burroughs: A Man Within2010 · as Self
• Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore2010
• Beautiful Darling2010 · as Self
• The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3D! On Ice!2010 · as Self
• It Came from Kuchar2009 · as Self
• For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism2009 · as Self
• The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels2008 · as Narrator
• Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press2008 · as Self
• Starz Inside: In the Gutter2008 · as Self
• New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next Generation2008 · as Self
• Coven of the Heathenites2008 · as Self
• 365 Day Project2007 · as Self
• You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of "Hairspray"2007 · as Self
• The Roots of 'Hairspray'2007 · as Self
• Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story2007 · as Self
• The Junior Defenders2007 · as Narrator
• Jessica the Hippo2007 · as Narrator (Voice)
• Hairspray2007 · as Flasher
• Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis2007 · as Self
• Each Time I Kill2007 · as Movie Watcher
• Here’s Looking at You, Boy2007 · as Self
• This Filthy World2006 · as Self
• Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'2006 · as Self
• Jackass Number Two2006 · as Self
• This Film Is Not Yet Rated2006 · as Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
• The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway2006 · as Self
• Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream2006 · as Self
• Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On2006
• 42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage2006 · as Self
• Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades2006
• Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes2006
• (buz'be bur'kle) n. A Study in Style2006 · as Self
• Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea2006 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema2006 · as Self
• That Man: Peter Berlin2006 · as Self
• Meet The Kuchar Brothers2006
• I, of the Cyclops2006
• It Came from... Baltimore!!2005 · as Self
• All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame'2005 · as Self
• Inside Deep Throat2005 · as Self
• Seed of Chucky2004 · as Pete Peters
• Thinking XXX2004 · as Self
• Closer Than That: A Documentary on Low2004 · as Himself
• Abby Singer2003 · as John Waters (uncredited)
• A History of Sex2003 · as Self
• Sylvester: Mighty Real2002 · as Self
• Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat2002 · as The Reverend
• The Cockettes2002 · as Self
• Memories of Oz2001 · as Self
• Welcome to Hollywood2000 · as John Waters
• Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story2000 · as Self
• Cecil B. Demented2000 · as Reporter
• Divine Trash2000 · as Self
• Sweet and Lowdown1999 · as Mr. Haynes
• In Bad Taste1999 · as Self
• Yesterday's Tomorrows1999 · as Self
• Forever Hollywood1999 · as Self
• Pecker1998 · as Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
• Anarchy TV1998
• Anthem1997 · as Self
• Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow!1996
• God Save the Queens1995
• Serial Mom1994 · as Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)
• The Big Wet1993 · as Narrator
• Growing Up with John Waters1993 · as Self
• Gastronomic Getaway1991
• Homer and Eddie1989 · as Robber #1
• Hairspray1988 · as Dr. Fredrickson
• Way USA!1988
• Something Wild1986 · as Used Car Guy
• The Ballad of Sexual Dependency1985
• Divine Waters1985 · as Self
• Nuart Theatre No Smoking PSA1982 · as Self
• Pink Flamingos1976 · as Mr. J (narration) (uncredited)
• Edith's Shopping Bag1976 · as Self
• Love Letter to Edie1975 · as Self
• Mondo Trasho1969 · as Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
• My Life with the Waters— · as Self
• Mary Woronov: Cult Queen— · as Self
• The Brandon Novak Story— · as Self
• Baltigore— · as The Broker
• Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell—
• Serial Mom: Surreal Moments— · as Self

All TV Shows (54)

• Kevin2026 · as Armando (voice)
• Everybody's Live with John Mulaney2025 · as Self - Writer and Film Director
• Digman!2023 · as Magnus (voice)
• Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow2022
• The Andy Warhol Diaries2022 · as Self
• Chucky2021 · as Wendell Wilkins
• Pride2021 · as Self
• Helluva Boss2020 · as Rolando (voice)
• Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time2020 · as Self - Host
• Liverspots and Astronots2018 · as O-Dor
• Explained2018 · as Narrator (voice)
• FEUD2017 · as William Castle
• Search Party2016 · as Sheffield
• The New Yorker Presents2016 · as Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
• Clarence2014 · as Captain Tom (voice)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self - Guest
• HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt2014 · as Self
• The Blacklist2013 · as John Waters
• RuPaul Drives...2013 · as Self - Guest
• Finding Your Roots2012 · as Self
• Fish Hooks2010 · as The Yeti Lobster (voice)
• Fish Hooks2010 · as Ezekiel Freshwater / Hair Man (voice)
• Offspring2010
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
• RuPaul's Drag Race2009 · as Self - Guest Judge
• RuPaul's Drag Race2009 · as Self - Special Guest
• Indie Sex2007 · as Self
• 'Til Death Do Us Part2007
• The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self - Guest
• I Love the '70s: Volume 22006 · as Self
• The Henry Rollins Show2006
• The Colbert Report2005 · as Self - Guest
• My Name Is Earl2005 · as Walter Hamerick
• Real Time with Bill Maher2003 · as Self - Guest
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit1999 · as Pornmonger Man
• The Roseanne Show1998 · as Self - Guest
• So Graham Norton1998 · as Self - Guest
• The View1997 · as Self
• E! True Hollywood Story1996
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self - Guest
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• Family Album1994 · as Vincent
• Eurotrash1993
• Frasier1993 · as Roger (voice)
• Late Show with David Letterman1993 · as Self - Guest
• Homicide: Life on the Street1993 · as R. Vincent Smith
• HBO First Look1992
• The Simpsons1989 · as John (voice)
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show1988 · as Self
• 21 Jump Street1987 · as Mr. Bean
• Late Night with David Letterman1982 · as Self - Guest
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
• Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Presenter