John Waters
American filmmaker, actor, comedian and writer (born 1946) · United States · Directors
John Waters is read about 2,946 times a day, in 39 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?John Waters made his name by daring audiences to watch the unwatchable - his early cult films pushed taste past any recognizable boundary, and Pink Flamingos remains a test of nerve. He later packaged that same subversive eye into Hairspray, proving the underground could go mainstream without losing its edge.
A life in dates
Little Richard: I Am EverythingFilm2021
ChuckySeries, Wendell Wilkins
The Velvet UndergroundFilm, 20212018Officer of Arts and LettersAward2015
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road ChipFilm, First Class Passenger2014
ClarenceSeries, Captain Tom (voice)2012
ExcisionFilm, William2011
American Horror StorySeries, Mr. Phibes2010“Wouldn't you rather your kid be a drug dealer than a drug addict?”In their wordsFrom 6/28/2010 Colbert Report
William S. Burroughs: A Man WithinFilm, 20102009
RuPaul's Drag RaceSeries2006
Fabulous! The Story of Queer CinemaFilm2005
My Name Is EarlSeries, Walter Hamerick2004“We're husky, we're hairy, we're homosexual, and out of the second closet.”In their wordsA Dirty Shame (2004)GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak AwardAward
A Dirty ShameFilm, 2004Director, Writer2000
Cecil B. DementedFilm, Director, Writer1999
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSeries, Pornmonger Man1998
PeckerFilm, Director, Writer1996
The Daily ShowSeries1990
Cry-BabyFilm, Director, Writer1989
The SimpsonsSeries, John (voice)1986
Something WildFilm, Used Car Guy1982
Late Night with David LettermanSeries1981“To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits while watching one of my films, it's like getting a standing ovation.”In their wordsShock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste (1981)“I would never want to film hard-core pornography, because it always looks like open-heart surgery to me.”In their wordsShock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste (1981)“[I] pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value.”In their wordsShock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste (1981)“Life is nothing without a good sense of humor.”In their wordsShock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste (1981)1977
Desperate LivingFilm, Director, Writer1972
Pink FlamingosFilm, Director, Writer1969
Mondo TrashoFilm, Director, Writer1956
Tony AwardsSeries1946Born22 April 1946Also in Deutsch
Photos 8
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Baltimore Museum of Art Gala (54163740641).jpg?width=1200)
Flickr - Siebbi - John Waters (1)
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Governor Wes Moore and John Waters at the Baltimore Museum of Art (54164162775)_with_film_director_and_comedian_John_Waters_after_the_political_podcast_Start_Making_Sense.jpg?width=1200)
Historian Jon Wiener (right) with film director and comedian John Waters after the political podcast Start Making Sense
John Ross Palmer presents his artwork to John Waters
John Waters & Arnold Odermatt, Vernissage Fotomuseum WinterthurIn their own words 10
, Wouldn't you rather your kid be a drug dealer than a drug addict?
We're husky, we're hairy, we're homosexual, and out of the second closet.
And we can cuddle all night!
Filmography 40
LOLynch/OzLELittle Richard: I Am Everything
LCLiving with ChuckyTUThe Velvet Underground
BCBully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy CohnACAlvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
TCTab Hunter Confidential
SGSuburban Gothic
IDI Am DivineEXExcision
MAMansome
TSThese Amazing ShadowsWWWilliam S. Burroughs: A Man Within
HAHairspray
JTJackass Number Two
TRThis Film Is Not Yet Rated
MMMidnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
TWThis Filthy WorldFCFabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
ITInside Deep Throat
SCSeed of ChuckyASA Dirty Shame
TXThinking XXX
ASA History of Sex
BEBlood Feast 2: All U Can EatCDCecil B. Demented
DTDivine Trash
SLSweet and LowdownPEPecker
SMSerial MomCBCry-Baby
HEHomer and Eddie
HAHairspraySWSomething Wild
POPolyesterDLDesperate Living
FTFemale TroublePFPink Flamingos
MMMultiple ManiacsMTMondo Trasho277 credits on file
Television 24
CHChucky
TCThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LMLate Night with Seth MeyersCLClarence
TBThe BlacklistASAmerican Horror Story
FHFish Hooks
WCWatch What Happens Live with Andy CohenRRRuPaul's Drag Race
TSThe Graham Norton Show
TRThe Colbert ReportMEMy Name Is Earl
RMReal Time with Bill MaherLULaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
TVThe ViewTSThe Daily Show
LLLate Show with David Letterman
FRFrasier
HSHomicide: Life on the StreetTSThe Simpsons
JS21 Jump StreetLLLate Night with David Letterman
SLSaturday Night LiveTATony AwardsAwards
Family
Parents
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Born April 22, 1946, Waters rose through the early 1970s with transgressive cult films like Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble - works soaked in post-modern comedy and calculated shock. He kept that sensibility through Desperate Living, Polyester, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Pecker, and Cecil B. Demented, each film a skewed funhouse version of American life. His 1988 comedy Hairspray became his crossover: it grew into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 film adaptation, carrying his love of outcasts to a vastly wider audience. He's acted in Sweet and Lowdown, Seed of Chucky, and the Chucky series, hosted a TV series on corrupting cinema, and works as a visual artist in installations, photography, and sculpture. France named him an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2018; Hollywood gave him a Walk of Fame star in 2023.
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