John Waters

John Waters

  • Birthday: 1946-04-22
  • Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • Also know as: John S. Waters

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.

Filmography

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

2006

As Self - Narrator (voice)

This Filthy World

2006

As Self

Divine Trash

1998

As Himself

In Bad Taste

1999

As Self

Memories of Oz

2001

As Himself

There's a Hippo in my House

2007

As Narrator (Voice)

Scala!!!

2024

As Self

Love Letter to Edie

1975

As Himself

That Man: Peter Berlin

2006

As Himself

I Am Divine

2013

As Self

At the Video Store

2019

As Self

Edith's Shopping Bag

1976

As Himself

Way USA!

1988

As

Mugworth

2018

As Sir Butler

Coven of the Heathenites

2008

As Himself

My Life with the Waters

0000

As Himself

Mansfield 66/67

2017

As Self

TURA!

0000

As Self (archive footage)

Divine Waters

1985

As Self

Lynch/Oz

2023

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

It Came from Kuchar

2009

As Self

A History of Sex

2003

As Himself

Mangus!

2011

As

Chucky's Family Vacation

2005

As Pete Peters (Archive Footage)

Seed of Chucky

2004

As Pete Peters

Sweet and Lowdown

1999

As Mr. Haynes

Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat

2002

As The Reverend

Excision

2012

As William

Suburban Gothic

2014

As Cornelius

Inside Deep Throat

2005

As Self

Frankenstein: A Modern Myth

2012

As Self - Director

The Book of Harth

2022

As Self

Homer and Eddie

1989

As Robber #1

Jingle Bell Rocks!

2013

As Himself

Tell Me Iggy

2022

As Self

The Junior Defenders

2007

As Narrator

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

2006

As Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'

Obscene

2008

As Self

Beautiful Darling

2010

As Self

Uncle Bob

2010

As Self (archiveFootage)

Mansome

2012

As Self

Anthem

1997

As Self

Living with Chucky

2022

As Self

Hairspray

2007

As Flasher

Something Wild

1986

As Used Car Guy

Blank City

2011

As Self

Weiner

2016

As Self (archive footage)

The Cockettes

2002

As Self

The Advocate for Fagdom

2011

As Himself

Jackass Number Two

2006

As Self

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

2022

As Self (Archive Footage)

Each Time I Kill

2007

As Movie Watcher

Thinking XXX

2004

As Self

Forever Hollywood

1999

As Self

Cecil B. Demented

2000

As Reporter

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Reporter (voice) (uncredited)

Anarchy TV

1998

As

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

2015

As First Class Passenger

Hairspray

1988

As Dr. Fredrickson

Abby Singer

2003

As John Waters (uncredited)

Welcome to Hollywood

1998

As John Waters

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Mr. J (voice) (uncredited)

Pecker

1998

As Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)

Serial Mom

1994

As Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)

Production

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Director of Photography

The Diane Linkletter Story

1970

As Director of Photography

Female Trouble

1974

As Director of Photography

Multiple Maniacs

1970

As Director of Photography

Hag in a Black Leather Jacket

1964

As Director of Photography

Roman Candles

1967

As Director of Photography

Eat Your Makeup

1968

As Director of Photography

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Director of Photography

Desperate Living

1977

As Additional Photography

An American Crime

2007

As Thanks

Putty Hill

2010

As Thanks

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Director

Hairspray

1988

As Director

Serial Mom

1994

As Director

Pecker

1998

As Director

Cry-Baby

1990

As Director

A Dirty Shame

2004

As Director

Cecil B. Demented

2000

As Director

Desperate Living

1977

As Director

Female Trouble

1974

As Director

Polyester

1981

As Director

Roman Candles

1967

As Director

Eat Your Makeup

1968

As Director

Kiddie Flamingos

2015

As Director

Multiple Maniacs

1970

As Director

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Director

Liarmouth

0000

As Director

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Editor

Female Trouble

1974

As Editor

Multiple Maniacs

1970

As Editor

Roman Candles

1967

As Editor

Eat Your Makeup

1968

As Editor

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Editor

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Producer

Polyester

1981

As Producer

Female Trouble

1974

As Producer

Desperate Living

1977

As Producer

Hairspray

1988

As Co-Producer

Multiple Maniacs

1970

As Producer

Roman Candles

1967

As Producer

Eat Your Makeup

1968

As Producer

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Producer

Hairspray Live!

2016

As Associate Producer

Hairspray

1988

As Screenplay

Pecker

1998

As Screenplay

Cecil B. Demented

2000

As Screenplay

Female Trouble

1974

As Screenplay

Polyester

1981

As Screenplay

This Filthy World

2006

As Screenplay

Roman Candles

1967

As Writer

Kiddie Flamingos

2015

As Writer

Serial Mom

1994

As Writer

Multiple Maniacs

1970

As Writer

Eat Your Makeup

1968

As Writer

Mondo Trasho

1969

As Writer

Cry-Baby

1990

As Writer

Pink Flamingos

1972

As Writer

Hairspray

2007

As Original Film Writer

Liarmouth

0000

As Writer

Liarmouth

0000

As Novel

A Dirty Shame

2004

As Writer

Desperate Living

1977

As Writer

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