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William S. Burroughs (1914–1997)

Actor | Writer | Soundtrack

William S. Burroughs, one of the three seminal writers of the Beat Generation (the other two being his friends Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg), was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 5, 1914, to the son of the founder of the Burroughs Adding Machine Co. He grew up in patrician surroundings and attended private school in Los Alamos... See full bio »

Born:

William Seward Burroughs
in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Died:

(age 83) in Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Still of Patti Smith and William S. Burroughs in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Still of William S. Burroughs in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Still of William S. Burroughs in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Still of William S. Burroughs in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Still of William S. Burroughs and Kim Gordon in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Still of William S. Burroughs in William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
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Known For


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Filmography

Hide HideActor (17 titles)
1998 The Book of Life
Preacher on radio (voice)
 
1995 Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Riddle of Master Lu (Video Game)
Pesky Peasant (as William Lee)
 
1995 The Dark Eye (Video Game)
 
1994 Ah Pook Is Here (short)
Narrator
 
1993 The Junky's Christmas (short)
Narrator (voice)
 
1991 Thanksgiving Prayer (short)
A Speaker
 
1989 Drugstore Cowboy
Tom the Priest
 
1989 Twister
Man in Barn (as William Burroughs)
 
1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway
Butler (as William Burroughs)
 
1984 Decoder
Old Man
 
1984 It Don't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen
 
1981 Energy and How to Get It (short)
 
1978 Thot-Fal'N (short)
 
1966 Chappaqua
Opium Jones
 
1966 The Cut Ups (short)
 
1963 Towers Open Fire (short)
 
1922 Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (documentary)
Narrator (1968 re-release) (voice) (as William Burroughs)
 
Show ShowWriter (15 titles)
2012 The Black Meat (short) (novel Naked Lunch)
 
2008 The Japanese Sandman (short) (written by)
 
2001 The Last Words of Dutch Schultz (short) (book "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz: A Fiction in the Form of a Film Script")
 
1994 Ah Pook Is Here (short)
 
1994 Drug-Taking and the Arts (documentary) (novel "The Naked Lunch")
 
1993 The Junky's Christmas (short) (story)
 
1991 Naked Lunch (novel)
 
1991 Thanksgiving Prayer (short) (uncredited)
 
1990 The Black Rider (TV movie) (libretto)
 
1989 Drugstore Cowboy (additional dialogue - uncredited)
 
1983 Taking Tiger Mountain (story "Bladerunner")
 
1982 The Discipline of D.E. (short) (short story)
 
1966 The Cut Ups (short) (story)
 
1963 Towers Open Fire (short) (writer)
 
1963 William Buys a Parrot (documentary short) (writer)
 
Show ShowSoundtrack (6 titles)
2010 Independent Lens (TV series documentary)
– William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010) (writer: "A Thanksgiving Prayer", "The 'Priest' They Called Him" / performer: "A Thanksgiving Prayer", "The 'Priest' They Called Him")
 
2006 The Sopranos (TV series)
– Members Only (2006) (writer: "Seven Souls" - uncredited / performer: "Seven Souls" - uncredited)
 
2003 Elephant (writer: "Meeting of International Conference of Techological Psychiatry" / performer: "Meeting of International Conference of Techological Psychiatry")
 
1998 Modulations (documentary) ("Recalling All Active Agents")
 
1991 William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers (documentary) ("Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt")
 
1986 Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (documentary) (writer: "Language Is A Virus")
 
Show ShowMiscellaneous Crew (2 titles)
1998 Venus Blue (short) (poetry excerpts - as William Burroughs)
 
1981 Shamans of the Blind Country (documentary) (narrator)
 
Show ShowThanks (2 titles)
1997 Good Will Hunting (in memory of)
 
1982 Blade Runner (thanks: for the use of the title "Blade Runner")
 
Show ShowSelf (38 titles)
2012 MENTALLUSIONS: Radical Eclectic Films of Benjamin Meade
Himself
 
2009 Corso: The Last Beat (documentary)
 
2007 Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road (documentary)
Himself
 
2002 U2: The Best of 1990-2000 (video documentary)
Old Man (segment "Last Night on Earth")
 
2001 Sleep in a Nest of Flames (documentary)
Himself
 
2000 Condo Painting (documentary)
 
2000 Ministry: Tapes of Wrath (video)
Himself
 
1994-1999 American Masters (TV series documentary)
Himself
– The Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) … Himself
– The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994) … Himself
 
1998 Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles (documentary)
Himself
 
1998 The Nova Convention Revisited: William S. Burroughs and the Arts (video)
Himself
 
1996 Reputations (TV series documentary)
Himself
– Alfred Kinsey: The Man Who Invented Modern Sex (1996) … Himself
 
1994 Relics: Einstein's Brain (documentary)
Himself
 
1994 Great Performances (TV series)
Himself
– The Music of Kurt Weill: September Songs (1994) … Himself
 
1993 Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Himself (as William Burroughs)
 
1992 Naked Making Lunch (documentary)
Himself
 
1991 Wax, or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees (documentary)
James 'Hive' Maker
 
1991 William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers (documentary)
Himself
 
1989 Heavy Petting (documentary)
Himself
 
1989 Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets (documentary)
Himself
 
1987 The Beat Generation: An American Dream (documentary)
Himself (as William Burroughs)
 
1986 Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (documentary)
Himself
 
1986 What Happened to Kerouac? (documentary)
Himself (as William Burroughs)
 
1986 Derek Jarman: The Dream Machine (video)
Himself
 
1985 Ornette: Made in America (documentary)
Himself
 
1985 Kerouac, the Movie (documentary)
Himself (novelist)
 
1983 Ajankohtainen kakkonen (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 1 November 1983 (1983) … Himself
 
1981-1983 Arena (TV series documentary)
Himself
– Burroughs (1983) … Himself
– Chelsea Hotel (1981) … Himself
 
1983 Pirate Tape (short)
Himself
 
1982 Poetry in Motion (documentary)
Himself
 
1981 Saturday Night Live (TV series)
Himself
– Lauren Hutton/Rick James & The Stone City Band (1981) … Himself (as William Burroughs)
 
1980 Castelporziano, ostia dei poeti (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1979 Fried Shoes Cooked Diamonds (documentary)
Himself
 
1976 Underground and Emigrants (documentary)
 
1972 Bill and Tony (short)
Himself
 
1970/I Prologue
Himself
 
1969 Cain's Film (documentary short)
Himself
 
1966 Poem Posters (short)
Himself
 
1963 William Buys a Parrot (documentary short)
Himself
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (17 titles)
2012 Out-Takes from the Life of a Happy Man
Himself
 
2011 The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
2010 William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (documentary)
Himself
 
2008 Chelsea on the Rocks (documentary)
Himself
 
2007 Obscene (documentary)
Himself
 
2007 Speak Out (TV movie)
 
2006 Absolute Wilson (documentary)
Himself
 
2006 Wanderlust (TV documentary)
Tom the Priest
 
2006 SexTV (TV series documentary)
 
2005 Silenci? (TV series)
 
2003 Elephant
Voice (text excerpts) (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited)
 
2003 Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man (documentary)
Himself
 
2003 The Battle for 'I Am Curious-Yellow' (video documentary short)
Himself
 
1998 Destroy All Rational Thought (video)
Himself
 
1994 Glitterbug
Himself
 
1990 Laurie Anderson: Collected Videos (video)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1984 La edad de oro (TV series)
 

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Personal Details

Other Works:

(193) Novel (as William Lee): "Junkie" See more »

Publicity Listings:

3 Biographical Movies  | 3 Print Biographies  | 2 Interviews  | 7 Articles  | See more »

Alternate Names:

William Burroughs | William Lee

Height:

6' 1" (1.85 m)
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[on his alma mater, Harvard University]: "I hated the University and I hated the town it was in. Everything about the place was dead. The University was a fake English setup taken over by the graduates of fake English public schools." See more »

Trivia:

Created the "cut-up" style of writing along with Brion Gysin, in which sections of a story are cut up and reassembled to create a new story. This technique is similar to the "tape collage" style of experimental music, which Burrough was known to dabble in. See more »

Trademark:

Gravelly voice, a fedora tipped to the right with heavy glasses and dark, sardonic sense of humor. See more »

Nickname:

Il hombre invisible The Invisible Man See more »

Star Sign:

Aquarius