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IMDbPro

John Waters(I)

  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000483
John Waters
From 'Pink Flamingos' to 'Pecker,' here's a look at some our favorite moments from films of John Waters.
Play clip1:30
John Waters | Director Supercut
14 Videos
99+ Photos
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.
BornApril 22, 1946
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornApril 22, 1946
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000483
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 8 wins & 6 nominations

Photos145

John Waters
John Waters and Divine in I Am Divine (2013)
John Waters and Divine in I Am Divine (2013)
John Waters in Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On (2006)
John Waters in Suburban Gothic (2014)
John Waters in The Colbert Report (2005)
John Waters in A Dirty Shame (2004)
John Waters in Pecker (1998)
John Waters, Divine, David Lochary, Edith Massey, Danny Mills, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Mink Stole in Pink Flamingos (1972)
John Waters and Henry Rollins in The Henry Rollins Show (2006)
John Waters and Henry Rollins in The Henry Rollins Show (2006)
John Waters, Jason 'Wee Man' Acuña, and Patty Perez in Jackass Number Two (2006)

Known for:

Christina Ricci and Edward Furlong in Pecker (1998)
Pecker
6.3
  • Pervert on Phone(voice, uncredited)
  • 1998
Divine in Pink Flamingos (1972)
Pink Flamingos
6.0
  • Mr. J(voice, uncredited)
  • 1972
Hairspray (1988)
Hairspray
7.0
  • Dr. Fredrickson
  • 1988
Seed of Chucky (2004)
Seed of Chucky
4.9
  • Pete Peters
  • 2004

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Boomslang 3: Your Future (2023)
    Boomslang 3: Your Future
    • Franck Boomslang
    • Short
    • 2023
  • Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
    • Lazarus
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Search Party (2016)
    Search Party
    • Sheffield
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    • Pornmonger Man
    • TV Series
    • 2020–2021
  • Mugworth (2018)
    Mugworth
    • Sir Butler
    • 2018
  • Liverspots and Astronots (2018)
    Liverspots and Astronots
    • O-Dor
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • The Blacklist (2013)
    The Blacklist
    • John Waters
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Mickey Mouse (2013)
    Mickey Mouse
    • Wadworth Thorndyke the Third (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2013–2018
  • Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange in Feud (2017)
    Feud
    • William Castle
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2017
  • Clarence (2013)
    Clarence
    • Captain Tom (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2016
  • Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, and Matthew Gray Gubler in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)
    Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
    • First Class Passenger
    • 2015
  • Mr. Pickles (2013)
    Mr. Pickles
    • Dr. Kelton (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2014
  • Kat Dennings and Matthew Gray Gubler in Suburban Gothic (2014)
    Suburban Gothic
    • Cornelius
    • 2014
  • Fish Hooks (2010)
    Fish Hooks
    • The Yeti Lobster (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • Excision (2012)
    Excision
    • William
    • 2012

Writer

  • John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You
    • writer
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 2006
  • Harvey Fierstein, Martin Short, Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Garrett Clayton, Derek Hough, Ephraim Sykes, Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron, Maddie Baillio, and Shahadi Wright Joseph in Hairspray Live! (2016)
    Hairspray Live!
    • original screenplay
    • TV Movie
    • 2016
  • Kiddie Flamingos (2015)
    Kiddie Flamingos
    • Writer
    • Video
    • 2015
  • Michelle Pfeiffer, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, James Marsden, Elijah Kelley, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, and Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray (2007)
    Hairspray
    • Writer (1988 screenplay)
    • 2007
  • This Filthy World (2006)
    This Filthy World
    • written by
    • 2006
  • Chris Isaak, Tracey Ullman, Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, and Suzanne Shepherd in A Dirty Shame (2004)
    A Dirty Shame
    • written by
    • 2004
  • The 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards
    • written by
    • TV Special
    • 2003
  • Melanie Griffith and Stephen Dorff in Cecil B. Demented (2000)
    Cecil B. Demented
    • written by
    • 2000
  • Christina Ricci and Edward Furlong in Pecker (1998)
    Pecker
    • written by
    • 1998
  • Matthew Lillard, Kathleen Turner, Ricki Lake, and Sam Waterston in Serial Mom (1994)
    Serial Mom
    • written by
    • 1994
  • Johnny Depp and Amy Locane in Cry-Baby (1990)
    Cry-Baby
    • written by
    • 1990
  • Hairspray (1988)
    Hairspray
    • written by
    • 1988
  • Polyester (1981)
    Polyester
    • written by
    • 1981
  • Desperate Living (1977)
    Desperate Living
    • Writer
    • 1977
  • Divine, Cookie Mueller, and Susan Walsh in Female Trouble (1974)
    Female Trouble
    • written by
    • 1974
  • Divine in Pink Flamingos (1972)
    Pink Flamingos
    • Writer
    • 1972

Director

  • Gregg Araki in 30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing (2019)
    30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing
    • Director
    • 2019
  • Kiddie Flamingos (2015)
    Kiddie Flamingos
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2015
  • Chris Isaak, Tracey Ullman, Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, and Suzanne Shepherd in A Dirty Shame (2004)
    A Dirty Shame
    • Director
    • 2004
  • Melanie Griffith and Stephen Dorff in Cecil B. Demented (2000)
    Cecil B. Demented
    • Director
    • 2000
  • Christina Ricci and Edward Furlong in Pecker (1998)
    Pecker
    • Director
    • 1998
  • Matthew Lillard, Kathleen Turner, Ricki Lake, and Sam Waterston in Serial Mom (1994)
    Serial Mom
    • Director
    • 1994
  • Johnny Depp and Amy Locane in Cry-Baby (1990)
    Cry-Baby
    • Director
    • 1990
  • Hairspray (1988)
    Hairspray
    • Director
    • 1988
  • Polyester (1981)
    Polyester
    • Director
    • 1981
  • Desperate Living (1977)
    Desperate Living
    • Director
    • 1977
  • Divine, Cookie Mueller, and Susan Walsh in Female Trouble (1974)
    Female Trouble
    • Director
    • 1974
  • Divine in Pink Flamingos (1972)
    Pink Flamingos
    • Director
    • 1972
  • Divine in The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)
    The Diane Linkletter Story
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1970
  • Divine, David Lochary, Cookie Mueller, and Mink Stole in Multiple Maniacs (1970)
    Multiple Maniacs
    • Director
    • 1970
  • Mondo Trasho (1969)
    Mondo Trasho
    • Director
    • 1969
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos16

John Waters | Director Supercut
Clip 1:30
John Waters | Director Supercut
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Clip 1:35
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:42
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:08
Trailer
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Trailer 2:30
Guest of Cindy Sherman
A Life in Dirty Movies
Trailer 1:12
A Life in Dirty Movies
A Life in Dirty Movies
Trailer 1:13
A Life in Dirty Movies
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution
Trailer 1:52
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution
Wall Writers
Trailer 3:25
Wall Writers
The Last Impresario
Trailer 1:48
The Last Impresario
Excision
Trailer 2:15
Excision

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
  • Born
    • April 22, 1946
    • Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • Relatives
    • Steve Waters(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Public service announcement to the effect that smoking is not allowed in the movie theatre features John exhaling smoke through his mouth, inhaling this smoke through his nose, and looking pleased.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Biographical Movies
    • 5 Print Biographies
    • 22 Interviews
    • 19 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Has taught classes at the Patuxent Institution, a correctional facility located halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The classes are meant as rehabilitation therapy for convicted killers, in which they learn to write about their violent fantasies rather than act them out.
  • Quotes
    "My hobby is extreme Catholic behavior -- BEFORE the Reformation." (2000)
  • Trademarks
      All his movies are set in Baltimore
  • Nicknames
    • Pope of Trash
    • Prince of Puke

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