John Waters
1946–
Introduction
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, 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. His other films 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. He often collaborated with late actor and drag queen Divine (1966–1988) and his regular cast of the Dreamlanders.
As an actor, Waters has appeared in the films Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), and Suburban Gothic (2014), as well as the Child's Play franchise with the film Seed of Chucky (2004) and the third season of the television series Chucky (2024). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006).
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.
Wikidata identifier
Q314926
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed February 13, 2025.
Introduction
Primarily known as a filmmaker, beginning in the 1970s with transgressive comedies starring Divine, Waters in his later career has embraced various media including photography, sculpture, collage, and installation, exhibiting in galleries. He is a published author and prolific essayist as well.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, actor, cinematographer, comedian, photographer, sculptor, writer
ULAN identifier
500331901
Names
John Waters, John Samuel Waters, Jr. John Samuel Waters
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed February 13, 2025.