John Waters

Biography

John Waters is a Baltimore-born filmmaker, performer, author, and visual artist whose transgressive cult movies made his name in the early 1970s, among them Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble. He wrote and directed Hairspray (1988), the comedy later turned into a Broadway musical and a 2007 screen version, and his other directing credits include Polyester, Serial Mom, Cry-Baby, Pecker, Cecil B. Demented, and Desperate Living. His acting work includes Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Seed of Chucky (2004), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), and Suburban Gothic (2014), plus the Chucky television series. He also hosted and produced a television series in 2006 and makes visual art shown in galleries and museums. Narrating his books Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All earned him two Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album. In 2018 the French government gave him an arts and letters award, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star came in 2023.

80years old

Turns 81 on April 22in 191 days

Born April 22, 1946Baltimore
Star sign: TaurusThe sign runs April 20 to May 20
John Samuel Waters Jr. (birth name)Also credited as John Samuel Waters, John Samuel, Jr. Waters, the Pope of Trash, Pope of Trash and the Duke of Dirty

Movie Career

Films: 28
Career span: 37 years1986 to 2023

Genres

Documentary68%, 19 films
Comedy39%, 11 films
Horror14%, 4 films
Biography11%, 3 films
Crime11%, 3 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

A first
For Waters's 1981 film Polyester, he was not the primary camera operator on his own work for the first time, having begun to collaborate with David Insley, a local film student.

John Waters movies on Netflix

Little Richard: I Am Everything2023IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida2022IMDb rating 6.8as Self [archival]
Living with Chucky2022IMDb rating 6.7as Himself
Lynch/Oz2022IMDb rating 6.9as Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
The Velvet Underground2021IMDb rating 7.3as Himself
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness2020IMDb rating 7.2as Himself
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution2017IMDb rating 6.9as Himself
Tab Hunter Confidential2015IMDb rating 7.5as Himself
Suburban Gothic2014IMDb rating 5.5as Cornelius
I Am Divine2013IMDb rating 7.5as Himself
Excision2012IMDb rating 6.1as William
Mangus!2011IMDb rating 4.5as Jesus Christ
Blank City2010IMDb rating 7.1as Himself
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore2010IMDb rating 7.1
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within2010IMDb rating 7.1as Himself
Obscene2009IMDb rating 7.2as Himself
Hairspray2007IMDb rating 6.7as Flasher
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story2007IMDb rating 7.5as Himself
Jackass Number Two2006IMDb rating 7.0as Himself
This Film Is Not Yet Rated2006IMDb rating 7.4as Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
This Filthy World2006IMDb rating 7.6as Himself
Inside Deep Throat2005IMDb rating 6.7as Self - Filmmaker
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea2004IMDb rating 7.3as Narrator (voice)
Seed of Chucky2004IMDb rating 4.9as Pete Peters
Divine Trash2000IMDb rating 7.7as Himself
Sweet and Lowdown1999IMDb rating 7.1as Mr. Haynes
Homer and Eddie1989IMDb rating 5.3as Robber #1
Something Wild1986IMDb rating 6.9as Used Car Guy

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Seed of Chucky2004 Comedy, Fantasy, Horroras Pete Peters
IMDb rating 4.954K votes
Sweet and Lowdown1999 Comedy, Drama, Musicas Mr. Haynes
IMDb rating 7.137K votes
Excision2012as William
IMDb rating 6.127K votes
I Am Divine2013as Himself
IMDb rating 7.53.3K votes
This Filthy World2006as Himself
IMDb rating 7.61.8K votes
Little Richard: I Am Everything2023as Himself
IMDb rating 7.42.0K votes
Hairspray2007as Flasher
IMDb rating 6.7147K votes
Suburban Gothic2014as Cornelius
IMDb rating 5.55.6K votes

Most often with

Jeffrey Schwarz directed three of these films, Richard Bates Jr. two and Yony Leyser two. Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Joe Dante

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Brad Dourif

Jennifer Tilly

Ray Wise

John LandisJeffrey SchwarzDirector, 3 films Richard Bates Jr.Director, 2 films Yony LeyserDirector, 2 films

Films together

Joe Dante3 films together, 2007 to 2022
Joe Dante's page
- Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida2022IMDb rating 6.8Waters as Self [archival]Dante as Self [archival]
- Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness2020IMDb rating 7.2Waters as HimselfDante as Himself
- Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story2007IMDb rating 7.5Waters as HimselfDante as Himself
Herschell Gordon Lewis3 films together, 2000 to 2022
Herschell Gordon Lewis's page
- Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida2022IMDb rating 6.8Waters as Self [archival]Lewis as Self [archival]
- Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore2010IMDb rating 7.1Lewis as Himself
- Divine Trash2000IMDb rating 7.7Waters as HimselfLewis as Himself
Brad Dourif2 films together, 2004 to 2022
Brad Dourif's page
- Living with Chucky2022IMDb rating 6.7Waters as HimselfDourif as Himself
- Seed of Chucky2004IMDb rating 4.9Waters as Pete PetersDourif as Chuckyvoice
Jennifer Tilly2 films together, 2004 to 2022
Jennifer Tilly's page
- Living with Chucky2022IMDb rating 6.7Waters as HimselfTilly as Himself
- Seed of Chucky2004IMDb rating 4.9Waters as Pete PetersTilly as Tiffany / Jennifer Tilly
Ray Wise2 films together, 2012 to 2014
Ray Wise's page
- Suburban Gothic2014IMDb rating 5.5Waters as CorneliusWise as Donald
- Excision2012IMDb rating 6.1Waters as WilliamWise as Principal Campbell
John Landis2 films together, 2007 to 2022
John Landis's page
- Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida2022IMDb rating 6.8Waters as Self [archival]Landis as Self [archival]
- Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story2007IMDb rating 7.5Waters as HimselfLandis as Himself
Jeffrey SchwarzDirector, 3 films, 2007 to 2015
All films by Jeffrey Schwarz
- Tab Hunter Confidential2015IMDb rating 7.5Waters as Himself
- I Am Divine2013IMDb rating 7.5Waters as Himself
- Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story2007IMDb rating 7.5Waters as Himself
Richard Bates Jr.Director, 2 films, 2012 to 2014
All films by Richard Bates Jr.
- Suburban Gothic2014IMDb rating 5.5Waters as Cornelius
- Excision2012IMDb rating 6.1Waters as William
Yony LeyserDirector, 2 films, 2010 to 2017
All films by Yony Leyser
- Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution2017IMDb rating 6.9Waters as Himself
- William S. Burroughs: A Man Within2010IMDb rating 7.1Waters as Himself
Also two films together15 more actors
- Matthew Gray GublerSuburban Gothic (2014) and Excision (2012)
- Billy BoydLiving with Chucky (2022) and Seed of Chucky (2004)
- Mink StoleI Am Divine (2013) and Divine Trash (2000)
- Allen GinsbergThe Velvet Underground (2021) and William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
- Gore VidalObscene (2009) and Inside Deep Throat (2005)
- John SaylesObscene (2009) and Something Wild (1986)
- Jim JarmuschBlank City (2010) and Divine Trash (2000)
- DivineI Am Divine (2013) and Divine Trash (2000)
- Amiri BarakaWilliam S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010) and Obscene (2009)
- Mary Vivian PearceI Am Divine (2013) and Divine Trash (2000)
- William S. BurroughsWilliam S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010) and Obscene (2009)
- Anthony TimponeLiving with Chucky (2022) and Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness (2020)
- Genesis P-OrridgeQueercore: How to Punk a Revolution (2017) and William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
- Erica JongObscene (2009) and Inside Deep Throat (2005)
- Tony GardnerLiving with Chucky (2022) and Seed of Chucky (2004)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Box office

What John Waters's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$202 million

11 of the 28 films have a worldwide figure.

11Worldwide figure
4US gross only
2Never in cinemas
11Figure not found

Top grosser

Hairspray2007Flasher$90.5 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Hairspray2007as Flasher
$90M44.7% of the total
2
Jackass Number Two2006as Himself
$73M36.0% of the total
3
Seed of Chucky2004as Pete Peters
$25M12.3% of the total
4
Something Wild1986as Used Car Guy
$8.4M4.1% of the total
5
Sweet and Lowdown1999as Mr. Haynes
$4.5M2.2% of the total
6
Inside Deep Throat2005as Self - Filmmaker
$654K0.3% of the total
7
This Film Is Not Yet Rated2006as Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
$302K0.1% of the total
8
I Am Divine2013as Himself
$116K0.1% of the total