Cast & creator
John Waters
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, 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. Other films he has written and directed 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. As an actor, Waters has appeared in Sweet and Lowdown (1999), 'Til Death Do Us Part (2007), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), Suburban Gothic (2014), and has appeared in the Child's Play franchise with Seed of Chucky (2004) and third season of the television series Chucky (2024). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006). Throughout his career, Waters has often collaborated with actor and drag queen Divine and his regular cast of the Dreamlanders. More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World. 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.
Also known as: John S. Waters, Джон С. Уотерс
222
film credits
55
television credits
196
1956–2026 · acting roles
6.5
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (277)
Showing 277 of 277 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Pornmonger Man
1999
The Simpsons
John (voice)
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014
The Daily Show
Self - Guest
1996The Daily Show
Self
1996
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
1993
American Horror Story
Mr. Phibes
2011
Saturday Night Live
Self (uncredited)
1975
The Blacklist
John Waters
2013
The Graham Norton Show
Self - Guest
2007
The View
Self
1997
The Colbert Report
Self - Guest
2005
RuPaul's Drag Race
Self - Guest Judge
2009RuPaul's Drag Race
Self - Special Guest
2009
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self - Guest
2003
Frasier
Roger (voice)
1993
Late Night with David Letterman
Self - Guest
1982
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956
My Name Is Earl
Walter Hamerick
2005
Homicide: Life on the Street
R. Vincent Smith
1993
21 Jump Street
Mr. Bean
1987
Clarence
Captain Tom (voice)
2014
Fish Hooks
The Yeti Lobster (voice)
2010Fish Hooks
Ezekiel Freshwater / Hair Man (voice)
2010
Finding Your Roots
Self
2012
Chucky
Wendell Wilkins
2021
Helluva Boss
Rolando (voice)
2020
Eurotrash
1993
The Word
1990
Explained
Narrator (voice)
2018
FEUD
William Castle
2017
So Graham Norton
Self - Guest
1998
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
First Class Passenger
2015
HBO First Look
1992
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
Self - Writer and Film Director
2025
Search Party
Sheffield
2016
Seed of Chucky
Pete Peters
2004
Digman!
Magnus (voice)
2023
Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow
2022
Kevin
Armando (voice)
2026
Indie Sex
Self
2007
Hairspray
Flasher
2007Hairspray
Original Film Writer
2007
HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Self
2014RuPaul Drives...
Self - Guest
2013
Pink Flamingos
Mr. J (narration) (uncredited)
1972Pink Flamingos
Director
1972Pink Flamingos
Producer
1972Pink Flamingos
Director of Photography
1972Pink Flamingos
Editor
1972Pink Flamingos
Writer
1972
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
Self
1988
The Henry Rollins Show
2006
Hairspray
Dr. Fredrickson
1988Hairspray
Director
1988Hairspray
Co-Producer
1988Hairspray
Writer
1988
I Love the '70s: Volume 2
Self
2006
Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time
Self - Host
2020
Serial Mom
Ted Bundy (voice) (uncredited)
1994Serial Mom
Director
1994Serial Mom
Writer
1994
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
An American Crime
Thanks
2007
'Til Death Do Us Part
2007
Liverspots and Astronots
O-Dor
2018
Cry-Baby
Director
1990Cry-Baby
Writer
1990
The New Yorker Presents
Self
2016
Jackass Number Two
Self
2006
The Andy Warhol Diaries
Self
2022
Something Wild
Used Car Guy
1986
Pride
Self
2021
A Dirty Shame
Director
2004A Dirty Shame
Writer
2004
Desperate Living
Director
1977Desperate Living
Writer
1977Desperate Living
Additional Photography
1977Desperate Living
Producer
1977
Family Album
Vincent
1994
Sweet and Lowdown
Mr. Haynes
1999
Inside Deep Throat
Self
2005
Cecil B. Demented
Reporter
2000Cecil B. Demented
Director
2000Cecil B. Demented
Writer
2000
The Roseanne Show
Self - Guest
1998
Pecker
Pervert on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
1998Pecker
Director
1998Pecker
Screenplay
1998
Polyester
Director
1981Polyester
Producer
1981Polyester
Writer
1981
Multiple Maniacs
Original Music Composer
1970Multiple Maniacs
Director
1970Multiple Maniacs
Writer
1970Multiple Maniacs
Producer
1970Multiple Maniacs
Director of Photography
1970Multiple Maniacs
Editor
1970
Welcome to Hollywood
John Waters
2000
Thinking XXX
Self
2004
Forever Hollywood
Self
1999
Poison
Thanks
1991
Suburban Gothic
Cornelius
2014
Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story
Self
2015
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Self
2023
Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh
Stage Manager
2025
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
Self
2006
These Amazing Shadows
Self
2011
Excision
William
2012
Wall Writers
Narrator (voice)
2016
Hairspray Live!
Associate Producer
2016Hairspray Live!
Original Story
2016
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Self - Director of 'A Dirty Shame'
2006
Female Trouble
Director
1976Female Trouble
Producer
1976Female Trouble
Director of Photography
1976Female Trouble
Editor
1976Female Trouble
Writer
1976
Living with Chucky
Self
2022
You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of "Hairspray"
Self
2007
Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp
Host
2020
As Time Goes By
2024
Room Temperature
Thanks
2025
The Velvet Underground
Self
2021
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn
Self
2019
Doc of Chucky
Self
2024
Anarchy TV
1998
The Cockettes
Self
2002
The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3D! On Ice!
Self
2010
Fragments of Paradise
Self
2022
365 Day Project
Self
2007
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Self
2026
I Am Divine
Self
2014
The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels
Narrator
2008
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Self
2007
Homer and Eddie
Robber #1
1989
It Came from Kuchar
Self
2009
This Filthy World
Self
2006This Filthy World
Screenplay
2006
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
Host
2020New Line: Independent Legacies
Self
Starz Inside: In the Gutter
Self
2008Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing
Self
201930/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing
Director
2019Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive
2026
Frankenstein: A Modern Myth
Self - Director
2012
A History of Sex
Self
2003
Tab Hunter Confidential
Self
2015
Abby Singer
John Waters (uncredited)
2003
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Self
2010
Scala!!!
Self
2024
God Save the Queens
1995
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
Self
2009
Lynch/Oz
Host (Chapter 3: 'Kindred') (voice)
2023
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
Self
2006
The Book of Harth
Self
2022
At the Video Store
Self
2019
Eddie Cochran: Don't Forget Me
Self
2026Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'
Self
2006
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution
Self
2017
Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi
Host
2020
Divine Trash
Self
2000
Kiddie Flamingos
Director
2015Kiddie Flamingos
Writer
2015
Mugworth
Sir Butler
2018
Here’s Looking at You, Boy
Self
2007
Love Letter to Edie
Self
1975
Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On
2006Roman Candles
Director
1967Roman Candles
Writer
1967Roman Candles
Producer
1967Roman Candles
Director of Photography
1967Roman Candles
Editor
1967
Baltigore
The Broker
Divine Waters
Self
1985
New Line Cinema: The First Generation and the Next Generation
Self
2008
The Brandon Novak Story
Self
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency
1985
It Came from... Baltimore!!
Self
2005
Blank City
Self
2011
The Roots of 'Hairspray'
Self
2007
Way USA!
1988
The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin
2015
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
Self
2007
The Advocate for Fagdom
Self
2011
Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes
2020
Tell Me Iggy
Self
2022
Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open
Self
2013
Yesterday's Tomorrows
Self
1999
In Bad Taste
Self
1999
Mary Woronov: Cult Queen
Self
Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat
The Reverend
2002
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea
Self - Narrator (voice)
2006
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida
Self [archival]
2021
It's Dorothy!
Self
2025
Edith's Shopping Bag
Self
1976
Mansome
Self
2012
The Junior Defenders
Narrator
2007
Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow!
1996
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
Self
2006
Mangus!
Jesus Christ
2011
Each Time I Kill
Movie Watcher
2007
Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades
2006
The Last Impresario
Self
2014
That Man: Peter Berlin
Self
2006
Mansfield 66/67
Self
2017
All the Dirt on 'A Dirty Shame'
Self
2005
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press
Self
2008
TURA!
Self
2025
Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment
Self
2015
In Conversation With Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner and Actress Mink Stole
Self
2016
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story
Self
2000The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway
Self
2006
Permanent Green Light
Thanks
2019
(buz'be bur'kle) n. A Study in Style
Self
2006
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore
2010
The Diane Linkletter Story
Editor
1970The Diane Linkletter Story
Producer
1970The Diane Linkletter Story
Director
1970The Diane Linkletter Story
Director of Photography
1970The Diane Linkletter Story
Writer
1970Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes
2006Sylvester: Mighty Real
Self
2002
Beautiful Darling
Self
2010
Meet The Kuchar Brothers
2006
Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus
Self
2025Crime and Beauty: Making ‘Female Trouble’
2018
Return to Mortville
Self
2026My Life with the Waters
Self
2021
The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies
Self
2013
Eat Your Makeup
Director
1968Eat Your Makeup
Writer
1968Eat Your Makeup
Producer
1968Eat Your Makeup
Director of Photography
1968Eat Your Makeup
Editor
1968
Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’
Self
2019Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’
Thanks
2019
Jessica the Hippo
Narrator (Voice)
2007
Anthem
Self
1997
A Summer with Joe, Liz and Richard
Self
2025
Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance
Director
Mondo Trasho
Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
1969Mondo Trasho
Original Music Composer
1969Mondo Trasho
Editor
1969Mondo Trasho
Director of Photography
1969Mondo Trasho
Producer
1969Mondo Trasho
Writer
1969Mondo Trasho
Director
1969
Don't Fall in Love with Yourself
Self (Archival)
2022
Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head
Director
1968Dorothy, the Kansas City Pot Head
Writer
1968
Nuart Theatre No Smoking PSA
Self
1982Nuart Theatre No Smoking PSA
Director
1982
Jingle Bell Rocks!
Self
2013
The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo
Himself
2020
Putty Hill
Thanks
2010
Sickies Making Films
Self
2018
Memories of Oz
Self
2001
Gays Against Guns
2026
Female Trouble: On-Set Footage
2018
Growing Up with John Waters
Self
1993
Closer Than That: A Documentary on Low
Himself
2004
I, of the Cyclops
2006
Whatever Happened to Gelitin
Self
2016
Coven of the Heathenites
Self
2008
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Director
1964Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Writer
1964Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Producer
1964Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Director of Photography
1964Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Editor
1964
The Big Wet
Narrator
1993
Gastronomic Getaway
1991
Marisa y Gomoso
Thanks
2025
Whipped
Thanks
1998