# John Waters (actor)
**John Waters** (born 1948) is an English-born Australian actor, singer and musician, known in full as John Russell Waters, whose career has run from the rock musicals *Hair* and *Jesus Christ Superstar* through nearly two decades as a *[Play School](https://www.edgepedia.org/play-school-australian-tv-series)* presenter to leading television roles in *Rush*, *All Saints* and *Offspring*.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [2](https://playbill.com/article/cue-a-international-stage-and-screen-star-john-r-waters-on-his-musical-influences-dream-job-and-soccer-obsession-com-337215) He is widely described as one of Australia's most recognized television, film and theatrical actors.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948, London, England; full name John Russell Waters[2](https://playbill.com/article/cue-a-international-stage-and-screen-star-john-r-waters-on-his-musical-influences-dream-job-and-soccer-obsession-com-337215) |
| Move to Australia | 1968, at age twenty, under the assisted "ten pound" passage scheme, with a guitar and an unfulfilled recording contract[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/bio/) • [5](https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/stm/john-waters-set-to-scare-perth-audiences-in-the-woman-in-black-at-his-majestys-theatre-c-14619041) |
| Breakthrough role | Sergeant Robert MacKellar in the ABC drama *Rush*, 1974–1976[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [6](https://www.bunjilplace.com.au/news/qa-john-waters) |
| *Play School* | Presenter from 1972 to 1991[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) |
| Major award | AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1988, for *Boulevard of Broken Dreams*[7](https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/awards-history/1988/) |
| Signature stage show | *Lennon: Through a Glass Onion*, a two-man John Lennon tribute toured intermittently since 1992, with seasons in London and New York in 2014–2015[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) |
| Family | Son of Scottish actor Russell Waters; married to his third wife Zoe since 2002, father of five[2](https://playbill.com/article/cue-a-international-stage-and-screen-star-john-r-waters-on-his-musical-influences-dream-job-and-soccer-obsession-com-337215) • [8](https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/john-waters-interview/) |
## Early life and arrival in Australia
Waters was born in London in 1948 to the Scottish actor Russell Waters and grew up around film studios, appearing in minor roles as a child.[9](https://www.ovations.com.au/speakers/john-waters) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/19/three-things-with-john-waters-i-was-delighted-but-i-wondered-how-to-get-it-on-to-a-plane) As a teenager he played in a rock and roll band, and he sang with the London band the Riots before emigrating.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [6](https://www.bunjilplace.com.au/news/qa-john-waters) In 1968, after a recording contract did not come to fruition, he took the Australian government's ten-pound assisted passage to Australia, armed with a guitar and, by his own account, ideas of becoming a cowboy.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/bio/) • [5](https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/stm/john-waters-set-to-scare-perth-audiences-in-the-woman-in-black-at-his-majestys-theatre-c-14619041) • [11](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/john-waters/7758858)
## Musical theater
Waters's professional stage debut came in the first-ever Australian production of *Hair* in 1969, in the lead role of Claude, alongside [Marcia Hines](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcia-hines).[12](https://thefourthwall.com.au/john-waters-fiddler-on-the-roof-interview-australia-2026/) • [9](https://www.ovations.com.au/speakers/john-waters) Through the 1970s he appeared in the hit musicals *Godspell*, in the role of Judas, and *Jesus Christ Superstar*.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [9](https://www.ovations.com.au/speakers/john-waters) His later musical theater work has included *My Fair Lady* as Professor Higgins, *They're Playing Our Song*, *The Sound of Music*, *Oliver!*, *The Rocky Horror Show*, *A Little Night Music* for the [Sydney Theatre Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/sydney-theatre-company), and *The Addams Family*.[13](https://entertainment.ie/person/john-waters/) • [1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [14](https://theatreroyalsydney.com/news/john-waters-joins-the-cast-of-fiddler-on-the-roof/) In 1992 he won acclaim as [Pontius Pilate](https://www.edgepedia.org/pontius-pilate) in the concert version of *Jesus Christ Superstar* that toured nationally with John Farnham, Kate Ceberano, Jon Stevens, and Angry Anderson.[13](https://entertainment.ie/person/john-waters/)
## Television and film
Waters made his *Play School* debut in 1972 and appeared regularly on the children's program until 1991, a run that made his name familiar to a generation of Australian parents and children.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/19/three-things-with-john-waters-i-was-delighted-but-i-wondered-how-to-get-it-on-to-a-plane) In 1974 he took the role of Sergeant Robert MacKellar in the ABC drama *Rush*, which he credits with making him widely known as an actor.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [6](https://www.bunjilplace.com.au/news/qa-john-waters) In 1975 he won a Best New Talent Logie for an appearance in *Division 4*.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948)
His film work includes *The Getting of Wisdom* (1978), *[Breaker Morant](https://www.edgepedia.org/breaker-morant-film)* (1979) and *All the Rivers Run* (1983), the historical miniseries in which he starred with [Sigrid Thornton](https://www.edgepedia.org/sigrid-thornton).[15](https://aso.gov.au/people/John_Waters/) • [14](https://theatreroyalsydney.com/news/john-waters-joins-the-cast-of-fiddler-on-the-roof/) Although his film roles have been few by his own account, in 1988 he won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for *Boulevard of Broken Dreams*.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [7](https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/awards-history/1988/)
**Later television.** More than forty years after *Rush*, Waters was still on screen in series roles: *[All Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-saints-tv-series)* (2006–2009), for which he was nominated for the 2006 AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, *[Offspring](https://www.edgepedia.org/offspring-tv-series)* (2010–2014), in which he played the free-spirited patriarch Darcy for five seasons, *Rake* (2016) and *Mystery Road* (2018).[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [16](https://clpr.com.au/pdf/work/MYSTERY_ROAD_-_THE_SERIES_MEDIA_KIT_as_at_24.4.18.pdf) • [17](https://www.realestate.com.au/news/john-waters-reveals-the-stories-behind-some-of-his-favourites/?rsf=syn%3Anews%3Anca%3Ahs%3Asocref)
## Music and Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
Waters has worked throughout his career as a singer, guitarist and songwriter.[18](https://tv.apple.com/au/person/john-waters/umc.cpc.1ja6gpujzypaqocfhq4zkleqj) In 1992 he and the singer-pianist Stewart D'Arrietta conceived *Lennon: Through a Glass Onion*, a part-spoken-word, part-musical celebration of [John Lennon](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lennon) that Waters has toured intermittently since.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) • [17](https://www.realestate.com.au/news/john-waters-reveals-the-stories-behind-some-of-his-favourites/?rsf=syn%3Anews%3Anca%3Ahs%3Asocref) The show ran for seasons in London and New York in 2014–2015.[1](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948) His solo album *Cloudland*, featuring his own work alongside covers, was released in 2010.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/)
## Recent work
Waters has continued to favor live performance, saying that nothing compares to the immediacy of theater, where a mistake cannot be re-shot.[8](https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/john-waters-interview/) His later stage appearances include *The Woman in Black* on tour in Australia and, from 31 July 2026, the role of Lazar Wolf in *Fiddler on the Roof* at Theatre Royal Sydney, a cast reunion with Sigrid Thornton.[5](https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/stm/john-waters-set-to-scare-perth-audiences-in-the-woman-in-black-at-his-majestys-theatre-c-14619041) • [14](https://theatreroyalsydney.com/news/john-waters-joins-the-cast-of-fiddler-on-the-roof/) He also joined the Australian premiere of *Waitress: The Musical* as diner owner Joe.[19](https://www.newidea.com.au/celebrity/john-waters-waitress-musical/)
## References
1. [John Waters, National Portrait Gallery of Australia](https://portrait.gov.au/people/john-waters-1948)
2. [CUE & A: John R. Waters, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/cue-a-international-stage-and-screen-star-john-r-waters-on-his-musical-influences-dream-job-and-soccer-obsession-com-337215)
3. [John Waters, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/)
4. [John Waters Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914113/bio/)
5. [John Waters set to scare Perth audiences in The Woman In Black, The West Australian](https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/stm/john-waters-set-to-scare-perth-audiences-in-the-woman-in-black-at-his-majestys-theatre-c-14619041)
6. [Q&A with John Waters, Bunjil Place](https://www.bunjilplace.com.au/news/qa-john-waters)
7. [1988 AACTA Awards history](https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/awards-history/1988/)
8. [John Waters: "Nothing beats a live audience", Now To Love](https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/john-waters-interview/)
9. [John Waters Keynote Speaker, Ovations](https://www.ovations.com.au/speakers/john-waters)
10. [Three things with John Waters, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/19/three-things-with-john-waters-i-was-delighted-but-i-wondered-how-to-get-it-on-to-a-plane)
11. [How John Waters made his mark on the Australian screen and stage, ABC Conversations](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/john-waters/7758858)
12. [John Waters Fiddler on the Roof Interview, The Fourth Wall](https://thefourthwall.com.au/john-waters-fiddler-on-the-roof-interview-australia-2026/)
13. [John Waters, Entertainment.ie](https://entertainment.ie/person/john-waters/)
14. [John Waters joins the cast of Fiddler on the Roof, Theatre Royal Sydney](https://theatreroyalsydney.com/news/john-waters-joins-the-cast-of-fiddler-on-the-roof/)
15. [John Waters, Australian Screen (NFSA)](https://aso.gov.au/people/John_Waters/)
16. [Mystery Road media kit, ABC](https://clpr.com.au/pdf/work/MYSTERY_ROAD_-_THE_SERIES_MEDIA_KIT_as_at_24.4.18.pdf)
17. [John Waters reveals the stories behind some of his favourites, realestate.com.au](https://www.realestate.com.au/news/john-waters-reveals-the-stories-behind-some-of-his-favourites/?rsf=syn%3Anews%3Anca%3Ahs%3Asocref)
18. [John Waters, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/au/person/john-waters/umc.cpc.1ja6gpujzypaqocfhq4zkleqj)
19. [John Waters' full circle moment with Waitress, New Idea](https://www.newidea.com.au/celebrity/john-waters-waitress-musical/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Australian actors › Surnames T to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license