# John Waters

**John Waters** (born 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland, known for deliberately transgressive comedies such as *Pink Flamingos* (1972) and for the more widely seen *Hairspray* (1988). [William S. Burroughs](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-s-burroughs) called him the "Pope of Trash", a name he adopted.<sup>[1](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)</sup> His career spans underground film, Hollywood features, books, stand-up-style live shows, photography, and television acting, with Baltimore serving as the setting and casting pool for nearly all of it.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946, Baltimore, Maryland<sup>[2](https://www.thepartysales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Press-Dossier.pdf)</sup> |
| First film | *Hag in a Leather Jacket*, a short made in 1964<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup> |
| Signature work | *Pink Flamingos* (1972), starring Divine; denounced by *Variety* as "one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made"<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup> |
| Mainstream breakthrough | *Hairspray* (1988), a PG-rated dance comedy adapted into a Tony-winning Broadway musical and a later film musical<sup>[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/john-waters-criterion-hairspray-desperate-living-interview)</sup> |
| Last feature | *A Dirty Shame* (2004)<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup> |
| Books | *Shock Value*, *Crackpot*, *Role Models*, *Carsick*, *Make Trouble*, and the 2022 debut novel *Liarmouth*, among others<sup>[6](https://savilleproductions.com/directors/feature-film-directors/john-waters/)</sup> |
| Recognition | *Pink Flamingos* added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2021<sup>[1](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)</sup> |

## Early films and the Dreamlanders

Waters attended the University of Baltimore in 1965 and New York University in 1966, and claims to have been thrown out of film school.<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup> He made his first short film with an 8mm camera in 1964, and soon after assembled a troupe of regular collaborators whose work, as one profile put it, began "a new era of bad taste".<sup>[7](https://www.iowapublicradio.org/arts-life/2026-10-06/john-waters-iowa-city-englert-theatre-show)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup>

The troupe became known as the Dreamlanders. Its core came from people on the margins of 1960s Baltimore, described by *The Village Voice* as outsiders who were "gay, trans, beatniks black and white": Divine (the drag persona of Harris Glenn Milstead), Mary Vivian Pearce, Edith Massey, Susan Lowe, and [Mink Stole](https://www.edgepedia.org/mink-stole), who appeared in every major Waters film.<sup>[8](https://www.villagevoice.com/john-waters-the-pope-of-trash-confesses-his-sins/)</sup> Waters's partnership with [Divine](https://www.edgepedia.org/divine-performer) is counted among the notable actor-director pairings in film.<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup>

**First features.** Waters's first feature, *Mondo Trasho* (1969), was financed with $2,000 from his father and began his collaboration with Divine; he was arrested on the eve of its premiere and charged with "conspiracy to commit indecent exposure".<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup> *Multiple Maniacs* (1970) followed; it was rereleased theatrically in 2016 by Janus Films, a distributor associated with classic European cinema.<sup>[9](https://www.abqjournal.com/lifestyles/interview-with-john-waters-from-the-lunatic-fringe-to-the-extreme-middle/2971286)</sup>

## Pink Flamingos and the Trash Trilogy

*Pink Flamingos* (1972) made Waters and Divine famous on the midnight-movie circuit.<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup> The film was banned by some local film boards, and it was once barred in multiple countries.<sup>[10](https://time.com/6148756/john-waters-interview-maisel-2022/)</sup> Its notoriety rests in part on a scene in which Divine eats dog excrement, a moment *Variety* greeted by calling the picture "one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made".<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup>

With the Dreamlanders, Waters made what is called the Trash Trilogy: *Pink Flamingos*, *Female Trouble* (1974), and *Desperate Living* (1977).<sup>[11](https://lgbthistorymonth.com/sites/default/files/2008_GLBT--Bios.pdf)</sup> Waters has described *Desperate Living* as "a monstrous lesbian fairytale movie about political corruption"; the [British Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-film-institute) notes it for its early and unusual transgender representation.<sup>[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/john-waters-criterion-hairspray-desperate-living-interview)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/john-waters-restoring-hairspray-desperate-living-mistakes-are-part-charm)</sup>

## Move toward the mainstream

**Polyester and Hollywood.** Waters's first commercial film, *[Polyester](https://www.edgepedia.org/polyester-film)* (1981), was also the first-ever scratch-and-sniff movie, released with cards the audience scratched at numbered moments in the story.<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup> Waters has said *Hairspray* marked the moment "when Hollywood and my underground met for the first time".<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup>

*Hairspray* (1988) launched the career of [Ricki Lake](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricki-lake) and became a phenomenon adapted as both a Broadway musical and a later film musical.<sup>[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/john-waters-criterion-hairspray-desperate-living-interview)</sup> Its story follows Tracy Turnblad, a plus-sized teenager whose support for racial integration of a Baltimore dance show takes the city by storm.<sup>[13](https://thequeerreview.com/2026/06/30/interview-the-pope-of-trash-john-waters-revisits-hairspray-desperate-living-for-new-criterion-4k-restorations/)</sup> Waters has called the film a "trojan horse that snuck into middle America without the public realizing it was my most subversive work".<sup>[13](https://thequeerreview.com/2026/06/30/interview-the-pope-of-trash-john-waters-revisits-hairspray-desperate-living-for-new-criterion-4k-restorations/)</sup> He followed it with *Cry-Baby* (1990), *Serial Mom* (1994), *Pecker* (1998), *Cecil B. Demented* (2000), and *[A Dirty Shame](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-dirty-shame)* (2004).<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup>

Waters also worked in other capacities: he directed a public-service announcement shown in theaters, played small acting parts in films such as *[Something Wild](https://www.edgepedia.org/something-wild-1986-film)* (1986), and in the 1980s taught a film-discussion course at Baltimore Prison, screening his own films for inmates.<sup>[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)</sup>

## Writing, photography, and live performance

Waters is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries internationally, and the author of books including *Shock Value*, *Crackpot*, *Pink Flamingos and Other Trash*, *Female Trouble and Multiple Maniacs*, *Art: A Sex Book* (with Bruce Hainley), *Role Models*, and *Carsick*.<sup>[6](https://savilleproductions.com/directors/feature-film-directors/john-waters/)</sup> *Make Trouble* (Algonquin Books) reproduces, with illustrations, his 2015 commencement speech at the [Rhode Island School of Design](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhode-island-school-of-design).<sup>[6](https://savilleproductions.com/directors/feature-film-directors/john-waters/)</sup> In 2022 he published his debut novel, *Liarmouth*, a road novel about a self-styled criminal mastermind, which he called "the most insane thing I've ever written".<sup>[10](https://time.com/6148756/john-waters-interview-maisel-2022/)</sup>

His one-man shows, including *This Filthy World* and, in later touring seasons, *A John Waters Christmas* and *Going to Extremes*, tour continuously; he reported performing 59 shows in one year.<sup>[4](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://thotyssey.com/2026/05/07/on-point-with-john-waters/)</sup> Since 2017, Camp John Waters has brought fans to a sleepaway camp in [Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/connecticut), and he has hosted the annual Mosswood Meltdown punk-rock festival in [Oakland, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-california).<sup>[1](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)</sup>

## Recognition and later work

The British Film Institute honored Waters's fifty-year career in 2015 with the program "The Complete Films of John Waters…Every Goddam One of Them".<sup>[6](https://savilleproductions.com/directors/feature-film-directors/john-waters/)</sup> He received the Filmmaker on the Edge Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival in 1999.<sup>[2](https://www.thepartysales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Press-Dossier.pdf)</sup> In 2021, *Pink Flamingos* entered the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, and that fall the Baltimore Museum of Art opened a suite of gender-neutral bathrooms named in his honor, with the trans actress Elizabeth Coffey as guest of honor at the dedication.<sup>[1](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://time.com/6148756/john-waters-interview-maisel-2022/)</sup>

[The Criterion Collection](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-criterion-collection) has issued director-approved 4K restorations of *Multiple Maniacs*, *Pink Flamingos*, *Female Trouble*, and *Polyester*, and in June 2026 added *Hairspray* and *Desperate Living*, which Waters supervised.<sup>[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/john-waters-restoring-hairspray-desperate-living-mistakes-are-part-charm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://thequeerreview.com/2026/06/30/interview-the-pope-of-trash-john-waters-revisits-hairspray-desperate-living-for-new-criterion-4k-restorations/)</sup> Of the restoration process he said, "The mistakes are sometimes part of the charm", quoting his own line from *Cecil B. Demented* that "technique is nothing more than failed style".<sup>[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/john-waters-restoring-hairspray-desperate-living-mistakes-are-part-charm)</sup>

He has not released a feature film since *A Dirty Shame* (2004), but he remains active on screen and stage. Around his 80th birthday in 2026 he was acting in a new season of *American Horror Story*, voicing the Persian cat Armando on [Aubrey Plaza](https://www.edgepedia.org/aubrey-plaza)'s animated series *[Kevin](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-2026-tv-series)*, and performing birthday shows across the country.<sup>[1](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.thebanner.com/culture/film-tv/john-waters-interview-trump-hairspray-criterion-desperate-living-CBS5UBD4BZCRVCKW5BZPH3USHM/)</sup> He has spent summers in [Provincetown, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/provincetown-massachusetts), for more than five decades, and told *Time* in 2022, "I'd drop dead if I retired."<sup>[10](https://time.com/6148756/john-waters-interview-maisel-2022/)</sup>

## References

1. [Interview: John Waters' 80th birthday is no joke, Adrienne Arsht Center](https://www.arshtcenter.org/digital/arsht-magazine/more-stories/current-issues/2025-26-season/interview-john-waters-80th-birthday-is-no-joke/)
2. [John Waters press dossier, Party Sales](https://www.thepartysales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Press-Dossier.pdf)
3. [Waters, John, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/waters-john)
4. [Where to begin with John Waters, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-john-waters)
5. [Humor Is a Weapon: A Conversation with John Waters, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/john-waters-criterion-hairspray-desperate-living-interview)
6. [John Waters, Saville Productions](https://savilleproductions.com/directors/feature-film-directors/john-waters/)
7. [Filmmaker John Waters heads to Iowa City for comedy show at the Englert Theatre, Iowa Public Radio](https://www.iowapublicradio.org/arts-life/2026-10-06/john-waters-iowa-city-englert-theatre-show)
8. [John Waters: The Pope of Trash Confesses His Sins, The Village Voice](https://www.villagevoice.com/john-waters-the-pope-of-trash-confesses-his-sins/)
9. [John Waters brings 'Going to Extremes' one-man show to The Lensic, Albuquerque Journal](https://www.abqjournal.com/lifestyles/interview-with-john-waters-from-the-lunatic-fringe-to-the-extreme-middle/2971286)
10. [America's Filth Elder John Waters Isn't Slowing Down, Time](https://time.com/6148756/john-waters-interview-maisel-2022/)
11. [John Waters biography, LGBT History Month](https://lgbthistorymonth.com/sites/default/files/2008_GLBT--Bios.pdf)
12. [John Waters on restoring Hairspray and Desperate Living, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/john-waters-restoring-hairspray-desperate-living-mistakes-are-part-charm)
13. [Exclusive Interview: John Waters revisits Hairspray & Desperate Living for new Criterion 4K restorations, The Queer Review](https://thequeerreview.com/2026/06/30/interview-the-pope-of-trash-john-waters-revisits-hairspray-desperate-living-for-new-criterion-4k-restorations/)
14. [On Point With: John Waters, Thotyssey](https://thotyssey.com/2026/05/07/on-point-with-john-waters/)
15. [John Waters Q&A, The Baltimore Banner](https://www.thebanner.com/culture/film-tv/john-waters-interview-trump-hairspray-criterion-desperate-living-CBS5UBD4BZCRVCKW5BZPH3USHM/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Genre and specialist film directors*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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