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John Waters

Highest Rated: 100% Multiple Maniacs (1970)

Lowest Rated: 0% Homer & Eddie (1989)

Birthday: Apr 22, 1946

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

One of the grandfathers of cult cinema, John Waters was best known for directing boundary-pushing independent comedies like "Pink Flamingos" (1972) and the original "Hairspray" (1988). Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1946, Waters was always drawn to strangeness in comedy, becoming so obsessed with puppets after seeing the film "Lili" (1953) that he began performing a violent Punch and Judy-style puppet show at the birthday parties of other children. Gifted an 8mm movie camera by his grandmother, Waters made short films throughout his late-teens and early 20s, eventually directing his first feature, "Mondo Trasho" (1969) in 1969. Most of Waters' projects co-starred his longtime friend Glenn Milstead, better known for his drag name Divine, and "Mondo Trasho" was no exception. Waters' next film, "Pink Flamingos," made him a cause celebre in the dark corners of indie cinema, earning him a cult following for his subsequent films "Female Trouble" (1974) and "Desperate Living" (1978), which he would dub his "Trash Trilogy." With his profile raised and his singular aesthetic catching on, Waters gained the backing to make more widely seen movies in the years to come, beginning with "Polyester" (1981), starring former child star Tab Hunter. The musical "Hairspray" (1988) was an even bigger indie hit-and was later remade on an even larger scale as a Broadway musical and subsequent film remake starring John Travolta in the late Divine's role. "Cry-Baby" (1990) gave Waters' the chance to direct a very young Johnny Depp, while "Serial Mom" (1994) had him working with legendary actress Kathleen Turner. By the time Waters directed the shock-worthy comedy "A Dirty Shame" (2004) starring Tracey Ullman, established stars of the moment like Selma Blair and Johnny Knoxville jumped at the chance to work with him. As he aged into his 60s, Waters slowed his filmmaking output, publishing several books including Carsick, a diary of his hitch-hiking trip across America, and embarked on an ongoing series of speaking tours that showcased his increasingly cuddly, almost grandfatherly persona.

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Highest-Rated Movies

100% 72% Multiple Maniacs
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100% The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo Watchlist
98% 79% Hairspray
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96% 86% Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea
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96% 83% I Am Divine
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94% 81% Polyester
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94% 44% The Last Impresario
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92% 69% Something Wild
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92% 85% This Filthy World
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90% 85% Female Trouble
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Filmography

Movies TV Shows
Doc of Chucky 2024 Self Lynch/Oz 84% 68% 2022 Self Living with Chucky 74% 76% 2022 Self The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo 100% 2020 Self Dreamlanders: Little Taffy 2018 Actor Sickies Making Films 2018 Self Wall Writers 2016 Narrator Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 16% 51% 2015 First Class Passenger Actor Suburban Gothic 70% 41% 2014 Cornelius Actor The Last Impresario 94% 44% 2013 Self Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film 43% 2012 Actor I Am Divine 96% 83% 2012 Self Excision 85% 60% 2012 William Actor It Came From Kuchar 89% 76% 2009 Actor The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels 2008 Narrator This Filthy World 92% 85% 2006 Writer Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream 90% 78% 2005 Self Inside Deep Throat 82% 67% 2005 Self Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea 96% 86% 2004 Narrator A Dirty Shame 55% 51% 2004 Director, Writer Seed of Chucky 37% 43% 2004 Sleazy Reporter Actor Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat 50% 2002 The Reverend Actor Cecil B. Demented 52% 67% 2000 Director, Writer Sweet and Lowdown 77% 82% 1999 Mr. Haynes Actor Divine Trash 80% 85% 1998 Actor
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