John Waters celebrates 79 today
Known as the “Pope of Trash,” Waters found his creative voice in the 1970s with a unique troupe of misfit actors known as the Dreamlanders, most notably the iconic drag queen Divine who delivered the memorable performance in the now cult movie “Pink Flamingos,” and reached mainstream audiences during the 1980s and 1990s with movies such as “Hairspray” and “Cry Baby”
John Waters celebrates 79 today
John Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland. Raised in a conservative Catholic household, he developed a fascination with the macabre and subversive at a young age, often staging amateur horror movies in his backyard. After briefly attending New York University, he returned to Baltimore and began making underground films that reveled in the outrageous and the taboo.
Waters found his creative voice in the 1970s with a unique troupe of misfit actors known as the Dreamlanders, most notably the iconic drag queen Divine. His early films “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble” and “Desperate Living,” gained cult status for their blend of shock value, satire, and offbeat humor. He reached a broader audience in the 1980s with the more mainstream—but still deliciously eccentric “Polyester” and “Hairspray,” the latter of which became a Broadway musical and hit Hollywood remake, and later with “Cry-Baby” and “Serial Mom.”
Throughout his career, Waters blended outrageous comedy with subversive social commentary in films such as Polyester, Cry-Baby, and Serial Mom. Beyond filmmaking, he has also built a reputation as a writer, visual artist, and cultural commentator, with books like Role Models and Mr. Know-It-All showcasing his wit and intellect.
Over the years, Waters has built a reputation as the “Pope of Trash,” a boundary-pushing auteur celebrated for his wit, irreverence, and unwavering commitment to creative freedom. In addition to filmmaking, he’s published memoirs and art books, performed solo stage shows, and become a beloved figure on the lecture circuit.
Watch: John Waters’s Life in Parties by W Magazine
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