John Waters
"John Waters is the pope of trash" -William Burroughs
John Waters is a prolific film director, author, photographer and sometime actor. He is best known for his 12 films, the content of which
have sometimes shocked and always entertained an international audience. He first gained notice in the film world with his release "Pink Flamingos". This film boasts the first appearance of coprophagy* to hit
the big screen. Generally, as his budgets have increased, the gross stuff has decreased, though his later works still have their moments.
Water's films are equally notable for the colorful casting. His earlier
films, through 1981, relied primarily upon a group of actors and crew called the Dreamlanders. The most famous of the group is Divine, a 300 lb. cross dresser who unfortunately passed away in 1988. Pop-culture icons
began to turn up in Water's films starting with the release of "Hairspray", which included Sonny Bono and Pia Zadora. The release of "Cry-Baby" marked the screen debut of Patty Hearst who shared the
screen with such disparate talents as Traci Lords and Joey Heatherton.
Waters has contributed many essays and articles to national publications such as Newsweek, American Film, and Playboy. His social
commentaries cover a broad range of topics, from bad hair to juvenile delinquency. In addition to articles, he has published 3 nonfiction books, Shock Value, Crackpot, and Trash Trio. During 1995, a Soho art gallery
presented a showing of Water's photography titled "My Little Movies." During this same year he made a cameo appearance on the television show "Homicide."
John Waters was born on April 22,
1946. He has been a proud resident of Baltimore, Maryland for most of his life. The city in turn took pride in its famous resident by naming February 7, 1985 as "John Water's Day."
|
