John Waters

His favorite childhood memory was seeing real blood on the seat of a wrecked car when visiting a scrap yard and fantasizing about lethal car crashes.

As a youth he would watch adult-only films at the local drive-in, with binoculars.

He is obsessed with true-crime and used to regularly attend gory trials all over the US, where he often saw the same faces in the public galleries.

Older brother of Steve Waters.

Subscribes to more than 80 magazines. Also goes to see just about every movie that comes out and hardly ever rents movies.

Has taught classes at the Patuxent Institution, a correctional facility located halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The classes are meant as rehabilitation therapy for convicted killers, in which they learn to write about their violent fantasies rather than act them out.

Waters has always been very gracious in acknowledging his creative influences, such as Russ Meyer , Otto Preminger , Liberace , William Castle , Herschell Gordon Lewis , Jayne Mansfield , Robert Bresson , and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

As a youth, he made as much as $50 a week doing puppet shows for the neighborhood children, and was often hired to entertain at birthday parties. He stated that many of his puppet shows were inspired by the gimmick-heavy films of William Castle.

Bears such a strong resemblance to actor Steve Buscemi that as a joke, John Waters sent out cards with a photo of Buscemi made up to look like Waters.

Big fan of 1950s director Douglas Sirk and actually got to meet him while in Europe.

Grew his thin pencil-line mustache in honor of Little Richard.

Member of the Official Competition jury at the 48th Cannes International Film Festival in 1995.

Waters originally wanted a man named "Mr. Ray" to be the narrator of Pink Flamingos . Mr. Ray was famous for his hair-weave radio ads and for his Baltimore accent. Mr. Ray refused, so Waters recorded the voice-over himself, imitating Mr. Rays voice as "Mr. J."

There is a special section of his immense book collection devoted to Liberace.

Was supposed to have a cameo in American Splendor , as the David Letterman guest holding a alligator.

Maintains a home in north Baltimore, Maryland.

One of his closest friends is Baltimore based casting director Pat Moran.

Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002.

Attended Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland.

Was considered for the role of Det. John Munch on "Homicide: Life on the Street" .

Brother-in-law of Sharon Waters.

Son of John Waters Sr. and Pat Waters.

His musical, "Hairspray" at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award for Production of a Musical (Large).

(January 2009) Owns a house in San Francisco.

(September 2005) Has released a collection of his scripts called Hairspray, Female Trouble, and Multiple Maniacs (Thunders Mouth Press).

Through Richard Owings and his wife Rachel, he is a sixth cousin once removed to Maria Shriver.

In 2008, Waters was planning to make a childrens Christmas film called Fruitcake, starring Johnny Knoxville and Parker Posey. Filming was planned for November 2008, but it was shelved in January 2009. In 2010, Waters told the Chicago Tribune that "Independent films that cost $5 million are very hard to get made. I sold the idea, got a development deal, got paid a great salary to write it-and now the company is no longer around, which is the case with many independent film companies these days".

Favorite movies are The Wizard of Oz , Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! , Boom , Beyond the Valley of the Dolls , The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , Sal o le 120 giornate di Sodoma , Seul contre tous , and Maps to the Stars .

Is a well known bibliophile and owns over 8,000 books.

Was good friends with Russ Meyer, the sexploitation filmmaker. As a fan of his work he would often go see his films in the theatre with Divine.

Met his third wife on Christmas Eve 1999 in "Star City Casino" Sydney, Australia. They married on Turtle Island in Fiji.

John has been nominated for Best Male Actor in a Musical for his role in Oliver! at the annual Helpmann Awards to be held at Star City Monday May 19 2003.

Son of Russell Waters.

Brother of Fizz Waters.

Father of Ivan Waters and Rebecca with his first wife Jennie.

Father, with Zoe, of Archie (b. January 2003) and twins Gloria and Rusty (b.2006).

(May 2006) Joined the cast of Ch7 hospital drama All Saints.

Guest starring in Underbelly - The Golden Mile, and Sea Patrol.

(August 2003) Currently filming the ABC miniseries Fireflies with Libby Tanner and Jeremy Sims.

Starring as the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at the Star Theatre in Star City Sydney.

Strive for art in reverse.

I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value.

If someone threw up at one of my screenings, it would be like a standing,ovation.

I would never do hard-core pornography, because it looks too much like,open-heart surgery.

Sometimes I wish I was a woman, just so that I could get an abortion.

A movie star is someone you want to either get drunk with or have sex,with.

(On The Wizard of Oz (1939) ) When they throw the water on the,witch, she says, "Who would have thought a good little girl like you,could destroy my beautiful wickedness". That line inspired my life. I,sometimes say it to myself before I go to sleep, like a prayer.

My mother was Serial Mom (1994) in a way: She said it was my best,movie - because, I think, she identified with it. Once when I was young,there was something on television about a mine disaster and the miners,were trapped inside. All of their wives were crying on TV and some of,them had their hair in curlers and my mother goes: "Look at her hair".

I even put that line in the movie.

I want to meet Eminem, because he has no desire to meet me.

Our assholes will be clean but we must never wash our hands. Our immune systems will be strengthened by our being dirty. Not filthy. Just mildly grimy. Filthy fingernails have always been a favorite fashion accessory of mine. Especially when you place your hands in the prayer positions. Matter of fact, I urge all my followers to forgo nail polish permanently and replace it with expertly applied soot. The nonexistent gods above will ignore our prayers better this way.

A psychiatrist once told me early in treatment, “Stop trying to make me like you,” and what a sobering and welcome smack in the face that statement was. Yet somehow, every day of my life is still a campaign for popularity, or better yet, a crowded funeral.

When they throw the water on the witch, she says, “Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness”. That line inspired my life. I sometimes say it to myself before I go to sleep, like a prayer.

You have to remember that it is impossible to commit a crime while reading a book.

[W]hat I like best is staying home and reading. Being rich is not about how many homes you own. It’s the freedom to pick up any book you want without looking at the price and wondering whether you can afford it.

Nothing is more impotent than an unread library.