Born April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Waters received an 8mm camera for his 17th birthday and immediately set about mocking all the values his elders held dear. Forming a company consisting of his oddball chums, Waters made his first feature, Mondo Trash, in 1969. A few years later, he completed his outré masterpiece Pink Flamingos, in which Divine, Mink Stole and David Lochary vie for the title of "World's Filthiest Person."

Eventually, Hollywood took notice, and Waters graduated to big-budget films such as Polyester, Hairspray, Serial Mom (with Kathleen Turner) and Pecker. Although his players have changed over time, Waters's playfully perverse vision has remained thankfully intact.