The Guide to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

The world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame features more than 2,500 terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalk along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The five-pointed stars honor the accomplishments of actors, musicians, directors, producers and others in the entertainment industry.

There is a public viewing area for all Walk of Fame star ceremonies, which are free and do not have assigned seating. For those unable to attend in person, star ceremonies are streamed live at www.walkoffame.com.

• Wear comfortable shoes, stay hydrated and bring sunscreen.
• Chairs or step ladders are not permitted in the audience area of the ceremony.
• Crowds must disperse immediately following the end of the star ceremony to clear the sidewalk and the street.

Director John Waters is scheduled to receive the 2,763rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, September 18, at 11:30am PT at 6644 Hollywood Blvd. in front of Larry Edmunds Bookshop. Waters will receive his star in the category of Motion Pictures.

“John Waters has been a huge part of pop culture for many years,” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “As a director, he has created some of our historic and favorite film moments and we’re thrilled to welcome him to our landmark location for this well-deserved and permanent tribute.”

Joining emcee Marc Malkin (Variety Senior Culture and Events Editor) for the ceremony will be guest speakers Ricki Lake, Mink Stole and Greg Gorman.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, John Waters was drawn to movies at an early age. He subscribed to Variety at the age of 12, absorbing the magazine's factual information and its lexicon of insider lingo. This early education would prove useful as the future director began his career giving puppet shows for children's birthday parties. As a teenager, Waters began making 8-mm underground movies influenced by the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Walt Disney, Andy Warhol, Russ Meyer, Ingmar Bergman, and Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Using Baltimore - which he affectionately dubbed the "Hairdo Capital of the World" - as the setting for all of his films, Waters assembled a cast of ensemble players, mostly native Baltimoreans and longtime friends: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole and Edith Massey. And the rest is history!

John Waters has written and directed sixteen movies including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, Hairspray, Cry Baby, Serial Mom and A Dirty Shame. Both Pink Flamingos and Hairspray have been added to the U.S. Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Waters has authored ten books: Shock Value, Crackpot, Pink Flamingos and Other Trash, Hairspray, Female Trouble and Multiple Maniacs; Art: A Sex Book (co-written with Bruce Hainley), Role Models, Carsick, Make Trouble, Mr. Know-It-All, and in May 2022 his first novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.

Two music compilation CDs have been released by New Line Records: A John Waters Christmas (2004) and A Date with John Waters (2007). In 2017 Third Man Records released a 7” EP of Waters reading Make Trouble and in 2021 Sub Pop Records distributed his Prayer to Pasolini as part of its Singles Club. Waters' audiobooks Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All were both nominated for Grammy Awards in the Best Spoken Word Album category. Sub Pop Records released the 7” single, It’s in the Book; and in 2022, Waters’ cover of a 1952 hit comedy recording by Johnny Standley.

In September 2014 the Film Society of Lincoln Center honored Waters with a 10- day celebration entitled “Fifty Years of John Waters: How Much Can You Take?” featuring a complete retrospective of his work. The next year the British Film Institute also honored Waters' contribution to cinema with their own program called “It Isn't Very Pretty… The Complete Films of John Waters.” In 2015, Waters was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the same by the Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) in May 2016, as well as two by School of Visual Arts (SVA), in 2020 and 2022. The French Minister of Culture bestowed the rank of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters to Waters in 2015. In February 2017 Waters was honored with the Writers Guild of America East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for his body of work as a writer in motion pictures.

Outfest, which nominated Waters for his star on the Walk of Fame, has had a long history with the artist. He was honored in 2012 with the 16th Outfest Achievement Award, joining an exclusive group of notable recipients. The award was presented by Ricki Lake at the 30th anniversary opening night of Outfest Los Ángeles just before the premiere of Jeffrey Schwartz’s Vito.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures presents John Waters: Pope of Trash, the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the filmmaker’s contributions to cinema. On view Sept. 17, 2023 – Aug. 4, 2024, the exhibition features more than 400 works that journey through Waters’ complete filmography, from his do-it-yourself independent beginnings to his rebellious Hollywood productions, including four shorts and twelve feature films. John Waters: Pope of Trash is accompanied by a retrospective film screening series, a fully illustrated catalog co-published by the Academy Museum and DelMonico Books, and is curated by Exhibitions Curator Jenny He and Associate Curator Dara Jaffe.