Cult filmmaker, actor, artist and author John Waters, whose movies have earned box-office kudos and critical acclaim, has racked up one more long-overdue honor.
Waters received a star Monday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joining a constellation of celestial bodies scattered across the underfoot firmament of Los Angeles.
"Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever!" Waters told a crowd to peals of laughter before sharing that the Walk of Fame was the first place he ever visited after driving cross-country with a friend and arriving in Los Angeles. "I got out of my vehicle in 1970 at Hollywood and Vine, and darted across the street and got a jaywalking ticket. The first one! And I never looked back."
Actors Ricki Lake and Mink Stole—who have collaborated with Waters through the years—and photographer Greg Gorman all paid tribute with praise and a little light teasing as Waters received the 2,763rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Waters' star was installed at 6644 Hollywood Blvd., outside Larry Edmunds Bookshop.
“John Waters has been a huge part of pop culture for many years," Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement. “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."
The filmmaker, famously based in Baltimore, has lived part-time in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood for about a decade and a half. His most regular Bay Area public appearances include emceeing the Mosswood Meltdown concert series every Fourth of July weekend in Oakland's Mosswood Park. Recent years' lineups have included Kim Gordon, the Linda Lindas, Pansy Division, Flipper and two Shannon Shaw projects, as well as Le Tigre and punk legends Bratmobile.
Last month, KQED aired a City Arts & Lecture conversation from May at the Sydney Goldstein Theater with actress, comedian and producer Aubrey Plaza in honor of Waters' 2022 debut novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.
This month, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened "John Waters: Pope of Trash," described as a "comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the filmmaker’s contributions to cinema," with retrospective film screenings and a catalog.
He is set to host the "A John Waters Christmas" special Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell St.