Tom Waits

Acting

Tom Waits

Born

1949-12-07 (76)

Place of birth

Pomona, California, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

70 titles

Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues, rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres. Waits was born and raised in a middle-class family in Whittier, California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego folk music circuit as a young boy. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records…

Known for

The Simpsons poster
8.0

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

The Simpsons

1989

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

Saturday Night Live poster
6.9

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

Saturday Night Live

1975

The Mike Douglas Show poster
5.8

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

Late Night with Conan O'Brien poster
7.3

Stepping into the late-late slot vacated by David Letterman, Conan O'Brien stars in a show that far outdoes its competition in sheer strangeness. Along with the celebrity interviews and musical numbers typical of late-night talk shows, this program make frequent use of odd walk-on characters and frequent "visits" from celebrity guests.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

1993

Austin City Limits poster
6.3

Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.

Austin City Limits

1975

Film credits

2020s · 9 titles

Licorice Pizza poster
6.9

The story of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Licorice Pizza

2021

Wildwood poster
NR

Prue and her classmate Curtis are drawn into a magical forest filled with enchanted creatures, loyal allies, and formidable adversaries as they embark on a desperate quest to rescue Prue's abducted baby brother from a murder of crows led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra.

Wildwood

2026

Father Mother Sister Brother poster
6.4

Estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.

Father Mother Sister Brother

2025

Wild Horse Nine poster
NR

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ. Amongst the Island's iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.

Wild Horse Nine

2026

Ray Gunn poster
NR

In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.

Ray Gunn

2026

Who Is Martin Mull? poster
4.5

Discover Martin Mull's restless reinvention from smoky folk clubs to primetime sitcoms to gallery walls, told in his own words and by the friends who watched it happen, including Steve Martin, Tom Waits, David Alan Grier and others.

Who Is Martin Mull?

2026

Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious poster
6.0

We look back at more than half a century of mysterious artistic creation while trying to crack a unique artistic code. Why are people moved to tears when Robert “Bob” Wilson puts minimalistic petrol pumps into a production of Shakespeare’s sonnets? Why does merciless repetition change our understanding of something? Together with Tom Waits, Willem Dafoe or Marina Abramović we trace back our own experience of Bob’s art. Is it true what Philipp Glass the collaborator of the milestone piece “Einstein on the Beach” laughingly and with apparent pleasure exclaims “what does it mean? It doesn’t mean anything!”?

Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious

2022

The Last Ride poster
NR

A journey among the forgotten: U.S. citizens experiencing homelessness, forced to live in extreme marginalization. Giving voice to these wounded souls is the unmistakable sound of Tom Waits.

The Last Ride

2025

Human Nature in Eleven Parts poster
NR

Short vignettes explore different facets of human behavior and social issues.

Human Nature in Eleven Parts

2025

2010s · 12 titles

The Book of Eli poster
6.8

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

The Book of Eli

2010

Seven Psychopaths poster
6.8

A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.

Seven Psychopaths

2012

The Dead Don't Die poster
5.4

In the sleepy town of Centerville, the lives of a number of interconnected characters are disrupted by the undead.

The Dead Don't Die

2019

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs poster
7.1

Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018

Motherless Brooklyn poster
6.7

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

Motherless Brooklyn

2019

The Old Man & the Gun poster
6.4

The true story of Forrest Tucker, from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are a detective, who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman, who loves him in spite of his chosen profession.

The Old Man & the Gun

2018

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen poster
7.5

A film where anything can happen - the hero and the heroine changes their faces, age, look, names, and so on. The only same thing: The love between man and woman... in an archetypical love story cut from 500 classics from all around the world.

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

2012

Twixt poster
5.1

A washed-up horror novelist arrives in a sleepy town on a book tour, only to stumble into a string of eerie murders. Haunted by dreams of a ghostly girl named V and guided by the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe, he’s drawn into a nightmarish world where fiction and reality blur—and the story he’s chasing leads back to his own buried guilt.

Twixt

2011

Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox poster
6.7

Tom Waits is one of the most original musicians of the last five decades. Renowned for his gravelly voice and dazzling mix of musical styles, he's also one of modern music's most enigmatic and influential artists. Using rare archive, audio recordings and interviews, this film is a bewitching after-hours trip through the surreal, moonlit world of Waits' music - a portrait of a pioneering musician and his unique, alternative American songbook.

Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox

2017

Keith Richards: Under the Influence poster
6.8

A portrait of Keith Richards that takes us on a journey to discover the genesis of his sound as a songwriter, guitarist and performer.

Keith Richards: Under the Influence

2015

Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30 poster
7.0

Black and White Night 30 is a re-imagined, re-edited, remastered and expanded version of the original television special. Re-edited by Roy's youngest son Alex Orbison, the program has been restored to reflect the correct set order as the audience who attended the show saw it.

Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30

2017

The Monster of Nix poster
7.2

Life is good in the idyllic fairytale village of Nix... until an all-devouring monster appears. Young Willy has to fight it. Alone.

The Monster of Nix

2011

2000s · 7 titles

Coffee and Cigarettes poster
6.9

An anthology of eleven vignettes featuring star-studded casts of extremely unique individuals who all share the common activities of conversing while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

Coffee and Cigarettes

2004

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus poster
6.4

After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

2009

Domino poster
5.9

The story of the life of Domino Harvey, who abandoned her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.

Domino

2005

Wristcutters: A Love Story poster
7.0

Zia, distraught over breaking up with his girlfriend, decides to end it all. Unfortunately, he discovers that there is no real ending, only a run-down afterlife that is strikingly similar to his old one, just a bit worse. Discovering that his ex-girlfriend has also "offed" herself, he sets out on a road trip to find her.

Wristcutters: A Love Story

2007

The Tiger and the Snow poster
6.7

Love and injury in time of war. Attilio de Giovanni teaches poetry in Italy. He has a romantic soul, and women love him. But he is in love with Vittoria, and the love is unrequited. Every night he dreams of marrying her, in his boxer shorts and t-shirt, as Tom Waits sings. Vittoria travels to Iraq with her friend, Fuad, a poet; they are there with the second Gulf War breaks out. Vittoria is injured. Attilio must get to her side, and then, as war rages around him, he must find her the medical care she needs. In war, does love conquer all?

The Tiger and the Snow

2005

Bukowski: Born Into This poster
6.8

Director John Dullaghan’s biographical documentary about infamous poet Charles Bukowski, Bukowski: Born Into This, is as much a touching portrait of the author as it is an exposé of his sordid lifestyle. Interspersed between ample vintage footage of Bukowski’s poetry readings are interviews with the poet’s fans including such legendary figures such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Joyce Fante (wife of John), Bono, and Harry Dean Stanton. Filmed in grainy black and white by Bukowski’s friend, Taylor Hackford, due to lack of funding, the old films edited into this movie paint Bukowski’s life of boozing and brawling romantically, securing Bukowski’s legendary status.

Bukowski: Born Into This

2003

One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur poster
7.2

"One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur" examines Jack Kerouac's escape from post "On The Road" fame to his dream of an isolated retreat in a cabin at Big Sur where he searches for inner peace. His road comes full circle with this self-exploration, resulting in an alcohol-fueled paranoia and a plunge into madness.

One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur

2008

1990s · 13 titles

Bram Stoker's Dracula poster
7.4

Count Dracula, a 15th-century prince, is condemned to live off the blood of the living for eternity. Young lawyer Jonathan Harker is sent to Dracula's castle to finalise a land deal, but when the Count sees a photo of Harker's fiancée, Mina, the spitting image of his dead wife, he imprisons him and sets off for London to track her down.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

1992

The Fisher King poster
7.3

Two troubled men face their terrible destinies and events of their past as they join together on a mission to find the Holy Grail and thus to save themselves.

The Fisher King

1991

Mystery Men poster
5.9

When Champion City's hero Captain Amazing is kidnapped by the recently paroled supervillain Casanova Frankenstein, a trio of average, everyday superheroes -- Mr. Furious, the Shoveler and the Blue Raja -- assemble a new super team to save him.

Mystery Men

1999

Until the End of the World poster
6.7

In 1999, a woman's life is forever changed after she survives a car crash with two bank robbers, who enlist her help to take the money to a drop in Paris. On the way, she runs into another fugitive from the law — an American doctor on the run from the CIA. They want to confiscate his father's invention – a device which allows anyone to record their dreams and visions.

Until the End of the World

1991

Short Cuts poster
7.2

Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy's grandfather tells his son, Howard, about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy's birthday cake.

Short Cuts

1993

The Two Jakes poster
6.0

Real estate developer Jake Berman hires private investigator and war veteran Jake Gittes for some run-of-the-mill matrimonial work. After Berman shoots his wife's lover, who happens to be his business partner, Gittes is drawn into a web of conspiracy and deceit involving the oil reserves beneath Los Angeles. While investigating, Gittes hears a voice from his past that causes him to revisit a traumatic case in Chinatown.

The Two Jakes

1990

Queens Logic poster
5.8

When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray's wedding, which may or may not happen, they end up on a roller-coaster ride through reality. During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about. This comedy takes a look at friendship, loyalty, and love.

Queens Logic

1991

At Play in the Fields of the Lord poster
6.6

Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

1991

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country poster
8.0

A documentary insight behind the scenes of Roberts Altman's Short Cuts.

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country

1993

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter poster
NR

This music special is dedicated to dispelling the prejudices associated with the HIV infection and raising money for AIDS research and relief. Some of today's most celebrated recording artists performing their interpretations of the classic songs of Cole Porter.

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter

1990

No artwork available
NR

VH1 Storytellers: Season 4 Episode 2 - Tom Waits (1999)

Tom Waits: VH1 Storytellers

1999

Coffee and Cigarettes III poster
7.2

This shortcut repeats the structure of Coffee and Cigarettes. This time, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits meet in a bar. But, again, we don't know why they agreed to do that in the first place, because they don't seem to know each other very well and they don't have much to talk about, so the conversation wanders idly and hilariously as they sip their coffee and smoke cigarettes.

Coffee and Cigarettes III

1997

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight poster
7.3

Interviews with Guy Maddin and his pals are included in this documentary about the Canadian film-maker's life and movies. Features clips from most of Maddin's films up to Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, including Careful and Archangel.

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight

1997

1980s · 17 titles

Rumble Fish poster
7.0

Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

Rumble Fish

1983

The Outsiders poster
7.2

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

The Outsiders

1983

The Cotton Club poster
6.5

Harlem's legendary Cotton Club becomes a hotbed of passion and violence as the lives and loves of entertainers and gangsters collide.

The Cotton Club

1984

Mystery Train poster
7.3

In Memphis, Tennessee, over the course of a single night, the Arcade Hotel, run by an eccentric night clerk and a clueless bellboy, is visited by a young Japanese couple traveling in search of the roots of rock; an Italian woman in mourning who stumbles upon a fleeing charlatan girl; and a comical trio of accidental thieves looking for a place to hide.

Mystery Train

1989

Wolfen poster
5.9

A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.

Wolfen

1981

One from the Heart poster
5.9

In a dazzling, dreamlike Las Vegas, longtime couple Hank and Frannie break up on their fifth anniversary and each pursue the fantasy of new love over one neon-soaked night—he with a free-spirited acrobat, she with a seductive musician. But as illusion and reality blur, both must decide whether passion or devotion truly defines the heart.

One from the Heart

1982

Down by Law poster
7.4

A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

Down by Law

1986

Ironweed poster
6.3

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Ironweed

1987

Tom Waits: Big Time poster
7.5

Bringing his unique sense of humor to this bizarre and original piece of moviemaking, Tom Waits takes the audience through a musical journey with his jazzy, quirky, bluesy tunes presented as you would never, ever, ever expect.

Tom Waits: Big Time

1988

Candy Mountain poster
5.9

A mediocre musician goes on the road in search of the world's greatest guitar maker.

Candy Mountain

1988

The Stone Boy poster
7.0

12-year-old Arnold Hillerman and his 17-year-old brother Eugene live with their family on a farm in Montana. In an accident, Eugene is killed by Arnold's gun. Isolated from emotions he cannot comprehend, Arnold now has to come to terms with his grieving family - including his father, mother, hostile uncle, and grandfather - while his family has to come to terms with Arnold.

The Stone Boy

1984

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night poster
7.7

Recorded live at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, Roy is joined by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars including Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits.

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night

1988

Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale poster
8.3

Johnny Fortune (Damon Lowry) is no good to anyone, not mean, but just no good. Surrounded by violence and dishonesty, Johnny lives with Kate. Johnny messes up, he loses a lot of money, his girlfriend Kate's money. Alone, desperate and on the run from a couple of hit-men, he applies for a job as an entertainer's assistant becoming a dancing bear. Unwittingly learning of secrets around him, his past catches up with him.

Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale

1989

Cold Feet poster
4.1

Three criminals run into complications when they attempt to smuggle emeralds across the Mexican border.

Cold Feet

1989

The Making of 'One from the Heart' poster
8.5

A short documentary on the Francis Ford Coppola musical One From the Heart.

The Making of 'One from the Heart'

1982

Greasy Lake poster
4.2

A short film from a collection of four Greasy Lake is a part of the Discovery Program: Four Short Stories (Ray's Male Heterosexual Dancehall/Greasy Lake/Hearts of Stone/The Open Window). "TC (Eric Stoltz) and his friends Digby (James Spader) and Jeff (Tegan West) are intelligent 19-year-olds who have, in TC's words, decided that "it's good to be bad".

Greasy Lake

1988

Poetry in Motion poster
8.0

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, radical, sometimes incorporating contemporary political imagery. Black Mountain poets, the Beats, minimalists like John Cage, the wordless Four Horsemen, Tom Waits, and others capture aspects of poets as troubadours.

Poetry in Motion

1982

Series credits

The Simpsons poster
8.0

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

The Simpsons

1989

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

Saturday Night Live poster
6.9

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

Saturday Night Live

1975

The Mike Douglas Show poster
5.8

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

Late Night with Conan O'Brien poster
7.3

Stepping into the late-late slot vacated by David Letterman, Conan O'Brien stars in a show that far outdoes its competition in sheer strangeness. Along with the celebrity interviews and musical numbers typical of late-night talk shows, this program make frequent use of odd walk-on characters and frequent "visits" from celebrity guests.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

1993

Austin City Limits poster
6.3

Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.

Austin City Limits

1975

Rockpalast poster
8.5

No synopsis available yet.

Rockpalast

1974

Ultra City Smiths poster
6.6

Two detectives must contend with dangerous corruption as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of the last honest politician in their dark city. A group of unlikely suspects emerges - each with the last name of Smith.

Ultra City Smiths

2021

Fishing with John poster
7.6

Musician John Lurie knows nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from embarking on fishing in exotic locations with friends.

Fishing with John

1991

Behind the camera