William S. Burroughs
Known for: Writing
William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays, and five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences; he was initially briefly known by the pen name William Lee. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, made many appearances in films, and created and exhibited thousands of visual artworks, including his celebrated "Shotgun Art". Description above from the Wikipedia article William S. Burroughs, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self
1975
Film
Drugstore Cowboy
Tom the Priest
1989
Film
Wanderlust
Tom the Priest
2006
Film
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Self
1994
Film
Heavy Petting
Self
1989
Film
FLicKeR
Self
2009
Chelsea Hotel
Self (uncredited)
1981
Film
Fix: The Ministry Movie
Self
2011
Film
The Source
Self (archive footage)
1999
Film
Coda I
Self (voice) (archive sound)
2013
Film
Take Your Pills
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
This Is Buzz
Himself
2026
Film
Twister
Man in Barn
1989
Film
For No Good Reason
Self (archive footage)
2012
Film
Uncle Howard
Self
2017
Film
Joy Division
2009
Film
Bloodhounds of Broadway
Butler
1989
Film
Chappaqua
Opium Jones
1966
Film
Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson
Self
1986
Energy and How to Get It
1981
Film
Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious
Self (archive footage)
2022
Film
Condo Painting
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Burroughs: The Movie
Self
1984
Film
Underground and Emigrants
Self
1976
Film
Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets
Self
1989
Film
Thot-Fal'N
Self
1978
Film
The Beat Hotel
Self (archive footage)
2012
Nova Express
Narrator (voice)
2009
Film
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Self
2010
Film
Don't Blink - Robert Frank
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press
Self (archive footage)
2008
Film
Decoder
Old Man
1984
Film
Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees
James "Hive" Maker
1991
Film
Poetry in Motion
Self
1982
Film
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
2012
Chicago
Self
1968
Film
Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles
Self (archive footage)
1999
Fried Shoes Cooked Diamonds
Self
1979
Film
The Book of Life
Preacher on Radio (voice)
1998
Film
Glitterbug
Self
1994
Film
It Don't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen
Mafioso
1985
The Battle for 'I Am Curious-Yellow'
Self (archive footage)
2003
Film
The Cut-Ups
1966
Film
Nova '78
Self (archive footage)
2025
Film
Thanksgiving Prayer
A Speaker
1991
Film
Naked Making Lunch
Self
1992
Film
Ornette: Made in America
Self
1986
Film
The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
1999
Film
September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill
Self
1994
Film
Poem Posters
Self
1967
Film
William S. Burroughs in the Dreamachine
Self
2015
Film
Ah Pook Is Here.
Narrator
1994
Film
Ghost at No. 9
1982
Film
This Song for Jack
Self
1983
Film
Cain's Film
Self
1969
Film
Relics: Einstein's Brain
Self
1994
Film
Witchcraft Through the Ages
Narrator
1968
Pirate Tape
1983
Towers Open Fire
1963
Coda I + Coda II
Self (voice) (archive sound)
2013
Bill and Tony
Self
1972
Film
The Final Academy Documents
1984
Film
Une semaine dans la vie de camarades
1976
Film
Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs On the Road
2007
Film
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg
Self
1994
Film
William Buys a Parrot
Self
1963
William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers
Self
1991
Film
Robert E. Fulton III Edit of Burroughs: The Movie
2015
Film
Shamans of the Blind Country
Narrator (voice)
1981
Film
The Junky's Christmas
Narrator
1993
Film
William S. Burroughs: The Possessed
2015
Film
Destroy All Rational Thought
Self
1998
Pirates: William Burroughs in London
1982
Film
Coda II
Self (voice) (archive sound)
2013
Film
The Black Rider
Himself
1990
Film
Pantelia
Self
2006