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Actor · Writing

William S. Burroughs

Born 1914-02-05
Died 1997-08-02
📍 St. Louis, Missouri, USA

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 62

This Is Buzz
as Himself
2026
Nova '78
as Self (archive footage)
2025
Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Take Your Pills
as Self (archive footage)
2018
Uncle Howard
as Self
2017
Robert E. Fulton III Edit of Burroughs: The Movie
2015
Don't Blink - Robert Frank
as Self (archive footage)
2015
William S. Burroughs in the Dreamachine
as Self
2015
William S. Burroughs: The Possessed
2015
Coda I
as Self (voice) (archive sound)
2013
Coda II
as Self (voice) (archive sound)
2013
For No Good Reason
as Self (archive footage)
2012
The Beat Hotel
as Self (archive footage)
2012
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
2012
Fix: The Ministry Movie
as Self
2011
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
as Self
2010
FLicKeR
as Self
2009
Joy Division
2009
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press
as Self (archive footage)
2008
Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs On the Road
2007
Pantelia
as Self
2006
Wanderlust
as Tom the Priest
2006
Condo Painting
as Self (archive footage)
2000
The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
1999
Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles
as Self (archive footage)
1999
The Source
as Self (archive footage)
1999
The Book of Life
as Preacher on Radio (voice)
1998
Destroy All Rational Thought
as Self
1998
Ah Pook Is Here.
as Narrator
1994
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
as Self
1994
Glitterbug
as Self
1994
September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill
as Self
1994
Relics: Einstein's Brain
as Self
1994
The Junky's Christmas
as Narrator
1993
Naked Making Lunch
as Self
1992
Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees
as James "Hive" Maker
1991
Thanksgiving Prayer
as A Speaker
1991
Bloodhounds of Broadway
as Butler
1989
Drugstore Cowboy
as Tom the Priest
1989
Heavy Petting
as Self
1989
Twister
as Man in Barn
1989
Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets
as Self
1989
Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson
as Self
1986
Ornette: Made in America
as Self
1986
It Don't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen
as Mafioso
1985
The Final Academy Documents
1984
Decoder
as Old Man
1984
Burroughs: The Movie
as Self
1984
This Song for Jack
as Self
1983
Poetry in Motion
as Self
1982
Ghost at No. 9
1982
Shamans of the Blind Country
as Narrator (voice)
1981
Thot-Fal'N
as Self
1978
Underground and Emigrants
as Self
1976
Une semaine dans la vie de camarades
1976
Saturday Night Live
as Self
1975
Cain's Film
as Self
1969
Witchcraft Through the Ages
as Narrator
1968
Poem Posters
as Self
1967
Chappaqua
as Opium Jones
1966
The Cut-Ups
1966
William Buys a Parrot
as Self
1963