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Tom Waits

Tom Waits

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. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, and Japan, and attracted greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change (1976), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heartattack and Vine (1980). He produced the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's film One from the Heart (1981), and subsequently made cameo appearances in several Coppola films.

In 1980, Waits married Kathleen Brennan, split from his manager and record label, and moved to New York City. With Brennan's encouragement and frequent collaboration, he pursued a more experimental and eclectic musical aesthetic influenced by the work of Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. This was reflected in a series of albums released by Island Records, including Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), and Franks Wild Years (1987). He continued appearing in films, notably starring in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law (1986), and also made theatrical appearances. With theatre director Robert Wilson, he produced the musicals The Black Rider (1990) and Alice (1992), first performed in Hamburg. Having returned to California in the 1990s, his albums Bone Machine (1992), The Black Rider (1993), and Mule Variations (1999) earned him increasing critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards. In the late 1990s, he switched to the record label ANTI-, which released Blood Money (2002), Alice (2002), Real Gone (2004), and Bad as Me (2011).

Despite a lack of mainstream commercial success, Waits has influenced many musicians and gained an international cult following, and several biographies have been written about him. In 2015, he was ranked at No. 55 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

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The Absence of Eden

The Absence of Eden

2024

as Hunley

Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Concert Experience

Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Concert Experience

2024

as Self

Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious

Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious

2022

as Self

Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza

2021

as Rex Blau

Ultra City Smiths

Ultra City Smiths

2021

as The Narrator (voice)

Motherless Brooklyn

Motherless Brooklyn

2019

as News Stand Owner (uncredited)

The Dead Don't Die

The Dead Don't Die

2019

as Hermit Bob

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018

as Prospector (segment "All Gold Canyon")

The Old Man & the Gun

The Old Man & the Gun

2018

as Waller

The Moon’s Milk

The Moon’s Milk

2018

as Captain Millipede (voice)

Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30

Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30

2017

as Self

Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox

Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox

2017

as Self

This Is Sparklehorse

This Is Sparklehorse

2016

as Self

Keith Richards: Under the Influence

Keith Richards: Under the Influence

2015

as Self

The Laughing Heart

The Laughing Heart

2013

as Narrator

Seven Psychopaths

Seven Psychopaths

2012

as Zachariah Rigby

A Brief History of John Baldessari

A Brief History of John Baldessari

2012

as Narrator

Twixt

Twixt

2011

as Narrator (voice)

The Monster of Nix

The Monster of Nix

2011

as Virgil (Voice)

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli

2010

as Engineer

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

2009

as Devil

Tom Waits: Romeo Bleeding - Live from Austin

Tom Waits: Romeo Bleeding - Live from Austin

2009

as Self

Tom Waits: Under Review

Tom Waits: Under Review

2008

as Self

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

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

2008

as Self

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Wristcutters: A Love Story

2007

as Kneller

Tom Waits - No Visitors After Midnight

Tom Waits - No Visitors After Midnight

2006

as Self

Tom Waits - Burma Shave [Live Concert]

Tom Waits - Burma Shave [Live Concert]

2006

as Self

The Tiger and the Snow

The Tiger and the Snow

2005

as Self / Sè stesso

Domino

Domino

2005

as Wanderer

Coffee and Cigarettes

Coffee and Cigarettes

2004

as Tom (segment "Somewhere in California")

Bukowski: Born Into This

Bukowski: Born Into This

2003

as Self

Tom Waits - Bridge School Benefit

Tom Waits - Bridge School Benefit

1999

as Self

Mystery Men

Mystery Men

1999

as Doc Heller

Tom Waits: VH1 Storytellers

Tom Waits: VH1 Storytellers

1999

as Self

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight

1997

as Narrator (voice)

Coffee and Cigarettes III

Coffee and Cigarettes III

1997

as Tom

Short Cuts

Short Cuts

1993

as Earl Piggot

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country

1993

as Self

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker's Dracula

1992

as R.M. Renfield

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

1991

as Wolf

Fishing with John

Fishing with John

1991

as Self

The Fisher King

The Fisher King

1991

as Disabled Vet (uncredited)

Until the End of the World

Until the End of the World

1991

as Singer in Bar

Queens Logic

Queens Logic

1991

as Monte

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter

1990

as Self

The Two Jakes

The Two Jakes

1990

as Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)

John Lurie: A Lounge Lizard Alone

John Lurie: A Lounge Lizard Alone

1990

as Zack (Archive footage)

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

1989

as Lloyd (voice)

Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale

Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale

1989

as Silva

Mystery Train

Mystery Train

1989

as Radio DJ (voice)

Cold Feet

Cold Feet

1989

as Kenny

Big Time

Big Time

1988

as Self

Candy Mountain

Candy Mountain

1988

as Al Silk

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night

1988

as Self - Organ/Guitar

Ironweed

Ironweed

1987

as Rudy

Down by Law

Down by Law

1986

as Zack

The Cotton Club

The Cotton Club

1984

as Irving Stark

The Stone Boy

The Stone Boy

1984

as Petrified man at carnival (uncredited)

Rumble Fish

Rumble Fish

1983

as Benny

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

1983

as Buck Merrill

Poetry in Motion

Poetry in Motion

1982

as Self

The Making of 'One from the Heart'

The Making of 'One from the Heart'

1982

as Self

One from the Heart

One from the Heart

1982

as Trumpet player (uncredited)

Wolfen

Wolfen

1981

as Drunken Bar Owner (uncredited)

Tom Waits at Theatre le Palace

Tom Waits at Theatre le Palace

1980

as Self

Tom Waits for No One

Tom Waits for No One

1979

as Self

Paradise Alley

Paradise Alley

1978

as Mumbles

Tom Waits: A Day in Vienna

Tom Waits: A Day in Vienna

1978

as Self

Tom Waits: Rockpalast '77

Tom Waits: Rockpalast '77

1977

as Self

Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits

1975

as Self

Tom Waits - One Star Shining : The First Decade

Tom Waits - One Star Shining : The First Decade

as Self

Wildwood

Wildwood

as (voice)

Star.Wav

Star.Wav

as The Caller

Father Mother Sister Brother

Father Mother Sister Brother