Frank Zappa Net Worth
Frank Zappa Net Worth is
$40 Million
Frank Zappa Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, composer, recording engineer, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length... | Full Name | Frank Zappa |
| Net Worth | $40 Million |
| Date Of Birth | December 21, 1940, Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Died | December 4, 1993, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Place Of Birth | Baltimore |
| Height | 6 ft (1.83 m) |
| Profession | Songwriter, Musician, Composer, Conductor, Record producer, Businessperson |
| Education | Chaffey College, Mission Bay Senior High School, Antelope Valley High School |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Spouse | Gail Zappa (m. 1967–1993), Kay Sherman (m. 1960–1964) |
| Children | Dweezil Zappa, Moon Zappa, Diva Zappa, Ahmet Zappa |
| Parents | Rose Marie Colimore, Francis Zappa |
| Siblings | Carl Zappa, Bobby Zappa, Patrice Zappa |
| Nicknames | Frank Vincent Zappa , Zappa , the Mothers of invention |
| Awards | Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (1988), Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1997), Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (1996) |
| Music Groups | The Mothers of Invention, The Persuasions, Bobby Brown, Don't Eat the Yellow Snow, Peaches en Regalia |
| Nominations | "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" (2011), "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" (2004, Rolling Stone magazine), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995) |
| Movies | “Baby Snakes” (1979), “The Amazing Mister Bickford” (1987), “The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels” (1988), “Roxy the Movie” (2015) |
| Star Sign | Sagittarius |
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | Long guitar solos |
| 2 | Dark and sarcastic sense of humour |
| 3 | Moustache, cigarette smoking |
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | I think Live Aid was the biggest cocaine money laundering scheme of all time. |
| 2 | Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny. |
| 3 | Those who are crazy enough to take the chance on spending money to make some unusual object or event take place are an endangered species. |
| 4 | [about himself] Well, in this world of basic stereotyping, give a guy a big nose and some weird hair and he's capable of anything. |
| 5 | I think business is a good thing. Generals could learn a lot from corporate executives. The first rule is, you don't kill your customers. |
| 6 | [During an appearance in 1986 on CNN's Crossfire (1982)] The biggest threat to America today is not communism. It's the turning of this country into a fascist theocracy and everything that's happened during the [Ronald Reagan] Administration has put us right down that pipe! |
| 7 | My dad was employed as a meteorologist at the Edgewood Arsenal. They made poison gas there during World War II, so I guess it would have been the meteorologist's job to figure out which way the wind was blowing when it was time to shoot the stuff off. |
| 8 | Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say that there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe. |
| 9 | Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow. |
| 10 | It is probably more natural to perform sex with a sea urchin than to be interviewed. |
| 11 | Censoring what you say is one of the ways in which people who are not nice can take away your personal freedom. |
| 12 | [in the late 1980s] Religion has mostly proven to be a real-estate scam. |
| 13 | [Explaining why he felt communism was doomed to fail] People like to own things. |
| 14 | [Asked to create an anti-drug abuse slogan] Speed will turn you into your parents. |
| 15 | Work is the only reason I leave home. I'm not a tourist. I don't travel for pleasure. I don't take vacations. I only leave the house when I have something to do. |
| 16 | Some rock musicians make a bunch of money and stick it up their noses--I stick mine in my ear. |
| 17 | Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. |
| 18 | I've smoked ten marijuana cigarettes in my life. And they've given me a sore throat, a headache, and made me sleepy. I can't understand why anyone would wanna use the stuff. It seems such an impractical pastime as you can get sent to jail for it. |
| 19 | I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird. |
| 20 | Rock journalism is people who can't write, preparing stories based on interviews with people who can't talk, in order to amuse people who can't read. |
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in 2015 (inaugural class) in the category Music & Arts. |
| 2 | Co-founded Bizarre Records in 1967. |
| 3 | Subject of the song "Frank" by Wild Man Fischer. |
| 4 | Founded Barking Pumpkin Records in 1981. He also founded Zappa Records, Barfko-Swill [mail order distribution] and DiscReet (record company). |
| 5 | Did not like being called "rock legend" and considered it a "pathetic" term. Also did not like being called a "test pilot pushing the edge" since he felt the term sounded too military. As far as being called an "eccentric genius", Zappa said in an interview prior to his death, "Eccentric, yes. Genius, maybe.". |
| 6 | In an interview prior to his death, Zappa revealed he had had urination problems for years but that the prostate cancer wasn't caught until it was inoperable. He hinted this made him extremely bitter and advised others with urination problems to get multiple opinions. |
| 7 | Despite his prostate cancer, Zappa continued to smoke. He told an interviewer he considered cigarettes to be "food", tobacco his favorite vegetable and did not believe cigarettes caused the reported health problems. |
| 8 | "Cured" his kids of sibling rivalry by making a tape of them squabbling, then forcing them to listen to said tape while handcuffed together in the bathroom; this was to show them how dumb they sounded when bickering. |
| 9 | Zappa sponsored Hagstrom guitars early in his career. However, on his first three albums with The Mothers of Invention, he used a Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster. During the mid to late 1970s, he played a highly modified Gibson SG clone. He had one of Jimi Hendrix's guitars which was lit on fire by Jimi at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival. |
| 10 | Gene Simmons visited with the Zappa family at their home, socializing, some time before Zappa's death. During their visit, Zappa showed him something that proved how prolific Zappa was: hundreds of master tapes of unreleased music. |
| 11 | During his last days, he wanted to make a movie called "Dwell". "Dwell" would have been a musical about a giant spider, but from the spider's point of view. He was going to make it with the people from Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988), and had several conversations with Kevin Murphy. |
| 12 | He was voted the 21st Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone. |
| 13 | Included a warning-cum-guarantee on his late-1980s albums, deriding the Religious Right's attack on rock and pop music, and censorship in general, and concluding "If there is a Hell, its fires wait for them, not us.". |
| 14 | Started out playing drums in his teens, then adopted his brother's f-hole acoustic guitar, trying to copy horn and guitar solos on blues and jazz records. Later studied Music Theory in college. |
| 15 | Bought a small recording studio with the proceeds of his score for Run Home, Slow (1965); first came to public attention when he was arrested in a scandal involving the studio (he was later cleared). |
| 16 | Used a wah-wah with his onstage guitar setup, which he had usually leave set in one position as a filter, rather than rock it to get the wah effect. |
| 17 | Wrote his own copyright notice, that appeared on his later records, and was the first to specifically mention sampling. Also released the first 3-inch CD single, with a remix of "Peaches En Regalia", in the late 1980s. |
| 18 | Gave up his driver's license voluntarily, because he hated standing in line at the DMV. |
| 19 | In March of 2003 his 1979 album "Joe's Garage" came 20th in Classic Rock Magazine's list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time. |
| 20 | Zappa is the first, and so far only, artist to be inducted into both the Jazz and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. |
| 21 | Inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. |
| 22 | In recent years, various reworkings of his songs have been recorded, including versions in Baroque instrumental and a cappella vocal stylings. |
| 23 | In 1995, a group of Lithuanian artists erected the world's first Zappa statue in Vilnius, the capital. Since then one has been erected in Bad Doberan, Germany (which Gail Zappa says does not look like him), and another (a copy of the bust in Vilnius) in Baltimore, Maryland. |
| 24 | Following his death, he was interred in an unmarked grave next to Lew Ayres at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. |
| 25 | His father, Francis Vincent Zappa, was born in Partinico, Sicily, and his mother, Rose Marie (Colimore), was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Italian parents. |
| 26 | The small town of Bad Doberan, Germany, holds an annual Zappanale festival, celebrating his life and music (first held in 1990). |
| 27 | As a child, his favorite television program was Robert Clampett's puppet show Time for Beany (1949). |
| 28 | Father of Diva Zappa, Moon Unit Zappa, Dweezil Zappa and Ahmet Zappa |
| 29 | In July 1994, the International Astronomical Union named a Czech-discovered asteroid "Zappafrank". |
| 30 | Has an enormous following in the former Communist countries of eastern Europe. |
| 31 | Is known affectionately by his fans as FZ. |
| 32 | Was school friends with Don Van Vliet (later to be known as Captain Beefheart). |
| 33 | When marrying Gail Zappa in a civil ceremony, he attached a pin that said "Congratulations from Mayor Lindsay" onto her in lieu of a ring. John V. Lindsay was mayor of New York City at the time. |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everybody Wants Some!! | 2016 | performer: "Sleep Dirt" / writer: "Sleep Dirt" | |
| Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words | 2016 | Documentary performer: "Trouble Every Day", "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music", "Sex In Today's World Improvisation", "Plastic People", "Improvised Concerto For Two Bicycles, Pre-Recorded Tape And Musicians", "Mother People", "Teddy Bears' Picnic" uncredited, "A Pound For A Brown On The Bus/Sleeping In A Jar", "Holiday In Berlin", "This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich", "Magic Fingers", "Penis Dimension", "The Air", "Dog Breath", "Cosmik Debris", "Approximate", "Dinah-Moe Humm", "Bobby Brown", "Tin | |
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary performer: "Cosmik Debris", "Penguin In Bondage", "T'Mershi Duween", "The Dog Breath Variations", "Uncle Meat", "RDNZL", "Inca Roads", "Echidna's Arf Of You", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "Cheepnis", "I'm The Slime", "Big Swifty", "Be-Bop Tango Of The Old Jazzmen's Church", "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow", "Father O'Blivion" uncredited / writer: "Cosmik Debris", "Penguin In Bondage", "T'Mershi Duween", "The Dog Breath Variations", "Uncle Meat", "RDNZL", "Inca Roads", "Echidna's Arf | |
| Dolezal Backstage | 2015 | TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode | |
| The Comix Scrutinizer | TV Series 1 episode, 2014 writer - 4 episodes, 2013 - 2014 performer - 1 episode, 2013 | ||
| Some Jerk with a Camera | TV Series documentary performer - 2 episodes, 2012 - 2013 writer - 1 episode, 2011 | ||
| The Cinema Snob | 2013 | TV Series 1 episode | |
| The '80s: The Decade That Made Us | TV Mini-Series documentary performer - 1 episode, 2013 writer - 1 episode, 2013 | ||
| Unlawful Killing | 2011 | Documentary performer: "Dumb All Over" - uncredited / writer: "Dumb All Over" - uncredited | |
| Cry Baby: The Pedal that Rocks the World | 2011 | Video documentary performer: "Willie The Pump" / writer: "Willie The Pump" | |
| A Call Girl | 2009 | writer: "Bobby Brown goes down" | |
| Things We Lost in the Fire | 2007 | performer: "The Little House I Used To Live In", "Black Napkins" / writer: "The Little House I Used To Live In", "Black Napkins" | |
| I Love the '70s: Volume 2 | 2006 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Lavorare con lentezza | 2004 | "Peaches en regalia" | |
| S.P.U.N.G | TV Series lyrics - 1 episode, 2004 music - 1 episode, 2004 performer - 1 episode, 2004 | ||
| Mayor of the Sunset Strip | 2003 | Documentary producer: "Rodney" | |
| Y Tu Mamá También | 2001 | performer: "Watermelon in Easter Hay" / producer: "Watermelon in Easter Hay" / writer: "Watermelon in Easter Hay" | |
| Tutti gli uomini del deficiente | 1999 | writer: "Tell Me You Love Me" | |
| Se buscan fulmontis | 1999 | lyrics: "Dirty Love" Overnite Sensation version / music: "Dirty Love" Overnite Sensation version / writer: "Dirty Love" Overnite Sensation version | |
| Goodbye, 20th Century | 1998 | arranger: "Cocaine Decisions" / producer: "Cocaine Decisions" / writer: "Cocaine Decisions" | |
| Daria | 1998 | TV Series 1 episode | |
| Clueless | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1997 writer - 1 episode, 1997 | ||
| Closure | 1997 | Video documentary performer: "Broken Hearts are for Assholes" / writer: "Broken Hearts are for Assholes" | |
| Happy Together | 1997 | performer: "Chunga's Revenge", "I Have Been In You" / writer: "Chunga's Revenge", "I Have Been In You" | |
| The Ice Storm | 1997 | performer: "Dirty Love" / writer: "Dirty Love" | |
| Die kranken Schwestern | 1995 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | TV Series music - 3 episodes, 1994 lyrics - 1 episode, 1994 | ||
| Tohuwabohu | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1994 writer - 1 episode, 1994 | ||
| Beasts | 1993 | Short writer: "G-Spot Tornado", "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus" | |
| Beavis and Butt-Head | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1993 writer - 1 episode, 1993 | ||
| The Yellow Shark | 1992 | writer: "Overture", "The Dog Breath Variations", "Uncle Meat", "Outrage At Valdez", "Times Beach II", "III Revised", "The Girl In The Magnesium Dress", "Be-Bop Tango Of The Old Jazz-Men's Church", "Food Gathering In Post-Industrial America, 1992", "Ruth Is Sleeping", "Amnerika", "None Of The Above", "Pentagon Afternoon", "Questi Cazzi Di Piccione", "Times Beach III", "Welcome To The United States", "Pound For A Brown", "Exercise #4", "Get Whitey", "G-Spot Tornado" | |
| Parker Lewis Can't Lose | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1990 producer - 1 episode, 1990 writer - 1 episode, 1990 | ||
| Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? | 1990 | writer: "Harder Than Your Husband" | |
| Waiting for the Light | 1990 | writer: "Memories of El Monte" | |
| Hellgate | 1989 | writer: "MEMORIES OF EL MONTE" | |
| X-Large | 1989 | TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode | |
| Colors | 1988 | writer: "MEMORIES OF EL MONTE" | |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video writer: "Naval Aviation In Art?", "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation", "Dupree's Paradise", "The Perfect Stranger" | |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary performer: "Tengo Na Minchia Tanta" / writer: "The Uncle Meat Variations", "Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague", "Mr. Green Genes", "Holiday In Berlin, Full-Blown", "Mother People", "I'm Not Satisfied", "Tengo Na Minchia Tanta" | |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary performer: "Zoot Allures", "Tinsel Town Rebellion", "More Trouble Every Day", "Hot-Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel", "The Dangerous Kitchen", "He's So Gay", "Bobby Brown", "Keep It Greasey", "Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me?", "Dinah-Moe Humm", "Cosmik Debris", "Be In My Video", "Dancin' Fool", "Whippin' Post" / writer: "Zoot Allures", "Tinsel Town Rebellion", "More Trouble Every Day", "Hot-Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel", "The Dangerous Kitchen", "He's So Gay", "Bobby Bro | |
| Alvin & the Chipmunks | 1983 | TV Series performer: "Revised Music For Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra", "ReDuNZL" / producer: "Revised Music For Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra", "ReDuNZL" / writer: "Revised Music For Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra", "ReDuNZL" | |
| Solid Gold | 1982 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
| Animalympics | 1980 | producer: "I Don't Think I Can Go Through This Again" / writer: "I Don't Think I Can Go Through This Again" | |
| Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere | 1980 | TV Movie documentary performer: "You Are What You Is", "Mudd Club", "Chunga's Revenge", "Beauty Knows No Pain", "Bobby Brown", "I Don't Wanna Get Drafted", "Joe's Garage", "Baby Snakes", "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" - uncredited | |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary performer: "Baby Snakes", "Titties 'N Beer", "The Black Page #2", "Jones Crusher", "Disco Boy", "Dinah-Moe-Humm", "Punky's Whips", "I Have Been In You", "I'm So Cute", "City Of Tiny Lites", "Dancin' Fool", "Duck Duck Goose", "Yo' Mama's Rubber Shirt", "Return Of The Son of Shut Up and Play Your Guitar", "Whatever Happened To All The Fun In The World?", "Wait A Minute...We Gotta Get Into Something Real", "Revenge of The Knick Knack People", " The Adventures of Greggery Peccary", "Sexu | |
| More American Graffiti | 1979 | performer: "Lumpy Gravy" / writer: "Lumpy Gravy" | |
| Saturday Night Live | TV Series performer - 2 episodes, 1976 - 1978 writer - 2 episodes, 1976 - 1978 | ||
| Ohne Maulkorb | 1978 | TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode | |
| The Mike Douglas Show | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1976 writer - 1 episode, 1976 | ||
| Virgin Snow | 1976 | performer: "Peaches en Regalia" - uncredited / writer: "Peaches en Regalia" - uncredited | |
| Lady Liberty | 1971 | writer: "Get A Little" | |
| Pop story | 1971 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
| Aliisa | 1970 | TV Movie writer: "Uncle Bernie's Farm" | |
| Medium Cool | 1969 | performer: "Oh No", "Who Needs the Peace Corps?", "Mom and Dad", "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet", "Are You Hung Up?" - uncredited / writer: "Oh No", "Who Needs the Peace Corps?", "Mom and Dad", "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet", "Are You Hung Up?" - uncredited | |
| The Monkees | 1968 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
| Hoepla | 1967 | TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode | |
| The New Steve Allen Show | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1963 writer - 1 episode, 1963 | ||
| The World's Greatest Sinner | 1962 | writer: "World's Greatest Sinner" - uncredited |
Composer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary | |
| Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily | 2014 | Documentary | |
| 1982. L'estate di Frank | 2012 | Documentary short | |
| Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note | 2002 | Documentary | |
| Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | 1994 | TV Series 11 episodes | |
| Beasts | 1993 | Short | |
| Zappa's Universe | 1993 | Video composed by | |
| The Yellow Shark | 1992 | ||
| Peefeeyatko | 1991 | Documentary | |
| Cousteau: Alaska: Outrage at Valdez | 1989 | ||
| The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels | 1988 | Video documentary | |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video | |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary | |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary | |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video | |
| The Dub Room Special! | 1984 | Video | |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary | |
| 200 Motels | 1971 | music composed by | |
| Run Home, Slow | 1965 | ||
| The World's Greatest Sinner | 1962 | as Zappa |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary | |
| The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels | 1988 | Video documentary | |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video | |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary | |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary | |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video | |
| The Dub Room Special! | 1984 | Video | |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary writer | |
| Brown Shoes Don't Make It | 1976 | ||
| 200 Motels | 1971 | story and screenplay |
Director
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary | |
| The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels | 1988 | Video documentary | |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video | |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary | |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary | |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video | |
| The Dub Room Special! | 1984 | Video | |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary | |
| 200 Motels | 1971 | characterizations |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ren & Stimpy Show | 1992 | TV Series | The Pope |
| Miami Vice | 1986 | TV Series | Mario Fuente |
| Faerie Tale Theatre | 1984 | TV Series | Attilla |
| 200 Motels | 1971 | Member of Mothers of Invention (uncredited) | |
| Sex in Today's World | 1968 | Short | |
| Head | 1968 | The Critic | |
| The Monkees | 1968 | TV Series | Mike Nesmith |
| The Steve Allen Playhouse | 1963 | TV Series | Guest |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary producer | |
| Peefeeyatko | 1991 | Documentary producer | |
| The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels | 1988 | Video documentary producer | |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video producer | |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary producer | |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary producer | |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video producer | |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary producer |
Music Department
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Yellow Shark | 1992 | conductor | |
| Cousteau: Alaska: Outrage at Valdez | 1989 | composer: theme music | |
| 200 Motels | 1971 | music arranger | |
| Run Home, Slow | 1965 | conductor | |
| The World's Greatest Sinner | 1962 | composer: theme music |
Camera Department
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary additional photography | |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video camera operator |
Editor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary |
Editorial Department
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dub Room Special! | 1984 | Video editorial supervisor |
Miscellaneous
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary titles by - as FZ |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zappa's Universe | 1993 | Video special thanks | |
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary special thanks | |
| Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | 1994 | TV Series dedicatee - 1 episode |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy the Movie | 2015 | Documentary | Himself - Lead Guitar, Vocals, Percussion |
| The Wrecking Crew! | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Revenge of the Dead Indians | 1993 | Documentary | Himself |
| Today | 1990-1993 | TV Series | Himself |
| Ein Leben als Extravaganza - Das Genie Frank Zappa | 1993 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Howard Stern Interview | 1993 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Yellow Shark | 1992 | Himself - Composer, Conductor | |
| Peefeeyatko | 1991 | Documentary | Himself |
| Prazakum tem je hej | 1991 | Himself | |
| Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth | 1991 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
| Focus | 1990 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Host |
| Decade | 1989 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Circus of the Stars #14 | 1989 | TV Special documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| The Arsenio Hall Show | 1989 | TV Series | Himself |
| X-Large | 1989 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels | 1988 | Video documentary | Himself |
| Kippevel | 1988 | TV Series | Himself |
| Bains de minuit | 1988 | TV Series | Himself |
| Nightflight | 1988 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| Funny | 1988 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Amazing Mister Bickford | 1987 | Video | Himself |
| Uncle Meat | 1987 | Video documentary | Himself / The Imaginary Director |
| The Howard Stern Show | 1987 | TV Series | Himself |
| Sex Violence & Values: Changing Images | 1986 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Crossfire | 1986 | TV Series | Himself - Rock Muscian |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1986 | TV Series | Himself |
| Does Humor Belong in Music? | 1985 | Video documentary | Guitar, Vocal |
| Video from Hell | 1985 | Video | Himself |
| MusiCalifornia | 1985 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Dub Room Special! | 1984 | Video | Himself |
| Livewire | 1984 | TV Series | Himself |
| Àngel Casas Show | 1984 | TV Series | Himself |
| Thicke of the Night | 1984 | TV Series | Himself - Musical Guest |
| Cocaine Blues | 1983 | Documentary | Himself |
| Late Night with David Letterman | 1982-1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Rolling Stones - Die ersten 20 Jahre | 1982 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Dance Fever | 1980 | TV Series | Himself - Judge |
| Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere | 1980 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Baby Snakes | 1979 | Documentary | Himself |
| Dinah! | 1979 | TV Series | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live | 1976-1978 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Musical Guest / Himself - Musical Guest |
| Ohne Maulkorb | 1978 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| All You Need Is Love | 1977 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Vernissage | 1976 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Musician |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself - Director |
| The Norman Gunston Show | 1975 | TV Series | Himself |
| Iltatähti | 1973-1974 | TV Series | Himself |
| John & Yoko in Syracuse, New York | 1972 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| The David Frost Show | 1971 | TV Series | Himself |
| Frank Zappa | 1971 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Anatomy of Pop | 1971 | TV Series | Himself |
| Lieder-liches | 1970 | TV Series | Himself - Musician / Narrator |
| Omnibus | 1968 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Late Night Line-Up | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
| Hoepla | 1967 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Good Evening! | 1967 | TV Series | Himself |
| Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution | 1967 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The New Steve Allen Show | 1963 | TV Series | Himself - Musical Bicyclist |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zappa | 2018 | Documentary filming | Himself |
| The Eighties | 2016 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself - Musician |
| Uncle Howard | 2016/I | Documentary | Himself |
| Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
| Dolezal Backstage | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Made in Japan - The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II | 2014 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology | 2010 | Video | Himself |
| Empreintes | 2010 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (')/Over-Nite Sensation | 2007 | Video documentary | Himself |
| Weltberühmt in Österreich - 50 Jahre Austropop | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Musiker, Komponist |
| I Love the '70s: Volume 2 | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
| EAV Rarities | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Fuck | 2005 | Documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| Girls and Boys: Sex and British Pop | 2005 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| Derailroaded | 2005 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Greatest | 2004 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Sendung ohne Namen | 2003 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s | 2002 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (1980 interview) (uncredited) |
| 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock | 2000 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| The Male Swagger | 1999 | Guitarist | |
| Hey, Hey We're the Monkees | 1997 | TV Movie documentary | Mike Nesmith (episode "Monkees Blow Their Mind") (uncredited) |
| The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart | 1997 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Rock 'n' Roll Years | 1986 | TV Series | Himself |
| You Are What You Eat | 1968 | Documentary | Himself |
| Mondo Hollywood | 1967 | Documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
Known for movies
Baby Snakes (1979)
as Composer
Does Humor Belong in Music? (1985)
as Composer
Uncle Meat (1987)
as Composer
200 Motels (1971)
as Composer