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Ryan Phillippe

Ryan Phillippe

Actor, also producer, director and writer · Born September 10, 1974 (52) · New Castle, Delaware, USA

2 Screen Actors Guild Awards · 1 other major award body

Matthew Ryan Phillippe (/ˈfɪlɪpi/; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas on the soap opera One Life to Live (1992–1993) and making his feature film debut in Crimson Tide (1995), he came to prominence in the late 1990s with starring roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), 54 (1998), Playing by Heart (1998), and Cruel Intentions (1999). Throughout the 2000s and beyond, he took on a range of roles in films such as The Way of the Gun (2000), Antitrust (2001), Gosford Park (2001), Igby Goes Down (2002), The I Inside (2003), Crash (2004), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Breach (2007), Stop-Loss (2008), MacGruber (2010), The Bang Bang Club (2010), and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011). Outside of film, Phillippe appeared in the lead role of Bob Lee Swagger on USA Network's Shooter (2016–2018) and reprised his portrayal of Dixon Piper in the Peacock adaptation of MacGruber (2021). In 1997, Phillippe met actress Reese Witherspoon at a party for her 21st birthday. Phillippe and Witherspoon, who was six months pregnant, married on June 5, 1999. Their daughter Eva was born in 1999 and their son Deacon was born in 2003. On October 30, 2006, the couple released a statement announcing that they were formally separating. Witherspoon filed for divorce on November 8, 2006, citing  irreconcilable differences as the cause. The couple's marriage officially ended on October 5, 2007, with final divorce arrangements settled on June 13, 2008, according to court documents. They shared joint custody of their children. He began dating model and actress Alexis Knapp in May 2010; they ended their relationship in September that same year. After their breakup, Knapp discovered that she was pregnant by Phillippe and gave birth to a daughter in 2011. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ryan Phillippe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 10, 1974 (52)
From
New Castle, Delaware, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer, director and writer
Titles
66 on MovieCove · 75 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 31% in 30 days

What are Ryan Phillippe's films like?

Across their 50 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Thriller movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
32%
Survival
19%
Self
19%
Bonds
17%
Power
6%
Society
5%
Ideas
2%
Survival12 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma8 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 10 · Dark 26

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 33 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 16 · Intense 25

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 28 · Whiplash 6

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 32 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 7

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 25 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 10 · Affecting 19 · Heavy 16

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 8

Roles they play

41 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 24 of 41 analyzed roles.

Hero
24 of 41
Shadow
7 of 41
Ally
5 of 41
Shapeshifter
2 of 41
Trickster
1 of 41
Herald
1 of 41
Mentor
1 of 41
Show the 41 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
39
Melancholic
19
Dread
12
Thrilling
14
Absurd
10
Other
34

How their films linger

Thought-provoking21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 15 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet26
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous14

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ryan Phillippe's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 50 of their 66 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (18).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ryan Phillippe's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

75 credits, 66 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • One Mile: Chapter Two(2026)

    Executive Producer · as Danny

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • One Mile: Chapter One(2026)

    Executive Producer · as Danny

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Patient(2025)

    as The Patient

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Saint Clare(2024)

    as Detective Timmons

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Motorheads(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · as Logan Maddox

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Prey(2024)

    Producer · as Andrew

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Miranda's Victim(2023)

    as John Flynn

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Locksmith(2023)

    as Miller Graham

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • American Murderer(2022)

    as Special Agent Lance Leising

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Summit Fever(2022)

    as Leo

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Collide(2022)

    Executive Producer · as Hunter

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • I Love That for You(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ryan Phillippe

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • MacGruber(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · as Dixon Piper

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • One Shot(2021)

    as Jack Yorke

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Lady of the Manor(2021)

    as Tanner / Lord Wadsworth

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Brothers by Blood(2020)

    as Charley

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The 2nd(2020)

    Producer · as Vic Davis

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Big Sky(2020)

    Show 5 episodes · as Cody Hoyt

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Alive(2019)

    as Mark Escher

  • Historical Roasts(2019)

    Show as Julius Caesar

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows

  • Will & Grace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Ryan Phillippe

  • Wish Upon(2017)

    as Jonathan Shannon

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Shooter(2016)

    Show 31 episodes · as Bob Lee Swagger

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Victor

  • Iwo Jima: From Combat to Comrades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Return to Sender(2015)

    as UPS Delivery Guy

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Secrets and Lies(2015)

    Show 10 episodes · as Ben Crawford

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Catch Hell(2014)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Reagan Pearce

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Reclaim(2014)

    as Steven

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Milton

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Drunk History(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Benjamin Hayes

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Isolated (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Executive Producer · as Narrator (voice)

  • Straight A's(2013)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Revenge for Jolly!(2012)

    as Bachmeier

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Men at Work(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Ryan Phillippe

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Set Up(2011)

    as Vincent

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Bang Bang Club(2010)

    as Greg Marinovich

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Lincoln Lawyer(2011)

    as Louis Roulet

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Nick Swardson's Pretend Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Handsome Guy

  • MacGruber(2010)

    as Piper

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Franklyn(2008)

    as Preest

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Stop-Loss(2008)

    as Brandon King

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Damages(2007)

    Show 10 episodes · as Channing McClaren

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Breach(2007)

    as Eric O'Neill

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Flags of Our Fathers(2006)

    as John 'Doc' Bradley

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Five Fingers(2006)

    as Martijn

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Crash(2004)

    as Officer Tom Hansen

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Robot Chicken(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Reggie Mantle (voice)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Chaos(2005)

    as Det. Shane Dekker

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The I Inside(2004)

    as Simon Cable

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Igby Goes Down(2002)

    as Oliver

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Gosford Park(2001)

    as Henry Denton

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Antitrust(2001)

    as Milo Hoffman

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Way of the Gun(2000)

    as Mr. Parker

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Company Man(2000)

    as Petrov

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Cruel Intentions(1999)

    as Sébastian Valmont

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Playing by Heart(1998)

    as Keenan

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • 54(1998)

    as Shane O'Shea

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Homegrown(1998)

    as Harlan Dykstra

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • I Know What You Did Last Summer(1997)

    as Barry Cox

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Little Boy Blue(1997)

    as Jimmy West

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Nowhere(1997)

    as Shad

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • King of the Hill(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Wally (voice)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Lifeform(1996)

    as Private Ryan

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • White Squall(1996)

    as Gil Martin

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Crimson Tide(1995)

    as Seaman Grattam

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Outer Limits(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Russell 'Rusty' Dobson

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare(1995)

    as Tom Redman

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor(1994)

    as Robert Fowler

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Due South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Del Porter

  • Chicago Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as David Holgren

  • The Secrets of Lake Success (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · as Stew Atkins

  • WWE Monday Night RAW(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Lt. Dixon Piper

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Matlock(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Michael

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • Reach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Zack

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 75 titles, 74 of them dated from 1986 to 2026; peak year 2007.

Biggest box office

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

$126M worldwide

Highest rated

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Shooter (2016)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19862026

Peak 2007 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 34 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1995Screen debut· Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare
  • 1997First top-billed film· Little Boy Blue
  • 2001Screen Actors Guild Award win· Gosford Park
  • 2005Screen Actors Guild Award win· Crash
  • 2006Career best· Flags of Our Fathers
  • 2016Career best· Shooter

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting75 of 75: 69 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thDirecting1 of 75: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 75: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing6 of 75: 0 only producing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score23rd

75 titles, 6 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · acting1990s18 · acting2000s15 · acting2010s21 · 21 acting · 2 crew2020s18 · 18 acting · 4 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 33% of 45 roles
9500051015

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 Screen Actors Guild Awards and 2 other major awards from 4 major nominations, 2002–2006.

  1. 2006
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Acting Ensemble
  2. 2002
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Acting Ensemble

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Ryan Phillippe's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 38th percentile, the median of the 49 of 50 with a score; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Midcredits score across 65 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th18

Shape of the crowd

29 of their 65 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser29
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed26

Most divisive · actor, producer

The 2nd (2020)

96th percentile spread · 48% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Crimson Tide (1995)

Midcredits 93rd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 42 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ryan Phillippe's work okay for kids?

Across up to 26 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles33–85 · median 77 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity26 titles18–61 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity17 titles46–82 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles27–68 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense14 titles31–72 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ryan Phillippe work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ryan Phillippe's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Ogden Barnum shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers