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Melanie Griffith

Melanie Griffith

Actor · Born August 9, 1957 (69) · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in New York City to actress Tippi Hedren and advertising executive Peter Griffith, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, a then 17-year-old Griffith appeared opposite Gene Hackman in Arthur Penn's film noir Night Moves. She later rose to prominence for her role portraying a pornographic actress in Brian De Palma's thriller Body Double (1984), which earned her a National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. Griffith's subsequent performance in the comedy Something Wild (1986) garnered critical acclaim before she was cast in 1988's Working Girl, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won her a Golden Globe. The 1990s had Griffith in a series of roles that received varying critical reception; she received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in Buffalo Girls (1995), and as Marion Davies in RKO 281 (1999), while also earning a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performances in Shining Through (1992), as well as receiving nominations for Crazy in Alabama (1999) and John Waters' cult film Cecil B. Demented (2000). Other credits include John Schlesinger's Pacific Heights (1990), Milk Money (1994), the neo-noir film Mulholland Falls (1996), as Charlotte Haze in Adrian Lyne's Lolita (1997), and Another Day in Paradise (1998). She later starred as Barbara Marx in The Night We Called It a Day (2003), and spent the majority of the 2000s appearing on such television series as Nip/Tuck, Raising Hope, and Hawaii Five-0. After acting on stage in London, in 2003, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of the musical Chicago, receiving celebratory reviews. In the 2010s, Griffith returned to film, starring opposite then-husband Antonio Banderas in the science-fiction film Autómata (2014) and as an acting coach in James Franco's The Disaster Artist (2017).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 9, 1957 (69)
From
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
63 on MovieCove · 85 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 63 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Melanie Griffith's films like?

Across their 48 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Romance2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 9th percentile
: browse their Romance 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
Self
26%
Bonds
21%
Morality
15%
Power
14%
Survival
10%
Ideas
7%
Society
6%
Family bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 48 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 20 · Serious 19 · Dark 9

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 29 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 13 · Charged 26 · Intense 9

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

Steady 19 · Shifting 25 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 8

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

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 21 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 3

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

Resolved 30 · Open-ended 17 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

29 analyzed roles

Usually the Shapeshifter: 10 of 29 analyzed roles.

Shapeshifter
10 of 29
Hero
7 of 29
Ally
4 of 29
Mentor
3 of 29
Shadow
3 of 29
Trickster
1 of 29
Threshold guardian
1 of 29
Show the 29 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
27
Melancholic
14
Warm
14
Absurd
10
Contemplative
12
Other
52

How their films linger

Feel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous11

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 Melanie Griffith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 38 of their 63 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (23).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Melanie Griffith'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

85 credits, 63 with a MovieCove page; 25 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • By Design(2025)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The High Note(2020)

    as Tess

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Howard(2018)

    as Karen (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Pirates of Somalia(2017)

    as Maria Bahadur

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Disaster Artist(2017)

    as Jean Shelton

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • JL Ranch(2016)

    as Laura Lee

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Day Out of Days(2015)

    as Kathy

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Back to the Jurassic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Tyra

  • Nerd Herd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Celeste

  • Automata(2014)

    as Dr. Susan Dupré / Cleo (voice)

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Yellow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Patsy

  • Thirst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Sue

  • Dark Tourist(2012)

    as Betsy

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Call Me Crazy: A Five Film(2013)

    as Kristin

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Back to the Jurassic(2012)

    as Tyra (voice)

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • DTLA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Kimberly

  • Raising Hope(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tamara Collins

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Hawaii Five-0(2010)

    Show 4 episodes · as Clara Williams

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures(2010)

    as Snow (voice)

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Hot in Cleveland(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Melanie Griffith

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Viva Laughlin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 2 episodes · as Bunny

  • Twins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 18 episodes · as Lee Arnold

  • Heartless(2005)

    as Miranda Wells

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • All the Way(2003)

    as Barbara Marx

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Nip/Tuck(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Brandie Henry

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Tempo(2003)

    as Sarah

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Shade(2003)

    as Eve

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Stuart Little 2(2002)

    as Margalo (voice)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Tart(2001)

    as Diane Milford

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Book That Wrote Itself(1999)

    as Melanie Griffith

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Cecil B. Demented(2000)

    as Honey Whitlock

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Forever Lulu(2000)

    as Lulu Mcafee

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • RKO 281(1999)

    as Marion Davies

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Crazy in Alabama(1999)

    as Lucille Vinson

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Another Day in Paradise(1998)

    as Sid

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Celebrity(1998)

    as Nicole Oliver

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Shadow of Doubt(1998)

    as Kitt Devereux

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Lolita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Charlotte Haze

  • E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mulholland Falls(1996)

    as Katherine Hoover

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Two Much(1995)

    as Betty

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Now and Then(1995)

    as Teeny

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Buffalo Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Dora DuFran

  • Nobody's Fool(1994)

    as Toby Roebuck

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Milk Money(1994)

    as V

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Born Yesterday(1993)

    as Billie Dawn

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • A Stranger Among Us(1992)

    as Emily Eden

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Shining Through(1992)

    as Linda Voss

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Paradise(1991)

    as Lily Reed

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Bonfire of the Vanities(1990)

    as Maria Ruskin

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Pacific Heights(1990)

    as Patty Palmer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • In the Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Lureen

  • Women and Men: Stories of Seduction(1990)

    as Hadley (segment "Hills Like White Elephants")

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Melanie Griffith (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Working Girl(1988)

    as Tess McGill

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Stormy Monday(1988)

    as Kate

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Milagro Beanfield War(1988)

    as Flossie Devine

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Cherry 2000(1987)

    as Edith 'E.' Johnson

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Something Wild(1986)

    as Audrey Hankel

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Body Double(1984)

    as Holly Body

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Christine von Marburg

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Fear City(1984)

    as Loretta

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Roar(1981)

    as Melanie

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Golden Gate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Karen

  • She's in the Army Now(1981)

    as Pvt. Sylvie Knoll

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Star Maker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Dawn Barnett Youngblood

  • Underground Aces(1981)

    as Lucy

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The Cheryl Ladd Special(1979)

    as Ellie - Waitress

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Steel Cowboy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Johnnie

  • Vega$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Daddy, I Don't Like It Like This (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Girl in Hotel Room

  • Carter Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • One on One(1977)

    as The Hitchhiker

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Joyride(1977)

    as Susie

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Young Girl

  • Once an Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 7 episodes · as Jinny Massengale

  • Starsky and Hutch(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Julie

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Drowning Pool(1975)

    as Schuyler Devereaux

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Smile(1975)

    as Karen

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Night Moves(1975)

    as Delilah "Delly" Grastner

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Harrad Experiment(1973)

    as Student (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Smith!(1969)

    as Extra (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • American Housewife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 85 titles, 84 of them dated from 1969 to 2026; peak year 1999.

Biggest box office

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

$170M worldwide

Highest rated

Nobody's Fool (1994)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Film career

19692026

Peak 1999 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 26 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting85 of 85: 85 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score49th

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s15 · acting1980s14 · acting1990s22 · acting2000s12 · acting2010s18 · acting2020s2 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 33% of 43 roles
758590950010

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.

How do Melanie Griffith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 56; across their 48 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 48

Approval · how many liked their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 48

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 48

Midcredits score across 63 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th17
  • Below 25th15

Shape of the crowd

27 of their 63 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser27
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed23

Most divisive · actor

The Cheryl Ladd Special (1979)

89th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Howard (2018)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 46 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 40. 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 Melanie Griffith's work okay for kids?

Across up to 22 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore17 titles33–79 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity22 titles25–63 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity17 titles33–71 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs16 titles20–65 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense13 titles13–70 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all 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 Melanie Griffith work with?

People who share at least 2 of Melanie Griffith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Woods shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers