Skip to content
MovieCove
Robert Aldrich

Robert Aldrich

Director and producer, also writer · Died December 5, 1983, aged 65 · Cranston, Rhode Island, USA

Robert Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American filmmaker, known for the films Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Big Knife (1955), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), and The Dirty Dozen (1967). Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, the son of Lora Lawson and newspaper publisher Edward Burgess Aldrich. He was a grandson of U.S. Senator Nelson W. Aldrich and a cousin of Nelson Rockefeller. He studied economics at the University of Virginia. In 1941, he dropped out of college for a $50-a-week job at RKO Radio Pictures. In doing so, he was also dropped by his family, losing a potential stake in Chase Bank he would have inherited. It's been said that "No American film director was born as wealthy as Aldrich—and then so thoroughly cut off from family money." He quickly rose in film production as an assistant director, and worked with Jean Renoir, Abraham Polonsky, Robert Rossen, Joseph Losey and Charlie Chaplin as an assistant on Limelight. He became a television director in the 1950s, directing his first feature film, Big Leaguer, in 1953. During the 1950s, Aldrich directed mostly action films like Apache and Vera Cruz with Burt Lancaster. Aldrich soon gained recognition as an auteur filmmaker, depicting his liberal humanist thematic vision in many genres, in films such as Kiss Me Deadly (1955), a film noir classic, The Big Knife (1955), an adaptation of Clifford Odets's play about Hollywood business, and Attack (1956), a WWII infantry combat film exploring how U.S. Army careerism determined who attacked and who ordered the attack. In the 1960s, he directed several commercially successful films, such as the gothic horror stories What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as spiteful sisters and faded child-actresses, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, with Bette Davis as a Southern woman who lives in a mansion and thinks she is going insane (both Joan Crawford and Davis were to appear, but Crawford left the film); the controversial The Killing of Sister George (1968); and the hugely popular war film The Dirty Dozen (1967). The success of The Dirty Dozen allowed him to establish his own production studio for some time, but several failures forced his return to conventionally commercial Hollywood films. Nevertheless, his humanism is evident in The Longest Yard (1974), about the rigged-game politics, and Ulzana's Raid (1972) an uncompromising film based on the real life break-out from an Indian reservation of a band led by chief Ulzana, the extreme violence and torture they exacted upon isolated pioneer families in the Arizona territory, and their pursuit by the US cavalry. From his marriage to Harriet Foster (1941–65), Robert Aldrich had four children, all of whom work in the film business: Adell, William, Alida and Kelly. Aldrich died of kidney failure on December 5, 1983 in a Los Angeles hospital. Film critic John Patterson summarized his career in 2012: "He was a punchy, caustic, macho and pessimistic director, who depicted corruption and evil unflinchingly, and pushed limits on violence throughout his career. His aggressive and pugnacious film-making style, often crass and crude, but never less than utterly vital and alive, warrants – and will richly reward – your immediate attention."

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 9, 1918
Died
December 5, 1983 (aged 65)
From
Cranston, Rhode Island, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also writer
Titles
48 on MovieCove · 62 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

What are Robert Aldrich's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
22%
Self
21%
Power
16%
Bonds
15%
Survival
14%
Society
10%
Ideas
1%
Corruption6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 19

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 6

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 10 · Intense 17

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 2

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 3

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

Easy watch 6 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 11

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

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
26
Dread
10
Melancholic
14
Absurd
6
Hopeful
5
Other
16

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous3

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 Robert Aldrich's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 48 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Aldrich'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

62 credits, 48 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • ...All the Marbles(1981)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Frisco Kid(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?(1978)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Choirboys(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Twilight's Last Gleaming(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Hustle(1975)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Longest Yard(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Emperor of the North(1973)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Ulzana's Raid(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Grissom Gang(1971)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Too Late the Hero(1970)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Greatest Mother of 'em All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?(1969)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Killing of Sister George(1968)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Lylah Clare(1968)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Dirty Dozen(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Flight of the Phoenix(1965)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte(1964)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • 4 for Texas(1963)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?(1962)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Sodom and Gomorrah(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Last Sunset(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Adventures in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Hotel de Paree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Angry Hills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Ten Seconds to Hell(1959)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Garment Jungle(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Ride Back(1957)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Attack(1956)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Autumn Leaves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • The Big Knife(1955)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Kiss Me Deadly(1955)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Vera Cruz(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Apache(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • World for Ransom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director · Producer

  • Big Leaguer(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Steel Trap(1952)

    Production Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Limelight(1952)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Four Star Playhouse(1952)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show Creator

  • The First Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Associate Producer

  • China Smith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Big Night(1951)

    as Ringsider at Fight

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Prowler(1951)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • New Mexico(1951)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Assistant Director

  • Force of Evil(1948)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Red Light(1949)

    Second Unit First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Red Pony(1949)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Caught(1949)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • No Minor Vices (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Assistant Director

  • So This Is New York(1948)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Body and Soul(1947)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Private Affairs of Bel Ami(1947)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Pardon My Past (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Assistant Director

  • The Southerner(1945)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Gangway for Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Second Assistant Director

  • Bombardier(1943)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Big Street(1942)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Falcon Takes Over(1942)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Joan of Paris(1942)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 61 titles from 1942 to 1981.

Biggest box office

The Longest Yard (1974)

$43M worldwide

Highest rated

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Vera Cruz (1954)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 61: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting36 of 61: 22 only directing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stWriting3 of 61: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing17 of 61: 3 only producing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew21 of 61: 21 only other crew, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

61 titles, 14 with more than one role.

By decade

1940s14 · crew1950s26 · 1 acting · 25 crew1960s11 · crew1970s9 · crew1980s1 · crew

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.

How do Robert Aldrich's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 47; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 48 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th23
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 48 titles divides audiences: 33 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed4

Most loved · director, producer

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Robert Aldrich's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles43–66 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles7–37 · median 23 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles20–60 · median 24 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles29–42 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles27–64 · median 57 · 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 Robert Aldrich work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Aldrich's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Luciano shares the most, 20.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Michael Luciano20 titles    See newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Michael Luciano
  • Frank De Vol16 titles    See newest 12 of 16 shared titles with Frank De Vol
  • Joseph F. Biroc16 titles    See newest 12 of 16 shared titles with Joseph F. Biroc
  • Ernest Laszlo7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Ernest Laszlo

Producers