Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 - October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in the stage and film. Ross was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Martha Grundfast and Louis Chester Ross, a postal clerk. At the age of 9, his mother died and his father moved the family to Miami and opened a luncheonette. In 1942, Ross' stage debut came as "Third Witch" in a touring company of Macbeth. The next year brought his first Broadway performance credits with Something for the Boys. By 1950, he was a choreographer with the American Ballet Theatre and choreographed his first Broadway production, the Arthur Schwartz-Dorothy Fields musical adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Ross's first film assignment came as an uncredited choreographer on Carmen Jones (1954). In the UK, he choreographed The Young Ones (1961) and Summer Holiday (1963), both starring Cliff Richard. Later, he worked with Barbra Streisand as choreographer and director of musical numbers for Funny Girl (1968). His film directorial debut came with the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), made by MGM-British, with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. He went on to direct films involving ballet, such as The Turning Point (1977), Nijinsky (1980) and Dancers (1987). Other movies of critical acclaim followed in the 1970s and 1980s such as Neil Simon's adaptations of his own plays and film adaptations of Broadway productions through his last project, Boys on the Side (1995).
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 13, 1927
- October 9, 2001 (aged 74)
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Director and producer, also actor
- 29 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
What are Herbert Ross' films like?
Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 24
Light 17 · Serious 6 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 13 · Charged 9 · Intense 4
A split, not a type: Steady 15 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 11
Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 0
Casual 15 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 14 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 4
Resolved 22 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy11
- Bittersweet12
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
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 Herbert Ross' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for Herbert Ross' 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
35 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Poster Boy(2004)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Boys on the Side(1995)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Undercover Blues(1993)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Soapdish(1991)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
True Colors(1991)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
My Blue Heaven(1990)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Steel Magnolias(1989)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Dancers(1987)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
The Secret of My Success(1987)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Protocol(1984)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Footloose(1984)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Max Dugan Returns(1983)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Pennies from Heaven(1981)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Nijinsky(1980)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
California Suite(1978)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Goodbye Girl(1977)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Turning Point(1977)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all filmsThe Amazing Miss Cummings: An Actress at Work and Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Sunshine Boys(1975)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Funny Lady(1975)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
The Last of Sheila(1973)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Play It Again, Sam(1972)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
T.R. Baskin(1971)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Owl and the Pussycat(1970)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Goodbye, Mr. Chips(1969)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Funny Girl(1968)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
This is Streisand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Inside Daisy Clover(1965)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Fantasticks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Bacchantes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Meet Me in St. Louis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Wonderful Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Career shape
A full career of 35 titles from 1958 to 2004.
Biggest box office
The Secret of My Success (1987)
Highest rated
Play It Again, Sam (1972)
Most popular right now
The Secret of My Success (1987)
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 Herbert Ross' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 29; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th12
- 25th to 49th8
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
16 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Crowd Pleaser16
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the atmosphere 65/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 25 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 Herbert Ross' work okay for kids?
Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, 2 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all films.
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 Herbert Ross work with?
People who share at least 2 of Herbert Ross' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Neil Simon shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Neil SimonShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 6 shared titles with Neil Simon
- Robert HarlingShared titles: Soapdish (1991), Steel Magnolias (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Harling
- Buck HenryShared titles: Protocol (1984), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Buck Henry
Actors
- Walter MatthauShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), California Suite (1978), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 4 shared titles with Walter Matthau
- Leslie BrowneShared titles: Dancers (1987), Nijinsky (1980), The Turning Point (1977)See all 3 shared titles with Leslie Browne
- Roddy McDowallShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), Funny Lady (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Roddy McDowall
- Whoopi GoldbergShared titles: Boys on the Side (1995), Soapdish (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Whoopi Goldberg
Cinematographers and editors
- David M. WalshShared titles: Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 5 shared titles with David M. Walsh
- Margaret BoothShared titles: California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Funny Lady (1975), The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)See all 5 shared titles with Margaret Booth
- Paul HirschShared titles: Steel Magnolias (1989), The Secret of My Success (1987), Footloose (1984), Protocol (1984)See all 4 shared titles with Paul Hirsch
- William ReynoldsShared titles: Dancers (1987), Nijinsky (1980), The Turning Point (1977), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)See all 4 shared titles with William Reynolds
Producers
- Ray StarkShared titles: Steel Magnolias (1989), California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Funny Lady (1975), The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)See all 6 shared titles with Ray Stark
- Nora KayeShared titles: Dancers (1987), The Secret of My Success (1987), Pennies from Heaven (1981), Nijinsky (1980), The Turning Point (1977)See all 5 shared titles with Nora Kaye
- Roger M. RothsteinShared titles: Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Turning Point (1977), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 5 shared titles with Roger M. Rothstein
- Joseph M. CaraccioloShared titles: True Colors (1991), My Blue Heaven (1990), The Secret of My Success (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Joseph M. Caracciolo
Mixed roles
- Charles MatthauShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Matthau
- Andrew BergmanShared titles: Undercover Blues (1993), Soapdish (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew Bergman
