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William S. Beasley

Producer

A veteran of more than forty feature films, William S. Beasley has been involved in the motion picture industry since the mid 1970s. Born in San Francisco and raised in Los Angeles, Beasley graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in cinematography before joining the United States Air Force. He achieved the rank of Captain, serving as a rescue pilot during the Vietnam War and as part of the support team on the Apollo moon program. While attending California State University at Northridge where he was working towards getting his master’s degree, Beasley learned about the Director’s Guild training program, he was accepted into the program and worked as a trainee for a year and a half before becoming second assistant director on a number of projects including Goin' South, Breaking Away and American Gigolo. Beasley would eventually move up to first assistant director on such films as Personal Best, My Favorite Year, Racing With the Moon, Johnny Dangerously, Ruthless People and The Lost Boys, among others. Beasley’s other credits as producer and unit production manager include National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Basic Instinct, Arachnophobia, Baby Day’s Out, The Cable Guy, Miracle on 34th Street, Something to Talk About, Fearless, The Weather Man, Falling Down, The Mexican, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Invisible, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, and The Tuxedo.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Producer
Titles
36 on MovieCove
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 25% in 30 days

What are William S. Beasley's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 23rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
Bonds
30%
Self
26%
Survival
18%
Morality
15%
Power
7%
Society
3%
Ideas
1%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 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 5 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 9 · 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 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 8

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 7 · 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 5 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 3

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

A split, not a type: Casual 11 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Absurd
10
Dread
5
Thrilling
8
Melancholic
6
Other
19

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

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 William S. Beasley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William S. Beasley'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

36 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page.

  • Paranoia(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Broken City(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Hansel & Gretel Get Baked(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Killers(2010)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Unborn(2009)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • 21(2008)

    Executive Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Invisible(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Weather Man(2005)

    Executive Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!(2004)

    Executive Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Tuxedo(2002)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Mexican(2001)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • I Still Know What You Did Last Summer(1998)

    Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • I Know What You Did Last Summer(1997)

    Executive Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Cable Guy(1996)

    Co-Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Something to Talk About(1995)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Miracle on 34th Street(1994)

    Executive Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Baby's Day Out(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Fearless(1993)

    Co-Producer · Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Falling Down(1993)

    Associate Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Basic Instinct(1992)

    Associate Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Arachnophobia(1990)

    Associate Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation(1989)

    Associate Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Lost Boys(1987)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Ruthless People(1986)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Man with One Red Shoe(1985)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • 2010: The Year We Make Contact(1984)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Racing with the Moon(1984)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Star Chamber(1983)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • My Favorite Year(1982)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Personal Best(1982)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Halloween II(1981)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • American Gigolo(1980)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Breaking Away(1979)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • California Dreaming(1979)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Up in Smoke(1978)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Exorcist II: The Heretic(1977)

    Assistant Director Trainee

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 1977 to 2013.

Biggest box office

Basic Instinct (1992)

$353M worldwide

Highest rated

Falling Down (1993)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Basic Instinct (1992)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing18 of 32: 6 only producing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thOther crew26 of 32: 14 only other crew, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rd

32 titles, 12 with more than one role — other crew and producing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1970s4 · crew1980s11 · crew1990s9 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s3 · 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 William S. Beasley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 36 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · producer

Hansel & Gretel Get Baked (2013)

60th percentile spread · 51% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Falling Down (1993)

Midcredits 94th · 85% liked

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 William S. Beasley's work okay for kids?

Across up to 20 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 & Gore16 titles36–83 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity20 titles23–54 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity16 titles31–84 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles28–55 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense16 titles22–79 · median 53 · 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 William S. Beasley work with?

People who share at least 2 of William S. Beasley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Luketic shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers