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Michael Beck

Michael Beck

Actor · Born February 4, 1949 (77) · Memphis, Tennessee, USA

John Michael Beck Taylor (born February 4, 1949), commonly known as Michael Beck, is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Swan in the 1979 film, The Warriors.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 4, 1949 (77)
From
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 36 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 31% in 30 days

What are Michael Beck's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Drama 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
27%
Morality
22%
Self
19%
Survival
19%
Society
8%
Ideas
4%
Power
3%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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 6 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

11 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 5 of 11 analyzed roles.

Hero
5 of 11
Shadow
3 of 11
Ally
2 of 11
Mentor
1 of 11
Show the 11 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Hopeful
7
Melancholic
3
Romantic
1
Dread
1
Other
9

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet8
  • Cyclical1

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 Michael Beck's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Beck'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, 20 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Grace of Jake(2015)

    as Henry Haynes

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made(2004)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Crusade(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Jones

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Jungle Book: Search for the Lost Treasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Prof. Gershwin Donovan

  • Forest Warrior(1996)

    as Arlen Slaighter

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Nash Bridges(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Adult Bobby Bridges

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • JAG(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Senator Carter Innes

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Robin's Hoods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 21 episodes · as Det. Stephen DeCosta

  • Babylon 5(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Abel Horn

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Diagnosis Murder(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank Waldeck

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Walker, Texas Ranger(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · as Adam McGuire

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Fade to Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Braith

  • Stranger at My Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Jimmy Lee Dancey

  • Deadly Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Peterson

  • Only One Survived (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Paul Haskel

  • Houston Knights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 31 episodes · as Levon Lundy

  • Houston: The Legend of Texas(1986)

    as Jim Bowie

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Blackout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Mike Patterson

  • Chiller(1985)

    as Miles Creighton

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Rearview Mirror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Jerry Sam Hopps

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Brian Bentall · as Danny Schubert · as Justin Fields

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Sgt. Danny Wreade

  • Celebrity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 3 episodes · as T.J. Luther

  • The Golden Seal(1983)

    as Crawford

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Last Ninja (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Kenjiro Sakura

  • Triumphs of a Man Called Horse(1983)

    as Koda

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Megaforce(1982)

    as Dallas

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Battletruck(1982)

    as Hunter

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Fly Away Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Lt. Mark Wakefield

  • Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story(1980)

    as Clarence Carnes

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 2 episodes · as Clarence Carnes

  • Xanadu(1980)

    as Sonny Malone

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure(1979)

    as John Alden

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Warriors(1979)

    as Swan

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Holocaust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 3 episodes · as Hans Helms

  • Madman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Boris Abramovitch

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1978 to 2017; peak year 1979.

Biggest box office

Xanadu (1980)

$23M worldwide

Highest rated

The Warriors (1979)

Midcredits 94th

Film career

19782017

Peak 1979 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 5 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
Acting35 of 35: 35 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score36th

By decade

1970s4 · acting1980s17 · acting1990s13 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 43% of 7 roles

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.

How do Michael Beck's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 32nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

Forest Warrior (1996)

84th percentile spread · 62% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Warriors (1979)

Midcredits 94th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 50/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 27. 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 Michael Beck's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Michael Beck work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Beck's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Anne Seymour shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers

Producers