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Steven E. de Souza

Steven E. de Souza

Writer, actor and director, also producer · Born November 17, 1947 (78) · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Steven Edward de Souza (born 17 November 1947) is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 17, 1947 (78)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Writer, actor and director, also producer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 43 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 36% in 30 days

What are Steven E. de Souza's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Horror 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
33%
Bonds
26%
Survival
13%
Self
11%
Power
10%
Society
8%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 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 11 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 8

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 8 · Intense 11

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 5

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 14

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Thrilling
15
Absurd
9
Joyful
6
Dread
4
Other
8

How their films linger

Fun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous2
  • Other1

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 Steven E. de Souza's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 26 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Steven E. de Souza'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

43 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Carolco, un rêve hollywoodien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • A Man and His Horse: Steven E. de Souza on 'Knight Rider' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • The Check In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Deathcember(2019)

    as Mr. Handsome

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Gotta Catch Santa Claus(2008)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Unknown Sender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show Creator

  • Blast(2004)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life(2003)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Possessed(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Knock Off(1998)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Judge Dredd(1995)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Street Fighter(1994)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Vault of Horror I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • The Flintstones(1994)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Beverly Hills Cop III(1994)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Cadillacs and Dinosaurs(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Ricochet(1991)

    Screenplay · as TV Reporter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Hudson Hawk(1991)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Die Hard 2(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Another 48 Hrs.(1990)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • K-9000 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Die Hard(1988)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Bad Dreams(1988)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Supercarrier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Seven Hours to Judgment(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Running Man(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Supervising Producer · Writer

  • Jumpin' Jack Flash(1986)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Commando(1985)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • V(1984)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Return of Captain Invincible(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • 48 Hrs.(1982)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Knight Rider(1982)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Powers of Matthew Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show Creator

  • The Renegades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Writer

  • Rosetti and Ryan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Lucan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

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

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • Gemini Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Bionic Woman(1976)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • The Six Million Dollar Man(1974)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Arnold's Wrecking Co. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Writer · as Kenny

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1973 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Flintstones (1994)

$342M worldwide

Highest rated

Die Hard (1988)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 41: 4 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting5 of 41: 1 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting34 of 41: 27 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thProducing1 of 41: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 41: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

41 titles, 7 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew1980s13 · crew1990s12 · 1 acting · 12 crew2000s5 · crew2010s1 · acting2020s3 · acting

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 Steven E. de Souza's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 30th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 28 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · writer, producer

Gotta Catch Santa Claus (2008)

91st percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Die Hard (1988)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 49/100 and the plot and story 35/100 in their films, across 21 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Steven E. de Souza's work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 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 & Gore15 titles46–90 · median 71 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles17–59 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles34–91 · median 73 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles22–60 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense15 titles32–67 · median 54 · 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 Steven E. de Souza work with?

People who share at least 2 of Steven E. de Souza's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joel Silver shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles