Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916 – March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, and Tender Mercies (1983). He was also known for his notable live television dramas produced during the Golden Age of Television.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 14, 1916
- March 4, 2009 (aged 92)
- Writer, also producer
- 20 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
What are Horton Foote's films like?
Across their 18 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 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 18
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 6 · Dark 9
Grounded 16 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 6 · Intense 4
Steady 12 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 9
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic2
- 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 Horton Foote's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- Of Mice and Men (1992) · writer · free
- The Trip to Bountiful (1985) · writer, producer · free
- Tender Mercies (1983) · writer, producer · free
- Tomorrow (1972) · writer · free
- Old Man (1997) · writer · free
- The Displaced Person (1977) · writer · free
- Alone (1997) · writer · free
- On Valentine's Day (1986) · writer · free
- Convicts (1991) · writer · free
- Lily Dale (1996) · actor, writer · free
- Main Street (2010) · writer · free
- Shout! TV, show their 3 titles on Shout! TV
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- ScreenPix, show their 2 titles on ScreenPix
- UP Faith & Family, show their 2 titles on UP Faith & Family
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- Magnolia Selects, show their title on Magnolia Selects
- PBS Documentaries, show their title on PBS Documentaries
Subscription and free streaming for Horton Foote'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
32 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Bessie(2015)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Trip to Bountiful(2014)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Main Street(2010)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Alone(1997)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Old Man(1997)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Lily Dale(1996)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Of Mice and Men(1992)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Convicts(1991)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
The Civil War(1990)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Courtship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Almutaradat Al'akhira (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
On Valentine's Day(1986)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
The Trip to Bountiful(1985)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
1918 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Tender Mercies(1983)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Keeping On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Barn Burning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Displaced Person(1977)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Tomorrow(1972)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Hurry Sundown(1967)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Chase(1966)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Baby the Rain Must Fall(1965)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
To Kill a Mockingbird(1962)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all filmsThe Shape of the River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Old Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Storm Fear(1955)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all filmsThe Trip to Bountiful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Goodyear Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles from 1948 to 2015.
Film career
- 1990Screen debut· The Civil War
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 Horton Foote's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic4
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 65/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 17 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 Horton Foote's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Horton Foote work with?
People who share at least 2 of Horton Foote's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hallie Foote shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Peter MastersonShared titles: Lily Dale (1996), Convicts (1991), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Tomorrow (1972)See all 4 shared titles with Peter Masterson
- Michael Lindsay-HoggShared titles: Alone (1997), The Habitation of Dragons (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Lindsay-Hogg
- Robert MulliganShared titles: Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Mulligan
Writers
- William FaulknerShared titles: Old Man (1997), Tomorrow (1972)See all 2 shared titles with William Faulkner
Actors
- Hallie FooteShared titles: Bessie (2015), The Trip to Bountiful (2014), Alone (1997), Lily Dale (1996), The Habitation of Dragons (1992), On Valentine's Day (1986)See all 6 shared titles with Hallie Foote
- Robert DuvallShared titles: Convicts (1991), Tender Mercies (1983), Tomorrow (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Duvall
- Frederic ForrestShared titles: Alone (1997), The Habitation of Dragons (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Frederic Forrest
- James Earl JonesShared titles: Alone (1997), Convicts (1991)See all 2 shared titles with James Earl Jones
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Aaron StellShared titles: The Displaced Person (1977), Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Aaron Stell
- Elmer BernsteinShared titles: Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Storm Fear (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Elmer Bernstein
- Jeffrey JurShared titles: Bessie (2015), Alone (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Jur
- David ShireShared titles: Alone (1997), The Habitation of Dragons (1992)See all 2 shared titles with David Shire
Producers
- Michael BrandmanShared titles: Alone (1997), The Habitation of Dragons (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Brandman
- Sterling Van WagenenShared titles: Convicts (1991), The Trip to Bountiful (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Sterling Van Wagenen
- Calvin SkaggsShared titles: On Valentine's Day (1986), The Displaced Person (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Calvin Skaggs
- Alan J. PakulaShared titles: Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Alan J. Pakula
