From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962), and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie," Kesey said in a 1999 interview with Robert K. Elder. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ken Kesey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 17, 1935
- November 10, 2001 (aged 66)
- La Junta, Colorado, USA
- Writer and actor
- 4 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
Known for
What are Ken Kesey's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous1
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 Ken Kesey's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Ken Kesey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
12 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Arthur Janov's Primal Therapy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Ricochet River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Twister: A Musical Catastrophe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Intrepid Traveler and His Merry Band of Pranksters Search for a Cool Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Gökboet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Toestanden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Sometimes a Great Notion(1971)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Acid Test (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Career shape
Star power in the 7th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 11 titles from 1966 to 2018.
Biggest box office
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Highest rated
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Film career
- 1994Screen debut· Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
How do Ken Kesey's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 4; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 4 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 5 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.
Who does Ken Kesey work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ken Kesey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christopher Lloyd shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Christopher LloydShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Lloyd
- Danny DeVitoShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Danny DeVito
- Louise FletcherShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Louise Fletcher
- Will SampsonShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Will Sampson
Mixed roles
- Michael DouglasShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Douglas
- Miloš FormanShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Miloš Forman
- Saul ZaentzShared titles: Completely Cuckoo (1997), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Saul Zaentz
