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Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin

Actor and writer · Born December 18, 1950 (75) · New York City, New York, USA

Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is best known for his eponymous annual book of movie capsule reviews, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, which was published annually from 1969 to 2014. Description above from the Wikipedia article Leonard Maltin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 18, 1950 (75)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor and writer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 18% in 30 days

What are Leonard Maltin's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
48%
Ideas
23%
Self
18%
Bonds
7%
Morality
2%
Survival
2%
Art7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 14 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 15 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
10
Contemplative
9
Hopeful
6
Melancholic
5
Bittersweet
5
Other
4

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous1
  • 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 Leonard Maltin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Leonard Maltin'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

42 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 131 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey(2022)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Cinema's First Colors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Narrator

  • Cinema Finds Its Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Narrator

  • The Méliès Mystery(2021)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • BoJack Horseman(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Leonard Maltin (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Harry Dean Stanton: Crossing Mulholland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Actor

  • Maltin on Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Searchers 2.0 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Film Critic

  • My Dad, Walt Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Actor

  • Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • William Powell: A True Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • The Man Behind the Duck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

  • A Conversation with Joe Grant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer · Screenplay · as Himself

  • A Conversation with John Hench (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer · Writer

  • A Conversation with Roy Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Marty Sklar, Walt, and EPCOT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Leonard Maltin

  • Mickey's Cartoon Comeback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Writer · as Himself

  • The Voice Behind the Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer · Writer · as Himself

  • Frank and Ollie... and Mickey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Leonard Maltin

  • Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story(2002)

    Book · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Crockett Craze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • A Conversation with Fess Parker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Host

  • Drive-in Movie Memories(2001)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Thanks · as Self / Interviewer

  • Topaz: An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Narrator

  • Songs of the Silly Symphonies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Arli$$(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Leonard Maltin

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites from the Film Board of Canada (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Actor

  • Cliffhangers: Adventures from the Thrill Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Writer · as Host

  • The Making of 'Rio Grande' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

  • Cartoon Madness: The Fantastic Max Fleischer Cartoons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

  • The Making of High Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Producer · Writer · as Self - Presenter

  • The Making of 'The Quiet Man' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Producer · Writer · as Host

  • Fantasia: The Making of a Masterpiece (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Writer

  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch(1990)

    as Leonard Maltin

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Mystery Science Theater 3000(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Leonard Maltin

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Going Hollywood: The '30s(1984)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Omnibus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Davy Crockett (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show as DVD Release Host

  • Animators At Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Narrator

  • The Invention of Cinema: Cinema's First Colors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Narrator

Career shape

A full career of 43 titles, 42 of them dated from 1930 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Only in Theaters (2022)

$35K worldwide

Highest rated

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting31 of 43: 29 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting12 of 43: 3 only writing, 9 with another roleProducing9 of 43: 1 only producing, 8 with another roleOther crew1 of 43: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

43 titles, 9 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1930s1 · acting1950s1 · acting1960s1 · acting1980s3 · 2 acting · 1 crew1990s10 · 6 acting · 6 crew2000s19 · 12 acting · 7 crew2010s3 · acting2020s4 · 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 Leonard Maltin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 6; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th3

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)

72nd percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Drive-in Movie Memories (2001)

Midcredits 90th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 47/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 59, detractors 41. 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.

Who does Leonard Maltin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Leonard Maltin's MovieCove titles; Quentin Tarantino shares the most, 2.