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Douglas McGrath

Douglas McGrath

Actor, writer and director, also producer · Died November 3, 2022, aged 64 · New York, New York, USA

Douglas Geoffrey McGrath (February 2, 1958 – November 3, 2022) was an American screenwriter, film director, and actor. He received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Tony Award, and Primetime Emmy Award. McGrath started his career as a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1981. He co-wrote with Woody Allen the film Bullets Over Broadway (1994), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as BAFTA and Writers Guild of America Award nominations. He then directed such films as Emma (1996), Company Man (2000), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Infamous (2006). He also appeared in such films as Quiz Show (1994), The Daytrippers (1996), Happiness (1998), The Insider (1999), and Michael Clayton (2007). He also made appearances in television including a recurring role as Principal Toby Cook in Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls from 2015 to 2016. He also appeared in the Amazon Prime comedy series Crisis in Six Scenes (2016), and the Netflix western limited series Godless (2017). McGrath received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical nomination for the Broadway musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in 2014. He also directed the HBO documentaries His Way (2011), and Becoming Mike Nichols (2016). He wrote political commentary, such as "The Flapjack File", a column for The New Republic, as well as articles for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair. Description above from the Wikipedia article Douglas McGrath, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 12, 1958
Died
November 3, 2022 (aged 64)
From
New York, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, writer and director, also producer
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 26 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 32% in 30 days

What are Douglas McGrath's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary 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
Self
38%
Bonds
24%
Morality
18%
Society
8%
Ideas
8%
Power
3%
Marriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 8 · Serious 2 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · 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 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Contemplative
7
Warm
4
Absurd
3
Melancholic
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Feel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous2

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 Douglas McGrath's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Douglas McGrath'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

26 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Rifkin's Festival(2020)

    as Gil Brenner

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Godless(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Edward Solomon

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Café Society(2016)

    as Norman

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Becoming Mike Nichols(2016)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • I Don't Know How She Does It(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • His Way(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Solitary Man(2009)

    as Dean Edward Gitleson

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Michael Clayton(2007)

    as Jeff Gaffney

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Infamous(2006)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Nicholas Nickleby(2002)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Ending(2002)

    as Barbeque Guest

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Sounds from a Town I Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • The Concert for New York City(2001)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Small Time Crooks(2000)

    as Frenchy's Lawyer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Company Man(2000)

    Director · Writer · as Alan Quimp

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Insider(1999)

    as Private Investigator

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Happiness(1998)

    as Tom

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Celebrity(1998)

    as Bill Gaines

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Prix Fixe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Bob Waterman

  • The Daytrippers(1996)

    as Chap

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Emma(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Bullets Over Broadway(1994)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Quiz Show(1994)

    as Snodgrass

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Born Yesterday(1993)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 13 episodes · Writer · as Dinner Guest (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Beautiful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Musical

Career shape

Star power in the 88th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 26 titles, 25 of them dated from 1975 to 2020; peak year 2001.

Biggest box office

I Don't Know How She Does It (2011)

$31M worldwide

Highest rated

Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

I Don't Know How She Does It (2011)

Film career

19752020

Peak 2001 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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
Acting17 of 26: 15 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thDirecting7 of 26: 3 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndWriting8 of 26: 3 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

26 titles, 5 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1990s9 · 6 acting · 3 crew2000s9 · 7 acting · 3 crew2010s5 · 2 acting · 3 crew2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 13% of 8 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 Douglas McGrath's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

The Concert for New York City (2001)

93rd percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Insider (1999)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 44. 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 Douglas McGrath's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles11–42 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 Douglas McGrath work with?

People who share at least 2 of Douglas McGrath's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Camilla Toniolo shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers