David Newman (February 4, 1937 - June 27, 2003) was an American filmmaker. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s he frequently collaborated with Robert Benton. He was married to fellow writer Leslie Newman, with whom he had two children, until the time of his death. He died in 2003 of conditions from a stroke. Newman studied at the University of Michigan.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 4, 1937
- June 27, 2003 (aged 66)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer and producer
- 17 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are David Newman's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
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 4 · Wry 1 · Earnest 12
Light 10 · Serious 3 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 9
Gentle 4 · Charged 11 · Intense 2
Steady 3 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 4
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 12 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 15 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic1
- 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 David Newman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for David Newman'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
20 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Christmas with Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Takedown(2000)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
HIStory on Film, Volume II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Moonwalker(1988)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
R.O.T.O.R.(1987)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Santa Claus(1985)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Sheena(1984)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Superman III(1983)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Still of the Night(1982)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Jinxed!(1982)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Superman II(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Superman(1978)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Crazy American Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Bad Company(1972)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Oh! Calcutta!(1972)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
What's Up, Doc?(1972)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Bonnie and Clyde(1967)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 20 titles from 1967 to 2021.
Biggest box office
Superman (1978)
Highest rated
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Most popular right now
Superman (1978)
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 David Newman's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the dialogue 46/100 and the plot and story 37/100 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 David Newman's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.
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 David Newman work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Newman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Benton shares the most, 8.
Directors
- Richard LesterShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Lester
- Robert BentonShared titles: Still of the Night (1982), Superman (1978), It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975), Bad Company (1972), Oh! Calcutta! (1972), What's Up, Doc? (1972), There Was a Crooked Man... (1970), Bonnie and Clyde (1967)See all 8 shared titles with Robert Benton
- Richard DonnerShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Donner
Writers
- Leslie NewmanShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Takedown (2000), Santa Claus (1985), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 6 shared titles with Leslie Newman
- Mario PuzoShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 4 shared titles with Mario Puzo
- Jerry SiegelShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Jerry Siegel
- Joe ShusterShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Joe Shuster
Actors
- Christopher ReeveShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 4 shared titles with Christopher Reeve
- Gene HackmanShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978), Bonnie and Clyde (1967)See all 4 shared titles with Gene Hackman
- Jackie CooperShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 4 shared titles with Jackie Cooper
- Margot KidderShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 4 shared titles with Margot Kidder
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Geoffrey UnsworthShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 3 shared titles with Geoffrey Unsworth
- John Victor SmithShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980)See all 3 shared titles with John Victor Smith
- Charles StrouseShared titles: It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975), There Was a Crooked Man... (1970), Bonnie and Clyde (1967)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Strouse
- John WilliamsShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Superman (1978)See all 2 shared titles with John Williams
Producers
- Pierre SpenglerShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Santa Claus (1985), Superman III (1983), Superman II (1980), Superman (1978)See all 5 shared titles with Pierre Spengler
- Ilya SalkindShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Santa Claus (1985), Superman III (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Ilya Salkind
- Robert SimmondsShared titles: Santa Claus (1985), Superman III (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Simmonds