Sam Spiegel
Producer · Died December 31, 1985, aged 84 · Jaroslau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Jaroslaw, Podkarpackie, Poland]
Born in Germany he went to America some time before the second World War and spent a year in Hollywood reading foreign scripts after which he returned to Berlin where he set up his own company to organise the remaking of foreign films into German language versions. One he handled was 'All Quiet on the Western Front', an anti war film that became a kind of personal crusade for him. On the opening night the Nazi's, then in power, put a bomb in the cinema. When the Nazis came into power he left Germany and divided his time between Britain, France and America. He changed his name to the more international sounding S.P. Eagle but changed it back when with 'On the Waterfront' he realised he'd made a film to which any man would be proud to put his name.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- November 11, 1901
- December 31, 1985 (aged 84)
- Jaroslau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Jaroslaw, Podkarpackie, Poland]
- Producer
- 15 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Sam Spiegel's films like?
Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality 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 14
Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 12
Grounded 4 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3
Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 10
Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 10
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic4
- 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 Sam Spiegel's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Sam Spiegel'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
23 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Betrayal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Last Tycoon(1976)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Nicholas and Alexandra(1971)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Swimmer(1968)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Happening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Chase(1966)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Suddenly, Last Summer(1959)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Strange One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
On the Waterfront(1954)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Melba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The African Queen(1951)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Prowler(1951)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
When I Grow Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
We Were Strangers(1949)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Stranger(1946)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Tales of Manhattan(1942)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Invader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Invisible Opponent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
The Oil Sharks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Happy Days(1929)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles from 1929 to 1983.
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 Sam Spiegel's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved6
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
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 Sam Spiegel's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.
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 Sam Spiegel work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sam Spiegel's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Huston shares the most, 4.
Directors
- John HustonShared titles: The African Queen (1951), The Prowler (1951), We Were Strangers (1949), The Stranger (1946)See all 4 shared titles with John Huston
- Elia KazanShared titles: The Last Tycoon (1976), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Elia Kazan
- David LeanShared titles: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)See all 2 shared titles with David Lean
Writers
- Michael WilsonShared titles: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Wilson
- Peter ViertelShared titles: The African Queen (1951), We Were Strangers (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Viertel
- Ben HechtShared titles: We Were Strangers (1949), Tales of Manhattan (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Ben Hecht
Actors
- Donald PleasenceShared titles: The Last Tycoon (1976), The Night of the Generals (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Donald Pleasence
- Janice RuleShared titles: The Swimmer (1968), The Chase (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Janice Rule
- Omar SharifShared titles: The Night of the Generals (1967), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Omar Sharif
- Peter O'TooleShared titles: The Night of the Generals (1967), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Peter O'Toole
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Maurice JarreShared titles: The Last Tycoon (1976), The Night of the Generals (1967), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Maurice Jarre
- Freddie YoungShared titles: Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Freddie Young
- Gene MilfordShared titles: The Chase (1966), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Gene Milford
- Jack HildyardShared titles: Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Hildyard
