Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama. At age 33, after years of obscurity, Williams suddenly became famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie (1944) in New York City. It was the first of a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1961). With his later work, Williams attempted a new style that did not appeal as widely to audiences. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Much of Williams's most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays, and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. From Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 26, 1911
- February 24, 1983 (aged 71)
- Columbus, Mississippi, USA
- Writer, also actor
- 26 on MovieCove · 75 credits in all
What are Tennessee Williams' films like?
Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds 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 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 26
Light 1 · Serious 5 · Dark 21
Grounded 11 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 4
A split, not a type: Gentle 0 · Charged 13 · Intense 14
Steady 6 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0
Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 21
A split, not a type: Resolved 11 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 7
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic11
- Ambiguous5
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 Tennessee Williams' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Tennessee Williams' 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
75 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
National Theatre at Home: Suddenly Last Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)
A Streetcar Named Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
National Theatre Live: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Le Paradis sur terre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Here Without Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Suddenly, Last Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Akale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Yellow Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
A Streetcar Named Desire - The San Francisco Opera World Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
A Streetcar Named Desire(1995)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Suddenly, Last Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Rubber Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Night of the Iguana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Lady Vaselina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Orpheus Descending(1990)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films27 Wagons Full of Cotton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Een vreemde liefde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Sweet Bird of Youth(1989)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
A Streetcar Named Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The Drift(1989)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
A Streetcar Named Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Glass Menagerie(1987)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Orpheus Descends to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Alfarysa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Noir et blanc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Piper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1984)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
A Streetcar Named Desire(1984)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Bourbon Street Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Sweet Bird of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Cat on Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1976)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Talk to Me Like the Rain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
O Gesto, a Festa, a Mensagem - Dois Mil Anos de Teatro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Migrants(1974)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Tennessee Williams' South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Monday's Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Dragon Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all filmsThe Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Boom!(1968)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all filmsHilsen fra Bertha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
CBS Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
NET Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Orpheus steigt herab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Thirty-Minute Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Night of the Iguana(1964)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Period of Adjustment(1962)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Sweet Bird of Youth(1962)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Summer and Smoke(1961)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
The Fugitive Kind(1960)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Suddenly, Last Summer(1959)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1958)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Three Plays by Tennessee Williams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Baby Doll(1956)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Senso(1954)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
A Streetcar Named Desire(1951)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Camino Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 75 titles, 72 of them dated from 1950 to 2025.
Film career
- 1955Screen debut· The Rose Tattoo
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 Tennessee Williams' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 26; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th10
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the dialogue 67/100 and the plot and story 55/100 in their films, across 26 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 Tennessee Williams' work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, alcohol & drugs runs heavier than most films and violence & gore 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 Tennessee Williams work with?
People who share at least 2 of Tennessee Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elizabeth Taylor shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Sidney LumetShared titles: The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970), The Fugitive Kind (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Sidney Lumet
- Richard BrooksShared titles: Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Brooks
- Elia KazanShared titles: Baby Doll (1956), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Elia Kazan
Writers
- Gavin LambertShared titles: Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Gavin Lambert
- Oscar SaulShared titles: A Streetcar Named Desire (1984), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Oscar Saul
- Gore VidalShared titles: The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Gore Vidal
- James PoeShared titles: Summer and Smoke (1961), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)See all 2 shared titles with James Poe
Actors
- Elizabeth TaylorShared titles: Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), Boom! (1968), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)See all 4 shared titles with Elizabeth Taylor
- Rip TornShared titles: Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Rip Torn
- Paul NewmanShared titles: The Glass Menagerie (1987), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Newman
- Ann-MargretShared titles: The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008), A Streetcar Named Desire (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Ann-Margret
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- James Wong HoweShared titles: The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970), This Property Is Condemned (1966), The Rose Tattoo (1955)See all 3 shared titles with James Wong Howe
- Kenyon HopkinsShared titles: This Property Is Condemned (1966), The Fugitive Kind (1960), Baby Doll (1956)See all 3 shared titles with Kenyon Hopkins
- Ralph KemplenShared titles: The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Ralph Kemplen
- Boris KaufmanShared titles: The Fugitive Kind (1960), Baby Doll (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Boris Kaufman
Producers
- Ray StarkShared titles: This Property Is Condemned (1966), The Night of the Iguana (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Ray Stark
- Lawrence WeingartenShared titles: Period of Adjustment (1962), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Lawrence Weingarten
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: Summer and Smoke (1961), The Rose Tattoo (1955)See all 2 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis
