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Michael Esper

Michael Esper

Actor · Born December 1, 1976 (49) · New York, New York, USA

Michael Esper was born on December 1, 1976 in New York, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Outsider (2020), Ben Is Back (2018) and Trust (2018).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 1, 1976 (49)
From
New York, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 37 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 22% in 30 days

What are Michael Esper's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
Bonds
25%
Survival
25%
Self
17%
Morality
11%
Society
9%
Power
7%
Ideas
6%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
6
Contemplative
4
Dread
2
Hopeful
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous4

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 Michael Esper's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Esper'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

37 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Pittsburgh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Lloyd

  • Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy(2025)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bob Motta

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Griffin in Summer(2024)

    as Bill

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • To Kill a Wolf(2024)

    as Carey

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Pavements(2024)

    as Essem

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Fallout(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bud Askins · as Bud Askins / Brain-on-a-Roomba

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Creator(2023)

    as Captain Cotton

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Beau Is Afraid(2023)

    as Officer Johnson

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Resurrection(2022)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Outsider(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · as Kenneth Hayes

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Reprisal(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Colin Quinn

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Evil(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Scientist

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Prodigal Son(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Jon Littman

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Ben Is Back(2018)

    as Clayton

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • For George on His 30th Birthday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as George Dougherty

  • Lazarus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Valentine

  • Trust(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as J. Paul Getty Jr.

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • BrainDead(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Noah Feffer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Drop(2014)

    as Rardy

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Halt and Catch Fire(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Ron Cane

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Runner Runner(2013)

    as Billy 'Pet' Petricoff

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Ray Donovan(2013)

    Show 5 episodes · as Adam Rain

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Frances Ha(2012)

    as Dan

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Do No Harm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 13 episodes · as Dr. Kenneth Jordan

  • Elementary(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Donald Pruitt

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Watching TV with the Red Chinese(2012)

    as Billy

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Person of Interest(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · as Jason Greenfield

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • All Good Things(2010)

    as Daniel Marks

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Bunker Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Pete Walsh

  • The Good Wife(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Gregory Steck

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Nurse Jackie(2009)

    Show 8 episodes · as Gabe

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Light and the Sufferer(2007)

    as Paul

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Loggerheads(2005)

    as Gill

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Bittersweet Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Joey

  • A Beautiful Mind(2001)

    as John Nash Jr. (Young Man)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as David Sutton · as Kenneth Lane

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Old Soul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer · as Otto

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles, 36 of them dated from 1990 to 2026; peak year 2023.

Biggest box office

Runner Runner (2013)

$63M worldwide

Highest rated

Frances Ha (2012)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Trust (2018)

Film career

19902026

Peak 2023 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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
Acting37 of 37: 36 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thProducing1 of 37: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s7 · acting2010s18 · acting2020s10 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% 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 Michael Esper's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 15; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

Light and the Sufferer (2007)

86th percentile spread · 46% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 60. 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 Michael Esper's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles16–65 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles21–55 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 70 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 70 · intenseMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles19–64 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Michael Esper work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Esper's MovieCove titles; Stephen Kunken shares the most, 2.