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Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson

Actor · Died November 1, 2015, aged 73 · Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.

Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Freddie Dalton 'Fred' Thompson (August 19, 1942 - November 1, 2015), credited as Fred Thompson and Fred Dalton Thompson, is an American politician, actor, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, and radio host. He served as a Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1994 through 2003. He served as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board at the United States Department of State, was a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence. As an actor, he has appeared in a large number of movies and television shows. He has frequently portrayed governmental figures. In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, he joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch. In May 2007, he took a break from acting in order to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. In 2009, he returned to acting with a guest appearance on television series; and co-starred with Brian Dennehy in the movie Alleged, about the Scopes Monkey Trial. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 19, 1942
Died
November 1, 2015 (aged 73)
From
Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
Works as
Actor
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 51 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 64 days to Oct 27Down 28% in 30 days

What are Fred Thompson's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
Morality
33%
Self
24%
Bonds
16%
Society
12%
Power
6%
Survival
6%
Ideas
4%
Justice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 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 10 · Serious 8 · Dark 10

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

Grounded 23 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 11 · Intense 11

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

Steady 18 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 2

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

A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 7

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

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 3 of 9 analyzed roles.

Mentor
3 of 9
Threshold guardian
2 of 9
Herald
2 of 9
Ally
1 of 9
Shapeshifter
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Contemplative
10
Hopeful
8
Thrilling
8
Melancholic
7
Other
29

How their films linger

Thought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

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 Fred Thompson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 29 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Fred Thompson'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

51 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • God's Not Dead 2(2016)

    as Senior Pastor

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • 90 Minutes in Heaven(2015)

    as Jay B. Perkins

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Allegiance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 3 episodes · as FBI Director

  • A Larger Life(2015)

    as Robert Parker

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 23 Blast(2014)

    as Coach Powers

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Persecuted(2014)

    as Dr. Charles Luther

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Unlimited(2013)

    Executive Producer · as Harold Finch

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Sinister(2012)

    as Sheriff

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Last Ride(2011)

    as O'Keefe

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Alleged(2010)

    as William Jennings Bryan

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Genesis Code (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Judge Hardin

  • Secretariat(2010)

    as Bull Hancock

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Good Wife(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · as Frank Michael Thomas

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Life on Mars(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Chief Harry Woolf

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee(2007)

    as President Ulysses S. Grant

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Conviction(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Branch

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World(2005)

    as Sen. Fred Dalton Thompson

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Law & Order: Trial by Jury(2005)

    Show 13 episodes · as Arthur Branch

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Racing Stripes(2005)

    as Sir Trenton (voice)

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Last Best Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as President Charles Ross

  • Evel Knievel(2004)

    as Jay Sarno

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Branch

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 11 episodes · as Arthur Branch

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Baby's Day Out(1994)

    as FBI Agent Grissom

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • In the Line of Fire(1993)

    as Harry Sargent

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Born Yesterday(1993)

    as Senator Hedges

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Barbarians at the Gate(1993)

    as Jim Robinson

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Keep the Change (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Otis

  • Stay the Night(1992)

    as Det.Malone

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • White Sands(1992)

    as Arms Dealer (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Thunderheart(1992)

    as William Dawes

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Bed of Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Richard 'Racehorse' Haynes

  • Aces: Iron Eagle III(1992)

    as Stockmann

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Cape Fear(1991)

    as Tom Broadbent

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Curly Sue(1991)

    as Bernard Oxbar

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Necessary Roughness(1991)

    as Carver Purcell

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Class Action(1991)

    as Dr. Getchell

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Flight of the Intruder(1991)

    as Court-Martial Captain (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 116 episodes · as Arthur Branch

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Die Hard 2(1990)

    as Trudeau

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Days of Thunder(1990)

    as Big John

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Hunt for Red October(1990)

    as Rear ADM Joshua Painter (Enterprise Carrier Battle Group)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Fat Man and Little Boy(1989)

    as Melrose Hayden Barry

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Feds(1988)

    as Bill Belecki

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Roseanne(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Unholy Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Frank Sweeny

  • China Beach(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Wiseguy(1987)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • No Way Out(1987)

    as CIA Director Marshall

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Matlock(1986)

    Show 3 episodes · as Gordon Lewis

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • Marie(1985)

    as Fred Thompson

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 51 titles from 1985 to 2016; peak year 1991.

Biggest box office

Die Hard 2 (1990)

$240M worldwide

Highest rated

Cape Fear (1991)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Law & Order (1990)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19852016

Peak 1991 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. 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
Acting51 of 51: 50 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thProducing1 of 51: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s9 · acting1990s20 · acting2000s10 · acting2010s12 · 12 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 25 roles
879202

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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2004, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Fred Thompson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 34; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

21 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser21
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

God's Not Dead 2 (2016)

99th percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Midcredits 95th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles; fans 77, 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 Fred Thompson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles40–90 · median 66 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles6–59 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles25–77 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles21–47 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles39–88 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most 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 Fred Thompson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Fred Thompson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Apted shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers