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John Agar

John Agar

Actor · Died April 7, 2002, aged 81 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

John G. Agar (January 31, 1921 – April 7, 2002) was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death. He also starred with Lucille Ball in the 1951 movie The Magic Carpet. Agar was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lillian (née Rogers) and John Agar, Sr., a meat packer (see Agar Hams). He was educated at the Harvard School for Boys in Chicago and Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois and graduated from Trinity-Pawling Preparatory School in Pawling, New York, but did not attend college. He and his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1942, following his father’s death. During World War II he served in the Army Air Corps, and he was a sergeant at the time he left the army in 1946. He was Shirley Temple's first husband (1945–1950), and they worked together in Fort Apache. His marriage to Temple lasted five years and they had one daughter together, Linda Susan Agar, who was later known as Susan Black, taking the surname of her stepfather Charles Alden Black. Following his divorce from Temple, Agar was married in 1951 to model Loretta Barnett Combs (1922–2000). They remained married until her death in 2000. They had two sons, Martin Agar and John G. Agar III. Agar died on April 7, 2002 at Burbank, California of complications from emphysema. He was buried beside his wife at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. Agar made six movies with John Wayne: Fort Apache, Sands of Iwo Jima, Big Jake, Chisum, The Undefeated and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. He also made two movies with Shirley Temple, Fort Apache and Adventure in Baltimore, also starring Robert Young. He is mentioned in the Frank Zappa song "The Radio is Broken" from the album The Man From Utopia (1983). Description above from the Wikipedia article John Agar, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 31, 1921
Died
April 7, 2002 (aged 81)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
41 on MovieCove · 84 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 31% in 30 days

What are John Agar's films like?

Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 17th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Sci-Fi2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Sci-Fi 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
30%
Power
24%
Survival
14%
Bonds
12%
Ideas
9%
Self
6%
Society
4%
Oppression7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 9 · Charged 16 · Intense 4

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

Steady 19 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 2

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 14 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 21 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 26 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 15 of 21 analyzed roles.

Hero
15 of 21
Herald
1 of 21
Shapeshifter
1 of 21
Ally
1 of 21
Trickster
1 of 21
Shadow
1 of 21
Mentor
1 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Dread
9
Contemplative
8
Absurd
7
Melancholic
8
Other
21

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet13
  • 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 John Agar's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Agar'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

84 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Monster Invaders from Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Dr. Curt Taylor (archive footage)

  • The Naked Monster(2005)

    as Dr. Clete Ferguson

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Vampire Hunters Club(2001)

    as Reggie

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bielefeld Lichtwerk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • Body Bags(1993)

    as Dr. Lang

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Invasion of Privacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Old Convict

  • The Perfect Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Gramps

  • Fear(1990)

    as Leonard Scott Levy

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Nightbreed(1990)

    as Gas Station Attendant / Victim

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Miracle Mile(1988)

    as Ivan Peters

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Perfect Victims (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Dog-Walking Neighbor

  • Creepy Classics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Bob Westley - (archive footage)

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as (segment "A Day in Beaumont")

  • Highway to Heaven(1984)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Divided We Fall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Yankee Officer

  • Mr. No Legs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Police Capt. Hathaway

  • King Kong(1976)

    as City Official

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Charlie's Angels(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Col. Blaylock

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Hammack

  • Delphi Bureau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • How's Your Love Life? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Police Lt. Rafferty

  • Big Jake(1971)

    as Bert Ryan

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Chisum(1970)

    as Amos Patton

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Undefeated(1969)

    as Christian

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Hell Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Maj. Ronald Paxton

  • The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Bert Walker

  • Curse of the Swamp Creature(1968)

    as Barry Rogers

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Zontar: The Thing from Venus(1967)

    as Dr. Curt Taylor

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Night Fright (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Sheriff Clint Crawford

  • Hondo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre(1967)

    as Dion O'Bannion

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Family Affair(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Waco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as George Gates

  • Women of the Prehistoric Planet(1966)

    as Dr. Farrell

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Johnny Reno(1966)

    as Ed Tomkins

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Branded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Stage to Thunder Rock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Dan Carrouthers

  • Young Fury(1964)

    as Dawson

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Law of the Lawless(1964)

    as Pete Stone

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Of Love and Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Gus Cole

  • The Young and the Brave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Intelligence Captain

  • The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Tom Anders

  • Journey to the Seventh Planet(1962)

    as Capt. Don Graham

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Hand of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Alex Marsh

  • Fall Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Joe McElroy

  • Raymie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Ike Burroughs

  • Invisible Invaders(1959)

    as Maj. Bruce Jay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Mike Anderson

  • Destination Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Col. Matthews

  • Frontier Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Sheriff Jim Crayle

  • Bat Masterson(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Sam Phelps

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Attack of the Puppet People(1958)

    as Bob Westley

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Jet Attack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Capt. Tom Arnett

  • Cavalry Command (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Sgt. Judd Norcutt

  • The Brain from Planet Arous(1957)

    as Steve March

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Ride a Violent Mile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Jeff Donner

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Kenneth Baxter

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Daughter of Dr. Jekyll(1957)

    as George Hastings

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Joe Butterfly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Sgt. Dick Mason

  • The Mole People(1956)

    as Dr. Roger Bentley

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Flesh and the Spur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Luke Random

  • Star in the Dust(1956)

    as Sheriff Bill Jorden

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Hold Back Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Joe Cardos

  • Tarantula(1955)

    as Dr. Matt Hastings

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Lonesome Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Johnny Rush

  • Revenge of the Creature(1955)

    as Prof. Clete Ferguson

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Mistress(1954)

    as Bill Buchanan

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · as Larry Dorrant

  • Shield for Murder(1954)

    as Det. Sgt. Mark Brewster

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Rocket Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Tom Baxter

  • Bait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Ray Brighton

  • Man of Conflict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Ray Compton

  • The Loretta Young Show(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Lloyd

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Marvin Potter

  • Woman of the North Country(1952)

    as David Powell

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Magic Carpet(1951)

    as Ramoth

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Otis Tack

  • Along the Great Divide(1951)

    as Billy Shear

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Breakthrough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Lt. Joe Mallory

  • The Woman on Pier 13(1949)

    as Don Lowry

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Sands of Iwo Jima(1949)

    as PFC Peter T. 'Pete' Conway

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • She Wore a Yellow Ribbon(1949)

    as Lt. Flint Cohill

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Adventure in Baltimore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Tom Wade

  • Fort Apache(1948)

    as 2nd Lt. Michael Shannon O'Rourke

    Midcredits score: 92nd 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 84 titles from 1948 to 2018; peak year 1989.

Biggest box office

King Kong (1976)

$53M worldwide

Highest rated

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Midcredits 87th

Film career

19482018

Peak 1989 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 13 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
Acting84 of 84: 84 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score42nd

By decade

1940s3 · acting1950s35 · acting1960s23 · acting1970s8 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s6 · acting2000s2 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 29% of 24 roles
48535868

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.

How do John Agar's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 39th percentile, the median of all 35; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 41 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th11

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 41 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

The Vampire Hunters Club (2001)

97th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Fort Apache (1948)

Midcredits 92nd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 53/100 in their films, across 27 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 34. 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 John Agar's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles0–43 · median 9 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 25 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 34 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian 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 John Agar work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Agar's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul Dunlap shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles