Kurt Cobain
Actor · Died April 5, 1994, aged 27 · Aberdeen, Washington, USA
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1985 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene, having its debut album Bleach released on the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989. After signing with major label DGC Records, the band found breakthrough success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from its second album Nevermind (1991). Following the success of Nevermind, Nirvana was labeled "the flagship band" of Generation X, and Cobain hailed as "the spokesman of a generation". Cobain however was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal issues often subject to media attention. He challenged Nirvana's audience with its final studio album In Utero (1993). During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression, his fame and public image, as well as the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, musician Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The circumstances of his death have become a topic of public fascination and debate. Since their debut, Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25 million albums in the US alone, and over 50 million worldwide.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 20, 1967
- April 5, 1994 (aged 27)
- Aberdeen, Washington, USA
- Actor
- 1 on Motif · 13 credits in all
Known for
What are Kurt Cobain's films like?
Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1
Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet1
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous3
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 Kurt Cobain's films?
As of October 24, 2026, their 1 Motif title streams on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Kurt Cobain's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
13 credits, 1 with a Motif page; 57 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2027)
BUSCANDO MI NIRVANA (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
Hippo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)
Kurt Everywhere (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)
Motif score: 99th percentile of all films
Nirvana: With the Lights Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)
Storyville (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Nirvana: Terminal 1, Munich (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)
Nirvana: Unplugged In New York (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
Nirvana: Veterans Memorial Coliseum Phoenix, Az (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
Nirvana: Astoria Theater London (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
The Word (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)
Career shape
Star power in the 67th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 13 titles, 12 of them dated from 1990 to 2025.
Film career
- 1991Screen debut· Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
- 1991First top-billed film· Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
How do Kurt Cobain's films land?
Their one Motif film has a Motif score in the 99th percentile; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 92nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
Shape of the crowd
1 of their 1 title is Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved1
Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 60. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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.
Who does Kurt Cobain work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kurt Cobain's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dave Grohl shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Dave GrohlShared titles: Grunge: De Musique & de Rage (2021), Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (2011), Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)See all 4 shared titles with Dave Grohl
- Krist NovoselicShared titles: Grunge: De Musique & de Rage (2021), Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (2011), Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)See all 4 shared titles with Krist Novoselic
- Eddie VedderShared titles: Grunge: De Musique & de Rage (2021), VH1 News Special: Grunge (2001), Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Eddie Vedder
- Courtney LoveShared titles: Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Kurt & Courtney (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Courtney Love
Cinematographers
- August JakobssonShared titles: Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (2011), Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)See all 2 shared titles with August Jakobsson
