Elia Kazan ( September 7 , 1909, Istanbul – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director and actor, described as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He also produced, and wrote screenplays and novels. Born in the Kayseri, Ottoman Empire to Greek parents, they emigrated to New York when he was four. After two years studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Kazan co-founded the influential Group Theater in 1932 and Actors Studio in 1947, and together with Lee Strasberg, introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Having been an actor himself for eight years, he brought sensitivity and understanding of the acting process, and was later considered the ideal "actor's director". He himself acted in only a few films, including City for Conquest (1940), alongside James Cagney. Overall, Kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and 1960s by his run of provocative, issues-driven subjects, and acting. Moreover, his personal brand of cinema, employing real locations over sets, unknowns over stars, and realism over convenient genres, proved influential to a whole generation of independent filmmakers in the 1960s. Film author Ian Freer concludes that "If his achievements are tainted by political controversy, the debt Hollywood — and actors everywhere — owes him, is enormous." In 2010, Martin Scorsese co-directed the documentary film, A Letter to Elia, as a personal tribute to Kazan, who he credits as the inspiration for his becoming a filmmaker.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 7, 1909
- September 28, 2003 (aged 94)
- Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]
- Director, actor, producer and writer
- 23 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Elia Kazan's films like?
Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
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 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 24
Light 1 · Serious 4 · Dark 19
Grounded 18 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 13 · Intense 10
Steady 8 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 13
Resolved 17 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet13
- Tragic6
- Ambiguous2
- 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 Elia Kazan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Elia Kazan'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
30 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 33 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Making of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Love, Marilyn(2012)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all filmsDiaspora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Life at Any Cost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Sis(1989)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Last Tycoon(1976)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Visitors(1972)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Arrangement(1969)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
America America(1963)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Splendor in the Grass(1961)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Wild River(1960)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
A Face in the Crowd(1957)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Baby Doll(1956)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
East of Eden(1955)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
On the Waterfront(1954)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Man on a Tightrope(1953)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Viva Zapata!(1952)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
A Streetcar Named Desire(1951)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Panic in the Streets(1950)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Pinky(1949)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Gentleman's Agreement(1947)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Sea of Grass(1947)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Boomerang!(1947)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Watchtower Over Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn(1945)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Blues in the Night(1941)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
City for Conquest(1940)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
People of the Cumberland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Pie in the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Strangers All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Career shape
A full career of 29 titles from 1935 to 2019.
Biggest box office
The Last Tycoon (1976)
Highest rated
On the Waterfront (1954)
Most popular right now
East of Eden (1955)
Film career
- 1940Screen debut· City for Conquest
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 Elia Kazan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up17
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Elia Kazan's work okay for kids?
Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.
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 Elia Kazan work with?
People who share at least 2 of Elia Kazan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Karl Malden shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Anatole LitvakShared titles: Blues in the Night (1941), City for Conquest (1940)See all 2 shared titles with Anatole Litvak
Writers
- Paul OsbornShared titles: Wild River (1960), East of Eden (1955)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Osborn
- Budd SchulbergShared titles: A Face in the Crowd (1957), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Budd Schulberg
- Tennessee WilliamsShared titles: Baby Doll (1956), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Tennessee Williams
- John SteinbeckShared titles: East of Eden (1955), Viva Zapata! (1952)See all 2 shared titles with John Steinbeck
Actors
- Karl MaldenShared titles: A Streetcar on Broadway (2006), Baby Doll (1956), On the Waterfront (1954), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 4 shared titles with Karl Malden
- Marlon BrandoShared titles: On the Waterfront (1954), Viva Zapata! (1952), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 3 shared titles with Marlon Brando
- Kim HunterShared titles: A Streetcar on Broadway (2006), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Kim Hunter
- Dana AndrewsShared titles: The Last Tycoon (1976), Boomerang! (1947)See all 2 shared titles with Dana Andrews
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Gene MilfordShared titles: Splendor in the Grass (1961), A Face in the Crowd (1957), Baby Doll (1956), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 4 shared titles with Gene Milford
- Alfred NewmanShared titles: Panic in the Streets (1950), Pinky (1949), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)See all 4 shared titles with Alfred Newman
- Boris KaufmanShared titles: Splendor in the Grass (1961), Baby Doll (1956), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 3 shared titles with Boris Kaufman
- Harry Stradling Sr.Shared titles: A Face in the Crowd (1957), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), The Sea of Grass (1947)See all 3 shared titles with Harry Stradling Sr.
Producers
- Darryl F. ZanuckShared titles: Viva Zapata! (1952), Pinky (1949), Boomerang! (1947), Gentleman's Agreement (1947)See all 4 shared titles with Darryl F. Zanuck
- Charles H. MaguireShared titles: The Arrangement (1969), America America (1963), Splendor in the Grass (1961)See all 3 shared titles with Charles H. Maguire
- Sam SpiegelShared titles: The Last Tycoon (1976), On the Waterfront (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Spiegel
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: Blues in the Night (1941), City for Conquest (1940)See all 2 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis
