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Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes

Actor, also composer · Died August 10, 2008, aged 65 · Covington, Tennessee, USA

Oscar winner · Golden Globe winner · BAFTA Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American songwriter, musician, singer, and occasionally an actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Hayes, Porter, Bill Withers, the Sherman Brothers, Steve Cropper, and John Fogerty were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of notable songs for themselves, the duo "Sam & Dave", Carla Thomas, and others. The hit song "Soul Man" written by Hayes and Porter, and first performed by "Sam & Dave" has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame. This song was also honored by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by Rolling Stone magazine, and by the RIAA as the Songs of the Century. During the late 1960s, Hayes also became a recording musician, and he recorded several successful soul albums such as Hot Buttered Soul (1969) and Black Moses (1971). In addition to his work in popular music, Hayes worked as composer of musical scores for motion pictures. Hayes is well known for his musical score for the film Shaft (1971). For his composition of the "Theme from Shaft", Hayes was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972. Hayes became the third African-American, after Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel, to win an Academy Award in any competitive field whatsoever covered by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Hayes also won two Grammy Awards for that same year. Later, he was given his third Grammy Award for his music album Black Moses. During 1992, in recognition of his humanitarian work there, Hayes was crowned as the honorary king of the Ada, Ghana region. Hayes also acted in motion pictures and television, such as in the movie, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and as Gandolf "Gandy" Fitch in the TV series The Rockford Files (1974 – 80). Then from 1997 to 2005, he lent his distinctive, deep voice to the character "Chef" on the animated TV series South Park. On August 5, 2003, Isaac Hayes was honored as a BMI Icon at the 203 BMI Urban Awards for his enduring influence on generations of music makers.Throughout his songwriting career, Hayes received five BMI R&B Awards, two BMI Pop Awards, two BMI Urban Awards and six Million-Air citations. As of 2008, his songs generated more than 12 million performances. Description above from the Wikipedia Isaac Hayes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 20, 1942
Died
August 10, 2008 (aged 65)
From
Covington, Tennessee, USA
Works as
Actor, also composer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 65 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 37% in 30 days

What are Isaac Hayes' films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd 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
31%
Society
25%
Self
12%
Survival
11%
Bonds
9%
Ideas
7%
Power
5%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 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 6 · Dark 5

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 6

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 8 · Intense 8

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 3

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 4

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

Casual 13 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Threshold guardian: 2 of 8 analyzed roles.

Threshold guardian
2 of 8
Hero
1 of 8
Shadow
1 of 8
Shapeshifter
1 of 8
Trickster
1 of 8
Ally
1 of 8
Mentor
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Absurd
9
Thrilling
7
Joyful
6
Warm
3
Other
15

How their films linger

Fun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical2
  • Other1

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 Isaac Hayes' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 32 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Isaac Hayes' 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

65 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 39 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Return to Sleepaway Camp(2008)

    as Charlie 'The Chef'

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Kill Switch(2008)

    as Coroner

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Isaac Hayes: Live at Montreux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · as Self - Lead Vocalist, Keyboards

  • Hustle & Flow(2005)

    as Arnel

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dream Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Zo

  • Anonymous Rex(2004)

    as Elegant Man

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Book of Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Jonah

  • Fastlane(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Marcus

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • The Bernie Mac Show(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Isaac Hayes

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Chelsea Walls(2001)

    as Man in Elevator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Dolittle 2(2001)

    as Possum (voice)

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Girlfriends(2000)

    Show 3 episodes · as Eugene Childs

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Shaft(2000)

    Main Title Theme Composer · as Mr. P (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Reindeer Games(2000)

    as Zock

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut(1999)

    as Chef (voice)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Six Ways to Sunday(1997)

    as Bill Bennet

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Ninth Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as TippyToe

  • Chef Aid: Behind The Menu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Jerome 'Chef' McElroy (voice) / Self

  • The Hughleys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · as The Man

  • That '70s Show(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Isaac Hayes

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Blues Brothers 2000(1998)

    as The Louisiana Gator Boys

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Veronica's Closet(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Isaac Hayes

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • South Park(1997)

    Show 153 episodes · as Chef (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Stargate SG-1(1997)

    Show 4 episodes · as Tolok

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • South Park: The Unaired Pilot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Chef Jerome McElroy

  • Uncle Sam(1996)

    as Sgt. Jed Crowley

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Illtown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as George

  • Flipper(1996)

    as Sheriff Buck Cowan

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Oblivion 2: Backlash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Buster

  • Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored(1995)

    as Preacher Hurn

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Magic Island(1995)

    as Mad Face

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Soul Survivors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Vernon Holland

  • Sliders(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as The Prime Oracle

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • It Could Happen to You(1994)

    as Angel Dupree

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Oblivion(1994)

    as Buster

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Hallelujah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Prophet

  • Deadly Exposure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Lt. Johanson

  • Robin Hood: Men in Tights(1993)

    as Asneeze

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Acting on Impulse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Detective Stubbs

  • Posse(1993)

    as Cable

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • CB4(1993)

    as Owner

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Code... Death: Frontera Sur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Moro

  • Final Judgement(1992)

    as Lt. Herb Jefferson

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Prime Target (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Tompkins

  • Guilty As Charged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Aloysius

  • Hammer, Slammer, & Slade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Hammer

  • Fire, Ice and Dynamite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Isaac Hayes

  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Minister

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Samuel

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • I'm Gonna Git You Sucka(1988)

    as Hammer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Counterforce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Ballard

  • Dead Aim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Jamal

  • Betrayed by Innocence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Frank Moreno

  • Hunter(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Jerome 'Typhoon' Thompson

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Holiday

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The A-Team(1983)

    Show 1 episode · as C.J. Mack

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Prophet

  • Escape from New York(1981)

    as The Duke of New York

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Moriarty

  • The Rockford Files(1974)

    Show 3 episodes · as Gandolph Fitch

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Truck Turner(1974)

    Composer · as Truck

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Three Tough Guys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer · as Lee

  • Shaft(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • This Is Scientology: An Overview of the World's Fastest Growing Religion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Man at L.E.A.P. Memphis (Uncredited)

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 65 titles, 64 of them dated from 1971 to 2008; peak year 1993.

Biggest box office

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

$83M worldwide

Highest rated

South Park (1997)

Midcredits 96th

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19712008

Peak 1993 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. 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
Acting63 of 65: 60 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thDirecting1 of 65: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleMusic4 of 65: 1 only music, 3 with another role

65 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and music overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1970s5 · 4 acting · 3 crew1980s10 · acting1990s35 · acting2000s14 · 13 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 6% of 18 roles
749499

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

an Oscar, a Golden Globe and 3 other major awards from 19 major nominations, 1968–2006.

WinNomination
  1. 2006
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  2. 1980
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  3. 1976
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  4. 1973
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Pop Instrumental Performance by an Arranger, Composer, Orchestra and/or Choral Leader
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Instrumental Performance
  5. 1972
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Song
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 2 wins and 5 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Arrangement
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Record of the Year
  6. 1968
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rhythm & Blues Recording

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 Isaac Hayes' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 38th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th11

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · actor

Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)

78th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

South Park (1997)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 36. 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 Isaac Hayes' work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles41–88 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles29–74 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles35–92 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles24–68 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles31–72 · median 59 · moderateheavier 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 Isaac Hayes work with?

People who share at least 2 of Isaac Hayes' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Samuel L. Jackson shares the most, 2.

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles