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Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson

Actor and producer · Born August 14, 1959 (67) · Lansing, Michigan, USA

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time. Johnson played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 14, 1959 (67)
From
Lansing, Michigan, USA
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 26 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 157 days to Oct 28Up 37% in 30 days

What are Magic Johnson's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Drama 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
Self
29%
Bonds
28%
Survival
18%
Society
13%
Morality
8%
Power
4%
Ambition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 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 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
6
Warm
4
Tense
3
Triumphant
4
Joyful
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1

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 Magic Johnson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Magic Johnson'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

26 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 68 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Magic Johnson

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Ready or Not: The 96 NBA Draft (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Empire(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Earvin 'Magic' Johnson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Black-ish(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Magic Johnson

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • NB90s (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

  • Obsessed(2009)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Do You Believe in Magic? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Actor

  • Dead Tone(2007)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Destiny's Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Producer

  • Brown Sugar(2002)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Inside Schwartz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Magic Johnson

  • Hard Knocks: Training Camp(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Malcolm in the Middle(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ringer Hockey Player

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Parkers(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Passing Glory(1999)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 12 episodes · Executive Producer · as Self - Host

  • The Chris Rock Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Arli$$(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Magic Johnson

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Below the Rim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Actor

  • Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Servant (uncredited)

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Magic Johnson (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!(1989)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • She's Having a Baby(1988)

    as Magic Johnson (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Uptown Comedy Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Actor

  • Magic vs. Bird: The 1979 NCAA Championship Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Michigan State Player

Career shape

Star power in the 21st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 26 titles from 1979 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Obsessed (2009)

$74M worldwide

Highest rated

Jerry West: The Logo (2026)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

They Call Me Magic (2022)

Film career

  • 1993Screen debut· Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting20 of 26: 20 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thProducing6 of 26: 6 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s4 · acting1990s7 · 5 acting · 2 crew2000s9 · 5 acting · 4 crew2010s3 · acting2020s2 · acting

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 Magic Johnson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 14 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · producer

Dead Tone (2007)

62nd percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Brown Sugar (2002)

Midcredits 67th · 57% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 37. 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.

Who does Magic Johnson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Magic Johnson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Jordan shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers