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Bruce Abbott

Bruce Abbott

Actor · Born July 28, 1954 (72) · Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Bruce Paul Abbott (born July 28, 1954) is an American actor. He has appeared in movies such as Re-Animator, Bad Dreams, The Prophecy II, Out of Time, and Bride of Re-Animator, and the TV series Dark Justice. Abbott's career began as a dancer/actor in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, where he spent three seasons in the late 1970s. In 1980, Abbott relocated from Portland to Hollywood ("in the middle of the actors' strike, and I didn't know Anyone," he recalls). Shortly afterwards, he was cast as the villain in the movie Tag: The Assassination Game. He met his future (first) wife, Linda Hamilton on the set. The union produced one child, Dalton Bruce (born October 4, 1989) (who can be seen in Terminator II as "Infant John Connor"). Bruce and Linda divorced circa 1989. That same year, on the Dallas, Texas, set of the TV movie Trapped, Abbott met actress Kathleen Quinlan. They married April 12, 1994 and have 1 son, Tyler Quinlan (born October 17, 1990). Throughout his career, Abbott has been a guest star on many TV series Murder She Wrote, Family Law, Diagnosis: Murder, and more. He had a recurring role in the short-lived series The Net, based on the film of the same title starring Sandra Bullock. Abbott is semi-retired from acting. He is an architect and artist and works in the custom-design industry. He has designed his last two homes. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 28, 1954 (72)
From
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 32 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 20% in 30 days

What are Bruce Abbott's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 10th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th 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
Survival
27%
Morality
21%
Self
19%
Bonds
18%
Society
8%
Power
7%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 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 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 3 of 9 analyzed roles.

Hero
3 of 9
Mentor
2 of 9
Shadow
1 of 9
Shapeshifter
1 of 9
Ally
1 of 9
Herald
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Absurd
7
Thrilling
5
Dread
3
Melancholic
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Fun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet4
  • 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 Bruce Abbott's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bruce Abbott'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

32 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Eagles in the Chicken Coop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as President Brad

  • A Call to Arms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Major Zelnis USMC

  • Trance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Taylor Black

  • UC: Undercover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Family Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 4 episodes · as Colin Andrews

  • The Prophecy II(1998)

    as Thomas Daggett

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Melanie Darrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Alex Kramer

  • Black Scorpion(1995)

    as Michael Russo

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Demolitionist(1995)

    as Jack Crowley

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Diagnosis Murder(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Madison

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Dark Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 44 episodes · as Judge Nicholas Marshall

  • Bride of Re-Animator Documentary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Actor

  • Dillinger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Harry Pierpont

  • Kaleidoscope(1990)

    as Sam (Father)

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Bride of Re-Animator(1990)

    as Dr. Dan Cain

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Johnny Ryan(1990)

    as Tom Kelly

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Trapped (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as John Doe

  • Out of Time(1988)

    as Channing Taylor

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Casual Sex?(1988)

    as Keith

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Bad Dreams(1988)

    as Dr. Alex Karmen

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Baja Oklahoma(1988)

    as Dove Christian

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Beauty and the Beast(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · as Devin Wells

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Summer Heat(1987)

    as Jack Ruffin

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Interzone(1989)

    as Swan

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Re-Animator(1985)

    as Dan Cain

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • MacGyver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Russian Agent Nikolaj Kossov

  • Command 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Deke Williams

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Drew Granger · as Monte Hayes · as Wayne Metzger / Stearns

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Velvet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Breed

  • Why Me? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Markus

  • The Blue and the Gray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 3 episodes · as Jake Hale Jr.

  • Tag: The Assassination Game(1982)

    as Loren Gersh

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 32 titles from 1982 to 2011; peak year 1989.

Biggest box office

Bad Dreams (1988)

$9.8M worldwide

Highest rated

Re-Animator (1985)

Midcredits 87th

Film career

19822011

Peak 1989 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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.

  • 1982Screen debut· Tag: The Assassination Game

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting32 of 32: 32 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rd

By decade

1980s16 · acting1990s12 · acting2000s3 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

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.

How do Bruce Abbott's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 17 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

Out of Time (1988)

75th percentile spread · 46% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Re-Animator (1985)

Midcredits 87th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the acting 59/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 76, 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.

Is Bruce Abbott's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles44–66 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 Bruce Abbott work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bruce Abbott's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; H.P. Lovecraft shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers