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Dave Attell

Dave Attell

Actor and writer, also producer · Born January 18, 1965 (61) · Queens, New York City, New York, USA

David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell, which earned him a cult following.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 18, 1965 (61)
From
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor and writer, also producer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 45 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 9% in 30 days

What are Dave Attell's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Self
26%
Ideas
19%
Morality
9%
Bonds
7%
Power
3%
Survival
2%
Community5 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 1

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 9

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 8 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
7
Warm
6
Absurd
4
Contemplative
3
Melancholic
2
Other
11

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical5

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 Dave Attell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dave Attell'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

45 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 35 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Is This Thing On?(2025)

    as Cellar Comic #2

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Kinda Pregnant(2025)

    as Shirley’s Father

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Ian Fidance: Wild, Happy & Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Actor

  • Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Kosher Food Mart Clerk

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Bupkis(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Park Guest

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Sam Morril: Full Capacity(2021)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • I Feel Pretty(2018)

    as Really Tan Dude

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • I Am Battle Comic(2017)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Crashing(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Difficult People(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as New York City

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Trainwreck(2015)

    as Noam

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Dave Attell: Road Work(2014)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Comedy Underground with Dave Attell(2014)

    Show 8 episodes · Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Improv: 50 Years Behind the Brick Wall(2013)

    as Cop

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Bob's Burgers(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Scalper (voice)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo(2009)

    as GPS (voice)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Funny People(2009)

    as Dave Attell

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Tosh.0(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Harold(2008)

    as Barker

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Great Buck Howard(2008)

    as Las Vegas Husband

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Dave Attell: Captain Miserable(2007)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Twisted Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Abbot

  • The Naked Brothers Band(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows

  • Dave Attell: Hey, Your Mouth's Not Pregnant! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Scary Movie 4(2006)

    as Knifeman

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Mind of Mencia(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • The Ron White Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Crazy for Love(2005)

    as Efram the Driver

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour: Uncensored! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • New Car Smell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Harry

  • Arrested Development(2003)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dave Attell

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Abby Singer(2003)

    as Dave Attell (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Audience Member (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Pootie Tang(2001)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Ed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Brad Campbell

  • Comedy Central Presents: Dave Attell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Actor

  • Los Enchiladas! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Don

  • Everybody Loves Raymond(1996)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dave

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Additional Writing · as Dave (voice)

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

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Caesar's Salad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Bad Cop

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Luke (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 20 episodes · Writer · as Audience Member (uncredited) · as Audience Member / Frank Sinatra Jr. (uncredited) · as Dancer (uncredited) · as Frankie Carbone / Audience Member (uncredited) · as Ron Silver (uncredited) · as Spectator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Adventures of Drunky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Demon (voice)

Career shape

Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 43 titles, 42 of them dated from 1975 to 2025; peak year 2025.

Biggest box office

Pootie Tang (2001)

$3.3M worldwide

Highest rated

Gilbert (2017)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Comedy Central Presents (1998)

Film career

19752025

Peak 2025 · steadily prominent in film for years. 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
Acting39 of 43: 37 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thWriting5 of 43: 2 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing2 of 43: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 43: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

43 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s1 · acting1990s6 · 6 acting · 1 crew2000s19 · 17 acting · 2 crew2010s8 · 7 acting · 1 crew2020s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 20th · top billed in 0% of 9 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 Dave Attell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 17; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Abby Singer (2003)

97th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer

Dave Attell: Road Work (2014)

Midcredits 87th · 76% liked

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 Dave Attell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dave Attell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lewis Black shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles