Born in Ottawa and raised in Toronto, Margaret Atwood graduated from the University of Toronto’s Victoria College in 1961 and pursued a master's at Harvard in 1963. Her teaching stint at the University of British Columbia marked her start, but it was her poetry collection, "The Circle Game," in 1964 that brought her initial literary acclaim. Her debut novel, "The Edible Woman" (1969), resonated with early feminist movements, followed by "Surfacing" in 1972, a Canadian literature mainstay. The '70s saw her prolific output: six poetry volumes, three short-story collections, and bestsellers like "Lady Oracle," "Life Before Man," and "Bodily Harm." In 1985, "The Handmaid's Tale" propelled her to global fame, showcasing her futuristic, dystopian storytelling. Subsequent novels like "Cat's Eye," "The Robber Bride," and "Alias Grace" solidified her international acclaim. Her impact extends beyond literature; as the first novelist and poet on Canada’s Walk of Fame, Atwood embodies Canadian humility, stating, "We don’t put up with people who get too high and mighty." Her work continues to resonate, cementing her status as a treasured Canadian storyteller.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- November 18, 1939 (86)
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Writer, actor and producer
- 6 on Motif · 17 credits in all
What are Margaret Atwood's films like?
Across their 7 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 2
Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 1
Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous3
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 Margaret Atwood's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 6 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Margaret Atwood's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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
17 credits, 6 with a Motif page; 18 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Testaments(2026)
Motif score: 95th percentile of all shows
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)
Alias Grace(2017)
Motif score: 82nd percentile of all shows
The Handmaid's Tale(2017)
Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Wandering Wenda (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
Al Purdy Was Here (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Awaiting Atwood (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Payback(2012)
Motif score: 42nd percentile of all films
In the Wake of the Flood(2010)
Motif score: 57th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Yesno (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
The Robber Bride (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
The Handmaid's Tale(1990)
Motif score: 43rd percentile of all films
Heaven On Earth (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)
Screen Two (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)
Surfacing (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1981)
For the Record (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Stone Mattress (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1976 to 2026.
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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
1 major award from 5 major nominations, 2018–2021.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
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 Margaret Atwood's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 3; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 6 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Margaret Atwood's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 Motif titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Margaret Atwood work with?
People who share at least 2 of Margaret Atwood's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bruce Miller shares the most, 2.
Mixed roles
- Bruce MillerShared titles: The Testaments (2026), Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Miller
- Sarah PolleyShared titles: Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power (2019), Alias Grace (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sarah Polley
- Volker SchlöndorffShared titles: Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power (2019), The Handmaid's Tale (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Volker Schlöndorff
