Originally from Bergenfield New Jersey, Harry was into movies at a young age turning his back yard into a film studio shooting dozens of super 8 action and horror films. By the age of 17 Harry had won the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Film Award presented to him by legendary director Otto Preminger. Harry moved out to Hollywood and created a stand-up comedy act at the world famous Comedy Store. He quickly made a name for himself in the comedy circuit headlining in Las Vegas and other major venues around the country. He was in big demand as an opening act for such stars as Gloria Estafan, Liza Minelli, The Beach Boys, the Pointer Sisters, Chuck Berry and Rodney Dangerfield. Harry received a lot of "Respect" from the man who "gets none", when Rodney featured Harry in two of his HBO specials. Harry's love for the movies really paid off when he co-wrote and co-produced three of Rodney Dangerfield's movies. "Ladybugs" for Paramount Pictures, "Meet Wally Sparks" for Trimark, and "My Five Wives" co-starring Andrew Dice Clay and SNL's Molly Shannon, for Artisan . In all three films Harry worked closely with legendary Director Sidney Furie through every aspect of the filmmaking process. In 2001 he made his feature directing debut with, "The 4th Tenor", a romantic opera comedy, starring Rodney Dangerfield and Robert Davi released by Warner Bros. He followed that in 2002 with, "Back by Midnight", a prison comedy starring Randy Quaid, Kirstie Alley, Harland Williams, Dangerfield, and a whole cast of colorful comedians. In 2004 Warner Brothers and Franchise Pictures hired Harry to write and direct the family comedy "Funky Monkey" (aka "Hairy Tale") The film stars Matthew Modine, Jeffery Tambor, Roma Downey, Tommy Davidson, and a Chimpanzee skilled in karate. Harry directed "CLOUD 9" a sexy beach volley ball comedy written and produced by Al Ruddy, Oscar winning producer of the Godfather and Million Dollar Baby. The film stars, Burt Reynolds, D.L. Hugley and Gabrielle Reese. Harry is also an Executive producer and co-writer of "Funny Money" a wild farce starring Chevy Chase, Penelope Ann Miller, Armand Assante, Chris Mc Donald and Robert Loggia. The film made its world premiere at the 2006 "Aspen Comedy Arts Festival". Harry made the jump to the horror genre directing, "Soul's Midnight", a gothic vampire tale starring Armand Assante, produced by Oscar winning producer Gray Frederickson, ("Godfather 2", "Apocalypse" Now) He followed that with the award winning teen supernatural thriller, "Fingerprints". The film stars a hot young cast, Leah Pipes, (Sororitey Row) Kristen Cavalari (Laguna Beach) Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives, Dallas) Andrew Lawrence, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Sally Kirkland. Harry is currently an executive producer and show runner on "The Jadagrace Show" and recently wrapped producing "Sleeping Around", a sexy comedy starring Jessie Bradford (Bring it on, Swim Fan) Michael McKean (Best In Show, A MIghty Wind) Tammin Sursock (Pretty Little Liars) Bryan Callen (The Hangover) Wendi Mclendon Covey (Bridesmaids) Acting is also another of Harry's achievements. Since moving to Hollywood Harry has appeared in several films and television shows. He landed a feature role in Francis Ford Coppola's romantic comedy "Peggy Sue Got Married" starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage. Harry was cast as a member of Nicolas Cage's singing group alongside fellow comedian Jim Carrey. He also appeared opposite Demi More in the sci-fi cult film, "The Seventh Sign", and wrote himself small parts in "Ladybugs" and "Meet Wally Sparks". In 1988, after only several years in the business, then NBC chief Brandon Tartikoff signed Harry to a network development deal. Out of that came several TV pilots, one a spin off from the hit series "Family Ties".
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Biography from IMDb.
- Director, writer and producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
What are Harry Basil's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
Light 8 · Serious 0 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 8
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- 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 Harry Basil's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Harry Basil'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
17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Dom Irrera: Live from Las Vegas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Don't Suck(2023)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Urban Decay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Fingerprints(2006)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Soul's Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Funny Money(2006)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Cloud 9(2006)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Back by Midnight(2004)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Funky Monkey(2004)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
The 4th Tenor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
My 5 Wives(2000)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Meet Wally Sparks(1997)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Guide to Golf Style and Etiquette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Ladybugs(1992)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
The Seventh Sign(1988)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Peggy Sue Got Married(1986)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 68th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles from 1986 to 2025; peak year 1987.
Film career
Peak 1987 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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.
- 1986Screen debut· Peggy Sue Got Married
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 Harry Basil's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 17th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 19th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th9
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 12 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 38/100 and the pacing 37/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Harry Basil's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Harry Basil work with?
People who share at least 2 of Harry Basil's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rodney Dangerfield shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Leslie GreifShared titles: 10 Rules for Sleeping Around (2013), Funny Money (2006), Meet Wally Sparks (1997)See all 3 shared titles with Leslie Greif
- Sidney J. FurieShared titles: My 5 Wives (2000), Ladybugs (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Sidney J. Furie
Writers
- Rodney DangerfieldShared titles: Back by Midnight (2004), My 5 Wives (2000), Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Ladybugs (1992)See all 4 shared titles with Rodney Dangerfield
Actors
- Gilbert GottfriedShared titles: Back by Midnight (2004), Funky Monkey (2004), Meet Wally Sparks (1997)See all 3 shared titles with Gilbert Gottfried
- Burt ReynoldsShared titles: Cloud 9 (2006), Meet Wally Sparks (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Burt Reynolds
- Paul RodriguezShared titles: Cloud 9 (2006), Back by Midnight (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Rodriguez
Cinematographers and editors
- Stephen AdriansonShared titles: Fingerprints (2006), Funny Money (2006), Back by Midnight (2004), Funky Monkey (2004)See all 4 shared titles with Stephen Adrianson
- Michael GoiShared titles: Cloud 9 (2006), Fingerprints (2006), Funky Monkey (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Goi
Producers
- Gray FredericksonShared titles: Cloud 9 (2006), Fingerprints (2006), Ladybugs (1992)See all 3 shared titles with Gray Frederickson
- Jerry P. JacobsShared titles: Cloud 9 (2006), Back by Midnight (2004), Funky Monkey (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Jerry P. Jacobs
- Herb NanasShared titles: 10 Rules for Sleeping Around (2013), Funny Money (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Herb Nanas
- Ray CooneyShared titles: 10 Rules for Sleeping Around (2013), Funny Money (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Ray Cooney
