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Joseph Bottoms

Joseph Bottoms

Actor · Born April 22, 1954 (72) · Santa Barbara, California, USA

An actor, known for The Dove (1974), The Black Hole (1979) and Santa Barbara (1984). Brother of Sam Bottoms, Ben Bottoms and Timothy Bottoms.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 22, 1954 (72)
From
Santa Barbara, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 47 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 6% in 30 days

What are Joseph Bottoms' films like?

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

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Morality
35%
Self
18%
Survival
17%
Bonds
11%
Power
10%
Society
8%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 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 2 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 3

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 4 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 7 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 7
Hero
2 of 7
Shadow
2 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
6
Dread
4
Absurd
3
Contemplative
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous6

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 Joseph Bottoms' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Bottoms' 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

47 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Cicada Song(2019)

    as Kurt

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Monster in a House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Joe

  • King Eternal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as General / Bandit / Space Bandit

  • Joseph's Gift(1999)

    as Simon Keller

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • V.I.P. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Chief Criminal

  • The Net (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 22 episodes · as Shawn Trelawney

  • Snide and Prejudice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Therapist Himmler

  • Profiler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Bobby O'Hara

  • Walker, Texas Ranger(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tom Wilson

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Treacherous Crossing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Kenneth Gates

  • Liar's Edge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Dave Kirkpatrick

  • Gunsmoke: To the Last Man(1992)

    as Tommy Graham

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Inner Sanctum(1991)

    as Baxter Reed

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Flair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as Matt Lee

  • Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Lewis

  • Police Story: Cop Killer(1988)

    as Lewis

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Born to Race(1988)

    as Al Pagura

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Open House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Dr. David Kelley

  • Island Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Joe Faraday

  • Shades of Love: Make Mine Chartreuse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Steve

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

    as Eddie Kelso

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Mickey Shannon

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Santa Barbara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 762 episodes · as Kirk Cranston

  • Time Bomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Daniel 'Dan' Picard

  • Blind Date(1984)

    as Jonathon Ratcliff

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

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

    Show 3 episodes · as Mack Crawford

  • Wishman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Dr. Alex MacGregor

  • The Sins of Dorian Gray(1983)

    as Stuart Vane

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • I Married Wyatt Earp(1983)

    as The Driver

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as George Osmond

  • Surfacing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Joe

  • King of the Mountain(1981)

    as Buddy

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Intruder Within(1981)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Cloud Dancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Tom Loomis

  • The Black Hole(1979)

    as Lieutenant Charles Pizer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Return Engagement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Stewart Anderman

  • Holocaust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 4 episodes · as Rudi Weiss

  • High Rolling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Texas

  • Battle of the Network Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Stalk the Wild Child(1976)

    as Cal, as a Young Man

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Crime and Passion(1975)

    as Larry

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Dove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Robin Lee Graham

  • Unwed Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Peter

  • Trouble Comes to Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Billy Keith

  • Days of Our Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show as Cal Winters

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Stewart Anderman

Career shape

Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 47 titles from 1951 to 2019; peak year 1979.

Biggest box office

The Black Hole (1979)

$36M worldwide

Highest rated

The Black Hole (1979)

Midcredits 38th

Film career

19512019

Peak 1979 · 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.

  • 1978Screen debut· Holocaust
  • 1979First film· The Black Hole
  • 1984First top-billed film· Blind Date

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting47 of 47: 47 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score29th

By decade

1950s1 · acting1960s1 · acting1970s11 · acting1980s20 · acting1990s11 · acting2010s3 · 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 Joseph Bottoms' 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 26th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 16 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Joseph's Gift (1999)

90th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)

Midcredits 87th · 73% liked

Reviewers score the acting 51/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 31. 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 Joseph Bottoms' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 51 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Joseph Bottoms work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joseph Bottoms' MovieCove titles; Anthony Perkins shares the most, 2.