Daniel Butler co-wrote the New York Times best-selling book, "America's Dumbest Criminals", published by Rutledge Hill Press, which rose to number four on the list and remained on the best sellers list for four and a half months. He went on to host the television show, America's Dumbest Criminals (1996), which was syndicated in over 200 markets in the U.S. and 30 foreign countries. He hosted or co-hosted 104 half-hours of the shows. As a result, he did over five hundred radio and television interviews, including appearances on America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988), Dateline NBC (1992), BBC News, "Good Morning Tokyo" and The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986).
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Biography from IMDb.
- January 1, 1951 (75)
- Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Actor and writer
- 9 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
Known for
What are Daniel Butler's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3
Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 5
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Threshold guardianas Willie the Robot in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
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 Daniel Butler's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Daniel Butler'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
14 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.
Bears Discover Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Slam Dunk Ernest(1995)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Ernest Scared Stupid(1991)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Ernest Goes to Jail(1990)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Ernest Saves Christmas(1988)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Tanner '88 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Ernest Goes to Camp(1987)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Johnny Bull (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Country Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Importance of Being Ernest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 75th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 14 titles, 13 of them dated from 1982 to 2015; peak year 1991.
Film career
Peak 1991 · at the high point of their film career. 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.
- 1985Screen debut· Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
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 Daniel Butler's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 41. 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.
Who does Daniel Butler work with?
People who share at least 2 of Daniel Butler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John R. Cherry III shares the most, 5.
Directors
- John R. Cherry IIIShared titles: Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 5 shared titles with John R. Cherry III
Writers
- Coke SamsShared titles: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 4 shared titles with Coke Sams
- Glenn PetachShared titles: Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Glenn Petach
- Steve LeasureShared titles: Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Steve Leasure
- Jim VarneyShared titles: Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 5 shared titles with Jim Varney
Actors
- Bill ByrgeShared titles: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Byrge
- Jackie WelchShared titles: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Jackie Welch
- David LandonShared titles: Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 2 shared titles with David Landon
- Mac BennettShared titles: Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Mac Bennett
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Jim MayShared titles: Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Jim May
- Craig BassettShared titles: Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Craig Bassett
- Shane KeisterShared titles: Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Shane Keister
- Pamela Scott ArnoldShared titles: Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Pamela Scott Arnold
Producers
- Stacy WilliamsShared titles: Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Stacy Williams
- Martin ErlichmanShared titles: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Martin Erlichman
Mixed roles
- Bruce ArntsonShared titles: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Arntson
