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George Carlin

George Carlin

Actor, writer and producer, also composer · Died June 22, 2008, aged 71 · New York City, New York, USA

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums. Carlin was noted for his black humor as well as his thoughts on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5–4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's power to regulate indecent material on the public airwaves. The first of his fourteen stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. In the 1990s and 2000s, Carlin's routines focused on socio-cultural criticism of modern American society. He often commented on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture. His final HBO special, It's Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death. In 2004, Carlin placed second on the Comedy Central list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time, ahead of Lenny Bruce and behind Richard Pryor.  He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live. In 2008, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Description above from the Wikipedia article George Carlin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia .

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 12, 1937
Died
June 22, 2008 (aged 71)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, writer and producer, also composer
Titles
35 on Motif · 101 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 65 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are George Carlin's films like?

Across their 33 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Power.

Genres

Documentary19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 96th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Animation movies

Their Motif 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
Ideas
28%
Power
17%
Society
17%
Bonds
14%
Morality
10%
Self
9%
Survival
7%
Truth10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themePower4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 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 18 · Serious 4 · Dark 9

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

Grounded 23 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 10 · Charged 15 · Intense 6

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

Steady 18 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 22

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 5

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

A split, not a type: Casual 19 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 5

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

Resolved 30 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 6 of 9 analyzed roles.

Mentor
6 of 9
Ally
1 of 9
Trickster
1 of 9
Threshold guardian
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
16
Absurd
15
Contemplative
11
Tense
7
Warm
6
Other
24

How their films linger

Fun17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy13
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical6
  • Other1

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 George Carlin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 35 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for George Carlin's titles on Motif; 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

101 credits, 35 with a Motif page; 55 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Bill & Ted Face the Music(2020)

    as Rufus Hologram (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Alphabet of Truth: The Climate Change Deception (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    as George Carlin

  • Owned & Operated (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    as George Carlin

  • Thomas & Friends: Engine Friends (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Heavy Metal Mater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    as Filmore (voice) (archive sound)

  • Epic Rap Battles of History (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Characters

  • Monster Truck Mater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    as Filmore (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: The Greatest Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Unidentified Flying Mater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    as Fillmore (archive voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Holiday Express (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Cars Toon Mater's Tall Tales (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Filmore / Additional Voices (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Henry and the Elephant (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Mud Glorious Mud (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Percy Takes the Plunge (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin... It's Bad for Ya!(2008)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Ultimate Christmas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Happily N'Ever After(2006)

    as Der Zauberer (voice)

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Halloween Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Cars(2006)

    as Fillmore (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing(2005)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins(2005)

    as Zugor (voice)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Quarry Adventures on Sodor (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    as Narrator

  • Thomas & Friends: The Early Years (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    as Narrator

  • Jersey Girl(2004)

    as Bart Trinke

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Scary Movie 3(2003)

    as Architect

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Snowy Surprise and Other Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Best of Gordon (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Fun with Thomas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Narrator

  • The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Actor

  • Thomas & Friends: Best of James (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin: Complaints & Grievances(2001)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Best of Thomas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back(2001)

    as Hitchhiker

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Best of Percy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Dinner for Five (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Trackside Tunes and Other Thomas Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Christmas Wonderland and Other Thomas Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Dogma(1999)

    as Cardinal Glick

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: 10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin: You Are All Diseased(1999)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: A Big Day for Thomas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas Comes To Breakfast & Other Thomas Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas & His Friends Get Along (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    as Narrator

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas & His Friends Get Along & Other Thomas Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    as Narrator

  • Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!(1997)

    as Man (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy(1997)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • George Carlin: Personal Favorites(1997)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Sing-Along & Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: The Gallant Old Engine and Other Thomas Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin: Back in Town(1996)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas & His Friends Help Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    as Narrator

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas and His Friends Help Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin: George's Best Stuff(1996)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Shining Time Station: Queen for a Day (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mr. Conductor

  • Streets of Laredo(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · as Billy Williams

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Mad TV(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Conductor · as Self

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Shining Time Station: Second Chances (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mr. Conductor

  • Shining Time Station: One of the Family (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mr. Conductor

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas and the Special Letter and Other Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Rusty to the Rescue and Other Thomas Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Thomas The Tank Engine Man (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mr. Conductor (uncredited)

  • Shining Time Station: Once Upon a Time (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mr. Conductor

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Favorite Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    as Narrator

  • Thomas & Friends: Percy's Ghostly Trick and Other Thomas Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: James Goes Buzz Buzz and Other Thomas Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The George Carlin Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 27 episodes · Creator · Writer · as George O'Grady

  • Thomas & Friends: Daisy and Other Thomas Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)

    as Narrator

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas, Percy and the Dragon and Other Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas and Bertie's Great Race and Other Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Thomas & Friends: Thomas Gets Bumped and Other Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • George Carlin: Jammin' in New York(1992)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Thomas & Friends: Trust Thomas & Other Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Prince of Tides(1991)

    as Eddie Detreville

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey(1991)

    as Rufus

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show (Vol. 1) (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)

    Actor

  • Working Tra$h (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    as Ralph Sawatzky

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures(1990)

    Show 13 episodes · as Rufus (voice)

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • George Carlin: Doin' It Again(1990)

    Composer · Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Munchie (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure(1989)

    as Rufus

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Shining Time Station (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 54 episodes · as Mr. Conductor

  • George Carlin: What Am I Doing in New Jersey?(1988)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Justin Case (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)

    as Justin Case

  • Outrageous Fortune(1987)

    as Frank Madras

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • George Carlin: Playin' with Your Head(1986)

    Producer · Writer · as Self / Mike Holder

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Apt. 2C (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Writer · as Self

  • Drawing on My Mind (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Producer · Writer · Actor

  • George Carlin: Carlin on Campus(1984)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Carlin at Carnegie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)

    Writer · as Self

  • Americathon(1979)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • George Carlin Again!(1978)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • George Carlin: On Location at USC (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

  • Car Wash(1976)

    as The Taxi Driver

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • On Location (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer · as Himself

  • The Smothers Brothers Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • George Carlin: The Real George Carlin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    Writer · as Self

  • The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 10 episodes · Actor

  • With Six You Get Eggroll(1968)

    as Herbie Fleck

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • That Girl (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Glass Bottom Boat(1966)

    as Unknown (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 101 titles from 1966 to 2020; peak year 2006.

Biggest box office

The Prince of Tides (1991)

$75M worldwide

Highest rated

George Carlin: Jammin' in New York (1992)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Dogma (1999)

Film career

19662020

Peak 2006 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 3 Motif titles. 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
Acting81 of 101: 79 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting22 of 101: 11 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score97thProducing10 of 101: 0 only producing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score98thMusic1 of 101: 0 only music, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 101: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

101 titles, 11 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1960s3 · acting1970s8 · 4 acting · 4 crew1980s11 · 6 acting · 6 crew1990s42 · 35 acting · 8 crew2000s29 · 26 acting · 3 crew2010s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 5% of 20 roles
669106

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 Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do George Carlin's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 90th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 35 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 35 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved15
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Americathon (1979)

76th percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer

George Carlin: Jammin' in New York (1992)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

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 Midcredits 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 George Carlin's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles32–79 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles29–59 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles46–80 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles27–60 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles24–68 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does George Carlin work with?

People who share at least 2 of George Carlin's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jerry Hamza shares the most, 14.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

  • Jerry Hamza14 titles    See newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Jerry Hamza
  • Kimber Rickabaugh10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Kimber Rickabaugh
  • Brenda Carlin10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Brenda Carlin
  • Robert W. Cort3 titles    See all 3 shared titles with Robert W. Cort