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Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett

Actor, also writer · Born November 19, 1936 (89) · Gibbon, Nebraska, USA

Richard Alva Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In later years, Cavett has written an online column for The New York Times, promoted DVDs of his former shows as well as a book of his Times columns, and hosted replays of his TV interviews with Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Salvador Dalí, Lee Marvin, Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Mitchum, John Lennon, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Kirk Douglas and others on Turner Classic Movies.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 19, 1936 (89)
From
Gibbon, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Actor, also writer
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 36 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Dick Cavett's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
37%
Self
30%
Ideas
16%
Bonds
6%
Survival
6%
Power
3%
Morality
2%
Identity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy5 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 6 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 12 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 9 · Charged 7 · Intense 0

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 3 · 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 7 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
14
Warm
7
Joyful
6
Melancholic
4
Bittersweet
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • 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 Dick Cavett's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dick Cavett'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

36 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 125 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • My Guest is Orson Welles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Mike Wallace Is Here(2019)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes(2018)

    Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Actor

  • Dick Cavett's Vietnam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Actor

  • River of Fundament (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Wake Guest

  • Excuse Me for Living(2012)

    as Reverend Pilatus

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay(2012)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Driving Me Crazy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Mr. Johnson

  • Childrens Hospital(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • Duane Hopwood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • Frontier University Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Narrator

  • Behind the Seams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Detective

  • Once Upon a Sleigh Ride: The Music & Life of Leon Anderson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Narrator

  • Sell & Spin: A History of Advertising (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Narrator

  • Elvis Meets Nixon(1997)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Forrest Gump(1994)

    as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Year of the Gun(1991)

    as Ben Gershon

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Dick Cavett (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Beetlejuice(1988)

    as Bernard

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Dick Cavett

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors(1987)

    as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Dick Cavett Meets ABBA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Host

  • HealtH (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Dick Cavett

  • Remember Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Narrator

  • Power Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Dick Cavett

  • Annie Hall(1977)

    as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Janis(1974)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Nightside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Dick Cavett

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory(1972)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Alias Smith and Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Odd Couple(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Dick Cavett

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Playhouse 90: The Hiding Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 85th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 36 titles from 1960 to 2021; peak year 1987.

Biggest box office

Beetlejuice (1988)

$75M worldwide

Highest rated

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Beetlejuice (1988)

Film career

19602021

Peak 1987 · steadily prominent in film for years. 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting35 of 36: 35 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting1 of 36: 1 only writing, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s8 · acting1980s8 · acting1990s4 · acting2000s6 · acting2010s8 · 7 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 14th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

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 Dick Cavett's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 16 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 16

Approval · how many liked their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)

86th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Forrest Gump (1994)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 56. 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 Dick Cavett work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dick Cavett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Muhammad Ali shares the most, 2.

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers