Norman Cohen (11 June 1936 in Dublin – 26 October 1983 in Van Nuys, California) was an Irish film director and producer, best known for directing two feature films based on television comedy programmes, Till Death Us Do Part (1969) and Dad's Army (1971). He was also a director of several of the Confessions of... sex comedy series: Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976) and Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977). In addition to those films, he also produced as well as directed the adaptation of Spike Milligan's Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973),[1][2] and the comedy sequel Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977). Cohen's first film production was The London Nobody Knows (1967) narrated by James Mason and his final film was Burning Rubber (1981). In the Fall of 1982 he directed his only stage production; Woody Allen's "Play It Again, Sam" at Theatr Clwyd (National Theatre of Wales). The cast included; Nic d'avirro, Julia St. John, Julie Richmond, Sara Mason, Carl Davis, Jennifer Franks, and starred Trent Richards (aka Richard Trent) as Allen. The production later toured to Cardiff, Wales where it ran at the Sherman Theatre. Norman died after suffering a heart attack in 1983.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- June 11, 1936
- October 26, 1983 (aged 47)
- Dublin, Ireland
- Director, producer and writer
- 8 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Known for
What are Norman Cohen's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 3 · Earnest 3
Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 4 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 5
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
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 Norman Cohen's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Norman Cohen'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
22 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
New York at the Movies(2002)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Lion's Share(1985)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Burning Rubber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Funhouse(1981)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Thin Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Stand up, Virgin Soldiers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Hail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all filmsPaganini Strikes Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Dad's Army (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Till Death Us Do Part (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The London Nobody Knows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Look at Life: There Ought to Be a Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Brendan Behan's Dublin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
London in the Raw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Delayed Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Breath of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Four People: A Ballad Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles from 1962 to 2002.
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 Norman Cohen's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 18th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 8 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the atmosphere 51/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 5 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 Norman Cohen's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 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 Norman Cohen work with?
People who share at least 2 of Norman Cohen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bill Maynard shares the most, 5.
Writers
- Christopher WoodShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Christopher Wood
Actors
- Bill MaynardShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973)See all 5 shared titles with Bill Maynard
- Anthony BoothShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Anthony Booth
- Robin AskwithShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Robin Askwith
- Sheila WhiteShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Sheila White
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Geoffrey FootShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Geoffrey Foot
- Ed WelchShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Ed Welch
- Ken HodgesShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Ken Hodges
Producers
- Greg SmithShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973)See all 5 shared titles with Greg Smith
- Michael KlingerShared titles: Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Michael Klinger