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Laird Cregar

Laird Cregar

Actor · Died December 9, 1944, aged 31 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Laird Cregar (July 28, 1913 – December 9, 1944) was an American film actor. Samuel Laird Cregar was the youngest of six sons of Edward Matthews Cregar, a cricketer and member of a team called the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. They toured internationally in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Laird's mother was the former Elizabeth Smith. Laird Cregar was educated at Winchester College in England, spending his summers as a page boy and bit player with the Stratford-upon-Avon theatrical troupe. Upon completing his schooling, Cregar won a scholarship at California's Pasadena Playhouse, supporting himself as a nightclub bouncer when funds ran out. So broke that at times he had to sleep in his car, Cregar forced Hollywood to pay attention to him by staging his own one-man show, in which he portrayed Oscar Wilde. Description above from the Wikipedia article Laird Cregar, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 28, 1913
Died
December 9, 1944 (aged 31)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 14 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 41% in 30 days

What are Laird Cregar's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile
: browse their Drama 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
Bonds
35%
Self
26%
Morality
22%
Power
8%
Survival
5%
Society
3%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 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 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 2

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

Steady 6 · 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 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 5 of 8 analyzed roles.

Shadow
5 of 8
Mentor
1 of 8
Trickster
1 of 8
Threshold guardian
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Romantic
6
Joyful
3
Melancholic
4
Warm
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Feel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet6

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 Laird Cregar's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Tubi (1).

Subscription and free streaming for Laird Cregar'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, 10 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hangover Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as George Harvey Bone

  • The Lodger(1944)

    as Mr. Slade

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Holy Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Clive Oxford

  • Heaven Can Wait(1943)

    as His Excellency

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Hello Frisco, Hello(1943)

    as Sam Weaver

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Black Swan(1942)

    as Captain Henry Morgan

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Ten Gentlemen from West Point(1942)

    as Maj. Sam Carter

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • This Gun for Hire(1942)

    as Willard Gates

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Rings on Her Fingers(1942)

    as Warren

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Joan of Paris(1942)

    as Herr Funk

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • I Wake Up Screaming(1941)

    as Police Insp. Ed Cornell

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Charley's Aunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Sir Francis Chesney

  • Blood and Sand(1941)

    as Natalio Curro

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Hudson's Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Gooseberry

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 14 titles from 1940 to 1945.

Biggest box office

This Gun for Hire (1942)

$108 worldwide

Highest rated

This Gun for Hire (1942)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

The Black Swan (1942)

Film career

  • 1941Screen debut· Blood and Sand
  • 1945First top-billed film· Hangover Square
  • 1945Career best· Hangover Square

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting14 of 14: 14 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rd

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 13% of 8 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 Laird Cregar's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 10 titles divides audiences: 9 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

This Gun for Hire (1942)

Midcredits 89th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 45. 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 Laird Cregar work with?

People who share at least 2 of Laird Cregar's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alfred Newman shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers