Jack Laird was an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor. He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his works in Ben Casey, Night Gallery, and Kojak. The acclaimed writer/producer began his career as a child actor.
Biography from TMDB.
- May 8, 1923
- December 3, 1991 (aged 68)
- Los Angeles, California, U.S
- Producer and writer, also actor
- 10 on MovieCove · 36 credits in all
What are Jack Laird's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 1
Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 1
Steady 4 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous2
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 Jack Laird's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Roku Channel (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Jack Laird'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, 10 with a MovieCove page.
Kojak: It's Always Something (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Kojak: None So Blind(1990)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Insiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Hellinger's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Gangster Wars(1981)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Beggarman, Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Testimony of Two Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Doctors' Hospital (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
One of Our Own(1975)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Kojak(1973)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Amanda Fallon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Night Gallery(1969)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Hauser's Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
The Movie Murderer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Destiny of a Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Bold Ones: The Protectors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Trial Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Shadow Over Elveron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Code Name: Heraclitus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Dark Intruder(1965)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Hanged Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
See How They Run(1964)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all filmsBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Channing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
My Three Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Third Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
World of Giants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Man with a Camera(1958)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Bronco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Career shape
A full career of 34 titles from 1952 to 1990.
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 Jack Laird's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
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 Jack Laird work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jack Laird's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Leslie Nielsen shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Richard C. SarafianShared titles: Gangster Wars (1981), One of Our Own (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Richard C. Sarafian
Writers
- Gene R. KearneyShared titles: The Return of Charlie Chan (1972), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Gene R. Kearney
Actors
- Leslie NielsenShared titles: The Return of Charlie Chan (1972), Dark Intruder (1965), See How They Run (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Leslie Nielsen
- Louise SorelShared titles: One of Our Own (1975), The Return of Charlie Chan (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Louise Sorel
Composers and editors
- Lalo SchifrinShared titles: How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967), Dark Intruder (1965), See How They Run (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Lalo Schifrin
- John CacavasShared titles: Kojak: None So Blind (1990), Gangster Wars (1981)See all 2 shared titles with John Cacavas
- Douglas StewartShared titles: One of Our Own (1975), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Douglas Stewart
- Richard BeldingShared titles: One of Our Own (1975), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Belding
Producers
- James Duff McAdamsShared titles: Kojak: None So Blind (1990), Gangster Wars (1981)See all 2 shared titles with James Duff McAdams
- Stuart CohenShared titles: Kojak: None So Blind (1990), Gangster Wars (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Stuart Cohen
- Matthew RapfShared titles: Gangster Wars (1981), One of Our Own (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Matthew Rapf