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Jonathan Emerson

Actor · Born April 22, 1955 (71) · Huntington, West Virginia, USA

Jonathan Emerson was born on 22 April 1955 in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Mars Attacks! (1996), Graveyard Shift (1990) and Father of the Bride Part II (1995).

Biography from IMDb.

Born
April 22, 1955 (71)
From
Huntington, West Virginia, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 31 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 31% in 30 days

What are Jonathan Emerson's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
27%
Survival
23%
Ideas
19%
Self
11%
Bonds
8%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Survival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · 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 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Dread
4
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
1
Thrilling
1

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Jonathan Emerson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jonathan Emerson'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

31 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Shrink Next Door(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Ken

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Central Park(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Kevin Can Wait(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • Fresh Off the Boat(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Ted

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Hart of Dixie(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Uncle Dexter

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Happy Endings(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Preston

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: LA(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Sid Holloway

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Good Luck Charlie(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Lionel Van Ness

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Modern Family(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Stan Larkin

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Practice(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Joel Samuelson

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Mars Attacks!(1996)

    as Newscaster

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Wildly Available(1996)

    as Charlie

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Father of the Bride Part II(1995)

    as Frantic Father #2

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Dumb and Dumber(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Delivery Guy (voice) · as Loudspeaker / Littleman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows

  • The Drew Carey Show(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Johnson

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • My So-Called Life(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Brad

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Ellen(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Lucky Customer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • The Unborn(1991)

    as Mark Robinson

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Graveyard Shift(1990)

    as Jason Reed

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as Edward Fellows III · as Ned Fellows

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • 84C MoPic(1989)

    as LT

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Coach(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Concierge

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Roseanne(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Daddy's Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Receptionist

  • Nightfall(1988)

    as Architect

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Day by Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Curtis Ayres

  • The Couch Trip(1988)

    as Hendrick's Assistant

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Night Court(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Derek

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Cheers(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Family Ties(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Colin Spencer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as LT

Career shape

Star power in the 81st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 31 titles from 1982 to 2021; peak year 1988.

Biggest box office

Graveyard Shift (1990)

$12M worldwide

Highest rated

84C MoPic (1989)

Midcredits 72nd

Most popular right now

Graveyard Shift (1990)

Film career

19822021

Peak 1988 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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
Acting29 of 31: 29 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting2 of 31: 2 only writing, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s11 · acting1990s11 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s6 · 5 acting · 1 crew2020s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 20% of 5 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 Jonathan Emerson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 21st percentile, the median of all 8; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 18th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

18thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

6thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

Kevin Can Wait (2016)

69th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

84C MoPic (1989)

Midcredits 72nd · 67% liked

Reviewers score the acting 52/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 33. 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 Jonathan Emerson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jonathan Emerson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christopher Burgard shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers