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Mike Gray

Mike Gray

Writer, director, cinematographer and producer · Died April 30, 2013, aged 77 · Racine, Wisconsin, USA

Oscar nominee · Golden Globe nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 1 other major award body

Mike Gray was born on 26 October 1935 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The China Syndrome (1979), The Fugitive (1993) and Chain Reaction (1996). He was married to Carol Dana Hirsch. He died on 30 April 2013 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Biography from IMDb.

Born
October 26, 1935
Died
April 30, 2013 (aged 77)
From
Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Writer, director, cinematographer and producer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 10 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 37% in 30 days

What are Mike Gray's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
39%
Morality
26%
Society
12%
Bonds
9%
Ideas
9%
Self
6%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 3

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · 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 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
2
Absurd
1
Dread
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Tragic2
  • 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 Mike Gray's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Mike Gray'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

10 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

  • Who Bombed Judi Bari? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Chain Reaction(1996)

    as Swizlard

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Code of Silence(1985)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Wavelength(1983)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The China Syndrome(1979)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Murder of Fred Hampton(1971)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Millhouse(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • American Revolution 2(1969)

    Director · Camera Operator · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Urban Crisis and the New Militants: Module 7 - Cicero March (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Sound

Career shape

A full career of 9 titles from 1966 to 2012.

Biggest box office

The China Syndrome (1979)

$52M worldwide

Highest rated

The China Syndrome (1979)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Code of Silence (1985)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 9: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting3 of 9: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting4 of 9: 3 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing2 of 9: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography2 of 9: 1 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 9: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

9 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1960s2 · crew1970s2 · crew1980s3 · crew1990s1 · acting2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

Awards

1 major award from 4 major nominations, 1980.

WinNomination
  1. 1980
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Mike Gray's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 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 6

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 60/100 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 Mike Gray work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mike Gray's MovieCove titles; John Mason shares the most, 3.