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Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Actor · Died April 6, 2016, aged 79 · Oildale, California, USA

Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 6, 1937
Died
April 6, 2016 (aged 79)
From
Oildale, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
5 on Motif · 16 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 45% in 30 days

What are Merle Haggard's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Self
25%
Morality
18%
Survival
9%
Ideas
9%
Bonds
5%
Identity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · 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 0 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
3
Warm
2
Tense
1
Melancholic
2
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Hopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Merle Haggard's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Merle Haggard's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

16 credits, 5 with a Motif page; 33 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Merle Travis: Guitar Man (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Merle Haggard: In Performance (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    as Performer

  • Merle Haggard: Live From Austin, TX '78 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as artist

  • The American Hobo: History of the Railriding Worker (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer · Thanks · as Himself - Special Guest

  • Wag the Dog(1997)

    as Merle Haggard

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Hot Country Nights (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Legend of the Lone Ranger(1981)

    as Balladeer

    Motif score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Bronco Billy(1980)

    Songs · as Merle Haggard (uncredited)

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Centennial (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 12 episodes · as Cisco Calendar

  • Huckleberry Finn (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    as Duke

  • Doc Elliot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Waltons(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Motif score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Introducing... Roy Buchanan (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)

    Actor

  • From Nashville With Music (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

    Actor

  • Killers Three(1968)

    as Charlie

    Motif score: 9th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 54th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 16 titles from 1968 to 2016.

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting15 of 16: 14 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Motif score49thMusic1 of 16: 0 only music, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 16: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

1960s2 · acting1970s5 · acting1980s2 · 2 acting · 1 crew1990s3 · acting2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s2 · acting

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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Merle Haggard's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

23rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Motif score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 5 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

65th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Wag the Dog (1997)

Motif 84th · 73% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Merle Haggard work with?

People who share at least 2 of Merle Haggard's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Carter Cash shares the most, 2.

Actors