Donald Hamilton
Writer · Died November 20, 2006, aged 87
Born abroad the son of a Swedish count who renounced his title when he emigrated to the U.S., Donald Hamilton graduated from the University of Chicago and served in the Navy during the second World War. He has published 26 novels in the Matt Helm Series from 1960-1992, as well as several other novels and magazine articles. At last word, he was living aboard his motor-yacht, "Kathleen", somewhere in Connecticut. One of the last truly "American" suspense series writers, his Matt Helm series, although badly translated to the screen for Columbia Pictures, starring Dean Martin, ranks up there with John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee as the quintessential American anti-hero. Date of Birth 24 March 1916, Uppsala, Uppsala län, Sweden Date of Death 20 November 2006, Visby, Gotland, Sweden
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 24, 1919
- November 20, 2006 (aged 87)
- Writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
What are Donald Hamilton's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 4 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 1
Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 4
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet3
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 Donald Hamilton's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Donald Hamilton'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
9 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.
Matt Helm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Matt Helm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Wrecking Crew(1968)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Ambushers(1967)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Murderers' Row(1966)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The Silencers(1966)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Big Country(1958)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
5 Steps to Danger(1956)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Violent Men(1955)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 1955 to 1975.
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 Donald Hamilton's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42nd percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 4 are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 39/100 in their films, across 7 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.
Is Donald Hamilton's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Donald Hamilton work with?
People who share at least 2 of Donald Hamilton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dean Martin shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Phil KarlsonShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Silencers (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Phil Karlson
- Henry LevinShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Levin
Writers
- Herbert BakerShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Herbert Baker
Actors
- Dean MartinShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966)See all 4 shared titles with Dean Martin
- James GregoryShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966)See all 3 shared titles with James Gregory
- John BrasciaShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Ambushers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with John Brascia
- Beverly AdamsShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Beverly Adams
Composers and cinematographers
- Burnett GuffeyShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), The Silencers (1966), The Violent Men (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Burnett Guffey
- Hugo MontenegroShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Ambushers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Hugo Montenegro
- Sam LeavittShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Leavitt
Producers
- Irving AllenShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966)See all 4 shared titles with Irving Allen
Mixed roles
- Harold F. KressShared titles: The Wrecking Crew (1968), The Ambushers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Harold F. Kress