Steven Kampmann (born May 31, 1947) is an American actor, writer, and director. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his role as Kirk Devane on the first two seasons of Newhart. Kampmann also had roles in The Rodney Dangerfield Show: It's Not Easy Bein' Me, L.A. Law, The Richest Cat in the World, Multiplicity, and Analyze That. Additionally, he was a writer for WKRP in Cincinnati. In 1981, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for his work on WKRP in Cincinnati. His screenplay credits include Back to School, The Couch Trip and Stealing Home. In 2008, Kampmann wrote and directed Buzzkill, a film about a struggling writer who becomes famous when a serial killer steals his car and the newest draft of his script. Kampmann is married to actress Judith Kahan and has four children. He is also the uncle of Katie Kampmann.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 31, 1947 (79)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Actor, writer, director and producer
- 14 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are Steven Kampmann's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1
Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet2
- Cyclical1
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 Steven Kampmann's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Steven Kampmann'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
24 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.
Swing Away(2016)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Buzzkill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Analyze That(2002)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Special Delivery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Multiplicity(1996)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Stuart Saves His Family(1995)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Clifford(1994)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
For the Boys(1991)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Stealing Home(1988)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Couch Trip(1988)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
L.A. Law(1986)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
Club Paradise(1986)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Back to School(1986)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Richest Cat in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Vanishing America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Newhart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
1980 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
WKRP in Cincinnati(1978)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Towing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
SCTV(1976)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
King of Kensington (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Career shape
Star power in the 78th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles from 1954 to 2012; peak year 2002.
Film career
Peak 2002 · steadily prominent in film for years. 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.
- 1982Screen debut· Newhart
- 1986First film· Club Paradise
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 Steven Kampmann's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 11; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 40. 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.
Is Steven Kampmann's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 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 Steven Kampmann work with?
People who share at least 2 of Steven Kampmann's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Porter shares the most, 4.
Writers
- William PorterShared titles: Clifford (1994), Stealing Home (1988), The Couch Trip (1988), Back to School (1986)See all 4 shared titles with William Porter
- Harold RamisShared titles: Stealing Home (1988), Back to School (1986), The Rodney Dangerfield Show: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1982), SCTV (1976)See all 4 shared titles with Harold Ramis
- PJ TorokveiShared titles: Back to School (1986), SCTV (1976)See all 2 shared titles with PJ Torokvei
- Rodney DangerfieldShared titles: Back to School (1986), The Rodney Dangerfield Show: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Rodney Dangerfield
Actors
- Charles GrodinShared titles: Clifford (1994), The Couch Trip (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Grodin
Producers
- Estelle EndlerShared titles: Back to School (1986), The Rodney Dangerfield Show: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Estelle Endler
Mixed roles
- Martin ShortShared titles: Clifford (1994), SCTV (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Martin Short
- Paul FlahertyShared titles: Clifford (1994), SCTV (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Flaherty
