Skip to content
MovieCove

Robert Kaufman

Writer and producer · Born March 22, 1931 (95)

Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee

Robert Kaufman was born on 22 March 1931. He was a writer and producer, known for Love at First Bite (1979), The Bob Newhart Show (1961) and Divorce American Style (1967). He was married to Patti Henshaw and Robin. He died on 21 November 1991 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 22, 1931 (95)
Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 26 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 22% in 30 days

What are Robert Kaufman's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

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

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Power
24%
Self
17%
Morality
16%
Ideas
8%
Society
7%
Survival
1%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 6 · Wry 1 · Earnest 9

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 6

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

Gentle 11 · Charged 4 · Intense 2

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 2

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 13

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

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 15 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
11
Absurd
9
Warm
4
Melancholic
4
Tense
4
Other
9

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet7

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 Robert Kaufman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Kaufman'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

26 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • She's Out of Control(1989)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Check Is in the Mail...(1986)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Separate Vacations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Writer

  • The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood(1984)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Tootsie(1982)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Split Image(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • How to Beat the High Cost of Living(1980)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Nothing Personal(1980)

    Writer · as Professor in Faculty Room

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Love at First Bite(1979)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Harry and Walter Go to New York(1976)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Freebie and the Bean(1974)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Christian Licorice Store(1971)

    as Hollywood Party Guest

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • I Love My Wife(1970)

    Associate Producer · Writer · as Devil

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Getting Straight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Writer

  • Divorce American Style(1967)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Monkees(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs(1966)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine(1965)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • I Dream of Jeannie(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Girl to Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Ski Party(1965)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Channing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Combat!(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Bob Newhart Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 34 episodes · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 25 titles from 1961 to 1989.

Biggest box office

Tootsie (1982)

$177M worldwide

Highest rated

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 25: 1 only acting, 2 with another roleWriting21 of 25: 16 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score27thProducing5 of 25: 1 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score21stCinematography1 of 25: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 25: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

25 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1960s10 · crew1970s7 · 2 acting · 6 crew1980s8 · 1 acting · 8 crew

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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1962–1968.

  1. 1968
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
  2. 1962
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy

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 Robert Kaufman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 23rd percentile, the median of all 18; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 29th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer, producer

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984)

80th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 41/100 in their films, across 16 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 Robert Kaufman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles18–57 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Robert Kaufman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Kaufman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Samuel Z. Arkoff shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers