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Henry King

Henry King

Director, also producer and writer · Died June 29, 1982, aged 96 · Christiansburg, Virginia, United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Henry King (January 24, 1886 – June 29, 1982) was an American film director. Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres, and first started to take small film roles in 1912. He directed for the first time in 1915, and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice unsuccessfully nominated for the Best Director Oscar. In 1944, he was awarded the first Golden Globe Award for Best Director for his film The Song of Bernadette. He worked most often with Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck and for 20th Century Fox. Henry King was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars every year. He directed over 100 films in his career. During World War II, King served as the deputy commander of the Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol base in Brownsville, TX, holding the grade of captain. In his final years, he was the oldest licensed private pilot in the United States, having obtained his license in 1918. Description above from the Wikipedia article Henry King (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 24, 1886
Died
June 29, 1982 (aged 96)
From
Christiansburg, Virginia, United States
Works as
Director, also producer and writer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 110 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 38 days to Oct 27Up 1% in 30 days

What are Henry King's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Action 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
31%
Morality
28%
Self
14%
Society
13%
Survival
9%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love14 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 34 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 19 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 26 · Intense 2

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

Steady 19 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 19 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 19 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 12 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 10

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

Resolved 32 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
19
Romantic
17
Tense
14
Hopeful
8
Joyful
5
Other
27

How their films linger

Bittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Henry King's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Henry King'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

110 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Tender Is the Night(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Beloved Infidel(1959)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • This Earth Is Mine(1959)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Bravados(1958)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Sun Also Rises(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Carousel(1956)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Untamed(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • King of the Khyber Rifles(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • O. Henry's Full House(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • David and Bathsheba(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Gunfighter(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Twelve O'Clock High(1949)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Prince of Foxes(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Deep Waters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Captain from Castile(1947)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Margie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • A Bell for Adano(1945)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Wilson(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Song of Bernadette(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Black Swan(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Remember the Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • A Yank in the RAF(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Chad Hanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Maryland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Little Old New York(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Stanley and Livingstone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Jesse James(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Alexander's Ragtime Band(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • In Old Chicago(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Seventh Heaven(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Lloyd's of London(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Ramona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • The Country Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Way Down East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • One More Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Marie Galante(1934)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Carolina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • I Loved You Wednesday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • State Fair(1933)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Woman in Room 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Over the Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Merely Mary Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Lightnin' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Producer

  • The Eyes of the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Hell Harbor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • She Goes to War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director · Executive Producer

  • The Woman Disputed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • The Magic Flame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Winning of Barbara Worth(1926)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Partners Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ(1925)

    as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Stella Dallas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • Any Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • Sackcloth and Scarlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director · Producer

  • Romola(1924)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The White Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director · Producer

  • The Bond Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director

  • Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director

  • Sonny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer · Screenplay

  • The Seventh Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director · Producer

  • Tol'able David (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Sting of the Lash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director

  • Salvage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director

  • The Mistress of Shenstone(1921)

    Director

  • When We Were Twenty-One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director

  • Dice of Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Director

  • Help Wanted - Male (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Director · as Tubbs

  • One Hour Before Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Director

  • Haunting Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • A Fugitive from Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • 23 1/2 Hours' Leave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • Six Feet Four (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • This Hero Stuff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • A Sporting Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • Some Liar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • Brass Buttons(1919)

    Director

  • Where the West Begins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • When a Man Rides Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • All the World to Nothing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Hobbs in a Hurry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Locked Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director · as Harry Mason

  • The Ghost of Rosy Taylor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Up Romance Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Social Briars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Hearts or Diamonds? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director · Actor

  • Powers That Prey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Beauty and the Rogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Mate of the Sally Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • A Game of Wits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • The Bride's Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • Souls in Pawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • Sunshine and Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director · Writer · as The Chauffeur

  • The Devil's Bait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Eric Reese

  • Twin Kiddies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Director · as Jasper Hunt

  • Little Mary Sunshine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Director · as Bob Daley

  • Should a Wife Forgive? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director · Actor

  • The Maid of the Wild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as David Graham

  • In Humble Guise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Ned

  • The Nemesis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director · Actor

  • Who Pays? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director · Writer · as Karl Hurd

  • The Coveted Heritage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as The Priest

  • The Test of Manhood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Harry Wentworth - John's Son

  • Nerve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Julius Booth

  • The Unexpected (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Dave Parks

  • The Tenderfoot Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Tom Milford

  • The Burden Bearer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Bob

Career shape

A full career of 110 titles from 1913 to 1962.

Biggest box office

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

$29K worldwide

Highest rated

The Gunfighter (1950)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting19 of 110: 10 only acting, 9 with another roleDirecting100 of 110: 83 only directing, 17 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thWriting5 of 110: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing7 of 110: 0 only producing, 7 with another role

110 titles, 17 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1910s38 · 17 acting · 29 crew1920s23 · 2 acting · 22 crew1930s20 · crew1940s14 · crew1950s14 · crew1960s1 · 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.

How do Henry King's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of the 33 of 35 with a score; across their 33 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 33

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 33 titles divides audiences: 23 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most loved · director

The Gunfighter (1950)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 72/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 32 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Henry King's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 30 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 14 · minimalMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Henry King work with?

People who share at least 2 of Henry King's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Barbara McLean shares the most, 21.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Barbara McLean21 titles    See newest 12 of 21 shared titles with Barbara McLean
  • Alfred Newman17 titles    See newest 12 of 17 shared titles with Alfred Newman
  • Leon Shamroy14 titles    See newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Leon Shamroy
  • William Reynolds4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with William Reynolds

Producers