Seymour "Buzz" Kulik (July 23, 1922 – January 13, 1999) was an American film director and producer. He directed 72 films and television shows, including the landmark CBS television network anthology series Playhouse 90 and several episodes of The Twilight Zone. Kulik went on to direct made-for-TV movies, such as Brian's Song. After leaving the army as a first lieutenant after World War II, Kulik went to work in the mail room at J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency in New York. He eventually saw a notice at work that they were looking for people to direct programs for a new medium called television, and Kulik responded. A lifelong baseball fan, he started directing the cameras at Yankee Stadium before starting a career directing live television programming such as Playhouse 90 and Lux Video Theater. He moved to Los Angeles in 1953 and eventually began directing some of the landmark series of the 1950s and 1960s including Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Dr. Kildare and The Defenders (for which he directed the pilot episode). He directed a dozen episodes of Twilight Zone, which brought him lasting fame and recognition among the legion of fans who religiously watch the Twilight Zone marathons that continue to air on holidays to this day. Kulik also began directing feature films in the 1960s including Explosive Generation with William Shatner, Warning Shot with David Jansen, Villa Rides with Robert Mitchum, Yul Brynner, and Charles Bronson, and Riot with Gene Hackman and Jim Brown. He directed the first television mini-series, Vanished, with Richard Widmark and James Farentino. In 1971, he directed what many critics and fans feel is the greatest television film ever made, Brian's Song, for which he received "Best Director" honors from the Directors Guild of America. For several years in a row the lead actors in the films he directed won "Best Actor" of the year including Peter Ustinov for A Storm in Summer, James Caan for Brian's Song, Alan Alda for Kill Me if You Can, Susan Clark for Babe, and Anthony Hopkins for The Lindbergh Kidnapping. Some of the prominent long-form mini series he directed were From Here to Eternity with Natalie Wood and William Devane, Around the World in 80 Days with Pierce Brosnin and Peter Ustinov, and Kane and Abel with Peter Strauss. In the 1970s and 1980s he also directed feature films including To Find a Man, Shamus with Burt Reynolds, and The Hunter with Steve McQueen. Over the course of a career that lasted more than 40 years, Buzz Kulik established himself, and is remembered today, as one of the greatest television directors of all time.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 23, 1922
- January 13, 1999 (aged 76)
- Kearny, New Jersey, USA
- Director and producer, also writer
- 26 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
What are Buzz Kulik's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
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
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 20
A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 7 · Dark 9
Grounded 19 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 4 · Charged 12 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 3
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 2
Casual 8 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 8
Resolved 17 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous4
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 Buzz Kulik's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Buzz Kulik'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
67 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page.
Miles from Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Lucky Chances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows
Too Young the Hero(1988)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Her Secret Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Women of Valor(1986)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Kane & Abel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
George Washington (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Rage of Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Hunter(1980)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
From Here to Eternity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Kill Me If You Can(1977)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Corey: For the People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Babe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Never Con a Killer(1977)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Feather And Father Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Matt Helm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Cage Without a Key(1975)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Bad Ronald(1974)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all filmsGive Me Liberty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Remember When(1974)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Pioneer Woman(1973)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Shamus(1973)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Crawlspace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
To Find a Man(1972)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Brian's Song(1971)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Vanished (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
A Storm in Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Riot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Villa Rides(1968)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Sergeant Ryker(1968)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Warning Shot(1966)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Ready for the People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Kentucky Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Great Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Richard Boone Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Lieutenant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Yellow Canary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Saints and Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Explosive Generation(1961)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Dick Powell Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Cain's Hundred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Twilight Zone(1959)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The Killers of Mussolini (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Pursuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Naked City(1958)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
No Right to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Career shape
A full career of 67 titles from 1948 to 1992.
Biggest box office
The Hunter (1980)
Highest rated
Brian's Song (1971)
Most popular right now
Around the World in 80 Days (1989)
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 Buzz Kulik's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
13 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser13
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 16 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.
Who does Buzz Kulik work with?
People who share at least 2 of Buzz Kulik's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Les Green shares the most, 6.
Writers
- John GayShared titles: Around the World in 80 Days (1989), Kill Me If You Can (1977)See all 2 shared titles with John Gay
- Joanna LeeShared titles: Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978), Cage Without a Key (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Joanna Lee
Actors
- William ShatnerShared titles: Incident on a Dark Street (1973), Pioneer Woman (1973), The Explosive Generation (1961)See all 3 shared titles with William Shatner
- Lee RemickShared titles: Around the World in 80 Days (1989), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Lee Remick
- Kathryn HarroldShared titles: The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981), The Hunter (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Kathryn Harrold
- Cliff NortonShared titles: Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978), Never Con a Killer (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Cliff Norton
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Les GreenShared titles: Around the World in 80 Days (1989), Too Young the Hero (1988), Women of Valor (1986), Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978), Kill Me If You Can (1977), Never Con a Killer (1977)See all 6 shared titles with Les Green
- Charles F. WheelerShared titles: The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981), Cage Without a Key (1975), Bad Ronald (1974), Incident on a Dark Street (1973), Pioneer Woman (1973)See all 5 shared titles with Charles F. Wheeler
- Rita RolandShared titles: Remember When (1974), Incident on a Dark Street (1973), Pioneer Woman (1973), To Find a Man (1972)See all 4 shared titles with Rita Roland
- Michel LegrandShared titles: The Hunter (1980), Cage Without a Key (1975), Brian's Song (1971)See all 3 shared titles with Michel Legrand
Producers
- Robert MintzShared titles: Never Con a Killer (1977), Cage Without a Key (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Mintz
- Paul Junger WittShared titles: Remember When (1974), Brian's Song (1971)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Junger Witt
- Tony ThomasShared titles: Remember When (1974), Brian's Song (1971)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Thomas
