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Jessie Royce Landis

Jessie Royce Landis

Actor · Died February 2, 1972, aged 75 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Jessie Royce Landis (born Jessie Medbury; November 25, 1896 – February 2, 1972) was an American actress. Her name is also seen as Jesse Royce-Landis. She remains perhaps best-known for her mother roles in the Hitchcock films To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959). Description above from the Wikipedia article Jessie Royce Landis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 25, 1896
Died
February 2, 1972 (aged 75)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 30 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 27Down 16% in 30 days

What are Jessie Royce Landis' films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: 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
39%
Self
39%
Morality
9%
Society
6%
Survival
4%
Power
3%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 4 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 10 · Charged 4 · Intense 1

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 13 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 2 of 7 analyzed roles.

Shadow
2 of 7
Threshold guardian
2 of 7
Herald
1 of 7
Trickster
1 of 7
Mentor
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Romantic
7
Warm
5
Melancholic
3
Tense
2
Other
13

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet5

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 Jessie Royce Landis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jessie Royce Landis' 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

30 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones(1971)

    as Grandmother Greher

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Chadwick

  • The Ceremony of Innocence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Queen Mother Alfreda

  • Airport(1970)

    as Harriet DuBarry Mossman

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Madame Olga Nemirovitch

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Valentine's Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Edwina Pierce

  • Gidget Goes to Rome(1963)

    as Albertina Blythe

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Critic's Choice(1963)

    as Charlotte Orr

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Boys' Night Out(1962)

    as Ethel Williams

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Bon Voyage!(1962)

    as Countessa 'La Comtesse' DuFresne

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Again(1961)

    as Mrs. Van der Besh

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Kilburn

  • Adventures in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Madame Vachet

  • A Private's Affair(1959)

    as Elizabeth T. Chapman

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • North by Northwest(1959)

    as Clara Thornhill

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • I Married a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Mrs. Blake

  • My Man Godfrey(1957)

    as Angelica Bullock

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Girl He Left Behind(1956)

    as Mrs. Madeline Shaeffer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Swan(1956)

    as Princess Beatrix

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Claire Crane

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • To Catch a Thief(1955)

    as Jessie Stevens

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · as Olivia Chesney

  • The United States Steel Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Meet Me Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Olive Lloyd Ransome (segment "Ways and Means")

  • Mother Didn't Tell Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Mrs. Wright

  • My Foolish Heart(1949)

    as Martha Winters

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • It Happens Every Spring(1949)

    as Mrs. Greenleaf

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Belvedere Goes to College(1949)

    as Mrs. Chase

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Derelict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Helen Lorber

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 30 titles from 1930 to 1971; peak year 1961.

Biggest box office

My Man Godfrey (1957)

$2.6M worldwide

Highest rated

North by Northwest (1959)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19301971

Peak 1961 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting30 of 30: 30 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score66th

By decade

1930s1 · acting1940s2 · acting1950s14 · acting1960s9 · acting1970s4 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 9 roles

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Jessie Royce Landis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 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 15

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones (1971)

53rd percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

North by Northwest (1959)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 77, 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.

Who does Jessie Royce Landis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jessie Royce Landis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jim Backus shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers