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Buddy Lester

Buddy Lester

Actor · Died October 4, 2002, aged 85 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Buddy Lester was an American actor and comedian who portrayed dozens of character roles in films and television. Although known for his appearances in Jerry Lewis’ comedy films, he was also regularly seen on popular television shows in the 1960s and 1970s

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 16, 1917
Died
October 4, 2002 (aged 85)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 41 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 36% in 30 days

What are Buddy Lester's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
46%
Self
29%
Morality
19%
Ideas
6%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 0 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 1 · 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 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
3
Joyful
3
Thrilling
2
Tense
2
Warm
1

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5

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 Buddy Lester's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Buddy Lester'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

41 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • More Than Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Cabbie

  • Cracking Up(1983)

    as Passenger

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Fake-Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as The Blackjack Player

  • Hardly Working (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Claude Reed

  • Crash(1978)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Never Con a Killer(1977)

    as Poker Player

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Man from Clover Grove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Ched Fields

  • Starsky and Hutch(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Switch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Arnie Gold

  • Big Eddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Starsky & Hutch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Coley

  • Barney Miller(1975)

    Show 2 episodes · as Harry the Bookie · as Sidney the Bookie

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Kojak(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Lenny Karp

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • Poor Devil(1973)

    as Al Capone

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Emergency!(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Reggie

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You(1971)

    as Policeman

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Alias Smith and Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Odd Couple(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Kennel Owner

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • McCloud(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Herb

  • My World and Welcome to It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Doris Day Show(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Eddie

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • The Mod Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Mayberry R.F.D.(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Charles Pierce · as Phil Atkerson

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Adam-12(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Neil · as Victor Lamson

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Party(1968)

    as Davey Kane

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • It Takes a Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Lenny Freland

  • The Big Mouth(1967)

    as Studs

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • That Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bartender

  • Three on a Couch(1966)

    as Drunk

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Patsy(1964)

    as Copa Café MC

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The New Phil Silvers Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 30 episodes · Actor

  • Petticoat Junction(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • The Nutty Professor(1963)

    as Bartender

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Sergeants 3(1962)

    as Willie Sharpknife

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Ladies Man(1961)

    as Willard C. Gainsborough

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Ocean's Eleven(1960)

    as Vince Massler

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • State Trooper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Dragnet(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 41 titles from 1951 to 1984; peak year 1960.

Highest rated

The Ladies Man (1961)

Midcredits 60th

Film career

19511984

Peak 1960 · at the high point of their film career. 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
Acting41 of 41: 41 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score53rd

By decade

1950s3 · acting1960s19 · acting1970s15 · acting1980s4 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 7 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 Buddy Lester's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Cracking Up (1983)

68th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Party (1968)

Midcredits 90th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the acting 55/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 32. 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 Buddy Lester work with?

People who share at least 2 of Buddy Lester's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jerry Lewis shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers