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Jason Lively

Jason Lively

Actor · Born March 12, 1968 (58) · Carroll County, Illinois, USA

Jason Lively, standing in at 6' 2" (1.88 m), was born on March 12, 1968 to Elaine Lively, a talent manager and her first husband Ronnie Lively. He is the brother of Lori Lively and Robyn Lively, and older half-brother of Eric Lively and Blake Lively. He is an actor and director, known for National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985), Night of the Creeps (1986) and The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He is married to Lani. They have two children.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 12, 1968 (58)
From
Carroll County, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 15 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 39 days to Oct 28Up 14% in 30 days

What are Jason Lively's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy 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
26%
Morality
23%
Power
19%
Survival
17%
Ideas
8%
Self
3%
Society
3%
Justice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 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 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 3

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

Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

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

A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 2

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · 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 2

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 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 4
Hero
2 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Absurd
4
Joyful
3
Warm
2
Thrilling
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3

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 Jason Lively's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jason Lively'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

15 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • In from Outside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • The Possessed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Brian

  • Hickok(2017)

    as Ike

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Maximum Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Rick Carver

  • Gunsmoke: To the Last Man(1992)

    as Rusty Dover

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever(1991)

    as Donovan

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Monday Morning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Chip Brooks

  • Mancuso, F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Ghost Chase(1987)

    as Warren McCloud

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • 21 Jump Street(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Davey Miller

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Night of the Creeps(1986)

    as Christopher 'Chris' Romero

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • National Lampoon's European Vacation(1985)

    as Rusty Griswold

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Brainstorm(1983)

    as Chris Brace

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Great Muppet Caper(1981)

    as Teenager (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Dukes of Hazzard(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Rod Moffet · as Rudy

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 15 titles from 1979 to 2025; peak year 1986.

Biggest box office

National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

$49M worldwide

Highest rated

Night of the Creeps (1986)

Midcredits 73rd

Film career

19792025

Peak 1986 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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
Acting15 of 15: 15 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score58th

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s7 · acting1990s4 · acting2010s2 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 40% of 5 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 Jason Lively's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991)

88th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

Midcredits 87th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the acting 55/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 34. 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.

Is Jason Lively's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 59 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 59 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

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

Who does Jason Lively work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jason Lively's MovieCove titles; Jill Whitlow shares the most, 2.