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James Mathers

James Mathers

Cinematographer and actor, also producer · Born May 5, 1955 (71) · Los Angeles, California, USA

James (Jim) Mathers (born May 5, 1955 in Los Angeles, California) is a former child actor, who developed a career as a cinematographer and director of photography. He is the younger brother of former child television star Jerry Mathers of Leave It to Beaver fame. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jim Mathers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 5, 1955 (71)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer and actor, also producer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 54 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 8% in 30 days

What are James Mathers' films like?

Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 10th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 7th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Survival
23%
Bonds
20%
Morality
19%
Society
13%
Self
12%
Power
9%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 23 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 8 · Charged 18 · Intense 3

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 4

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 17 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 23 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Warm
7
Dread
9
Hopeful
7
Absurd
8
Other
32

How their films linger

Unsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7

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 James Mathers' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Mathers' 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

54 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Windigo(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Patent Scam(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story(2014)

    Cinematographer · Producer · as Ed Welch

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Brake(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Misadventures of the Dunderheads(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Smell of Success(2009)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • How Bruce Lee Changed the World(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Fatal Secrets(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Aussie & Ted's Great Adventure(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Boys(2009)

    as Peter Carey

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • American Crude(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • For the Bible Tells Me So(2007)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The U.S. vs. John Lennon(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile'(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Ghost Dog: A Detective Tail(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Trapped: Buried Alive(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • XCU: Extreme Close Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Cinematographer

  • North Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Cinematographer

  • St. Patrick: The Irish Legend(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Intrepid(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • BeetleBorgs Metallix: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • BeetleBorgs(1996)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Other Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Snapdragon(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Night Eyes Three(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Hidden Obsession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • L.A. Goddess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • Wild Cactus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • Play Nice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • Round Trip to Heaven(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • House IV(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Legal Tender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Last Call(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Terror Within II(1991)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Syngenor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • Night Eyes(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Down the Drain(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Forgotten One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Zadar! Cow from Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Memorial Valley Massacre(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Take Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • Outlaw Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • Bewitched(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Marshall Burns

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The New Interns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Freddie

  • Mail Order Bride(1964)

    as Matt Boley

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Summer Magic(1963)

    as Peter Carey (as Jimmy Mathers)

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 51 titles from 1963 to 2024.

Biggest box office

The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

$1.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile' (2004)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 51: 4 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting2 of 51: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography43 of 51: 42 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score21stOther crew2 of 51: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s4 · acting1980s5 · crew1990s22 · crew2000s14 · crew2010s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew2020s1 · 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 James Mathers' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 21st percentile, the median of all 33; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 19th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 35 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th20

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 35 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Universally Panned6
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · cinematographer

Aussie & Ted's Great Adventure (2009)

89th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile' (2004)

Midcredits 97th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 50/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 35. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 James Mathers' 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 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does James Mathers work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Mathers' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ronnie Hadar shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles