W. Somerset Maugham
Writer · Died December 15, 1965, aged 91 · Paris, France
William Somerset Maugham CH (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, and became a full-time writer. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories. Maugham's novels after Liza of Lambeth include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor's Edge (1944). His short stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture as Before (1940); many of them have been adapted for radio, cinema and television. His great popularity and prodigious sales provoked adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many of whom sought to belittle him as merely competent. More recent assessments generally rank Of Human Bondage − a book with a large autobiographical element − as a masterpiece, and his short stories are widely held in high critical regard. Maugham's plain prose style became known for its lucidity, but his reliance on clichés attracted adverse critical comment. During the First World War Maugham worked for the British Secret Service, later drawing on his experiences for stories published in the 1920s. Although primarily homosexual, he attempted to conform to some extent with the norms of his day. He became a father and husband, marrying Syrie Wellcome in 1917, three years into an affair that produced their daughter, Liza. The marriage lasted for twelve years, but before, during and after it, Maugham's principal partner was a younger man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Asia, the South Seas and other destinations; Maugham gathered material for his fiction wherever they went. They lived together in the French Riviera, where Maugham entertained lavishly. After Haxton's death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for the rest of the author's life. Maugham gave up writing novels shortly after the Second World War, and his last years were marred by senility. He died at the age of 91. Description above from the Wikipedia article W. Somerset Maugham, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 25, 1874
- December 15, 1965 (aged 91)
- Paris, France
- Writer
- 25 on MovieCove · 91 credits in all
What are W. Somerset Maugham's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
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 1 · Earnest 22
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 7 · Dark 9
A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 17 · Intense 3
Steady 7 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2
Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 12 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 11
Resolved 15 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet13
- Tragic4
- Ambiguous1
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 W. Somerset Maugham's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for W. Somerset Maugham'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
91 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.
The Scar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Painted Veil(2006)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Being Julia(2004)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Up at the Villa(2000)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Change of Fate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Razor's Edge(1984)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Overnight Sensation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Breadwinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Sadie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Wilson's Reward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Sheppey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Gigolo and Gigolette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Tales of the Unexpected(1979)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Do You Remember? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Cakes and Ale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Tragedy of Dr. Hosny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Alta comedia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Constance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
W. Somerset Maugham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Jazz Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Boy Meets Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Kouzlo domova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Kaakum Karangal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Of Human Bondage(1964)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Adorable Julia(1962)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Finden Sie, daß Constanze sich richtig verhält? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
A String of Beads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Somerset Maugham Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Moon and Sixpence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Traitor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Seventh Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Three Cases of Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Three for the Show(1955)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Beachcomber(1954)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Miss Sadie Thompson(1953)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Encore(1951)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all filmsSomerset Maugham Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Trio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Quartet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Unfaithful(1947)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Razor's Edge(1946)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Of Human Bondage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Somewhere in the Night(1946)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Christmas Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
The Hour Before the Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
The Moon and Sixpence(1942)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Letter(1940)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Too Many Husbands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
The Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Vessel of Wrath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Another Dawn(1937)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Isle of Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Cover to Cover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
The Tenth Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Secret Agent(1936)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Right to Live(1935)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Painted Veil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Of Human Bondage(1934)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Narrow Corner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Our Betters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Rain(1932)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Holy Flames (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Woman in the Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The White Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Strictly Unconventional (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
The Sacred Flame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Charming Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
The Letter(1929)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Sadie Thompson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
What a Woman Wants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
The Canadian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
The Magician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Camille: The Fate of a Coquette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Infatuation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Circle(1925)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
East of Suez (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Ordeal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Jack Straw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
The Divorcee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
The Land of Promise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Career shape
A full career of 87 titles from 1917 to 2016.
Biggest box office
The Painted Veil (2006)
Highest rated
The Letter (1940)
Most popular right now
The Painted Veil (2006)
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 W. Somerset Maugham's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 24; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 25 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
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 W. Somerset Maugham work with?
People who share at least 2 of W. Somerset Maugham's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Herbert Marshall shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Howard DimsdaleShared titles: Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love (1974), Somewhere in the Night (1946)See all 2 shared titles with Howard Dimsdale
Actors
- Herbert MarshallShared titles: The Moon and Sixpence (1942), The Letter (1940), The Letter (1929)See all 3 shared titles with Herbert Marshall
- Lilli PalmerShared titles: Adorable Julia (1962), Secret Agent (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Lilli Palmer
- Henry SlateShared titles: Three for the Show (1955), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Slate
- Glynis JohnsShared titles: The Beachcomber (1954), Encore (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Glynis Johns
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Max SteinerShared titles: The Unfaithful (1947), The Letter (1940), Of Human Bondage (1934)See all 3 shared titles with Max Steiner
- Viola LawrenceShared titles: Three for the Show (1955), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Viola Lawrence
- Tony GaudioShared titles: The Letter (1940), Another Dawn (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Gaudio
Producers
- Earl St. JohnShared titles: The Beachcomber (1954), Encore (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Earl St. John
- Jerry WaldShared titles: Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), The Unfaithful (1947)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Wald
- Jack L. WarnerShared titles: The Unfaithful (1947), Another Dawn (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Jack L. Warner
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: The Letter (1940), Another Dawn (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis
