David Gaub McCullough (July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University. His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968), and he wrote nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman, John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Wright brothers. McCullough also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns, as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit, and he hosted the PBS television documentary series American Experience for twelve years. McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize–winning books—Truman and John Adams.—were adapted by HBO into a TV film and a miniseries, respectively.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 7, 1933
- August 7, 2022 (aged 89)
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Actor and writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are David McCullough's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Ideas.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 7
Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
Grounded 7 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 6 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 7 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet1
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
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 David McCullough's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for David McCullough'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
22 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 22 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
John Adams(2008)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
The Colbert Report (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Seabiscuit(2003)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Napoleon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Rescue at Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
America 1900 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Truman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Midnight Ramble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
FDR (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Hurricane of '38 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Ike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Donner Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
LBJ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Civil War(1990)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
The Congress(1989)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all filmsThe World That Moses Built (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
American Experience(1988)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all showsThe Wyeths: A Father and His Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Huey Long(1985)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Brooklyn Bridge(1981)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 85th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 22 titles from 1981 to 2008.
How do David McCullough's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 89th percentile, the median of all 4; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 70. 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 David McCullough work with?
People who share at least 2 of David McCullough's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ken Burns shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Ken BurnsShared titles: The Congress (1989), Huey Long (1985), The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 4 shared titles with Ken Burns
Writers
- Geoffrey C. WardShared titles: The Congress (1989), Huey Long (1985), The Statue of Liberty (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Geoffrey C. Ward
- Amy StechlerShared titles: Huey Long (1985), The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Amy Stechler
- Bernard WeisbergerShared titles: The Congress (1989), The Statue of Liberty (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Bernard Weisberger
- Ric BurnsShared titles: The Congress (1989), The Statue of Liberty (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Ric Burns
Actors
- Arthur MillerShared titles: The Congress (1989), The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur Miller
- Paul RoeblingShared titles: The Congress (1989), The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Roebling
- Derek JacobiShared titles: The Congress (1989), The Statue of Liberty (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Derek Jacobi
- Julie HarrisShared titles: The Congress (1989), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Julie Harris
Composers and cinematographers
- Buddy SquiresShared titles: The Congress (1989), Huey Long (1985), The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 4 shared titles with Buddy Squires
- Jesse CarrShared titles: The Statue of Liberty (1985), Brooklyn Bridge (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Jesse Carr
- John ColbyShared titles: Huey Long (1985), The Statue of Liberty (1985)See all 2 shared titles with John Colby
Mixed roles
- Tom HanksShared titles: California Typewriter (2016), David McCullough: Painting with Words (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Hanks
