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Jan Merlin

Jan Merlin

Actor · Died September 20, 2019, aged 94 · New York City, New York, USA

Character actor, screenwriter, and author. He had recurring roles on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1951-54) and The Rough Riders (1958-59). Merlin won a Daytime Emmy for writing Another World.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 3, 1925
Died
September 20, 2019 (aged 94)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
27 on Motif · 45 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 28Down 8% in 30 days

What are Jan Merlin's films like?

Across their 13 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Motif score: 41st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Motif score: 16th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Motif score: 9th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Motif score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif 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
Morality
44%
Power
14%
Bonds
14%
Survival
13%
Self
11%
Society
4%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 9 · Intense 1

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 8 · 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 9 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Shadow
2 of 3
Hero
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
5
Thrilling
3
Absurd
3
Hopeful
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous4
  • 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 Jan Merlin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 27 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jan Merlin's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

45 credits, 27 with a Motif page.

  • A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story(1992)

    as Jury Foreman

    Motif score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Silk 2(1989)

    as Hancock Gish

    Motif score: 10th percentile of all films

  • False Identity (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    as Potter - Pete

  • Buried Alive(1990)

    as Attorney

    Motif score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Time Trackers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1989)

    as Max Barker

  • Nowhere to Run (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1989)

    as Mr. Groker

  • Permanent Record(1988)

    Actor

    Motif score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Covenant(1985)

    as Karl

    Motif score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The A-Team(1983)

    Show 1 episode · as Colonel Donald Davis

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Aliens From Another Planet (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)

    as Centauri

  • The Hindenburg(1975)

    as Speck

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all films

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

    Show 1 episode · as Bradner

  • Baretta (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Slater

  • The Slams(1973)

    as Saddler

    Motif score: 41st percentile of all films

  • I Escaped from Devil's Island(1973)

    as Rosenquist

    Motif score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Twilight People(1972)

    as Steinman

    Motif score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Take the Money and Run(1969)

    as Al - Bank Robber

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Strategy of Terror (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

    as Jon

  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre(1967)

    as Willie Marks

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Invaders (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Post

  • Mission: Impossible(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Captain Danko · as Leon

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Jericho (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · as Lt. Karl Linck

  • The Time Tunnel(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Centauri

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Guns of Diablo(1964)

    as Rance Macklin

    Motif score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Angel Galley

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • 12 O'Clock High (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Colonel Grulov

  • Gunfight at Comanche Creek(1963)

    as Nielson

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Fugitive (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Jan Karac

  • Hell Bent for Leather(1960)

    as Travers

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Bonanza(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Bill Enders

    Motif score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Rough Riders (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 39 episodes · Actor

  • Cole Younger, Gunfighter(1958)

    as Frank Wittrock

    Motif score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Tony Davis

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Woman and the Hunter(1957)

    as Robert Gifford

    Motif score: 13th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Peacemaker (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    as Viggo Tomlin

  • A Strange Adventure (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    as Al Kutner

  • Screaming Eagles(1956)

    as Lt. Pauling

    Motif score: 28th percentile of all films

  • A Day of Fury(1956)

    as Billy Brand

    Motif score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Running Wild (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    as Scotty Cluett

  • Illegal(1955)

    as Andy Garth

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Frontier (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 2 episodes · as Clay Chandler

  • The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred Colby

  • Big House, U.S.A.(1955)

    as Tommy (uncredited)

    Motif score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Six Bridges to Cross(1955)

    as Andy Norris

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Flight to Nowhere (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1946)

    as (Unconfirmed) Hotel Bellboy

Career shape

Star power in the 88th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 45 titles from 1946 to 1992; peak year 1968.

Highest rated

Take the Money and Run (1969)

Motif 89th

Film career

19461992

Peak 1968 · steadily prominent in film for years. 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
Acting45 of 45: 45 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Motif score61st

By decade

1940s1 · acting1950s15 · acting1960s13 · acting1970s6 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s4 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles
5570

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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Jan Merlin's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Motif score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Covenant (1985)

75th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Take the Money and Run (1969)

Motif 89th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Jan Merlin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jan Merlin's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ken Metcalfe shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers