Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by the stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. Smear was a founding member of punk band the Germs and was the touring guitarist for grunge band Nirvana from 1993 to 1994. After Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of its frontman Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl went on to become the frontman of rock band Foo Fighters, with Smear soon joining on guitar. He left Foo Fighters in 1997, before rejoining as a touring guitarist in 2005, and has been a full-time member since 2010.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 5, 1959 (67)
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Actor and producer
- 2 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
What are Pat Smear's films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 2
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 1
Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
A split, not a type: Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 1
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Allyas Pat Smear in Studio 666 (2022)
Moods and endings
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 Pat Smear's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 2 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Pat Smear'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
10 credits, 2 with a MovieCove page; 59 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Studio 666(2022)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Times Like Those: Foo Fighters 25th Anniversary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Morning Show(2019)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all showsMedia Blitz: The Germs Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Nirvana: Unplugged In New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
The Book of Manson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Citizen Tania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Foo Fighters - Music Video Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Foo Fighters: Live at Pinkpop 2026 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Foo Fighters: Tibetan Freedom Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 48th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 10 titles, 7 of them dated from 1989 to 2022.
Film career
- 2022Screen debut· Studio 666
How do Pat Smear's films land?
Their one MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 94th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 2 titles divides audiences: 1 is Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 45/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 48, detractors 15. 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 Pat Smear work with?
People who share at least 2 of Pat Smear's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dave Grohl shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Dave GrohlShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Dave Grohl
- Chris ShiflettShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Chris Shiflett
- Nate MendelShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Nate Mendel
- Taylor HawkinsShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Taylor Hawkins
Producers
- Gaby SkolnekShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Gaby Skolnek
- John CutcliffeShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with John Cutcliffe
- John SilvaShared titles: Studio 666 (2022), Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011)See all 2 shared titles with John Silva