
Lois Smith
Actor · Born November 3, 1930 (95) · Topeka, Kansas, USA
Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 1 other major award body
Lois Arlene Smith (née Humbert; born November 3, 1930) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking, Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016) and Lady Bird (2017). In 2017, Smith received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the science-fiction drama film Marjorie Prime, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards and Saturn Award, and well as won Satellite Award. Smith also has had many roles on television, both daytime and prime time. She was regular cast member in the HBO horror drama True Blood, and well as received Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series nomination for The Americans. Smith also is known for her extensive work in the theatre, receiving two Tony Award nominations for originating the role of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1990) and for the role of Halie in a revival of Buried Child in 1996. She also starred in an acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of The Trip to Bountiful in 2005 for which she received an Obie Award for Best Actress, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Smith is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 3, 1930 (95)
- Topeka, Kansas, USA
- Actor
- 90 on MovieCove · 133 credits in all
What are Lois Smith's films like?
Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds 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 2 · Earnest 41
A split, not a type: Light 16 · Serious 10 · Dark 17
Grounded 34 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4
Gentle 15 · Charged 18 · Intense 10
A split, not a type: Steady 21 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 2
Slow burn 27 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 2
A split, not a type: Casual 22 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 6
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 25 · Heavy 13
Resolved 27 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 5
Roles they play
Usually the Mentor: 8 of 15 analyzed roles.
Show the 15 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Spurs O'Brien in Strange Lady in Town (1955)
- Shadowas Partita Dupea in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
- Heraldas Partita Dupea in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
- Heraldas Anita Cunningham in Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
- Allyas Cornelia in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall (1980)
- Allyas Sophia in How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
- Mentoras Ginger in Tumbleweeds (1999)
- Mentoras Ellie Silverstein in P.S. (2004)
- Mentoras Dr. Imberman in Griffin & Phoenix (2006)
- Mentoras Lois Blair in A Dog Year (2009)
- Mentoras Mom in Roadie (2011)
- Mentoras Mrs. Glenn in The Nice Guys (2016)
- Heroas Marjorie in Marjorie Prime (2017)
- Mentoras Sister Sarah Joan in Lady Bird (2017)
- Mentoras Helen in The Uninvited (2024)
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet26
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous6
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 Lois Smith's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 57 of their 90 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- Frasier (1993) · actor · free
- Sweet Land (2005) · actor · free
- Law & Order (1990) · actor · free
- Griffin & Phoenix (2006) · actor · free
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) · actor · free
- Route 66 (1960) · actor · free
- The Pledge (2001) · actor · free
- Mom (2013) · actor · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · actor · free
- Marjorie Prime (2017) · actor · free
- Just Shoot Me! (1997) · actor · free
- +4 more
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- Five Easy Pieces (1970) · actor · free
- Sweet Land (2005) · actor · free
- Griffin & Phoenix (2006) · actor · free
- Route 66 (1960) · actor · free
- The Pledge (2001) · actor · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · actor · free
- Marjorie Prime (2017) · actor · free
- Up the Sandbox (1972) · actor · free
- Roadie (2011) · actor · free
- Just Shoot Me! (1997) · actor · free
- P.S. (2004) · actor · free
- +4 more
- The Americans (2013) · actor
- Frasier (1993) · actor
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) · actor
- ER (1994) · actor
- True Blood (2008) · actor
- Desperate Housewives (2004) · actor
- This Fool (2022) · actor
- Law & Order (1990) · actor
- Grey's Anatomy (2005) · actor
- Army Wives (2007) · actor
- The Pledge (2001) · actor
- Just Shoot Me! (1997) · actor
- +1 more
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- Frasier (1993) · actor · free
- Sweet Land (2005) · actor · free
- Fatal Attraction (1987) · actor · free
- Griffin & Phoenix (2006) · actor · free
- Route 66 (1960) · actor · free
- Elsbeth (2024) · actor · free
- Marjorie Prime (2017) · actor · free
- Just Shoot Me! (1997) · actor · free
- Killshot (2008) · actor · free
- Touched by an Angel (1994) · actor · free
- Diminished Capacity (2008) · actor · free
- +1 more
- Howdy, show their 3 titles on Howdy
- Shout! TV, show their 3 titles on Shout! TV
- PBS Documentaries, show their 2 titles on PBS Documentaries
- Sony Pictures Core, show their 2 titles on Sony Pictures Core
- Sundance Now, show their 2 titles on Sundance Now
- Best TV Ever, show their title on Best TV Ever
- Cinemax, show their title on Cinemax
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- Magnolia Selects, show their title on Magnolia Selects
- ViX, show their title on ViX
Subscription and free streaming for Lois Smith'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
133 credits, 90 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

The Gettysburg Address(2025)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Lightning Bug (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

On the End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

The Uninvited(2024)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Elsbeth(2024)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
Mack & Rita(2022)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
This Fool(2022)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
The French Dispatch(2021)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Gossip Girl(2021)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Uncle Frank(2020)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

Tesla(2020)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows
Impulse(2018)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
9JKL(2017)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows
Lady Bird(2017)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Marjorie Prime(2017)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Comedian(2016)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
The Nice Guys(2016)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Sneaky Pete(2015)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Grace and Frankie(2015)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Younger(2015)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Run All Night(2015)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Affair(2014)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
The Man Who Came Out Only at Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

Mom(2013)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
The Blacklist(2013)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Ray Donovan(2013)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Americans(2013)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Ruth & Erica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Roadie(2011)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Please Give(2010)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
A Dog Year(2009)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Killshot(2008)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
True Blood(2008)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Diminished Capacity(2008)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Turn the River(2007)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Army Wives(2007)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Griffin & Phoenix(2006)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Hollywoodland(2006)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Little Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Sweet Land(2005)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Grey's Anatomy(2005)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
P.S.(2004)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Desperate Housewives(2004)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
LAX (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

2 Brothers & a Bride(2003)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Iron Jawed Angels(2004)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Cold Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Red Betsy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Minority Report(2002)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Laramie Project(2002)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Powder Keg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

The Hire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

The Pledge(2001)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Tumbleweeds(1999)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
A Will of their Own (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

The Eternal(1998)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Hudson River Blues(1997)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Eye of God(1997)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Just Shoot Me!(1997)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
The Practice(1997)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Larger Than Life(1996)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Twister(1996)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Dead Man Walking(1995)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Truman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

Touched by an Angel(1994)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
ER(1994)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Holy Matrimony(1994)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Frasier(1993)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Falling Down(1993)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Skylark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

Deadly Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

The Donner Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Keep the Change (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Hard Promises(1991)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Fried Green Tomatoes(1991)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Switched at Birth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

The Grapes of Wrath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Coney Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Good Sports (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Green Card(1990)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Law & Order(1990)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
American Experience(1988)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Midnight Run(1988)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

Fatal Attraction(1987)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Black Widow(1987)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Doubletake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Spenser: For Hire(1985)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Twisted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Reckless(1984)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Reuben, Reuben(1983)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Rage of Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Four Friends(1981)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all filmsThe House of Mirth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

Resurrection(1980)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Foxes(1980)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Tales of the Unexpected(1979)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Up the Sandbox(1972)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Particular Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Dragon Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

Five Easy Pieces(1970)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Way We Live Now (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
CBS Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

Route 66(1960)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
The Master Builder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

Startime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Naked City(1958)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Matinee Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Strange Lady in Town(1955)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
East of Eden(1955)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The United States Steel Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

The Loretta Young Show(1953)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Steel Harp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 132 titles, 131 of them dated from 1948 to 2025; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office
Twister (1996)

Highest rated
New York: A Documentary Film (1999)

Most popular right now
Route 66 (1960)
Film career
Peak 2016 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles. 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.
- 1955Screen debut· East of Eden
- 1995Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· How to Make an American Quilt
- 2002Career best· Minority Report
- 2008Career best· True Blood
- 2010Independent Spirit Award win· Please Give
- 2017Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Lady Bird
Billing
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. 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.
Awards
1 major award from 4 major nominations, 1996–2018.
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Female
- Independent Spirit Award, won
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Lois Smith's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 56; across their 43 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up42
- 50th to 74th20
- 25th to 49th19
- Below 25th9
Shape of the crowd
45 of their 90 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved16
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic3
- Crowd Pleaser45
- Broadly Agreed7
- Mixed18
Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 42 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 51. 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.
Is Lois Smith's work okay for kids?
Across up to 24 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Lois Smith work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lois Smith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Margo Martindale shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Michael AlmereydaShared titles: Marjorie Prime (2017), The Eternal (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Almereyda

- Adrian LyneShared titles: Fatal Attraction (1987), Foxes (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Adrian Lyne

- Bob RafelsonShared titles: Black Widow (1987), Five Easy Pieces (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Bob Rafelson

- Daniel PetrieShared titles: The Execution of Raymond Graham (1985), Resurrection (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel Petrie

Actors
- Margo MartindaleShared titles: Uncle Frank (2020), Iron Jawed Angels (2004), The Best Thief in the World (2004), Dead Man Walking (1995)See all 4 shared titles with Margo Martindale

- Michael DouglasShared titles: Falling Down (1993), Hard Promises (1991), Fatal Attraction (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Douglas

- Elizabeth ReaserShared titles: The Uninvited (2024), Sweet Land (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Elizabeth Reaser

- Laurie MetcalfShared titles: Lady Bird (2017), The Execution of Raymond Graham (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Laurie Metcalf

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Michael KahnShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Twister (1996), Fatal Attraction (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Kahn

- Marcelo ZarvosShared titles: Please Give (2010), Hollywoodland (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Marcelo Zarvos

- Klaus BadeltShared titles: Killshot (2008), The Pledge (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Klaus Badelt

- Janusz KaminskiShared titles: Minority Report (2002), How to Make an American Quilt (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Janusz Kaminski

Producers
- Walter F. ParkesShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Twister (1996), How to Make an American Quilt (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Walter F. Parkes

- Scott RudinShared titles: Lady Bird (2017), Reckless (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Scott Rudin

- Tim RobbinsShared titles: Marjorie Prime (2017), Dead Man Walking (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Tim Robbins

- Gerald R. MolenShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Twister (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Gerald R. Molen

Mixed roles
- Jan de BontShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Twister (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Jan de Bont

- Steven SpielbergShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Twister (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Steven Spielberg

- Sean PennShared titles: The Pledge (2001), Dead Man Walking (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Penn



