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Harper Steele

Harper Steele

Writer, producer and actor · Born August 19, 1961 (65) · USA

Primetime Emmy winner · 1 other major award body

Harper Steele is an American writer. She starred in the 2024 documentary Will & Harper with actor Will Ferrell. She worked at Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2008, serving as head writer from 2004 through 2008. Her accolades include one Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 19, 1961 (65)
From
USA
Works as
Writer, producer and actor
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 15 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 19% in 30 days

What are Harper Steele's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

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

share of theme weight
Self
39%
Bonds
34%
Society
13%
Morality
5%
Survival
5%
Power
2%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 4 · Wry 1 · Earnest 4

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 6

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
8
Joyful
6
Warm
4
Tense
4
Contemplative
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1
  • Other1

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 Harper Steele's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Harper Steele'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

15 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Good Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 1 episode · as Lenore

  • The Hawk(2026)

    Show 10 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Story · Teleplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • What Will I Become?(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Roast of Tom Brady(2024)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga(2020)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • The 2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish(2018)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Spoils Before Dying(2015)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • A Deadly Adoption(2015)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Spoils of Babylon(2014)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Casa de mi Padre(2012)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Weird: The Al Yankovic Story(2010)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Ladies Man(2000)

    Associate Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Doug(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 246 episodes · Writer · as Audience Member (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles, 13 of them dated from 1975 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Ladies Man (2000)

$14M worldwide

Highest rated

Will & Harper (2024)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Doug (1991)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 14: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleWriting12 of 14: 3 only writing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rdProducing8 of 14: 1 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score23rdOther crew3 of 14: 0 only other crew, 3 with another role

14 titles, 9 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1990s1 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s6 · crew2020s4 · crew

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.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy and 4 other major awards from 13 major nominations, 2001–2019.

WinNomination
  1. 2019
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy/Variety Specials
  2. 2017
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy/Variety Sketch Series
  3. 2014
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
  4. 2010
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy/Variety - (Including Talk) Series
  5. 2009
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy/Variety - (Including Talk) Series
  6. 2008
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
  7. 2007
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy/Variety - (Including Talk) Series
  8. 2003
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 2002
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
  2. 2001
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series

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 Harper Steele's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer, producer

The 2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish (2018)

93rd percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

What Will I Become? (2026)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 46/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 6 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.

Is Harper Steele's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 20 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles17–57 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 60 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 15 · mildMedian of all films: 39

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 Harper Steele work with?

People who share at least 2 of Harper Steele's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Will Ferrell shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles