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Michael Stuhlbarg

Michael Stuhlbarg

Actor · Born July 5, 1968 (58) · Long Beach, California, USA

2 Screen Actors Guild Awards · Primetime Emmy nominee · Golden Globe nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Michael Stuhlbarg (/ˈstuːlˌbɑːrɡ/ STOOL-barg; born July 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known as a character actor, having portrayed a variety of roles in film, television, and theatre. He has received several awards, including nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He rose to prominence as troubled university professor Larry Gopnik in the 2009 dark comedy film A Serious Man, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Stuhlbarg has since become known as a character actor and has appeared in numerous films and television series portraying real-life figures, such as George Yeaman in Lincoln (2012), Lew Wasserman in Hitchcock (2012), Andy Hertzfeld in Steve Jobs (2015), Edward G. Robinson in Trumbo (2015), Abe Rosenthal in The Post (2017), and Stanley Edgar Hyman in Shirley (2020). His other supporting roles include Hugo (2011), Men in Black 3 (2012), Blue Jasmine (2013), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Arrival (2016), Call Me by Your Name and The Shape of Water (both 2017), and Bones and All (2022). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing as Nicodemus West in Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). On television, he portrayed Arnold Rothstein in HBO's Boardwalk Empire (2010–2013), Richard A. Clarke in The Looming Tower (2018), and Richard Sackler in Dopesick (2021), receiving Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nominations for the latter two. He also acted in FX's Fargo (2017), Showtime's Your Honour (2020–2023), and HBO's The Staircase (2022). On stage, Stuhlbarg has acted in numerous productions, including the 2005 debut of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman on Broadway, for which he won a Drama Desk Award and received a Tony Award nomination. He returned to Broadway playing Boris Berezovsky in Peter Morgan's Patriots (2024) and received a second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Stuhlbarg, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 5, 1968 (58)
From
Long Beach, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
47 on MovieCove · 55 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 26

What are Michael Stuhlbarg's films like?

Across their 39 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Biography6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Crime 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
32%
Morality
26%
Power
15%
Bonds
13%
Society
6%
Survival
5%
Ideas
3%
Identity11 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themePower4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 32 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 7 · Dark 16

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 14 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 6

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 15 · Intense 14

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 5

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 4

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

Casual 3 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 9

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 14

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 13 · Ambiguous 6

Roles they play

19 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 6 of 19 analyzed roles.

Mentor
6 of 19
Shadow
6 of 19
Trickster
2 of 19
Ally
2 of 19
Hero
1 of 19
Shapeshifter
1 of 19
Threshold guardian
1 of 19
Show the 19 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
28
Melancholic
22
Dread
15
Contemplative
13
Warm
5
Other
31

How their films linger

Thought-provoking22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous14

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 Michael Stuhlbarg's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 39 of their 47 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Stuhlbarg'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

55 credits, 47 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Digger(2026)

    as Vice President

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • We Are Windows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Dad

  • After the Hunt(2025)

    as Frederik Mendelssohn

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Amateur(2025)

    as Schiller

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Instigators(2024)

    as Mr. Besegai

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Bones and All(2022)

    as Jake

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Staircase(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as David Rudolf

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022)

    as Dr. Nic West

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Dopesick(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · as Richard Sackler

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • American Oz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as L. Frank Baum (voice)

  • Your Honor(2020)

    Show 20 episodes · as Jimmy Baxter

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Shirley(2020)

    as Stanley Hyman

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Traitors(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · as Rowe

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • The Looming Tower(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Richard Clarke

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Post(2017)

    as Abe Rosenthal

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Shape of Water(2017)

    as Dr. Robert Hoffstetler

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Call Me by Your Name(2017)

    as Mr. Perlman

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Miss Sloane(2016)

    as Pat Connors

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Arrival(2016)

    as Agent Halpern

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Doctor Strange(2016)

    as Dr. Nicodemus West

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Miles Ahead(2015)

    as Harper Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Trumbo(2015)

    as Edward G. Robinson

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Steve Jobs(2015)

    as Andy Hertzfeld

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Pawn Sacrifice(2014)

    as Paul Marshall

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Carvalho's Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Narrator

  • Cut Bank(2014)

    as Derby Milton

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Transparent(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · as Chaim

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The 50 Year Argument (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Narration

  • Fargo(2014)

    Show 10 episodes · as Sy Feltz

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq(2013)

    as Jerome Robbins (voice)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Blue Jasmine(2013)

    as Dr. Flicker

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Hitchcock(2012)

    as Lew Wasserman

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Lincoln(2012)

    as George Yeaman

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Seven Psychopaths(2012)

    as Tommy

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Men in Black 3(2012)

    as Griffin

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Hugo(2011)

    as René Tabard

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Boardwalk Empire(2010)

    Show 48 episodes · as Arnold Rothstein

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Goldstar, Ohio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as The Interviewer

  • God in America(2010)

    Show as Isaac Mayer Wise

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • A Serious Man(2009)

    as Larry Gopnik

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Cold Souls(2009)

    as Hedge Fund Consultant

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Afterschool(2008)

    as Mr. Burke

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Body of Lies(2008)

    as Ferris' Attorney

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer(2009)

    as Edward Teller

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Damages(2007)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Bernard Herschenfeld

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Ugly Betty(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Heinrich

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Jerry

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Solidarity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Paweł

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Marcel Costas

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Grey Zone(2001)

    as Cohen

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Invention of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Alfred William Pollard

  • The Hunley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Wicks

  • A Price Above Rubies(1998)

    as Young Hassid

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Timothy Pace

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • American Experience(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Officer Stephen Colden

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 54 titles from 1988 to 2026; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

$956M worldwide

Highest rated

Dopesick (2021)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Digger (2026)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutAward winNomination
19882026

Peak 2016 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 10 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.

Show 2 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting54 of 54: 54 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s3 · acting2000s12 · acting2010s26 · acting2020s12 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 3% of 30 roles
981318

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

2 Screen Actors Guild Awards and 1 other major award from 10 major nominations, 2010–2022.

WinNomination
  1. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  2. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
  3. 2016
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  4. 2014
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  5. 2013
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  6. 2012
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  7. 2011
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  8. 2010
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won

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 Michael Stuhlbarg's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 32; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 47 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up30
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th7

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 47 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed4

Most loved · actor

Fargo (2014)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the acting 79/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 54. 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 Michael Stuhlbarg's work okay for kids?

Across up to 32 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore29 titles13–86 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity32 titles10–73 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity29 titles33–86 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs29 titles24–71 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense30 titles15–81 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian 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 Michael Stuhlbarg work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Stuhlbarg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Luca Guadagnino shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles