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Kim Thayil

Kim Thayil

Actor · Born September 4, 1960 (66) · Seattle, Washington, USA

Kim Anand Thayil (born September 4, 1960) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he co-founded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. Cornell and Thayil remained as the original members of the band until Cornell's death in 2017, and the band's subsequent split in 2018. Thayil was named the 100th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2010, and the 67th greatest guitarist of all time by SPIN in 2012. Thayil has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 4, 1960 (66)
From
Seattle, Washington, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 12 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are Kim Thayil's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
50%
Survival
29%
Self
16%
Ideas
5%
Grief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 0 · 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 5 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Bittersweet
3
Melancholic
2
Hopeful
4
Contemplative
2
Warm
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4

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 Kim Thayil's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kim Thayil'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

12 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Soundgarden: Live from the Artists Den - The IMAX Experience(2019)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Soundgarden - Live at The Paramount Theatre 1991 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Soundgarden: [2014] Lollapalooza Brazil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Guitars

  • I'm Now: The Story of Mudhoney(2012)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Soundgarden - Live At Lollapalooza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Actor

  • TAD: Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears(2008)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hype!(1996)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Soundgarden: [1992] Pinkpop Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Guitars

  • Soundgarden: Motorvision (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Actor

  • Soundgarden: Louder Than Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Actor

  • Soundgarden: Live in Germany 1990 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Actor

  • Hard Rock Calling: Soundgarden Live at Hyde Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 26th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 12 titles, 11 of them dated from 1990 to 2019.

Most popular right now

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2025)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting12 of 12: 12 only acting, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s5 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s5 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Kim Thayil's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 92nd percentile, the median of all 4; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 90th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

17thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 4 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

Soundgarden: Live from the Artists Den - The IMAX Experience (2019)

76th percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Hype! (1996)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

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 Kim Thayil work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kim Thayil's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris Cornell shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors