Skip to content
MovieCove
Sam Trammell

Sam Trammell

Actor, also producer and writer · Born January 29, 1969 (57) · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Sam Trammell (born 29 January, 1969) is an American stage, film and television actor, best known for starring as Sam Merlotte in the vampire series "True Blood". He's a graduate from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, and the Sorbonne, Paris, France, with a Bachelor of Arts in Semiotics.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 29, 1969 (57)
From
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer and writer
Titles
47 on MovieCove · 66 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 24% in 30 days

What are Sam Trammell's films like?

Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography 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
Survival
29%
Bonds
20%
Morality
16%
Self
14%
Society
12%
Power
7%
Ideas
3%
Grief9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 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 5 · Serious 10 · Dark 15

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

Grounded 25 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 17 · Intense 12

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 18 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 2

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

A split, not a type: Casual 14 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 4

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 6 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 14

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

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

14 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 3 of 14 analyzed roles.

Hero
3 of 14
Shadow
3 of 14
Ally
2 of 14
Threshold guardian
2 of 14
Herald
2 of 14
Mentor
2 of 14
Show the 14 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
23
Melancholic
17
Dread
10
Hopeful
12
Bittersweet
6
Other
22

How their films linger

Hopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet17
  • 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 Sam Trammell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 34 of their 47 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Trammell'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

66 credits, 47 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Blue Eyed Girl(2025)

    as Harrison

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Girl Who Survived: The Alina Thompson Story(2025)

    as Carl Thompson

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • 72 Hours(2024)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • ReEntry(2024)

    as Lucas Bello

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Gray House(2024)

    Show as Jefferson Davis

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Big George Foreman(2023)

    as Rev. Virdell Stokes

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Organ Trail(2023)

    as Logan

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Pursued(2025)

    as Jack

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Rookie: Feds(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as SSA Neal Wizaro

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows

  • Unsilenced(2021)

    as Daniel Davis

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Tiger Rising(2022)

    as Robert Horton Sr.

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • American Refugee(2021)

    as Winter

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • It's Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Coach Billy Brewer

  • Reckoning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · as Leo Doyle

  • 3 Days with Dad(2019)

    as Dr. Rabinowitz

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • I See You(2019)

    as Todd

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Breakthrough(2019)

    as Dr. Kent Sutterer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase(2019)

    as Carson Drew

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Order(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · as Eric Clarke

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Hospitality(2018)

    as Cam

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • La Gran Promesa(2017)

    as O'Connor

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Say You Will(2017)

    as Dean Hall

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • 3 Generations(2015)

    as Matthew

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • This Is Us(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ben

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Imperium(2016)

    as Gerry Conrad

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Track (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Scott

  • I Am Wrath(2016)

    as Det. Gibson

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Chicago Med(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · as Walter Macron

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • All Mistakes Buried(2015)

    Producer · Writer · as Sonny

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Cocked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Richard Paxson

  • Me(2014)

    as David

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • The Fault in Our Stars(2014)

    as Michael Lancaster

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • After the Fall(2014)

    as Lee

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • White Rabbit(2013)

    as Darrell

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Privileged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Preston Westwood

  • Crazy Kind of Love(2013)

    as Jeff

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Details(2011)

    as Chris (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Guns, Girls and Gambling(2012)

    as Sheriff Cowley

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Childrens Hospital(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Denizen Stoop

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • True Blood(2008)

    Show 80 episodes · as Sam Merlotte

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem(2007)

    as Tim

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • What If God Were the Sun?(2007)

    as Jeff

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dexter(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Matt Chambers

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Bones(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Ken Thompson

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Numb3rs(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Thomas Gill

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Medium(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Brian Seward

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Anonymous Rex(2004)

    as Vincent Rubio

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • House(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Ethan Hartig

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • CSI: NY(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Charles Wright

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Last Full Measure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Cold Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Porter Rawley (1981)

  • Undermind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Derrick Hall / Zane Waye

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Gray Vanderhoven

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Going to California (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 20 episodes · as Kevin "Space" Lauglin

  • Followers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as John Dietrich

  • Autumn in New York(2000)

    as Simon

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Strong Medicine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Kiko Ellsworth

  • Fear of Fiction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Red / Tom Hopkins

  • Beat(2000)

    as Lee

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Judging Amy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · as Marty Levine

  • Trinity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 9 episodes · as Liam McCallister

  • Maximum Bob (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sonny Dupree

  • Wrestling with Alligators (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Will

  • Childhood's End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Greg Chute

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 65 titles from 1951 to 2025; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

$307M worldwide

Highest rated

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

True Blood (2008)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19512025

Peak 2015 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 5 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting65 of 65: 65 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

1950s1 · acting1990s5 · acting2000s22 · acting2010s25 · acting2020s12 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 20 roles
0015

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

Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2010, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama 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 Sam Trammell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 32nd percentile, the median of all 33; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 47 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th13

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 47 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed26

Most divisive · actor

72 Hours (2024)

85th percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

This Is Us (2016)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 35. 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 Sam Trammell's work okay for kids?

Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles26–93 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity16 titles10–56 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles18–87 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles17–47 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles31–76 · median 58 · 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 Sam Trammell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Trammell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tim McCann shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers