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Phillip Edward Van Lear

Phillip Edward Van Lear

Actor · Aurora, Illinois, USA

Phillip Edward Van Lear is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Michael Sr. in Tyler Perry's film Meet the Browns and Louis Patterson on FOX's Prison Break.

Biography from TMDB.

From
Aurora, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 26 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 65 days to Oct 28Down 38% in 30 days

What are Phillip Edward Van Lear's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
48%
Morality
24%
Self
14%
Power
14%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · 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 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
3
Romantic
2
Hopeful
2
Tense
1
Thrilling
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Phillip Edward Van Lear's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Phillip Edward Van Lear'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

26 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • Killing Eleanor(2020)

    as Harold

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Holiday Heist(2019)

    as Robert

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

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

    as Gerald

  • The Chi(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · as Alderman Wayne Bonner

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Perfect Christmas Present(2017)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Crash(2017)

    as Colonel Ryan

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Southside with You(2016)

    as Fraser C. Robinson

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Mute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Monette

  • A Light Beneath Their Feet(2015)

    as Joe

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Empire(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Kippelman

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Two Thieves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Roman Guard

  • Crisis(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Senator Mason Yarrow

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • My Dog the Space Traveler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Clarence

  • Boss(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · as Alderman Alverson

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Chicago Code(2011)

    Show as Ellis Hicks

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • The Express(2008)

    as NAACP Member

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Meet the Browns(2008)

    as Michael Sr.

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Prison Break(2005)

    Show 13 episodes · as Louis Patterson

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Barbershop 2: Back in Business(2004)

    as Mr. Diggs

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Rest of Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Buddy

  • Chicago Cab(1997)

    as Father-To-Be

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Night of the Lawyers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as TV Anchorman

  • EZ Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Early Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Rojas

  • A Family Thing(1996)

    as Club Manager

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Thieves Quartet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Jimmy Fuqua

Career shape

Star power in the 82nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles from 1993 to 2020; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Southside with You (2016)

$6.6M worldwide

Highest rated

The Chicago Code (2011)

Midcredits 81st

Film career

19932020

Peak 2017 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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
Acting25 of 25: 25 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60th

By decade

1990s6 · acting2000s5 · acting2010s13 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 12th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

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.

How do Phillip Edward Van Lear's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 11; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Meet the Browns (2008)

93rd percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Prison Break (2005)

Midcredits 96th · 91% 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 Phillip Edward Van Lear work with?

People who share at least 2 of Phillip Edward Van Lear's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gabrielle Lott-Rogers shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers