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Thomas G. Waites

Thomas G. Waites

Actor, also director, writer and producer · Born January 8, 1955 (71) · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

An American actor and acting instructor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Waites runs an acting studio in New York City which is named for him. He has been a member of the Actor's Studio since 1984. Since the 1970s, Waites has appeared in over 30 television and film productions. Some of his credits as a television actor include NYPD Blue, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Oz, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and The Jury. In film, he appeared in Unwed Father, State of Grace, ...And Justice for All, Gangland, An American Affair, The Warriors, and the John Carpenter film The Thing. Description above from the Wikipedia article Thomas G. Waites, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 8, 1955 (71)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor, also director, writer and producer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 42 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 64 days to Oct 27Up 1% in 30 days

What are Thomas G. Waites' films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 3rd percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Morality
35%
Survival
18%
Bonds
16%
Self
14%
Power
6%
Ideas
6%
Society
6%
Justice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 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 6 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 8 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 7 · 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 9 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 9 · 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 8 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 5 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 5
Hero
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Absurd
7
Melancholic
7
Dread
4
Warm
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5

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 Thomas G. Waites' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Thomas G. Waites' 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

42 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Brooklyn's Gone To Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Richard Crown

  • Target(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • 6:45(2021)

    as Larry

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Savant(2019)

    as Chief Bocchino

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • FBI(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Dryden

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • The Punisher(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Walsh

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Broadway's Finest(2012)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Homeland(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Clayton

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Life Zone(2011)

    as Roger Fields

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Great Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Chief Bocchino

  • The Grand Theft(2011)

    Producer · as Randy Lemar

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • An Affirmative Act(2010)

    as Samuel 'Dixie' Backus

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • New Amsterdam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as James Lucas

  • The Exonerated (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Deputy

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Lance Brody · as Mo Turman

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Nailed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Carpet Guy

  • American Virgin(1999)

    as Grip

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Rites of Passage(1999)

    as John Willio

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • A Thousand Men and a Baby(1997)

    as Supply Sergeant

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Cop

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • An American Affair(1997)

    as Mulroney

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Timelock(2000)

    as Warden Andrews

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Money Train(1995)

    as Barricade Captain

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Sliders(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Randy, Airplane Mechanic

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • McBain(1991)

    as Gill

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • State of Grace(1990)

    as Frankie's Man #1

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Bill Spence · as Burton Fenster · as Captain Lewis Webber · as David Drucker

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Kojak: Flowers for Matty(1990)

    as Tink

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Verne Miller Story(1987)

    as Al Capone

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Shakedown(1988)

    as Officer Kelly

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Light of Day(1987)

    as Smittie

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Crime Story(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Prosecutor

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Clan of the Cave Bear(1986)

    as Broud

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Jim Kaufman · as Shep Morrow

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as D.E.A. Agent Thompson

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The Face of Rage(1983)

    as Howard

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Thing(1982)

    as Windows

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • And Justice for All(1979)

    as Jeff McCullaugh

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Other Side of Victory(1979)

    as Joel Purvis

  • The Warriors(1979)

    as Fox (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • On the Yard(1978)

    as Chilly

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Block (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 91st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 42 titles, 41 of them dated from 1978 to 2025; peak year 1982.

Biggest box office

And Justice for All (1979)

$33M worldwide

Highest rated

And Justice for All (1979)

Midcredits 93rd

Film career

19782025

Peak 1982 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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
Acting41 of 42: 41 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score44thDirecting1 of 42: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 42: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s4 · acting1980s9 · acting1990s11 · acting2000s5 · acting2010s9 · acting2020s3 · 2 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 10 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 Thomas G. Waites' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of the 25 of 26 with a score; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 22nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 34 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

The Savant (2019)

98th percentile spread · 52% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Thing (1982)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 60/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 37. 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 Thomas G. Waites' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Thomas G. Waites work with?

People who share at least 2 of Thomas G. Waites' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Blanche Baker shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers