Scott Waugh (born 1970) is an American film director, producer, and former stunt performer, best known for directing the 2012 war film Act of Valor with Mike McCoy. He also directed the Need for Speed film adaptation. He won the "10 Directors to Watch" award at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1970 (56)
- USA
- Director, editor and producer
- 29 on Motif · 33 credits in all
What are Scott Waugh's films like?
Across their 8 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.
Genres
Their Motif 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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 5
Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 4
Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet2
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 Scott Waugh's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 29 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- Waiting for Lightning (2012) · producer · free
- Last Action Hero (1993) · stunts · free
- Act of Valor (2012) · director, producer, editor · free
- Need for Speed (2014) · director, producer, editor · free
- Feast (2005) · stunts · free
- The One (2001) · stunts · free
- Not Another Teen Movie (2001) · stunts · free
- 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017) · director, producer, editor · free
- In the Shadows (2001) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Scott Waugh's titles on Motif; 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
33 credits, 29 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

Runner(2026)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Expendables 4(2023)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Hidden Strike(2023)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Need for Speed(2014)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Act of Valor(2012)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Waiting for Lightning(2012)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Feast(2005)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Mr. & Mrs. Smith(2005)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Spartan(2004)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Torque(2004)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
The Italian Job(2003)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
National Security(2003)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Step Into Liquid(2003)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
xXx(2002)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Not Another Teen Movie(2001)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The One(2001)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Princess Diaries(2001)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
In the Shadows(2001)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Weight of Water(2000)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Bicentennial Man(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
12 Bucks (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

Volcano(1997)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Escape from L.A.(1996)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Exit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

Spy Hard(1996)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Sudden Death(1995)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Virtuosity(1995)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Last Action Hero(1993)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Last of the Mohicans(1992)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all filmsBreakout (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Eye in the Sky (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 31 titles, 29 of them dated from 1992 to 2026.

Biggest box office
Need for Speed (2014)

Highest rated
Step Into Liquid (2003)

Most popular right now
Runner (2026)
Film career
- 1999Screen debut· Bicentennial Man
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 Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Scott Waugh's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th9
- Below 25th7
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed9
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the atmosphere 52/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif 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 Scott Waugh's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
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 Scott Waugh work with?
People who share at least 2 of Scott Waugh's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nathan Furst shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Jason CottleShared titles: 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017), Act of Valor (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jason Cottle

Composers and cinematographers
- Nathan FurstShared titles: Hidden Strike (2023), 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017), Act of Valor (2012), Waiting for Lightning (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Nathan Furst

- Michael SvitakShared titles: 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017), Waiting for Lightning (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Svitak
Producers
- Michael J. MailisShared titles: 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017), Act of Valor (2012), Waiting for Lightning (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Michael J. Mailis

- Jeffrey GreensteinShared titles: Runner (2026), The Expendables 4 (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Greenstein

- Tucker TooleyShared titles: 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017), Act of Valor (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Tucker Tooley

- Jacob RosenbergShared titles: Act of Valor (2012), Waiting for Lightning (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jacob Rosenberg



