Bruce Spielbauer has appeared in more than 100 feature films, and in various TV shows and commercials. He has also been in more than 140 professional plays since he began his acting career. Based out of the Chicago area, Bruce often travels for work, and has stated that he "enjoys the process of creating a role from scratch, making a character come to life from its beginnings on the written page." He much prefers roles that are "three-dimensional" to those who are merely a "stereotype" or a cliché." Bruce's training began with acting classes in his teens, at the age of 14, followed by a BFA in acting. Since then, Bruce continues his training with numerous workshops, classes, and seminars. Bruce continues to study to this day, formally. His most recent teacher was Robyn Coffin, a regular on NBC's TV series Chicago Fire (2012). On stage, Bruce worked for seven seasons as a full time company member of a professional summer-rep dinner theater. He worked on a riverboat on the Mississippi River as a full-time actor for eight seasons. Bruce continued to work on stage for years after, especially in Chicago, and then began to branch out to film and television in the late 1990s. More recently, Bruce has been working in movies, and TV, although he tries to return to the stage at least once each year. Bruce is represented for acting, voice, and print by Ambassador Talent.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are Bruce Spielbauer's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 11
Light 2 · Serious 5 · Dark 4
Grounded 9 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 2 · Charged 7 · Intense 2
Steady 7 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Shadowas The Trader in The Dark Knight (2011)
- Mentoras John McDonald in Dearest Jane (2015)
- Shadowas Mr. Nelson in Animus: The Tell-Tale Heart (2015)
- Allyas Sheriff Cooper in For Hannah (2021)
- Mentoras Drifter in Without Grace (2021)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous4
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 Bruce Spielbauer's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- You're OUT! (2023) · actor, producer · free
- Market Value (2017) · actor · free
- Dearest Jane (2015) · actor · free
- For Hannah (2021) · actor, producer · free
- The Things We've Seen (2017) · actor · free
- Without Grace (2021) · actor, producer · free
- The Lurker (2019) · actor · free
- Animus: The Tell-Tale Heart (2015) · actor · free
- The Dark Knight (2011) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Bruce Spielbauer'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
20 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.
You're OUT!(2023)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
For Hannah(2021)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Without Grace(2021)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
The Lurker(2019)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Market Value(2017)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Things We've Seen(2017)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Dearest Jane(2015)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Judas Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Disappeared (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Bachelors Grove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Wayward Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Bled White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Dark Knight(2011)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Message from Jerusalem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
The Amateur Monster Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
BlackBoxTV Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Dark Knight(2008)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 18 titles from 2008 to 2023.
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.
How do Bruce Spielbauer's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 20th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 12th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th7
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 12 titles are Divisive.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive6
- Cult Classic1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 47/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 16. 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.
Who does Bruce Spielbauer work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bruce Spielbauer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shannon Brown shares the most, 3.
Writers
- John LerchenShared titles: The Lurker (2019), Dearest Jane (2015)See all 2 shared titles with John Lerchen
Actors
- Shannon BrownShared titles: You're OUT! (2023), For Hannah (2021), Without Grace (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Shannon Brown
- Robyn CoffinShared titles: Without Grace (2021), The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Robyn Coffin
- Sean Patrick LeonardShared titles: Without Grace (2021), The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Patrick Leonard
- Noah McCarty-SlaughterShared titles: Market Value (2017), The Things We've Seen (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Noah McCarty-Slaughter
Composers and cinematographers
- John Wesley NortonShared titles: For Hannah (2021), Without Grace (2021)See all 2 shared titles with John Wesley Norton
- Misha SegalShared titles: The Lurker (2019), Dearest Jane (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Misha Segal
Producers
- Ric MorganShared titles: For Hannah (2021), Without Grace (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Ric Morgan
- Suzette BrownShared titles: For Hannah (2021), Without Grace (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Suzette Brown
Mixed roles
- Katharin 'Ladie K' MrazShared titles: You're OUT! (2023), For Hannah (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Katharin 'Ladie K' Mraz
