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Michael Cognata

Michael Cognata

Actor · Born May 5, 1988 (38) · Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Cognata attended the Boston Arts Academy (2006) where he majored in theatre. In 2008, Cognata made his television debut in a national commercial for Subway and performed with the poetic entertainment group called ARTiculation. The Boston Herald writes in a 2009 article, "Give the creativity and enthusiasm of this highly talented group of young poets a chance. Their performance is good enough to make even a cynic believe in the power of art." Cognata then moved to New York City and Los Angeles to obtain television roles including Julian Robbins, brother-in-law to battalion chief Wallace Boden on NBC's Chicago Fire (2018), and recurring as Tito, Lip's intern on Showtime's Shameless (2016). He appeared in Hallmark's Romance at Reindeer Lodge (2017). In addition to his work in film and TV, Cognata represented his hometown in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2006), where he performed the play A More Perfect Union.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 5, 1988 (38)
From
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Down 41% in 30 days

What are Michael Cognata's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
31%
Bonds
21%
Self
17%
Survival
15%
Society
13%
Power
3%
Justice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 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 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Hopeful
4
Melancholic
3
Absurd
1
Warm
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Thought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Michael Cognata's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Cognata'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

21 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Pitt(2025)

    Show 3 episodes · as Allen Billings

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Killer Whales(2022)

    as Father T-Dale

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Julia(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Martin

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • A True Crime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Detective Myers

  • The Fix(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Andre Spencer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Good Trouble(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Derrick

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • 9-1-1(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Officer Crawford

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Grown-ish(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Officer Dickson

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Romance at Reindeer Lodge(2017)

    as Greg

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Slamma Jamma(2017)

    as Lizare

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Downpour Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Brendan

  • Life in Pieces(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Realtor Don

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • The Assault(2014)

    as Jordan

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Last Ship(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Firefighting Sailor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Sins of the Preacher(2013)

    as Police Officer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • A Deadly Obsession(2012)

    as Kellen

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Chicago Fire(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Julian Robbins

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Shameless(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tito

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Breakdance Academy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Kyle

  • Castle(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Darren Ives

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Trash Bags (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Miles

Career shape

Star power in the 52nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 2009 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Slamma Jamma (2017)

$1.7M worldwide

Highest rated

Slamma Jamma (2017)

Midcredits 67th

Most popular right now

Romance at Reindeer Lodge (2017)

Film career

  • 2014Screen debut· The Assault

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting21 of 21: 21 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score69th

By decade

2000s1 · acting2010s16 · acting2020s3 · acting

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 Michael Cognata's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 17 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Killer Whales (2022)

83rd percentile spread · 69% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Pitt (2025)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 33. 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 Michael Cognata work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Cognata's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Stimpson shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers