Skip to content
MovieCove
Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder

Writer, director and producer, also actor · Died March 27, 2002, aged 95 · Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary

7 Oscars · 3 Golden Globes · 2 BAFTA Awards · 6 other major award bodies

Billy Wilder, born Samuel Wilder; (22 June 1906 - 27 March 2002) was an Austrian-born director, screenwriter and producer who is regarded as one of the most successful filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Today he is best known for his comedies, although he also directed dramas and film noirs. Wilder is one of only five people who have won Academy Awards as producer, director, and writer for the same film (The Apartment). Wilder's career began in Germany, where he worked as a writer for comedy films from 1930. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, he emigrated to the United States, where he continued to write screenplays, including Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka (1939) and Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire (1941). From the early 1940s, Wilder was allowed to film his own screenplays and thus made a name for himself as a director. Initially, his greatest successes included predominantly dramatic film noirs such as Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Ace in the Hole (1951). It was only then that he increasingly turned to comedy, including Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954) and The Seven Year Itch (1955), although he made a small detour to courtroom drama with Witness for the Prosecution (1957). With Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960) he made his most famous and probably most successful comedy films, the latter even receiving five Oscars. In One, Two, Three (1961), Wilder dealt with the conditions of the time in his former adopted country, Germany, and made the successful romantic comedy Irma la Douce (1963). In the two decades that followed, Wilder made seven more films, which were less well received by critics and audiences, although the German-French drama Fedora (1978) is viewed somewhat more favorably today by predominantly pretentious film experts. Some time later, Wilder was under discussion as director for Schindler's List, which he had wanted as the end of his long career, but ultimately had to turn it down due to his advanced age.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 22, 1906
Died
March 27, 2002 (aged 95)
From
Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary
Works as
Writer, director and producer, also actor
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 79 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 30% in 30 days

What are Billy Wilder's films like?

Across their 44 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy28 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 93rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 99th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile
: browse their Documentary 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
Bonds
31%
Morality
27%
Self
23%
Power
8%
Society
4%
Ideas
4%
Survival
3%
Romantic love20 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception14 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition9 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 44 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 29 · Serious 7 · Dark 8

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 5

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 19 · Charged 16 · Intense 9

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

A split, not a type: Steady 26 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 5

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

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 17

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

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 4

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

A split, not a type: Casual 23 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 4

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

Resolved 40 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
19
Tense
16
Joyful
17
Absurd
15
Warm
10
Other
43

How their films linger

Feel-good24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy27
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Billy Wilder's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Billy Wilder'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

79 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page; 29 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • La Garçonnière (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Original Story

  • Love, Marilyn(2012)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Thanks · as Self (archive footage)

  • The Making of 'Some Like It Hot' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Thanks · as Self (archive footage)

  • Sabrina(1995)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Witness for the Prosecution(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Sugar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Original Film Writer

  • Buddy Buddy(1981)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Fedora(1978)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Front Page(1974)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Double Indemnity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Screenplay

  • Avanti!(1972)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes(1970)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Casino Royale(1967)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Actor

  • The Fortune Cookie(1966)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Kiss Me, Stupid(1964)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Irma la Douce(1963)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mutiny on the Bounty(1962)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • One, Two, Three(1961)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Apartment(1960)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Some Like It Hot(1959)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Witness for the Prosecution(1957)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Love in the Afternoon(1957)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Spirit of St. Louis(1957)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Seven Year Itch(1955)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Emil and the Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Screenplay

  • Sabrina(1954)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Stalag 17(1953)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Ace in the Hole(1951)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Sunset Boulevard(1950)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A Song Is Born(1948)

    Original Film Writer · Story

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • A Foreign Affair(1948)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Emperor Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director · Writer

  • The Bishop's Wife(1947)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Masquerade in Mexico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Original Film Writer

  • The Lost Weekend(1945)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Death Mills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director · Editor

  • Double Indemnity(1944)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Five Graves to Cairo(1943)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Major and the Minor(1942)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Ball of Fire(1941)

    Original Story · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Hold Back the Dawn(1941)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Arise, My Love(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Rhythm on the River(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ninotchka(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • What a Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Midnight(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • That Certain Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Writer

  • Bluebeard's Eighth Wife(1938)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Champagne Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Story

  • First Offence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Original Story

  • Emil and the Detectives(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Lottery Lover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Screenplay

  • Under Pressure(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Music in the Air(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • One Exciting Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Story

  • Bad Seed(1934)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Adorable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Writer

  • What Women Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Screenplay

  • Madame Wants No Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Screenplay

  • The Blue from the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • Where Is This Lady? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Story

  • Scampolo, ein Kind der Straße (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • A Blonde Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • Happy Ever After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • Once There Was a Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • The Winner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • Emil and the Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Screenplay

  • Princess, At Your Orders! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • The Wrong Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • Infidelities (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Story

  • Her Grace Commands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • The Man in Search of His Murderer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Screenplay

  • The fight with the dragon or: The tragedy of the lodger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • People on Sunday(1930)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Der Teufelsreporter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Writer

  • Sunset Boulevard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Film Writer

Career shape

A full career of 75 titles, 74 of them dated from 1929 to 2018.

Biggest box office

Sabrina (1995)

$54M worldwide

Highest rated

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 75: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting27 of 75: 0 only directing, 27 with another role · typical Midcredits score89thWriting69 of 75: 43 only writing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score88thProducing15 of 75: 0 only producing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thEditing1 of 75: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 75: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

75 titles, 27 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 26 of them.

By decade

1920s1 · crew1930s30 · crew1940s14 · crew1950s10 · crew1960s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew1970s6 · crew1980s3 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s1 · crew

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.

Awards

7 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes, 2 BAFTA Awards and 16 other major awards from 69 major nominations, 1940–2000.

WinNomination
  1. 2000
    • Producers Guild Award, won
  2. 1997
    • Producers Guild Award, won
  3. 1995
    • BAFTA Award, won · Film
  4. 1993
    • Berlinale award, won
  5. 1991
    • Directors Guild Award, won
  6. 1988
    • Oscar, won
  7. 1985
    • Directors Guild Award, won
  8. 1980
    • Writers Guild Award, won
Show 22 earlier years
  1. 1975
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
  2. 1973
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
  3. 1972
    • Venice award, won
  4. 1971
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
  5. 1967
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
  6. 1964
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
  7. 1962
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
  8. 1961
    • Oscar, won · Best Director
    • Oscar, won · Best Picture
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Film from any Source
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Directors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Comedy
  9. 1960
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film from any Source
    • +3 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Venice award, nominated
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Comedy
  10. 1959
    • Venice award, nominated
  11. 1958
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Comedy
  12. 1957
    • Writers Guild Award, won
  13. 1956
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
  14. 1955
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Screenplay
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Comedy
  15. 1954
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
  16. 1952
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay
  17. 1951
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Director
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay
    • +3 other major bodies · 2 wins and 2 nominations
      • Venice award, won
      • Venice award, nominated
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Drama
  18. 1949
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Musical
  19. 1946
    • Oscar, won · Best Director
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Screenplay
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Director
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Cannes award, won · Feature Film
  20. 1945
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Director
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay
  21. 1942
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Original Story
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay
  22. 1940
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Billy Wilder's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Approval · how many liked their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Midcredits score across 44 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up34
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 44 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved14
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Music in the Air (1934)

73rd percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 71/100 and the plot and story 59/100 in their films, across 43 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Billy Wilder's work okay for kids?

Across up to 23 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore21 titles7–35 · median 27 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity23 titles5–33 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity23 titles2–25 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs22 titles28–45 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense21 titles7–40 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Billy Wilder work with?

People who share at least 2 of Billy Wilder's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Doane Harrison shares the most, 15.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles