Haggis began to work as a writer for television programs, including The Love Boat, One Day at a Time, Diff'rent Strokes, and The Facts of Life. With The Facts of Life, Haggis also gained his first credit as producer. During the 1980s and 1990s, Haggis wrote for television series including thirtysomething, The Tracey Ullman Show, FM, Due South, L.A. Law, and EZ Streets. He helped to create the television series Walker, Texas Ranger; Family Law; and Due South. Haggis served as executive producer of the series Michael Hayes and Family Law. He gained recognition in the film industry for his work on the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby, which Allmovie described as a "serious milestone" for the writer/producer, and as "his first high-profile foray into feature film". Haggis had read two stories written by Jerry Boyd, a boxing trainer who wrote under the name of F.X. Toole. Haggis later acquired the rights to the stories, and developed them into the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood portrayed the lead character in the film. Eastwood also directed the film, and used the screenplay written by Haggis. Million Dollar Baby received four Academy Awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture. After Million Dollar Baby, Haggis worked on the 2004 film Crash. Haggis came up with the story for the film on his own, and then wrote and directed the film, which allowed him greater control over his work. Crash was his first experience as director of a major feature film. Highly positive upon release, critical reception of Crash has since polarized, although Roger Ebert called it the best film of 2005. Crash received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, in addition to four other Academy Award nominations. Haggis received two Academy Awards for the film: Best Picture (as its producer), and Best Writing for his work on the screenplay. With Million Dollar Baby and then Crash, Haggis became the first individual to have written Best Picture Oscar-winners in two consecutive years. Haggis said that he wrote Crash to "bust liberals", arguing that his fellow liberals were not honest with themselves about the nature of race and racism because they believed that most racial problems had already been resolved in American society.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 10, 1953 (73)
- London, Ontario, Canada
- Writer, director, producer and actor
- 24 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
What are Paul Haggis' films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
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 15
Light 1 · Serious 4 · Dark 10
Grounded 12 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 8
Steady 3 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 1
Casual 3 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 9
A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic1
- 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 Paul Haggis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Paul Haggis' 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, 24 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Walker(2021)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows
5B(2018)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Show Me a Hero(2015)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
MLE (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Third Person(2013)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Next Three Days(2010)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Kopf oder Zahl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Quantum of Solace(2008)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Ian Fleming's Incredible Creation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
The Road to Casino Royale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Crash(2008)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
In the Valley of Elah(2007)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Black Donnellys(2007)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Letters from Iwo Jima(2006)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Casino Royale(2006)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Flags of Our Fathers(2006)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Last Kiss(2006)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Crash(2004)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Million Dollar Baby(2004)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Entourage(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Mister Sterling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Family Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Michael Hayes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
EZ Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Due South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Due South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Red Hot(1993)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Walker, Texas Ranger(1993)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
You Take the Kids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Return of the Shaggy Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Together We Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
L.A. Law(1986)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
CBS Storybreak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Who's the Boss?(1984)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows
Mr. Merlin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Facts of Life(1979)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows
Diff'rent Strokes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
One Day at a Time(1975)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
Career shape
A full career of 42 titles from 1975 to 2021.
Biggest box office
Casino Royale (2006)
Highest rated
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Most popular right now
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
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 Paul Haggis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved6
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 56/100 in their films, across 14 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 Paul Haggis' work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, 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 Paul Haggis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Paul Haggis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Clint Eastwood shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Clint EastwoodShared titles: The Evolution of Clint Eastwood (2008), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Million Dollar Baby (2004)See all 4 shared titles with Clint Eastwood
- Aaron NorrisShared titles: Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Aaron Norris
Writers
- Neal PurvisShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Neal Purvis
- Robert WadeShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Wade
- Albert S. RuddyShared titles: Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Albert S. Ruddy
- Bruce CerviShared titles: Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Cervi
Actors
- James FrancoShared titles: Third Person (2013), In the Valley of Elah (2007)See all 2 shared titles with James Franco
- Olivia WildeShared titles: Third Person (2013), The Next Three Days (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Olivia Wilde
- Daniel CraigShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel Craig
- Giancarlo GianniniShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Giancarlo Giannini
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Jo FrancisShared titles: 5B (2018), Third Person (2013), The Next Three Days (2010), In the Valley of Elah (2007)See all 4 shared titles with Jo Francis
- Tom SternShared titles: Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), The Last Kiss (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Tom Stern
- David ArnoldShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with David Arnold
- Mark IshamShared titles: In the Valley of Elah (2007), Crash (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Isham
Producers
- Robert LorenzShared titles: Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Million Dollar Baby (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Lorenz
- Michael NozikShared titles: Third Person (2013), The Next Three Days (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Nozik
- Barbara BroccoliShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Barbara Broccoli
- Michael G. WilsonShared titles: Quantum of Solace (2008), Casino Royale (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Michael G. Wilson
Mixed roles
- Anatole TaubmanShared titles: Third Person (2013), Quantum of Solace (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Anatole Taubman
