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Bill Irwin

Bill Irwin

Actor, also writer · Born April 11, 1950 (76) · Santa Monica, California, USA

Critics Choice Award nominee

William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of the American circus during the 1970s. He has made several appearances on film and television. He won a for his role in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He also worked as a choreographer on Broadway. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1989 for Largely New York. He is also known as Mr. Noodle on the Sesame Street segment Elmo's World, and he appeared in the Sesame Street film short Does Air Move Things? He has regularly appeared as Dr. Peter Lindstrom on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and had a recurring role as "The Dick & Jane Killer" on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. From 2017 to 2019, he appeared as Cary Loudermilk on the FX television series Legion. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Irwin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 11, 1950 (76)
From
Santa Monica, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also writer
Titles
61 on MovieCove · 89 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

What are Bill Irwin's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Family2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Family 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
Self
26%
Society
24%
Bonds
20%
Morality
13%
Survival
9%
Power
5%
Ideas
2%
Community12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 14 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 11 · Charged 8 · Intense 2

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 5

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Trickster: 2 of 10 analyzed roles.

Trickster
2 of 10
Hero
2 of 10
Ally
2 of 10
Threshold guardian
2 of 10
Mentor
1 of 10
Shadow
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
12
Tense
8
Joyful
8
Warm
11
Contemplative
9
Other
22

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5

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 Bill Irwin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 41 of their 61 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bill Irwin'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

89 credits, 61 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • All That She Wants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • The Odyssey(2026)

    as Cyclops

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Beast in Me(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · as James Ingram

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • High Tide(2024)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • 4th Dementia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Lou

  • Rustin(2023)

    as A. J. Muste

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Endgame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Clov

  • Spoiler Alert(2022)

    as Bob

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Andy Warhol Diaries(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Andy Warhol

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Dropout(2022)

    Show 4 episodes · as Channing Robertson

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Gilded Age(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Cornelius Eckhard

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Lust Life Love(2021)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Irresistible(2020)

    as Elton Chambers

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration(2019)

    as Mr. Noodle

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • New Amsterdam(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · as Calvin Bennett

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Star Trek: Discovery(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · as Su'Kal

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Julie's Greenroom(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Legion(2017)

    Show 27 episodes · as Cary Loudermilk

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • This Is Us(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Spencer · as ER Doctor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Quarry(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Harlowe

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Confirmation(2016)

    as Senator Jack Danforth

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Old Hats(2016)

    Writer · Actor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • South of Hell(2015)

    Show 8 episodes · as Enos Abascal

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Sesame Street: Play All Day with Elmo! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Ricki and the Flash(2015)

    as Single Dad

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Show Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Cap'n Andy Hawks

  • Identity Theft (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Mark

  • Interstellar(2014)

    as TARS (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Sleepy Hollow(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · as Atticus Nevins

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Monday Mornings(2013)

    Show 10 episodes · as Buck Tierney

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Elementary(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Richard Balsille

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's Magic Numbers(2012)

    as Mr. Noodle

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Higher Ground(2011)

    as Pastor Bud

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Penguins and Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Voice

  • Lights Out(2011)

    Show 13 episodes · as Hal Brennan

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Blue Bloods(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · as Cardinal Brennan

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Goldstar, Ohio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Chief Jeff 'Goob' Garver

  • Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Mr. Noodle (uncredited) (archive footage)

  • Sesame Street: Elmo and Friends: The Letter Quest and Other Magical Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • The Good Wife(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred Medkiff

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Life on Mars(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Schwahn

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Rachel Getting Married(2008)

    as Paul Buchman

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Dark Matter(2007)

    as Hal Silver

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Across the Universe(2007)

    as Uncle Teddy

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Raving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Dito

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: What Makes You Happy? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Lady in the Water(2006)

    as Mr. Leeds

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Reach for the Sky! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Mr Noodle

  • The Manchurian Candidate(2004)

    as Scoutmaster

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Families, Mail & Bath Time! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: The Street We Live On! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Mr. Noodle (uncredited)

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Head to Toe with Elmo! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!(2002)

    as Mr. Noodle

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Igby Goes Down(2002)

    as Lt. Smith

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Elmo's World: Family Feature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Wake Up with Elmo! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • The Laramie Project(2002)

    as Harry Woods

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Wild Wild West! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Nate Royce

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas(2000)

    as Lou Lou Who

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2000)

    Show 9 episodes · as Nate Haskell

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Flowers, Bananas & More! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Singing, Drawing & More! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Sesame Street: Elmo's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Mr. Noodle

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 16 episodes · as Dr. Peter Lindstrom

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream(1999)

    as Tom Snout

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Illuminata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Marco

  • Just the Ticket(1998)

    as Ray Charles

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • SubwayStories: Tales from the Underground(1997)

    as Bill Irwin (segment "Subway Car from Hell")

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Pickles

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Silent Tongue(1993)

    as Comic

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit(1993)

    as Unnamed Brother #1

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Pete & Pete (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as The Broker

  • The Last Mile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as The Maestro

  • Stepping Out(1991)

    as Geoffrey

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Hot Shots!(1991)

    as Buzz Harley

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Scenes from a Mall(1991)

    as Mime

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Reader

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Ellison Conway

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • My Blue Heaven(1990)

    as Kirby

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Northern Exposure(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as Enrico Bellati

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Eight Men Out(1988)

    as Eddie Collins

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A New Life(1988)

    as Eric

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Cosby Show(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Eddie Bartholomew

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • The Regard of Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Actor

  • Popeye(1980)

    as Ham Gravy

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Mudflat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Actor

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Self - Special Guest · as The Dancing Man (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Sesame Street(1969)

    Show 4 episodes · as Mr. Noodle

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 89 titles from 1969 to 2026; peak year 2007.

Biggest box office

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

$350M worldwide

Highest rated

Legion (2017)

Midcredits 87th

Film career

19692026

Peak 2007 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting89 of 89: 88 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stWriting1 of 89: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s1 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s17 · acting2000s26 · acting2010s25 · 25 acting · 1 crew2020s13 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 20 roles
809510

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Nominated for a Critics Choice Award in 2009, Best Acting Ensemble.

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 Bill Irwin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 34; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 61 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up28
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

34 of their 61 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser34
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · actor

Lust Life Love (2021)

86th percentile spread · 57% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Interstellar (2014)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 41. 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.

Is Bill Irwin's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles13–49 · median 33 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles15–53 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles21–70 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles23–64 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles12–67 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all 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 Bill Irwin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bill Irwin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christine Ferraro shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles