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Richard Lester

Richard Lester

Director, actor and producer · Died March 25, 2006, aged 74 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Richard Lester (born 19 January 1932)  is an American-born British-based film director notable for his work with The Beatles in the 1960s and his work on the Superman film series in the 1980s.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 19, 1932
Died
March 25, 2006 (aged 74)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Works as
Director, actor and producer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 29 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 20% in 30 days

What are Richard Lester's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
30%
Morality
20%
Self
15%
Survival
14%
Power
11%
Society
6%
Ideas
4%
Friendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 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 12 · Serious 5 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 9

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 12 · Intense 2

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 4

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 10

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 2

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 11 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 3

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
10
Joyful
7
Thrilling
6
Tense
5
Romantic
5
Other
21

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Richard Lester's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on MGM+ (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Lester'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

29 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Richard Lester! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • Paul McCartney's Get Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • The Return of the Musketeers(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Finders Keepers(1984)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Superman III(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Superman II(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Cuba(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days(1979)

    Director · as Man Watching Hearse Pass by (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Ritz(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Robin and Marian(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Royal Flash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • La route (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Actor

  • The Four Musketeers(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Juggernaut(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Three Musketeers(1973)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Bed Sitting Room(1969)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Petulia(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • How I Won the War(1967)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Help!(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Knack... and How to Get It(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • A Hard Day's Night(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Mouse on the Moon(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • It's Trad, Dad! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Mildred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Script

  • The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director · Cinematographer · Composer · Editor · Writer · Actor

  • A Show Called Fred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

Career shape

A full career of 28 titles from 1956 to 1998.

Biggest box office

Superman II (1980)

$216M worldwide

Highest rated

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Superman III (1983)

Film career

  • 1959Screen debut· The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
  • 1959First top-billed film· The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 28: 2 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting25 of 28: 20 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thWriting1 of 28: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing3 of 28: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleMusic1 of 28: 0 only music, 1 with another roleCinematography1 of 28: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleEditing1 of 28: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 28: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

28 titles, 5 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1950s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew1960s10 · crew1970s9 · 2 acting · 8 crew1980s4 · crew1990s2 · 1 acting · 1 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.

How do Richard Lester's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director, producer

Finders Keepers (1984)

53rd percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Midcredits 94th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Richard Lester's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles16–43 · median 33 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles18–31 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles1–27 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles33–48 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles2–54 · 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 Richard Lester work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Lester's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Victor Smith shares the most, 13.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles