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Tracy Letts

Tracy Letts

Actor and writer · Born July 4, 1965 (61) · Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for August: Osage County (2007), for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. As an actor, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2013). As a playwright, Letts is known for having written for the Steppenwolf Theatre, Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre. His works include Killer Joe, Bug, Man from Nebraska, August: Osage County, Superior Donuts, Linda Vista, and The Minutes. Letts adapted three of his plays into films, Bug and Killer Joe, both directed by William Friedkin, and August: Osage County, directed by John Wells. His 2009 play Superior Donuts was adapted into a television series of the same name. As a stage actor, Letts has performed in various classic plays with the Steppenwolf Theatre since 1988. He made his acting Broadway debut as George in the revival of Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He continued acting on the Broadway stage in The Realistic Joneses, All My Sons, and The Minutes. On television, he is known for his portrayal of Andrew Lockhart in seasons 3 and 4 of Showtime's Homeland from 2013 to 2014, and pyramid-scheme con-artist Nick on the HBO comedy series Divorce from 2016 to 2019. He played Jack McKinney in the HBO sports drama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (2022–2023) for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. On film he has portrayed Henry Ford II in James Mangold's sports drama Ford v Ferrari (2019) and Herb Sargent in Jason Reitman's biographical comedy-drama Saturday Night (2024). He has also taken leading roles in The Lovers (2017) as well as supporting roles in The Big Short (2015), Indignation (2016), Imperium (2016), Lady Bird (2017), The Post (2017), Little Women (2019), and A House of Dynamite (2025). Description above from the Wikipedia article Tracy Letts, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 4, 1965 (61)
From
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Works as
Actor and writer
Titles
41 on MovieCove · 47 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 37% in 30 days

What are Tracy Letts' films like?

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

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Crime 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
29%
Bonds
23%
Morality
17%
Society
14%
Survival
12%
Ideas
5%
Power
1%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 15

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 8 · Intense 10

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2

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 13 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 3

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 3

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 14

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 5

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 3 of 10 analyzed roles.

Shadow
3 of 10
Threshold guardian
3 of 10
Trickster
1 of 10
Herald
1 of 10
Hero
1 of 10
Ally
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Melancholic
14
Dread
6
Bittersweet
5
Warm
6
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous9

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 Tracy Letts' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 37 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tracy Letts' 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

47 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Liberation(2026)

    as Reuben

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • I Play Rocky(2026)

    as Sandy Maddox

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • East of Eden(2026)

    Show 7 episodes · as Cyrus Trask

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Rosebush Pruning(2026)

    as Father

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The American Revolution(2025)

    Show 1 episode · as (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • A House of Dynamite(2025)

    as General Anthony Brady

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Lowdown(2025)

    Show 4 episodes · as Frank Martin

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • The Paper(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · as John Stack

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Eric LaRue(2023)

    as Bill Verne

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night(2024)

    as Herb Sargent

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • McVeigh(2024)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Throwback(2024)

    Show as Mitch Grossman

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • Deep Water(2022)

    as Don Wilson

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · as Jack McKinney

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Ghostbusters: Afterlife(2021)

    as Jack (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Writer · as Announcer

  • The Woman in the Window(2021)

    Producer · Screenplay · as Dr. Landy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • French Exit(2020)

    as Franklin Price (voice)

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Little Women(2019)

    as Mr. Dashwood

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Ford v Ferrari(2019)

    as Henry Ford II

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Post(2017)

    as Fritz Beebe

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Lady Bird(2017)

    as Larry McPherson

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Lovers(2017)

    as Michael

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Christine(2016)

    as Michael

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Divorce(2016)

    Show 20 episodes · as Nick

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Imperium(2016)

    as Dallas Wolf

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Indignation(2016)

    as Dean Caudwell

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Wiener-Dog(2016)

    as Danny

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Elvis & Nixon(2016)

    as John Finlator

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Big Short(2015)

    as Lawrence Fields

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • August: Osage County(2013)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Killer Joe(2011)

    Screenplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Homeland(2011)

    Show 24 episodes · as Andrew Lockhart

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Bug(2006)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Strong Medicine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Ken

  • Guinevere(1999)

    as Zack

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Chicago Cab(1997)

    as Sports Fan

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • U.S. Marshals(1998)

    as Sheriff Poe

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Early Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Jonathan · as Marksman

  • Profiler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Alan Chandler

  • The Drew Carey Show(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Lomax

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Straight Talk(1992)

    as Sean (voice)

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Home Improvement(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Henry

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Tracy Letts (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Seinfeld(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Counter Guy

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Paramedics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Van Owner

  • Liminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 46 titles, 43 of them dated from 1988 to 2026; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

$226M worldwide

Highest rated

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Rosebush Pruning (2026)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19882026

Peak 2016 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 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
Acting43 of 46: 41 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thWriting5 of 46: 3 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 46: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s3 · acting1990s8 · acting2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s15 · 13 acting · 2 crew2020s15 · 15 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 16 roles
9919

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

6 major nominations and no wins, 2014–2024.

  1. 2024
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
  2. 2018
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  3. 2015
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  4. 2014
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted 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 Tracy Letts' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 29; across their 23 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 23

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 41 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 41 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · actor

I Play Rocky (2026)

74th percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 80/100 in their films, across 23 reviewed titles; fans 87, detractors 55. 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 Tracy Letts' work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore16 titles11–81 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity21 titles6–67 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity16 titles50–86 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles22–65 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense16 titles13–78 · median 51 · moderateheavier 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 Tracy Letts work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tracy Letts' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Darrin Navarro shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers