Carlos Bee Masterson Jr. was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Masterson often worked with his cousin, writer Horton Foote. Acting from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, including 1975's The Stepford Wives as Walter Eberhart, since then he concentrated mostly on directing and producing. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is his daughter; she appeared with her father in The Stepford Wives, playing one of his daughters. His other acting credits include roles in Ambush Bay (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Counterpoint (1968), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), Tomorrow (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Man on a Swing (1974), and Gardens of Stone (1987). Masterson co-wrote (with Larry L. King) the books for the hit musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978) and its short-lived sequel The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (1994). In 1980, he produced the ABC television movie, "City in Fear" based on an idea by screenwriter William Goldman—an idea that became the well-reviewed 1979 novel "Panic on Page One" by Linda Stewart, and the television script by Albert Ruben. The cast was led by Robert Vaughn and David Janssen in the final role before his death that year. In 1985, he directed The Trip to Bountiful, for which Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film also featured his wife, Carlin Glynn who had previously won a Tony Award for her role in 'Whorehouse.' His directing credits additionally include Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Night Game (1989), Blood Red (1989), Convicts (1991), Arctic Blue (1993), The Only Thrill (1997), Lost Junction (2003), and Whiskey School (2005). Masterson died at the age of 84 on December 18, 2018, after suffering a fall at his home. He had received a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease 14 years earlier.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 1, 1934
- December 18, 2018 (aged 84)
- Houston, Texas, USA
- Actor, director, producer and writer
- 19 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
What are Peter Masterson's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.
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 17
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 7 · Dark 8
Grounded 11 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0
Gentle 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 4
Steady 10 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 3 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 5
Resolved 11 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Sgt. William Maccone in Ambush Bay (1966)
- Allyas Sergeant Calloway in Counterpoint (1967)
- Heraldas Major Oswald Boelcke in Von Richthofen and Brown (1971)
- Threshold guardianas Walter Eberhart in The Stepford Wives (1975)
- Allyas Lieutenant Tom Wharton in A Question of Guilt (1978)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic3
- 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 Peter Masterson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).
- In the Heat of the Night (1967) · actor · free
- The Trip to Bountiful (1985) · director · free
- Tomorrow (1972) · actor · free
- The Stepford Wives (1975) · actor · free
- Gardens of Stone (1987) · actor · free
- Von Richthofen and Brown (1971) · actor · free
- The Only Thrill (1997) · director, producer · free
- Convicts (1991) · director · free
- Full Moon in Blue Water (1988) · director · free
- Ambush Bay (1966) · actor · free
- Lily Dale (1996) · director · free
- Night Game (1989) · director · free
- +1 more
Subscription and free streaming for Peter Masterson'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, 19 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Whiskey School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Lost Junction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Mermaid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Only Thrill(1997)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Lily Dale(1996)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Arctic Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Convicts(1991)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Night Game(1989)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Blood Red(1989)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Full Moon in Blue Water(1988)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Gardens of Stone(1987)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Witchfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Trip to Bountiful(1985)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
City in Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
A Question of Guilt(1978)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Storyteller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Quinns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Delta County, U.S.A.(1977)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Stepford Wives(1975)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Man on a Swing(1974)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Exorcist(1973)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Pueblo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Tomorrow(1972)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Von Richthofen and Brown(1971)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Counterpoint(1967)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
In the Heat of the Night(1967)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Ambush Bay(1966)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 29 titles from 1966 to 2005.
Film career
- 1967Screen debut· In the Heat of the Night
Billing
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.
How do Peter Masterson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 49. 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 Peter Masterson's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Peter Masterson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peter Masterson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Horton Foote shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Horton FooteShared titles: Lily Dale (1996), Convicts (1991), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Tomorrow (1972)See all 4 shared titles with Horton Foote
Actors
- Carlin GlynnShared titles: Convicts (1991), Blood Red (1989), Night Game (1989), The Trip to Bountiful (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Carlin Glynn
- Sam ShepardShared titles: The Only Thrill (1997), Lily Dale (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Shepard
- Mary Stuart MastersonShared titles: Lily Dale (1996), The Stepford Wives (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Mary Stuart Masterson
- Robert DuvallShared titles: Convicts (1991), Tomorrow (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Duvall
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Peter MelnickShared titles: The Only Thrill (1997), Lily Dale (1996), Convicts (1991)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Melnick
- Fred MurphyShared titles: Night Game (1989), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), The Trip to Bountiful (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Fred Murphy
- Don E. FauntLeRoyShared titles: The Only Thrill (1997), Lily Dale (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Don E. FauntLeRoy
- Jill SavittShared titles: Convicts (1991), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Jill Savitt
Producers
- Sterling Van WagenenShared titles: Convicts (1991), The Trip to Bountiful (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Sterling Van Wagenen
- Eduard SarluiShared titles: Night Game (1989), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Eduard Sarlui
- Moshe DiamantShared titles: Night Game (1989), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Moshe Diamant