Everett McGill

Actor · Born October 21, 1945 (81) · Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Everett McGill is an American actor who was born in Miami Beach, Florida, on October 21, 1945. He is best known for his roles in the films Quest for Fire (1981), Dune (1984), Silver Bullet (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Licence to Kill (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991), and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). He also had a recurring role as "Big" Ed Hurley on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). McGill began his acting career on Broadway, appearing in the award-winning plays Equus, A Texas Trilogy, and Whose Life Is It, Anyway? He made his film debut in 1975 with a small role in the film The Day of the Locust. He went on to have a number of supporting roles in films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1981, McGill starred in the film Quest for Fire, which was a critical and commercial success. He followed this up with a starring role in the film Dune, which was also a success. McGill continued to have a successful career in the 1980s, appearing in a number of films, including Silver Bullet, Heartbreak Ridge, Licence to Kill, and The People Under the Stairs. In the 1990s, McGill's career slowed down, but he still appeared in a number of films, including Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, The Quick and the Dead, and The Faculty. He also had a recurring role on the television series Twin Peaks. McGill retired from acting in 1999, but he returned for the revival of Twin Peaks in 2017. He has since retired from acting again.

What are Everett McGill's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action3 titles27^th

Adventure3 titles58^th

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

Morality

34%

Bonds

26%

Survival

18%

Power

10%

Society

6%

Self

6%

Survival4 Family bonds3 Justice3 Revenge2 Oppression2 Redemption3 Friendship2 Loyalty2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7

Serious

Tone · Weight

lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 4 · Dark 3

Stylized

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Intense

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 7

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 3

Engaged

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 1

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

6 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 5 of 6 analyzed roles.

Shadow

5 of 6

Hero

1 of 6

Heroas Naoh in Quest for Fire (1981)
Shadowas Reverend Lowe in Silver Bullet (1985)
Shadowas Major Powers in Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
Shadowas Oberlus in Iguana (1988)
Shadowas Daddy in The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Shadowas Penn in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

8

Thrilling

3

Dread

2

Melancholic

3

Hopeful

2

Other

5

How their films linger

Hopeful4 Fun4 Rousing3 Cathartic3 Unsettling2

How their films end · 1 with a twist

Happy7
Bittersweet1
Ambiguous1

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 Everett McGill's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Subscription and free streaming for Everett McGill'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

27 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
as Big Ed Hurley
The Straight Story(1999)
as Tom the John Deere Dealer
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Jekyll Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
as Dalton Bradford
My Fellow Americans(1996)
as Col. Paul Tanner
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
JAG(1995)
Show 1 episode · as Bradley Dunston
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory(1995)
as Penn
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The People Under the Stairs(1991)
as Man
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Jezebel's Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
as Sheriff Dan Riley
Twin Peaks(1990)
Show 32 episodes · as Big Ed Hurley
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Show 3 episodes · as Bob Rawlings
Twin Peaks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
as Big Ed Hurley
Licence to Kill(1989)
as Killifer
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Iguana(1988)
as Oberlus
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Tour of Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Three on a Match(1987)
as Boss
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Werewolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Heartbreak Ridge(1986)
as Major Malcolm A. Powers
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Field of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
as Sergeant 'Sire' De Koning
Silver Bullet(1985)
as Reverend Lowe
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Dune(1984)
as Stilgar
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Quest for Fire(1981)
as Naoh
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
A Time for Miracles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
as The Farmer
Union City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
as Larry Longacre
Brubaker(1980)
as Caldwell
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Yanks(1979)
as Racist GI at Dance
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Enemies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
as Ryabtsov
Against All Odds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Show 6 episodes · as Host

Career shape

Star power in the 97^th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 27 titles, 26 of them dated from 1974 to 2014; peak year 1985.

Biggest box office

Licence to Kill (1989)

$156M worldwide

Highest rated

Quest for Fire (1981)

Midcredits 88^th

Film career

MilestoneBreakout

19742014

Peak 1985 · 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.

1979Screen debut· Yanks
1981First top-billed film· Quest for Fire
1981Breakout· Quest for Fire
1990Career best· Twin Peaks

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting27 of 27 · 58^th

By decade

1970s2 · acting1980s14 · acting1990s9 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 8% of 12 roles

17%

0%

7989

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.

How do Everett McGill's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58^th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62^nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62^ndpercentile

Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

58^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

94^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

75^th and up4
50^th to 74^th8
25^th to 49^th3

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

Universally Loved2
Crowd Pleaser9
Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Three on a Match (1987)

66^th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Straight Story (1999)

Midcredits 98^th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 44. 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 Everett McGill's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles

Violence & Gore6 titles74–90 · median 82 · severeheavier than most films

Sex & Nudity6 titles24–59 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all films

Profanity6 titles20–79 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most films

Alcohol & Drugs6 titles17–60 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all films

Frightening / Intense6 titles57–75 · median 71 · intenseheavier 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 Everett McGill work with?

People who share at least 2 of Everett McGill's MovieCove titles; Russ Kavanaugh shares the most, 2.

Russ Kavanaugh2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Russ Kavanaugh