Martin Gerald Sherman (born December 22, 1938) is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his 20 stage plays which have been produced in over 60 countries. He rose to fame in 1979 with the production of his play Bent, which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust. Bent was a Tony nominee for Best Play in 1980 and won the Dramatists Guild's Hull-Warriner Award. It was adapted by Sherman for a major motion picture in 1997 and later by independent sources as a ballet in Brazil. Sherman is an openly gay Jew, and many of his works dramatize "outsiders," dealing with the discrimination and marginalization of minorities whether "gay, female, foreign, disabled, different in religion, class or color." He has lived and worked in London since 1980. Description above from the Wikipedia article Martin Sherman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 22, 1938 (87)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Writer, actor and producer
- 7 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
What are Martin Sherman's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
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 7
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 4
Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 1
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical1
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 Martin Sherman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Martin Sherman'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
14 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Frank and Percy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Smyrna(2021)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Bent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Empty Plan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Bubble(2006)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Mrs. Henderson Presents(2005)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Callas Forever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Bent(1997)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Alive and Kicking(1996)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Clothes in the Wardrobe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Career shape
A full career of 11 titles from 1985 to 2026.
How do Martin Sherman's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th3
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 64/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
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 Martin Sherman's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 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 Martin Sherman work with?
People who share at least 2 of Martin Sherman's MovieCove titles; Rupert Graves shares the most, 2.
- Rupert GravesShared titles: Smyrna (2021), Bent (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Rupert Graves
- Sean MathiasShared titles: McKellen: Playing the Part (2017), Bent (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Mathias
