Skip to content
MovieCove
David S. Ward

David S. Ward

Writer, director and producer, also actor · Born October 25, 1945 (81) · Providence, Rhode Island, USA

David Schad Ward (born October 25, 1945) is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his screenplays for the films The Sting (1973) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), winning for the former. He was also nominated for a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Writers Guild of America Awards. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 25, 1945 (81)
From
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Works as
Writer, director and producer, also actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove
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 26Up 24% in 30 days

What are David S. Ward's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
27%
Self
21%
Society
17%
Morality
16%
Survival
9%
Power
6%
Ideas
5%
Community6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 5 · 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 8 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
9
Tense
6
Hopeful
7
Warm
7
Romantic
5
Other
16

How their films linger

Feel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet7

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 David S. Ward's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David S. Ward'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

16 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I'll Find You(2019)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Bloodwork(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Flyboys(2006)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Major League: Back to the Minors(1998)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Down Periscope(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Major League II(1994)

    Director · Characters · Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Program(1993)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Sleepless in Seattle(1993)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • King Ralph(1991)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Major League(1989)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Milagro Beanfield War(1988)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Saving Grace(1986)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Sting II(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Cannery Row(1982)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Sting(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Steelyard Blues(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles from 1973 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

$228M worldwide

Highest rated

The Sting (1973)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing6 of 16: 1 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting14 of 16: 9 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thProducing2 of 16: 1 only producing, 1 with another role

16 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s5 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s2 · 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 David S. Ward's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · writer

The Sting II (1983)

62nd percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Sting (1973)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 16 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 David S. Ward's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles10–54 · median 31 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles25–46 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles38–64 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 9 · minimalMedian 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 David S. Ward work with?

People who share at least 2 of David S. Ward's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Corbin Bernsen shares the most, 3.

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers