Simon Wincer (born 1943 in Sydney) is an Australian film director and film producer. He attended Cranbrook School, Bellevue Hill, Sydney from 1950 to 1961. On leaving school he worked as a stage hand at TV Station Channel 7. By the 1980s he directed over 200 hours of television. In 1986 he directed the made for TV movie The Last Frontier and also won a Christopher Award. His most successful film to date is the 1993 film Free Willy. Description above from the Wikipedia article Simon Wincer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1943 (83)
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Director and producer, also writer
- 20 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
What are Simon Wincer's films like?
Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds 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 18
Light 11 · Serious 7 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1
Gentle 6 · Charged 9 · Intense 3
Steady 12 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2
Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0
Casual 16 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 1
Resolved 18 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy12
- Bittersweet8
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 Simon Wincer's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Simon Wincer'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
46 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Cup(2011)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Comanche Moon(2008)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
Into the West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Young Black Stallion(2003)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Monte Walsh(2003)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Ponderosa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Crossfire Trail(2001)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
P.T. Barnum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
P.T. Barnum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
The Echo of Thunder(1998)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Escape: Human Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Flash(1997)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Phantom(1996)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Operation Dumbo Drop(1995)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Lightning Jack(1994)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Free Willy(1993)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Quigley Down Under(1990)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Lonesome Dove(1989)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Bluegrass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Lighthorsemen(1987)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Last Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Girl Who Spelled Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
D.A.R.Y.L.(1985)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
One Night Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Phar Lap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Man from Snowy River(1982)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Harlequin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Snapshot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Bailey's Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Against the Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Lost Islands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Sullivans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Haunting of Hewie Dowker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Tandarra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Cash and Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Ryan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Career shape
A full career of 45 titles from 1951 to 2011.
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 Simon Wincer's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Simon Wincer's work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, 3 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all 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 Simon Wincer work with?
People who share at least 2 of Simon Wincer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Terry Blythe shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Larry McMurtryShared titles: Comanche Moon (2008), Lonesome Dove (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Larry McMurtry
- Paul HoganShared titles: Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Lightning Jack (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Hogan
Actors
- Tom SelleckShared titles: Monte Walsh (2003), Crossfire Trail (2001), Quigley Down Under (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Tom Selleck
- Tony BonnerShared titles: Quigley Down Under (1990), The Lighthorsemen (1987), The Man from Snowy River (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Tony Bonner
- Tom BurlinsonShared titles: The Cup (2011), The Man from Snowy River (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Burlinson
- William SandersonShared titles: Monte Walsh (2003), Crossfire Trail (2001)See all 2 shared titles with William Sanderson
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Terry BlytheShared titles: NASCAR: The IMAX Experience (2004), The Young Black Stallion (2003), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Crossfire Trail (2001), Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (1998), The Echo of Thunder (1998)See all 6 shared titles with Terry Blythe
- David EggbyShared titles: Monte Walsh (2003), Crossfire Trail (2001), The Echo of Thunder (1998), Lightning Jack (1994), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991), Quigley Down Under (1990)See all 6 shared titles with David Eggby
- David BurrShared titles: The Cup (2011), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (1998), Flash (1997), The Phantom (1996)See all 5 shared titles with David Burr
- Basil PoledourisShared titles: Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Free Willy (1993), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991), Quigley Down Under (1990), Lonesome Dove (1989)See all 5 shared titles with Basil Poledouris
Producers
- David LeeShared titles: The Cup (2011), The Lighthorsemen (1987)See all 2 shared titles with David Lee
- Dyson LovellShared titles: Comanche Moon (2008), Lonesome Dove (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Dyson Lovell
- Michael BrandmanShared titles: Monte Walsh (2003), Crossfire Trail (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Brandman
- Steven J. BrandmanShared titles: Monte Walsh (2003), Crossfire Trail (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Steven J. Brandman