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Brian Tyree Henry

Brian Tyree Henry

Actor, also producer · Born March 31, 1982 (44) · Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Henry had a guest role in This Is Us in 2017 and had his film breakthrough in 2018 with roles in Steve McQueen's heist film Widows and Barry Jenkins' romantic drama If Beale Street Could Talk. He has since appeared in Child's Play (2019), Joker (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Bullet Train (2022), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). He portrayed Phastos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a grieving man in the drama film Causeway (2022). He also voiced Jefferson Davis in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Megatron in Transformers One (2024). Henry has also appeared on stage, making his debut performance in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet (2007) and acting in various plays at the Public Theatre before appearing in the original Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon (2011). In 2014, he appeared in the off-Broadway musical The Fortress of Solitude. For his performance in the 2018 Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan's play Lobby Hero, he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brian Tyree Henry, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 31, 1982 (44)
From
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 50 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 3% in 30 days

What are Brian Tyree Henry's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
30%
Morality
22%
Self
19%
Survival
9%
Society
9%
Power
7%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 7 · Dark 7

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 9

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 4 · Intense 13

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 6

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

Casual 8 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 7

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

17 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 6 of 17 analyzed roles.

Ally
6 of 17
Hero
3 of 17
Mentor
2 of 17
Threshold guardian
2 of 17
Shapeshifter
1 of 17
Herald
1 of 17
Trickster
1 of 17
Shadow
1 of 17
Show the 17 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Thrilling
9
Hopeful
11
Melancholic
8
Contemplative
7
Other
26

How their films linger

Hopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet17
  • Ambiguous2

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 Brian Tyree Henry's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 34 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Brian Tyree Henry'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

50 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Batman: Part II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)

    Actor

  • Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse(2027)

    as Jefferson Morales (voice)

  • Panic Carefully (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Actor

  • Bass X Machina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer · as Bass Reeves (voice)

  • March Forth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • Dope Thief(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer · as Ray Driscoll

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • The Fire Inside(2024)

    as Jason Crutchfield

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Trainer(2024)

    as Brian Tyree Henry

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Transformers One(2024)

    as D-16 / Megatron (voice)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire(2024)

    as Bernie Hayes

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Jefferson Davis (voice)

  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse(2023)

    as Jeff Morales (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Class of '09(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · as Tayo Michaels

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Magician's Elephant(2023)

    as Leo Matienne (voice)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Causeway(2022)

    as James

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Bullet Train(2022)

    as Lemon

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Eternals(2021)

    as Phastos

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Vivo(2021)

    as Dancarino (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Woman in the Window(2021)

    as Detective Little

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Outside Story(2020)

    as Charles Young

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla vs. Kong(2021)

    as Bernie Hayes

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Superintelligence(2020)

    as Dennis Caruso

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Prior Walter

  • Joker(2019)

    as Carl (Arkham Clerk)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Don't Let Go(2019)

    as Garret Radcliff

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Child's Play(2019)

    as Mike

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Cold Open (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • If Beale Street Could Talk(2018)

    as Daniel Carty

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse(2018)

    as Jefferson Davis (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Widows(2018)

    as Jamal Manning

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • White Boy Rick(2018)

    as Detective Jackson

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Family(2018)

    as Pete

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Hotel Artemis(2018)

    as Lev / Honolulu

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Irreplaceable You(2018)

    as Benji

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Crown Heights(2017)

    as Massup

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Person to Person(2017)

    as Mike

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Room 104(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Arnold

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows

  • This Is Us(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Ricky

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Atlanta(2016)

    Show 41 episodes · as Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Vice Principals(2016)

    Show 3 episodes · as Tavis Brown

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Puerto Ricans in Paris(2015)

    as Larry Labels

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • How to Get Away with Murder(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank's Public Defender

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • BoJack Horseman(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Cooper Wallace, Jr. / Strib (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Knick(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Larkin

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • My America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • The Good Wife(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Randall Simmons

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Ben

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Golden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Last Night at the Lobster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Running (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 50 titles, 43 of them dated from 1990 to 2026; peak year 2024.

Biggest box office

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

$691M worldwide

Highest rated

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19902026

Peak 2024 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 12 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting50 of 50: 48 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thProducing2 of 50: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s22 · acting2020s19 · 19 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 26 roles
1520

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.

Awards

9 major nominations and no wins, 2017–2026.

  1. 2026
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  2. 2025
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  3. 2023
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Performance
  4. 2019
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
  5. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
  6. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Brian Tyree Henry's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of the 27 of 28 with a score; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 38 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 38 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

The Trainer (2024)

99th percentile spread · 54% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles; fans 79, 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 Brian Tyree Henry's work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 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 & Gore19 titles11–82 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity21 titles8–53 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity19 titles24–84 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs19 titles4–73 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense19 titles28–65 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian 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 Brian Tyree Henry work with?

People who share at least 2 of Brian Tyree Henry's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Phil Lord shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles