Sam Waterston: movies and TV shows
Sam Waterston has 130 credits in the archive: 92 films and 38 TV series, from 1951 to 2026. Highest rated: People's Choice Awards (9.2/10).
Career timeline
1951 – 2026 · busiest year: 1999 (6 credits)
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Full filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Type | Rating | Age then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Carousel | Sam | Film | — | 85 |
| 2024 | The Six Triple Eight | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Film | 7.5 | 83 |
| 2024 | Merchant Ivory | Self | Film | 7.7 | 83 |
| 2024 | A Case for Love | Self | Film | — | 83 |
| 2024 | Rain Falls from Earth: Surviving Cambodia's Darkest Hour | Self (voice) | Film | — | 83 |
| 2023 | Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled | Self | TV | 7.7 | 82 |
| 2022 | The Dropout | George Shultz | TV | 7.3 | 81 |
| 2021 | Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time | Self (voice) | Film | 6.8 | 80 |
| 2020 | The Man in the Woods | Headmaster Waldorf | Film | 4.8 | 79 |
| 2020 | Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story | Self | Film | — | 79 |
| 2018 | On the Basis of Sex | Erwin Griswold | Film | 7.3 | 77 |
| 2018 | The Mayo Clinic | Charlie Mayo (voice) | Film | 7.0 | 77 |
| 2018 | Jane Fonda in Five Acts | Self - (archive footage) | Film | 7.1 | 77 |
| 2017 | Godless | Marshall John Cook | TV | 7.8 | 76 |
| 2017 | Dateline: Saigon | Narrator (voice) | Film | 8.0 | 76 |
| 2017 | Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators | Narrator (voice) | Film | 7.3 | 76 |
| 2016 | Miss Sloane | George Dupont | Film | 7.4 | 75 |
| 2016 | Anesthesia | Prof. Walter Zarrow | Film | 5.7 | 75 |
| 2015 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Self - Guest | TV | 6.1 | 74 |
| 2015 | Grace and Frankie | Sol Bergstein | TV | 7.7 | 74 |
| 2015 | And It Was Good | Judge Alexander Baas / Doctor / Gravedigger | Film | — | 74 |
| 2015 | Please Be Normal | Dad | Film | 3.3 | 74 |
| 2015 | Dean Smith | Narrator | Film | 6.0 | 74 |
| 2013 | Jo | TV | 6.3 | 72 | |
| 2012 | The Newsroom | Charlie Skinner | TV | 8.1 | 71 |
| 2011 | Prohibition | Reader (voice) | TV | 7.9 | 70 |
| 2010 | The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear | Self | Film | 5.9 | 69 |
| 2007 | Masters of Science Fiction | TV | 6.2 | 66 | |
| 2006 | The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays | John Honeyman (segment "A Walk in the Woods") | Film | — | 65 |
| 2005 | The Colbert Report | TV | 6.9 | 64 | |
| 2005 | The Colbert Report | Self (uncredited) | TV | 6.9 | 64 |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Jack McCoy | TV | 8.1 | 64 |
| 2004 | Hammer and Cycle | Self - Narrator | Film | 8.0 | 63 |
| 2003 | Le Divorce | Chester Walker | Film | 5.0 | 62 |
| 2003 | The Commission | J. Lee Rankin | Film | 4.5 | 62 |
| 2002 | The Matthew Shepard Story | Dennis Shepard | Film | 5.6 | 61 |
| 2000 | A House Divided | David Dickson | Film | 6.5 | 59 |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jack McCoy | TV | 8.0 | 58 |
| 1999 | Family Guy | Bruce Kaplan (voice) | TV | 7.4 | 58 |
| 1999 | The Unfinished Journey | Narrator (voice) | Film | 6.5 | 58 |
| 1999 | In Bad Taste | Self | Film | 8.0 | 58 |
| 1999 | Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs | Self / Host / Narrator | Film | 10.0 | 58 |
| 1999 | Here Am I, Send Me: The Story of Jonathan Daniels | Narrator | Film | — | 58 |
| 1998 | Miracle at Midnight | Dr. Karl Koster | Film | 7.5 | 57 |
| 1998 | Exiled | Jack McCoy | Film | 5.9 | 57 |
| 1997 | The View | Self | TV | 4.3 | 56 |
| 1997 | The View | Self - Guest | TV | 4.3 | 56 |
| 1997 | Shadow Conspiracy | The President | Film | 5.0 | 56 |
| 1997 | Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery | Thomas Jefferson (voice) | TV | 7.6 | 56 |
| 1997 | Thomas Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson (voice) | TV | 7.5 | 56 |
| 1996 | The Proprietor | Harry Bancroft | Film | 7.0 | 55 |
| 1995 | Nixon | Richard Helms | Film | 6.9 | 54 |
| 1995 | Amazing Stories: The Movie IV | Jordan Manmouth (archive footage) | Film | — | 54 |
| 1995 | The Journey of August King | Mooney Wright | Film | 6.9 | 54 |
| 1995 | The Journey of August King | Film | 6.9 | 54 | |
| 1995 | Time Life's Lost Civilizations | Narrator | TV | 7.0 | 54 |
| 1994 | Serial Mom | Eugene Sutphin | Film | 6.7 | 53 |
| 1994 | The Enemy Within | President William Foster | Film | 5.8 | 53 |
| 1994 | David's Mother | John Nils | Film | 8.3 | 53 |
| 1994 | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Daniel Chamberlain | Film | 6.3 | 53 |
| 1994 | Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage | Tom Wingfield (archive footage) | Film | 9.0 | 53 |
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Jack McCoy | TV | 8.1 | 52 |
| 1993 | I'll Fly Away: Then and Now | Forrest Bedford | Film | 8.5 | 52 |
| 1992 | HBO First Look | TV | 5.6 | 51 | |
| 1992 | Earth and the American Dream | Reader (voice) | Film | 6.7 | 51 |
| 1991 | I'll Fly Away | Forrest Bedford | TV | 7.5 | 50 |
| 1991 | The Man in the Moon | Matthew Trant | Film | 7.4 | 50 |
| 1991 | Mindwalk | Jack Edwards | Film | 6.9 | 50 |
| 1990 | Law & Order | Jack McCoy | TV | 7.3 | 49 |
| 1990 | The Civil War | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | TV | 7.9 | 49 |
| 1990 | A Captive in the Land | Royce | Film | 5.6 | 49 |
| 1990 | Night of 100 Stars III | Self | Film | 4.0 | 49 |
| 1989 | Tales from the Crypt | G.G. Devoe (segment "As Ye Sow") | TV | 8.0 | 48 |
| 1989 | Crimes and Misdemeanors | Ben | Film | 7.4 | 48 |
| 1989 | Welcome Home | Woody | Film | 6.6 | 48 |
| 1989 | The Nightmare Years | Bill Shirer | TV | 6.5 | 48 |
| 1989 | Lantern Hill | Andrew Stuart | Film | 8.0 | 48 |
| 1988 | Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | TV | 7.5 | 47 |
| 1988 | A Walk in the Woods | John Honeyman | Film | 8.5 | 47 |
| 1988 | Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami | Jim Delmore | Film | 7.0 | 47 |
| 1987 | Devil's Paradise | Jones | Film | 5.7 | 46 |
| 1987 | The Room Upstairs | Travis Coles | Film | 4.8 | 46 |
| 1987 | September | Peter | Film | 6.2 | 46 |
| 1987 | Swimming to Cambodia | Additional Cast from 'The Killing Fields' (archive footage) | Film | 6.9 | 46 |
| 1986 | Hannah and Her Sisters | David (uncredited) | Film | 7.5 | 45 |
| 1986 | Flagrant désir | Inspecteur Gerry Morrison | Film | 5.3 | 45 |
| 1986 | Just Between Friends | Harry Crandall | Film | 5.3 | 45 |
| 1986 | The Fifth Missile | Capt. Allard Renslow | Film | 5.5 | 45 |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | Jordan Manmouth | TV | 7.5 | 44 |
| 1985 | Finnegan Begin Again | Paul Broadbent | Film | 6.5 | 44 |
| 1985 | Warning Sign | Cal Morse | Film | 6.0 | 44 |
| 1985 | Love Lives On | Bernie | Film | 8.0 | 44 |
| 1984 | Jeopardy! | Self | TV | 6.9 | 43 |
| 1984 | The Killing Fields | Sydney Schanberg | Film | 7.5 | 43 |
| 1984 | The Boy Who Loved Trolls | Ofoeti | Film | 4.5 | 43 |
| 1983 | In Defense of Kids | Paul Wilcox | Film | 7.0 | 42 |
| 1983 | Dempsey | Doc Kearns | Film | 6.3 | 42 |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | Robert Oppenheimer | TV | 6.6 | 41 |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | John Honeyman | TV | 6.6 | 41 |
| 1982 | Q.E.D. | Professor Quentin Everett Deverill | TV | 7.1 | 41 |
| 1982 | Games Mother Never Taught You | David Bentells | Film | 8.0 | 41 |
| 1980 | Heaven's Gate | Frank Canton | Film | 6.7 | 39 |
| 1980 | Oppenheimer | Robert Oppenheimer | TV | 6.7 | 39 |
| 1980 | Hopscotch | Jack Cutter | Film | 7.0 | 39 |
| 1980 | Friendly Fire | C.D.B. Bryan | Film | 7.5 | 39 |
| 1980 | Sweet William | William McClusky | Film | 4.3 | 39 |
| 1979 | Eagle's Wing | White Bull | Film | 5.4 | 38 |
| 1978 | Interiors | Mike | Film | 6.8 | 37 |
| 1977 | Capricorn One | Lt. Col. Peter Willis | Film | 6.8 | 36 |
| 1976 | Sweet Revenge | Le Clerq | Film | 5.7 | 35 |
| 1975 | Saturday Night Live | Self (uncredited) | TV | 6.9 | 34 |
| 1975 | People's Choice Awards | Self - Presenter | TV | 9.2 | 34 |
| 1975 | Journey into Fear | Mr. Graham | Film | 6.0 | 34 |
| 1975 | Rancho Deluxe | Cecil Colson | Film | 5.4 | 34 |
| 1974 | The Great Gatsby | Nick Carraway | Film | 6.3 | 33 |
| 1974 | Reflections of Murder | Michael Elliott | Film | 6.8 | 33 |
| 1973 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | Film | 6.0 | 32 |
| 1973 | The Glass Menagerie | Tom Wingfield | Film | 7.7 | 32 |
| 1972 | Savages | James, the Limping Man | Film | 5.3 | 31 |
| 1972 | Mahoney's Last Stand | Felix | Film | 5.7 | 31 |
| 1971 | Film '72 | Self | TV | 4.7 | 30 |
| 1971 | Who Killed Mary Whats'ername? | Alex Monte | Film | 4.9 | 30 |
| 1970 | Cover Me Babe | Cameraman | Film | 4.7 | 29 |
| 1969 | Three | Taylor | Film | 5.2 | 28 |
| 1969 | Generation | Desmond | Film | 5.5 | 28 |
| 1967 | Fitzwilly | Oliver | Film | 6.2 | 26 |
| 1966 | The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean | Andy | Film | 8.3 | 25 |
| 1961 | Dr. Kildare | Mark | TV | 5.7 | 20 |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Travis Coles | TV | 8.8 | 10 |
| Serial Mom: Surreal Moments | Self | Film | — | — |