---
name: "Robert Altman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-altman"
fi1m_id: "robert-altman"
imdb_id: "nm0000265"
tmdb_id: 9789
wikidata_id: "Q55163"
roles: ["Director","Writer","Producer"]
born: "20 February 1925"
died: "20 November 2006"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "director"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-04T16:48:32.395811+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robert Altman

## Identity

Robert Altman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/robert-altman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** robert-altman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000265
- **TMDB ID:** 9789
- **Wikidata ID:** Q55163
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Altman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55163, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000265/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9789

Director and writer. Born 20 February 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Died 20 November 2006.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer, Producer
- **Born:** 20 February 1925, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- **Died:** 20 November 2006
- **Active:** 1959–2001
- **Also known as:**  Robert B. Altman, Robert Bernard Altman , 로버트 알트만, 로버트 알트먼, رابرت آلتمن, 勞勃阿特曼
- **Frequently works with:** [Elliott Gould](https://film.one/person/elliott-gould.md), [Tim Robbins](https://film.one/person/tim-robbins.md)
- **BAFTA Film Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as director, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 84 (4), 1980s 64 (1), 1990s 84 (2), 2000s 85 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 84 to 80 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Comedy 5, Mystery 3, Crime 2, Thriller 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $266m across 8 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Altman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55163, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000265/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9789

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*McCabe & Mrs. Miller*](https://film.one/film/mccabe-and-mrs-miller.md) (90)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Long Goodbye*](https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye.md) (86)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Player*](https://film.one/film/the-player.md) (85)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*M*A*S*H*](https://film.one/film/m-a-s-h.md) (72)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Robert Altman

> Robert Altman lets conversations overlap and gives us time to notice people beyond the leading actor. We rate him highly for that curiosity, though his fondness for a crowded scene can leave the story wandering.

In *The Player* (1992), Jean Lépine’s camera keeps moving for eight minutes before the first cut. Altman gives us time to look beyond Griffin Mill, the studio executive played by Tim Robbins, and take an interest in the business around him. We were delighted by the freedom to look without an edit repeatedly deciding what mattered. It is an inviting way into a satire, because he lets us get interested in these people before asking us to judge them.

The breakthrough was *M\*A\*S\*H* (1970), followed by the Western *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* (1971) and the sprawling ensemble of *Nashville* (1975). His overlapping dialogue, recorded across multiple tracks, lets several conversations compete for attention; mobile cameras, zooms and long takes give us places to look while we listen. This can be absorbing, but it can also be hard to follow. He returned to prominence with *The Player* and *Short Cuts* (1993). The later *Gosford Park* (2001) put his interest in groups to work on British class distinctions.

In *The Player*, Altman’s confidence in Robbins matters as much as his patience with the camera. Michael Tolkin’s screenplay supplies a thriller alongside the Hollywood satire, so the industry jokes need not sustain the whole film. Robbins makes Griffin’s charm seem practised without advertising every calculation behind it. Altman trusts him to hold our attention without promising a decent man beneath the agreeable manner. The reservation is that the famous guests sometimes attract more interest than the story can use, and the pleasure of knowing everybody softens the criticism.

The surroundings do useful work too. Stephen Altman and Ken Kaufman’s production design makes Hollywood feel like somewhere people go to work, which helps Griffin’s self-interest pass as ordinary professional conduct. Thomas Newman’s music keeps unease beneath the comedy without treating every joke as a warning. Altman can let a scene remain amusing without losing the possibility of trouble.

The risk elsewhere is that several conversations and several stories can leave us unsure which deserve our attention. His willingness to let people interrupt one another is worth that occasional muddle, but it does not make every loose end interesting. Begin with *The Player*; save the larger ensembles for an evening when following one clear story is not essential.

## Biography

Robert Altman was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed *The Player* (1992) and *Short Cuts* (1993), for which he also wrote the screenplay. Other notable films include *M*A*S*H* (1970), *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* (1971), *Nashville* (1975) and *Gosford Park* (2001).

Altman received an Academy Honorary Award in 2006. Three of his films — *M*A*S*H*, *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* and *Nashville* — were selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (8)

- *Gosford Park* (2001), Fi1m 85, Director, Producer, Idea — [page](https://film.one/film/gosford-park.md)
- *Short Cuts* (1993), Fi1m 84, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/short-cuts.md)
- *The Player* (1992), Fi1m 85, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-player.md)
- *Popeye* (1980), Fi1m 64, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/popeye.md)
- *Nashville* (1975), Fi1m 89, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/nashville.md)
- *The Long Goodbye* (1973), Fi1m 86, as Ambulance Driver  (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye.md)
- *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* (1971), Fi1m 90, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/mccabe-and-mrs-miller.md)
- *M*A*S*H* (1970), Fi1m 72, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/m-a-s-h.md)

## Complete filmography (102)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Daedalus* (2024), as Sampled Interview (voice) (uncredited)
- *A Prairie Home Companion* (2006), Director, Producer
- *A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin* (2005), Actor
- *Tanner on Tanner* (2004), series, Executive Producer, Director, Creator
- *Words in Progress* (2004), Actor
- *The Company* (2003), Director, Producer
- *Gosford Park* (2001), Producer, Director, Idea — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/gosford-park.md)
- *Dr. T & the Women* (2000), Director, Producer
- *Trixie* (2000), Producer
- *Gun: Fatal Betrayal* (2000), Producer
- *Cookie's Fortune* (1999), Producer, Director
- *Killer App* (1998), Director
- *The Gingerbread Man* (1998), Director
- *Afterglow* (1997), Producer
- *Gun* (1997), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *Jazz '34* (1997), Director, Producer
- *Kansas City* (1996), Writer, Director, Producer
- *Prêt-à-Porter* (1994), Producer, Director, Writer
- *Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle* (1994), Producer
- *Short Cuts* (1993), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/short-cuts.md)
- *Black and Blue: A Musical Revue* (1993), Director
- *The Player* (1992), Director — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/the-player.md)
- *Vincent & Theo* (1990), Director
- *Vincent & Theo* (1990), series, Director
- *The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial* (1988), Director, Producer
- *Tanner '88* (1988), series, Executive Producer, Director, Creator
- *O.C. and Stiggs* (1987), Director, Producer
- *Aria* (1987), Writer, Director
- *Basements* (1987), Director, Producer
- *Beyond Therapy* (1987), Screenplay, Director
- *Fool for Love* (1985), Director
- *The Laundromat* (1985), Director
- *Secret Honor* (1984), Director, Producer
- *Streamers* (1983), Director, Producer
- *Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean* (1982), Director
- *Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter* (1982), as Reader - 'Jack And The Beanstalk' Promo (voice)
- *Precious Blood* (1982), Executive Producer, Director
- *Rattlesnake in a Cooler* (1982), Director, Executive Producer
- *Endless Love* (1981), as Hotel Manager
- *Popeye* (1980), Director — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/popeye.md)
- *HealtH* (1980), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Rich Kids* (1979), Executive Producer
- *A Perfect Couple* (1979), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Quintet* (1979), Director, Screenplay, Producer, Story
- *A Wedding* (1978), Director, Screenplay, Story, Producer
- *Remember My Name* (1978), Producer
- *3 Women* (1977), Producer, Writer, Director
- *The Late Show* (1977), Producer
- *Welcome to L.A.* (1976), Producer
- *From the Prairie to the Palace* (1976), Actor
- *Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson* (1976), Screenstory, Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *Nashville* (1975), Director, Producer — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/nashville.md)
- *California Split* (1974), Director, Producer
- *Thieves Like Us* (1974), Director, Screenplay
- *The Long Goodbye* (1973), as Ambulance Driver  (uncredited) · Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye.md)
- *Images* (1972), Director, Writer
- *Brewster McCloud* (1971), Director
- *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* (1971), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/mccabe-and-mrs-miller.md)
- *Events* (1970), as Bob
- *M*A*S*H* (1970), Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/m-a-s-h.md)
- *That Cold Day in the Park* (1969), Director
- *Premiere* (1968), series, Director
- *Omnibus* (1967), series, Actor
- *Countdown* (1967), Director
- *The Happening* (1967), Second Unit Director
- *The Kathryn Reed Story* (1965), Director
- *Pot au feu* (1964), Director
- *Nightmare in Chicago* (1964), Director, Producer
- *The Party* (1963), Director
- *The Long Lost Life of Edward Smalley* (1963), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Kraft Suspense Theatre* (1963), series, Director
- *The Gallant Men* (1962), series, Director
- *Combat!* (1962), series, Director
- *Bus Stop* (1961), series, Director
- *Cain's Hundred* (1961), series, Director
- *Kraft Mystery Theatre* (1961), series, Director
- *The Roaring 20's* (1960), series, Director
- *Route 66* (1960), series, Director
- *Surfside 6* (1960), series, Director
- *Hawaiian Eye* (1959), series, Director
- *Bonanza* (1959), series, Director
- *The Troubleshooters* (1959), series, Director
- *U.S. Marshal* (1958), series, Director
- *Lawman* (1958), series, Director
- *Bronco* (1958), series, Director
- *Maverick* (1957), series, Director
- *M Squad* (1957), series, Director
- *Sugarfoot* (1957), series, Director
- *The James Dean Story* (1957), Director, Editor, Producer
- *The Delinquents* (1957), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Whirlybirds* (1957), series, Director
- *The Gale Storm Show* (1956), series, Director
- *The Magic Bond* (1956), Director
- *Corn's-a-Poppin'* (1956), Writer
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, Director
- *The Millionaire* (1955), series, Director
- *The Dirty Look* (1954), Director
- *The Sound of Bells* (1952), Director
- *Modern Football* (1951), Director
- *Honeymoon for Harriet* (1950), Writer, Editor
- *Bodyguard* (1948), Story
- *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty* (1947), as Man Drinking (uncredited)

## Gallery

- ![Robert Altman](https://film.one/media/person/79946/gallery-df5c664bbc53.jpg) Robert Altman — Associate Press Newsfeatures (see first upload of this image), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Robert_Altman_-_1983.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Robert Altman](https://film.one/media/person/79946/gallery-4d845cb8a260.jpg) Robert Altman — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Altman](https://film.one/media/person/79946/gallery-a9855a30dc6b.jpg) Robert Altman — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 7 nominated

- 2002: Best Director (nominated), for *Gosford Park*
- 2002: Best Picture (nominated), for *Gosford Park*
- 1994: Best Director (nominated), for *Short Cuts*
- 1993: Best Director (nominated), for *The Player*
- 1976: Best Picture (nominated), for *Nashville*
- 1976: Best Director (nominated), for *Nashville*
- 1971: Best Director (nominated), for *MASH*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 1993: Best Direction (won), for *The Player*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 1989: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (won), for *Tanner '88*

### Other awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- Academy Honorary Award 2006: Academy Honorary Award (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 1976: César Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated), for *Nashville*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-altman