---
name: "Tom McCarthy"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/tom-mccarthy"
fi1m_id: "tom-mccarthy"
imdb_id: "nm0565336"
tmdb_id: 17867
wikidata_id: "Q514527"
roles: ["Writer","Director","Actor"]
born: "7 June 1966"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 14
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-09T19:29:46.934282+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."
---

# Tom McCarthy

## Identity

Tom McCarthy

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/tom-mccarthy
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** tom-mccarthy
- **IMDb ID:** nm0565336
- **TMDB ID:** 17867
- **Wikidata ID:** Q514527
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCarthy_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q514527, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565336/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/17867

Writer and director. Born 7 June 1966 in New Providence, New Jersey, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director, Actor
- **Born:** 7 June 1966, New Providence, New Jersey, USA
- **Active:** 2000–present
- **Also known as:** Thomas McCarthy, 톰 맥카시, טום מקארת'י
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 14: 9 acting, 3 directing, 2 writing
- **Frequently works with:** [Steve Golin](https://film.one/person/steve-golin.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 76 (9), 2010s 61 (3), 2020s 68 (2)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCarthy_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q514527, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565336/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/17867

## Coming up

- *The Gallerist* (2026-12-04), Producer

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Christopher Robin*](https://film.one/film/christopher-robin.md) (62), [*2012*](https://film.one/film/2012.md) (57)
- **Tubi:** [*Spotlight*](https://film.one/film/spotlight.md) (85)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Stillwater*](https://film.one/film/stillwater.md) (56)

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

## Fi1m on Tom McCarthy

> Tom McCarthy makes reluctant friendship absorbing, and we rate his patient, actor-led films highly. His writing can explain too much or hurry people towards each other, but his best work gives awkwardness time to matter.

In *The Station Agent* (2003), Peter Dinklage lets a silence last until the friendliness around him starts to feel intrusive. Tom McCarthy gives him time to refuse it. For his first feature as writer-director, he takes Finbar McBride's wish to be left alone seriously, rather than treating it as a fault to be corrected. Dinklage, Cannavale and Clarkson keep the encounters awkward enough to be funny. The pleasure is in watching them get used to one another without requiring everyone to become agreeable.

The writing is not always as patient as the direction. Meetings in *The Station Agent* can feel arranged, and the warmth is occasionally pressed harder than these actors need. We can see where the friendships are heading a little too clearly, which makes Fin's resistance less interesting.

*The Visitor* (2007) continued the concern with isolation and unexpected human bonds, while *Win Win* (2011) turned to small-town moral dilemmas. McCarthy also contributed to the story of Pete Docter's *Up* (2009). We admire that film's near-silent account of married life, even if the chases struggle to match it; the story credit does not make that passage McCarthy's alone.

With *Spotlight* (2015), he made the checking of evidence the centre of the drama. McCarthy and co-writer Josh Singer make the Boston Globe investigation into Catholic Church child abuse gripping without making the reporters glamorous. We were horrified by the quiet conversations between church and newspaper leaders, because the protection of power seemed so ordinary. McCarthy's sober treatment also makes it uncomfortable to consider the newspaper's own part in leaving abuse unchallenged.

Singer and McCarthy sometimes give a character so much information to deliver that the dialogue becomes a briefing. We feel the script organising its evidence when we ought to be watching a person think. Yet the care over what can be proved supplies tension that a more excitable film might have tried to manufacture. Start with *The Station Agent* for the company; choose *Spotlight* if watching a difficult job done carefully sounds like an evening well spent.

## Biography

Tom McCarthy is an American actor, screenwriter and director. Born on 7 June 1966 in New Providence, New Jersey, he began his career appearing in films such as Meet the Parents (2000) and television series including The Wire (2002) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).

McCarthy made his directorial and screenwriting debut with the 2003 film The Station Agent. He later wrote and directed The Visitor (2007), Win Win (2011) and Spotlight (2015). He has also acted in films including Pixels (2015) and Little Fockers (2010), and directed episodes of the series 13 Reasons Why (2017).

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

## On Fi1m (14)

### Performed in (9)

- *The Lowdown* (2025), Fi1m 80, as Trip Keating — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-lowdown.md)
- *Pixels* (2015), Fi1m 36, as Michael the Robot — [page](https://film.one/film/pixels.md)
- *2012* (2009), Fi1m 57, as Gordon Silberman — [page](https://film.one/film/2012.md)
- *The Lovely Bones* (2009), Fi1m 46, as Principal Caden — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lovely-bones.md)
- *Michael Clayton* (2007), Fi1m 86, as Waiter (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *Good Night, and Good Luck.* (2005), Fi1m 83, as Palmer Williams — [page](https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck.md)
- *Syriana* (2005), Fi1m 72, as Fred Franks — [page](https://film.one/film/syriana.md)
- *The Wire* (2002), Fi1m 90, as Scott Templeton — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Meet the Parents* (2000), Fi1m 78, as Dr. Bob Banks — [page](https://film.one/film/meet-the-parents.md)

### Directed (3)

- *Stillwater* (2021), Fi1m 56, Producer, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/stillwater.md)
- *Spotlight* (2015), Fi1m 85, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/spotlight.md)
- *The Station Agent* (2003), Fi1m 82, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-station-agent.md)

### Wrote (2) — the average rests on these

- *Christopher Robin* (2018), Fi1m 62, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/christopher-robin.md)
- *Up* (2009), Fi1m 88, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/up.md)

## Complete filmography (60)

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

- *The Gallerist* (2026), Producer
- *A Statement* (2026), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Evil Genius* (2026), Actor
- *Anima* (2026), as Pete
- *The Lowdown* (2025), series, as Trip Keating — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-lowdown.md)
- *The Friend* (2025), as Dr. Warren
- *Alaska Daily* (2022), series, Director, Writer, Creator, Executive Producer
- *The Last Movie Stars* (2022), series, as Sidney Lumet (voice)
- *Obi-Wan Kenobi* (2022), series, Consulting Producer
- *Stillwater* (2021), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/stillwater.md)
- *Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made* (2020), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *The Loudest Voice* (2019), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Christopher Robin* (2018), Screenplay — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/christopher-robin.md)
- *13 Reasons Why* (2017), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *Spotlight* (2015), Director, Writer — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/spotlight.md)
- *Pixels* (2015), as Michael the Robot — Fi1m 36, [page](https://film.one/film/pixels.md)
- *Inside Out* (2015), Thanks — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/inside-out.md)
- *The Cobbler* (2014), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Million Dollar Arm* (2014), Screenplay
- *Win Win* (2011), Director, Producer, Story, Screenplay
- *Little Fockers* (2010), as Dr. Bob
- *Jack Goes Boating* (2010), as Dr. Bob
- *Fair Game* (2010), as Jeff
- *The Lovely Bones* (2009), as Principal Caden — Fi1m 46, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lovely-bones.md)
- *2012* (2009), as Gordon Silberman — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/2012.md)
- *Up* (2009), Story — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/up.md)
- *Duplicity* (2009), as Jeff Bauer
- *Mammoth* (2009), as Bob Sanders
- *Baby Mama* (2008), as Kate's Date
- *The Visitor* (2008), Director, Writer
- *Michael Clayton* (2007), as Waiter (voice) — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *Year of the Dog* (2007), as Pier
- *The Situation* (2007), as Major Hanks
- *Beautiful Ohio* (2006), as William Messerman (Older)
- *Flags of Our Fathers* (2006), as James Bradley
- *All the King's Men* (2006), as Editor
- *Syriana* (2005), as Fred Franks — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/syriana.md)
- *Good Night, and Good Luck.* (2005), as Palmer Williams — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck.md)
- *The Great New Wonderful* (2005), as Davie Burbage
- *The Last Shot* (2004), as Agent Pike
- *The Station Agent* (2003), Director, Writer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-station-agent.md)
- *The Guru* (2002), as Lars (as Thomas McCarthy)
- *The Wire* (2002), series, as Scott Templeton — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Boston Public* (2000), series, as Kevin Riley
- *Meet the Parents* (2000), as Dr. Bob Banks — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/meet-the-parents.md)
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Nick Ganzner
- *30 Days* (1999), as Brad Drazin
- *Certain Guys* (1999), as Mitch
- *Saint Maybe* (1998), as Ian Bedloe
- *In My Sister's Shadow* (1997), as Michael Butler (as Thomas Joseph McCarthy)
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), series, as Peter Hanks — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *Conspiracy Theory* (1997), as Helicopter Spotter
- *The Practice* (1997), series, as Kevin Riley
- *Mary & Tim* (1996), as Tim Melville
- *Spin City* (1996), series, as Priest
- *Rift* (1993), as Bartender
- *Roast Suckling* (1990), as Calmer
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Donald Housman, Lambert, John Conlan — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes* (1971), series, as Frank Errington
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Ian Bedloe

## Gallery

- ![Tom McCarthy](https://film.one/media/person/98227/gallery-0c462ae8b723.jpg) Tom McCarthy — diginmag, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Tom_McCarthy_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![38th Mill Valley Film Festival: Opening Night | Tom Hooper and Tom McCarthy | Photos: Andrea Salles/Dig In Magazine (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/98227/gallery-f61482c0083b.jpg) 38th Mill Valley Film Festival: Opening Night | Tom Hooper and Tom McCarthy | Photos: Andrea Salles/Dig In Magazine (2015) — diginmag, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/38th_Mill_Valley_Film_Festival-_Opening_Night_-_Tom_Hooper_and_Tom_McCarthy_-_Photos-_Andrea_Salles-Dig_In_Magazine_%2821982877518%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun, stands with honorary degree recipients - Screenwriter Tom McCarthy (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/98227/gallery-0cccf89f2682.jpg) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun, stands with honorary degree recipients - Screenwriter Tom McCarthy (2016) — U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Secretary_Kerry_Stands_With_Northeastern_University_President_Aoun_and_Honorary_Degree_Recipients_McCarthy%2C_Bolden%2C_and_Hockfield_Before_Delivering_the_Commencement_Address_for_Northeastern%27s_Class_of_2016_in_Boston_%2826248145283%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Tom McCarthy](https://film.one/media/person/98227/gallery-87e043e69fac.jpg) Tom McCarthy — Image via TMDB
- ![Tom McCarthy](https://film.one/media/person/98227/gallery-8ef66034a090.jpg) Tom McCarthy — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- 2016: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won), for *Spotlight*
- 2016: Best Director (nominated), for *Spotlight*
- 2010: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Up*

*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/tom-mccarthy