Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Harry Cording appears in 33 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Harry. The Grapes of Wrath is the clearest case: a film rated 7.5 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for drama, mystery, science fiction. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Elia Kazan, Charles Lamont, Hal Walker and others, Harry Cording helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) as Deputy (uncredited) · East of Eden (1955) as Bouncer (uncredited) · The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) as Dickon Malbete
Career snapshot
A Nutevio catalogue profile for Harry Cording.
Films in Nutevio
33
1934–1955
Career length
21 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.5
The Grapes of Wrath
Average Nutevio score
6.6
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.8
The Grapes of Wrath
Most frequent director
Michael Curtiz
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Michael Curtiz
Most common genre
Drama
16 titles
Average runtime
1h 37m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.5
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1930s
6.7 average MV
The 1930s are where the work and the material meet. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Destry Rides Again, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1930s
6.7
Across 16 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1930s
7.0
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1930s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Destry Rides Again, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Most productive era
1930s
16 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.610 films | 6.75 films | 7.21 film |
| Action | — | 6.21 film | — |
| Thriller | 6.63 films | 6.51 film | — |
| Comedy | 6.81 film | 6.61 film | 6.32 films |
| Crime | 6.63 films | 6.51 film | — |
| Romance | 6.96 films | 6.54 films | 6.21 film |
| Horror | 6.64 films | 6.34 films | 6.31 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1934The Black Cat
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Thamal.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
7.5 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
1955East of Eden
The current state of the argument, as Bouncer (uncredited).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
33 of 33 films
as Bouncer (uncredited)
Directed by Elia Kazan
as Dickon Malbete
Directed by William Keighley
as Gambler (uncredited)
Directed by Howard Hawks
as Guard (uncredited)
Directed by William Dieterle
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Deputy (uncredited)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Performance score7.3
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Deputy (uncredited) gives Harry Cording a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Bouncer (uncredited)
East of Eden (1955)
Performance score7.1
East of Eden asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Bouncer (uncredited) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Dickon Malbete
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Performance score7.1
The Adventures of Robin Hood asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Dickon Malbete is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Gambler (uncredited)
Red River (1948)
Performance score6.9
Red River asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Gambler (uncredited) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Deputy (uncredited)
Start here. The Grapes of Wrath is the clearest statement of what Harry Cording does — accessible, 129 minutes, and rated 7.5 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Harry at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
A deliberate change of key after The Grapes of Wrath — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Keeps the romance register of The Adventures of Robin Hood but asks for a colder reading of it.
Red River (1948)
A deliberate change of key after The Hunchback of Notre Dame — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
East of Eden (1955)
A deliberate change of key after Red River — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
William Keighley
Director
3 films together
Notably The Adventures of Robin Hood
Michael Curtiz
Director
3 films together
Notably Captain Blood
Henry Hathaway
Director
2 films together
Notably Peter Ibbetson
Rowland V. Lee
Director
2 films together
Notably Son of Frankenstein
Edgar G. Ulmer
Director
1 film together
Notably The Black Cat
Richard Boleslawski
Director
1 film together
Notably Les Misérables
Frank Lloyd
Director
1 film together
Notably Mutiny on the Bounty
Fritz Lang
Director
1 film together
Notably You Only Live Once
Edwin L. Marin
Director
1 film together
Notably A Christmas Carol
Alfred L. Werker
Director
1 film together
Notably The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
George Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably Destry Rides Again
William Dieterle
Director
1 film together
Notably The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Joe May
Director
1 film together
Notably The Invisible Man Returns
John Ford
Director
1 film together
Notably The Grapes of Wrath
Raoul Walsh
Director
1 film together
Notably Dark Command
George Waggner
Director
1 film together
Notably The Wolf Man
Erle C. Kenton
Director
1 film together
Notably The Ghost of Frankenstein
Harold Young
Director
1 film together
Notably The Mummy's Tomb
John Rawlins
Director
1 film together
Notably Arabian Nights
David Butler
Director
1 film together
Notably Road to Morocco
Ray Enright
Director
1 film together
Notably The Spoilers
Sam Wood
Director
1 film together
Notably For Whom the Bell Tolls
Roy William Neill
Director
1 film together
Notably Terror by Night
Howard Hawks
Director
1 film together
Notably Red River
Hal Walker
Director
1 film together
Notably Road to Bali
Charles Lamont
Director
1 film together
Notably Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Elia Kazan
Director
1 film together
Notably East of Eden
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
William Keighley
Director
3 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Adventures of Robin HoodMichael Curtiz
Director
3 films together · 6.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Captain BloodHenry Hathaway
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Peter IbbetsonRowland V. Lee
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Son of FrankensteinJohn Ford
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Grapes of WrathElia Kazan
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
East of EdenHoward Hawks
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Red RiverWilliam Dieterle
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Hunchback of Notre DameFrank Lloyd
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mutiny on the BountyGeorge Waggner
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Wolf ManGeorge Marshall
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Destry Rides AgainFritz Lang
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
You Only Live OnceEdwin L. Marin
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Christmas CarolDavid Butler
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Road to MoroccoAlfred L. Werker
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesRichard Boleslawski
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Les MisérablesEdgar G. Ulmer
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Black CatRoy William Neill
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Terror by NightSam Wood
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
For Whom the Bell TollsCharles Lamont
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRay Enright
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The SpoilersRaoul Walsh
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dark CommandJoe May
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Invisible Man ReturnsHal Walker
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Road to BaliJohn Rawlins
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Arabian NightsErle C. Kenton
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Ghost of FrankensteinHarold Young
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Mummy's TombSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Grapes of Wrath
as Deputy (uncredited)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Mutiny on the Bounty
as Soldier (uncredited)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
The Grapes of Wrath
as Deputy (uncredited)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Grapes of Wrath
as Deputy (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Grapes of Wrath
as Deputy (uncredited)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Harry Cording has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
21 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Drama Legend
Awarded
16 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Grapes of Wrath
as Deputy (uncredited)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
as Second Fake Constable (uncredited)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Road to Bali
as Verna’s Father (uncredited)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Terror by Night
as Mock the Undertaker (uncredited)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Mutiny on the Bounty
as Soldier (uncredited)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Arabian Nights
as Blacksmith
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Road to Morocco
as Warrior (uncredited)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Mummy's Tomb
as Vic - Farmer (uncredited)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Reference
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