Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#8054
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Sam Harris represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 35 years in, and Sam is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Sam Harris appears in 61 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Sam. The Great Dictator is the clearest case: a film rated 8.1 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 comedy, family, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Norman Tokar, Blake Edwards, Robert Wise and others, Sam Harris 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 Great Dictator (1940) as Officer (uncredited) · Some Like It Hot (1959) as Hotel Guest (uncredited) · Dial M for Murder (1954) as Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Career snapshot
Ranked #8054 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
61
1931–1966
Career length
35 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.1
The Great Dictator
Average Nutevio score
6.9
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.3
The Great Dictator
Most frequent director
Alfred Hitchcock
6 films together
Longest collaboration
6×
With Alfred Hitchcock
Most common genre
Drama
31 titles
Average runtime
1h 56m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.2
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
6.8
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
1960s
7.1 average MV
The 1960s are where the work and the material meet. The Ugly Dachshund, The Great Race, The Sound of Music — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1960s
7.1
Across 9 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1960s
7.3
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. Wuthering Heights, Gunga Din, The Roaring Twenties.
Most productive era
1940s
22 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 | 1960s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.79 films | 6.98 films | 7.310 films | 7.34 films |
| Action | 6.41 film | 6.52 films | — | 6.82 films |
| Thriller | 7.01 film | 6.87 films | 7.53 films | — |
| Comedy | 6.41 film | 7.07 films | 6.99 films | 6.96 films |
| Crime | 6.82 films | 6.86 films | 7.25 films | — |
| Romance | 6.84 films | 6.89 films | 6.911 films | 7.44 films |
| Horror | 6.91 film | — | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Party Guest (uncredited).
Highest rated performance · Career peak
8.1 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
The current state of the argument, as Dog Owner (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.
61 of 61 films
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Directed by Billy Wilder
as Officer (uncredited)
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
as Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Directed by Robert Wise
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Directed by Stanley Kramer
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
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The defining work
#1
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Performance score7.8
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Hotel Guest (uncredited) gives Sam Harris a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Officer (uncredited)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Performance score7.8
The Great Dictator asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Officer (uncredited) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Performance score7.6
Dial M for Murder asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Man in Phone Booth (uncredited) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Party Guest (uncredited)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Performance score7.5
The Sound of Music asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Party Guest (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 Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Start here. Some Like It Hot is the clearest statement of what Sam Harris does — accessible, 123 minutes, and rated 8.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Sam 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 Great Dictator (1940)
Keeps the comedy register of Some Like It Hot but asks for a colder reading of it.
Dial M for Murder (1954)
A deliberate change of key after The Great Dictator — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Keeps the drama register of Dial M for Murder but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Keeps the drama register of Judgment at Nuremberg but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Alfred Hitchcock
Director
6 films together
Notably Dial M for Murder
George Cukor
Director
4 films together
Notably My Fair Lady
William Wyler
Director
3 films together
Notably The Heiress
Charlie Chaplin
Director
3 films together
Notably The Great Dictator
George Sidney
Director
3 films together
Notably Annie Get Your Gun
John Ford
Director
3 films together
Notably The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Rouben Mamoulian
Director
2 films together
Notably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Michael Curtiz
Director
2 films together
Notably The Charge of the Light Brigade
Fritz Lang
Director
2 films together
Notably Hangmen Also Die!
George Stevens
Director
2 films together
Notably Giant
Leo McCarey
Director
2 films together
Notably An Affair to Remember
Billy Wilder
Director
2 films together
Notably Some Like It Hot
Blake Edwards
Director
2 films together
Notably Breakfast at Tiffany's
Henry Hathaway
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Raoul Walsh
Director
1 film together
Notably The Roaring Twenties
Frank Tuttle
Director
1 film together
Notably This Gun for Hire
Cecil B. DeMille
Director
1 film together
Notably Reap the Wild Wind
Otto Preminger
Director
1 film together
Notably Laura
Vincente Minnelli
Director
1 film together
Notably Meet Me in St. Louis
H. Bruce Humberstone
Director
1 film together
Notably Wonder Man
Peter Godfrey
Director
1 film together
Notably Christmas in Connecticut
Robert Siodmak
Director
1 film together
Notably The Killers
Charles Vidor
Director
1 film together
Notably Gilda
George Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably The Blue Dahlia
Norman Z. McLeod
Director
1 film together
Notably Road to Rio
Charles Walters
Director
1 film together
Notably Easter Parade
Rudolph Maté
Director
1 film together
Notably D.O.A.
David Butler
Director
1 film together
Notably Calamity Jane
Edward Dmytryk
Director
1 film together
Notably The Caine Mutiny
Elia Kazan
Director
1 film together
Notably East of Eden
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Director
1 film together
Notably Guys and Dolls
Stanley Donen
Director
1 film together
Notably Funny Face
John Sturges
Director
1 film together
Notably Last Train from Gun Hill
Stanley Kramer
Director
1 film together
Notably Judgment at Nuremberg
Howard Hawks
Director
1 film together
Notably Hatari!
Arthur Lubin
Director
1 film together
Notably The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Robert Wise
Director
1 film together
Notably The Sound of Music
Norman Tokar
Director
1 film together
Notably The Ugly Dachshund
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Alfred Hitchcock
Director
6 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 6 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Dial M for MurderGeorge Cukor
Director
4 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 4 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
My Fair LadyCharlie Chaplin
Director
3 films together · 7.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Great DictatorWilliam Wyler
Director
3 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The HeiressJohn Ford
Director
3 films together · 6.9 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceGeorge Sidney
Director
3 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Annie Get Your GunBilly Wilder
Director
2 films together · 7.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Some Like It HotBlake Edwards
Director
2 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Breakfast at Tiffany'sLeo McCarey
Director
2 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
An Affair to RememberGeorge Stevens
Director
2 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
GiantRouben Mamoulian
Director
2 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeFritz Lang
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
Hangmen Also Die!Michael Curtiz
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Charge of the Light BrigadeRobert Wise
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Sound of MusicStanley Kramer
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Judgment at NurembergOtto Preminger
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
LauraElia 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 EdenCharles Vidor
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GildaRobert Siodmak
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 KillersRaoul Walsh
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 Roaring TwentiesEdward Dmytryk
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Caine MutinyJohn Sturges
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Last Train from Gun HillStanley Donen
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Funny FaceVincente Minnelli
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Meet Me in St. LouisDavid Butler
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Calamity JaneCharles Walters
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Easter ParadePeter Godfrey
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Christmas in ConnecticutFrank Tuttle
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
This Gun for HireHoward Hawks
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hatari!Rudolph Maté
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
D.O.A.Norman Tokar
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Ugly DachshundJoseph L. Mankiewicz
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Guys and DollsNorman Z. McLeod
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Road to RioGeorge Marshall
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Blue DahliaH. Bruce Humberstone
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wonder ManHenry Hathaway
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lives of a Bengal LancerArthur Lubin
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 Incredible Mr. LimpetCecil B. DeMille
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Reap the Wild WindSix 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 Great Dictator
as Officer (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
The Sound of Music
as Party Guest (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 Great Dictator
as Officer (uncredited)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
A Star Is Born
as Benefit Attendee / Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Some Like It Hot
as Hotel Guest (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. Sam Harris 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
35 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Drama Legend
Awarded
31 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 Great Dictator
as Officer (uncredited)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Dial M for Murder
as Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Great Race
as Man in Hallway at Sentinel (uncredited)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
D.O.A.
as Man at Fisherman Table (uncredited)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Statehood Audience Member (uncredited)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Hatari!
as Man in Store (uncredited)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
as Officer at Fleet Admiral's Briefing (uncredited)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Santa Fe Trail
as Party Guest (uncredited)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Have your say
Community
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Reference
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