Lawrence Tierney

Acting

Lawrence Tierney

Born — Died

1919-03-15 — 2002-02-26

Place of birth

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

81 titles

Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law. Commenting on the DVD release of a Tierney film in 2005, a New York Times critic observed: "The hulking Tierney was not so much an actor as a frightening force of nature." Description above from the Wikipedia article Lawrence Tierney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Film credits

1990s · 16 titles

Reservoir Dogs poster
8.1

A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.

Reservoir Dogs

1992

Armageddon poster
6.8

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.

Armageddon

1998

2 Days in the Valley poster
6.2

In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.

2 Days in the Valley

1996

Why Me? poster
5.7

A jewel thief steals a sacred ruby which sets off a chase by the police, the Turkish government, nutty American terrorists, and the CIA.

Why Me?

1990

Junior poster
5.2

A research scientist becomes the world's first pregnant man in order to test a drug he and a colleague have designed for expectant women. To carry out the trial, he has an embryo implant, believing that he will only carry the baby for three months – hardly expecting to face the prospect of giving birth.

Junior

1994

City of Hope poster
6.7

This gritty inner-city film follows various people living in a troubled New Jersey setting, most notably Nick Rinaldi, a disillusioned contractor who has been helped along his whole life by his wealthy father. Other characters in this ensemble drama about urban conflict and corruption include Asteroid, an unstable homeless person, and Wynn, an idealistic young politician.

City of Hope

1991

The Runestone poster
4.7

A New York detective takes the case of a bulletproof monster sprung to life from Viking legend.

The Runestone

1991

Dillinger poster
5.6

Crime drama based on the real-life story of US gangster John Dillinger, who was hunted by the FBI after a string of armed bank robberies during the Great Depression. When Dillinger's attacks on banks threaten to make him a dangerous folk hero, the pressure mounts on the FBI – even from the White House – for his capture.

Dillinger

1991

Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story poster
5.8

A young girl falls in love with a married auto body shop worker, leading to dramatic consequences.

Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story

1993

Wizards of the Demon Sword poster
3.1

Ulric's daughter unites with warrior Thane against evil Lord Khoura, who covets the knife of Aktar.

Wizards of the Demon Sword

1991

A Kiss Goodnight poster
4.0

Advertising exec Natalie engages in a passionate, but brief, love affair with a stranger named Kurt. When Natalie returns to her boyfriend, she finds that Kurt isn't so easily dismissed.

A Kiss Goodnight

1994

Eddie Presley poster
4.0

Eddie Presley is a down on his luck ex-Elvis impersonator. With his days of fromer glory performing in small to medium-sized clubs behind him, he's stuck in a dead-end security job, making barely enough to live out of his van. But Eddie's luck is about to change when he's offered a comeback gig at a seedy Hollywood nightclub... until he has a breakdown on stage and gives the audience a powerful, improvised performance they'll not soon forget.

Eddie Presley

1993

Midnight 2 poster
5.5

The surviving member of a devil-worshiping family uses a camcorder to videotape himself murdering young women during sex. The girlfriend of one of his victims goes to a detective to try to find her friend.

Midnight 2

1993

No artwork available
NR

A comedy about a woman so infatuated with her French professor that she kidnaps him. Her romantic illusions are quickly shattered.

French Intensive

1994

Who Do You Think You're Fooling? poster
5.7

A short film that took director Quentin Tarantino to task for failing to credit director Ringo Lam's City on Fire (1987 film) as an influence upon the making of Reservoir Dogs. It screened at the New York Underground Film Festival.

Who Do You Think You're Fooling?

1994

Red poster
5.7

Based on the true story of Louis "Red" Deutsch. A New Jersey bar-owner is plagued with prank phone calls that prompt him to flip into psychotic, profanity-laden rages.

Red

1993

1980s · 14 titles

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! poster
7.3

When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

1988

Silver Bullet poster
6.7

The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…

Silver Bullet

1985

Prizzi's Honor poster
6.4

Charley Partanna is a hitman who works for the Prizzis, one of the richest crime families in the US. When he sees Irene Walker, it's love at first sight. But he soon finds that she, too, is a killer for hire. Charley can overlook his suspicions, but he can't turn off his heart. And the couple must remember that even if they love each other, the Prizzis love only money.

Prizzi's Honor

1985

The Horror Show poster
5.4

Vowing revenge on the detective who apprehended him, serial killer "Meat Cleaver" Max Jenke returns from beyond the grave to launch a whole new reign of terror.

The Horror Show

1989

Murphy's Law poster
6.1

A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.

Murphy's Law

1986

The Prowler poster
5.8

Thirty years after a murder on the night of Avalon Bay's graduation dance, the sleepy town's teens meet grisly ends at the hands of a prowler once thought to be a jilted soldier home from war.

The Prowler

1981

Arthur poster
6.5

Arthur is a 30-year-old child who will inherit $750 million if he complies with his family's demands and marries the woman of their choosing.

Arthur

1981

From a Whisper to a Scream poster
5.8

The uncle of an executed murderess relates four stories of his hometown, Oldfield, to a reporter. In the first, an elderly man pursues a romance with a younger woman, even to the grave and beyond. In the second, a wounded man on the run from creditors is rescued by a backwoods hermit who holds the secret to eternal life. In the third, a glass-eating carny pays the ultimate price for looking for love on the outside. And in the fourth, a group of Civil War soldiers are held captive by a household of orphans with strange intentions for them.

From a Whisper to a Scream

1987

Gloria poster
6.9

When a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters want, the pair go on the run in New York.

Gloria

1980

Tough Guys Don't Dance poster
4.7

Tim Madden awakens one morning to discover a fresh tattoo on his arm, his car covered in blood, his girlfriend in bed with the town sheriff, and a woman's severed head in his weed stash. Sensing a setup and in desperate need to clear his name, he begins an investigation that soon begins to expose a web of corruption in the small coastal community of Provincetown.

Tough Guys Don't Dance

1987

Midnight poster
5.4

While hitchhiking to escape an abusive home life, a teenage girl is picked up by a couple on a camping trip. The trip turns deadly when a group of Satanists, hellbent on resurrecting their dead mother, attack the campers.

Midnight

1982

Terrible Joe Moran poster
7.0

A wheelchair-bound, former boxer deals with his long estranged granddaughter whom is seeking financial help for her writing career and helping her loser boyfriend get out of debt with the local mob.

Terrible Joe Moran

1984

Nothing Lasts Forever poster
6.3

An artist fails a test and is required to direct traffic in New York City's Holland Tunnel. He winds up falling in love with a beautiful woman, who takes him to the moon on a Lunar Cruiser.

Nothing Lasts Forever

1984

Bloodrage poster
4.4

A sexually frustrated young man kills hookers.

Bloodrage

1980

1970s · 3 titles

1960s · 3 titles

1950s · 7 titles

The Greatest Show on Earth poster
6.3

To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.

The Greatest Show on Earth

1952

Best of the Badmen poster
6.5

After the North defeats the South, Union Maj. Jeff Clanton heads to Missouri to provide the Confederacy's Quantrill's Raiders a chance to claim allegiance to the Union, thereby clearing their wanted status. But standing in Clanton's way are the corrupt lawmen Joad and Fowler, who would rather keep the men outlaws to collect the reward on their heads. After Joad and Fowler frame Clanton for murder, he manages to escape, becoming an outlaw himself.

Best of the Badmen

1951

The Bushwhackers poster
5.9

Confederate veteran Jeff Waring arrives in Independence, Missouri shortly after the Civil War, intending never again to use a gun. He finds that rancher Artemus Taylor and his henchmen are forcing out the settlers in order to claim their land for the incoming railroad.

The Bushwhackers

1951

Kill or Be Killed poster
5.9

An innocent man accused of a murder hides out aboard a steam ship in South American.

Kill or Be Killed

1950

Shakedown poster
6.4

Jack Early is a photographer who will stop at nothing to climb his way to the very top of the success ladder. On the strength of his sheer tenacity, he gets a job with a major newspaper, and it's not long before he's made a name for himself by charming a notorious crime boss, Nick Palmer, into allowing himself to be photographed. Palmer takes him under his wing, but Early decides to bite the hand that feeds him and sets Palmer and another crime boss, Colton, against one another.

Shakedown

1950

The Hoodlum poster
6.2

Vincent Lubeck is a vicious ex-convict. His criminal activities are despised by his family, but he uses and abuses them in the course of his crimes. Eventually his own brother must stand up to him.

The Hoodlum

1951

Singing in the Dark poster
8.0

Leo, a holocaust survivor who suffers from total amnesia, comes to the U.S. and works as a hotel desk clerk. One night while a comedian who owns a bar in the hotel gives him a drink, he breaks out in song and discovers a great voice. Under a psychiatrist's treatment, and because of a blow to the head by some hoodlums, he realizes his name is David and that he was the son of a great Jewish Cantor, and gradually recovers his memory of losing his parents. He gives up a promising career singing in nightclubs to return to the synagogue.

Singing in the Dark

1956

1940s · 15 titles

Back to Bataan poster
6.1

A U.S. Army colonel leads local fighters in a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese in the Philippines.

Back to Bataan

1945

Badman's Territory poster
6.3

After some gun play with a posse, the James Gang head for Quinto in a section of land which is not a part of America. Anyone there is beyond the law so the town is populated with outlaws. Next to arrive is Sheriff Rowley, following his brother whom the Gang have brought in injured. Rowley has no authority and gets on well enough with the James boys but is soon involved in other local goings-on, including a move to vote for annexation with Oklahoma which would allow the law well and truly in.

Badman's Territory

1946

Step by Step poster
6.2

Marine veteran Johnny Christopher meets and is immediately drawn to beautiful Evelyn Smith one day on the beach. Evelyn's new job as secretary to a U.S. senator in California soon brings unexpected intrigue and trouble for her and Johnny. The machinations of a sinister group of Nazi spies lead to mysteries and mistaken identities, and the two soon find themselves framed for murder!

Step by Step

1946

Born to Kill poster
6.7

A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with a hotheaded murderer.

Born to Kill

1947

The Devil Thumbs a Ride poster
6.6

Steve Morgan kills a man in a holdup and hitches a ride to Los Angeles with Fergie. At a gas station, they pick up two women. Encountering a roadblock, Morgan takes over and persuades the party to spend the night at an unoccupied beach house. The police close in as one by one, the others learn that Morgan is a killer.

The Devil Thumbs a Ride

1947

Those Endearing Young Charms poster
9.0

A soldier loses his girlfriend to his best buddy.

Those Endearing Young Charms

1945

Bodyguard poster
6.1

A cop on suspension is framed for murder when he noses in on a murder investigation.

Bodyguard

1948

The Ghost Ship poster
6.3

Captain Stone's newly recruited officer, Tom Merriam, idolizes his senior who treats him like a friend. But when a couple of his crew members die mysteriously, Tom starts doubting Stone's authority.

The Ghost Ship

1943

Sing Your Way Home poster
5.6

A war journalist escorts a spirited teen band back to NYC post-WWII, turning the journey into a musical comedy filled with memorable performances.

Sing Your Way Home

1945

Dillinger poster
5.9

The life of American public enemy number one who was shot by the police in 1934.

Dillinger

1945

The Falcon Out West poster
5.4

When a Texas playboy is murdered in a New York City nightclub the Falcon investigates. When he learns that the victim was slipped rattlesnake venom, the trail leads to Texas, his own kidnapping and near death.

The Falcon Out West

1944

Youth Runs Wild poster
4.5

The teens of a defense-plant town hop on the road to juvenile delinquency while their parents are busy with the war.

Youth Runs Wild

1944

Government Girl poster
5.7

An aviation engineer and a government secretary are thrown together by the war effort.

Government Girl

1943

San Quentin poster
6.2

An ex-con sets up a program to straighten out hard-core prisoners. Things don't go as planned.

San Quentin

1946

Mama Loves Papa poster
10.0

A loose remake of the 1935 comedy of the same name. Thanks to the efforts of his social-climbing wife Jessie, furniture store employee Wilbur Todd is tossed headfirst into the world of small-town politics. Sized up as a patsy by crooked politician Kirkwood, poor Wilbur is plied with champagne as part of Kirkwood's scheme to land a sweetheart playground-equipment contract.

Mama Loves Papa

1945

Series credits

The Simpsons poster
8.0

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

The Simpsons

1989

Seinfeld poster
8.2

A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.

Seinfeld

1989

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
8.4

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987

ER poster
7.8

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

ER

1994

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine poster
7.9

At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types of unexpected problems that come their way.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

1993

Hill Street Blues poster
7.6

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Hill Street Blues

1981

L.A. Law poster
7.0

L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff. The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.

L.A. Law

1986

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour poster
7.9

A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of suspense and featuring thrillers and mysteries.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

1962

Remington Steele poster
7.1

Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.

Remington Steele

1982

Naked City poster
5.7

Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic “semi-documentary” format. In 1997, the episode “Sweet Prince of Delancey Street” was ranked #93 on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.

Naked City

1958

Hunter poster
7.1

Hunter is an American police drama television series created by Frank Lupo, and starring Fred Dryer as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. In the seventh season, Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show's main characters, Hunter and McCall, resolve many of their cases by shooting dead the perpetrators. The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.

Hunter

1984

Tales from the Darkside poster
7.2

Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot twist. The series' episodes spanned the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and some episodes featured elements of black comedy or more lighthearted themes.

Tales from the Darkside

1984

Fame poster
6.8

An American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show is based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name. With a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although fictional, it was based heavily on the actual Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. Most interior scenes were filmed in Hollywood, California, and in all seasons but the third, several exterior scenes were shot on location in New York City. The popularity of the series, particularly in the UK, led to several hit records and live concert tours by the cast. Despite its success, very few of the actors maintained high-profile careers after the series was cancelled. A number of the cast members were seen again briefly in Bring Back...Fame, a reunion special made for British television in 2008.

Fame

1982

Adventures in Paradise poster
6.1

Adventures in Paradise is an American television series created by James Michener which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962, starring Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III, which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. USA Network aired reruns of this series between 1984 and 1988. The plots deal with the romantic and detective stories of Korean War veteran Troy. The supporting cast, varying from season to season, features George Tobias, Guy Stockwell, and Linda Lawson.

Adventures in Paradise

1959

The Detectives poster
6.7

The Detectives is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season. The series, starring motion picture star Robert Taylor, was produced by Four Star Television. Captain Matt Holbrook (Robert Taylor) is head of the detective division of a large metropolitan police force—a man whose devotion to duty, professional brilliance, and quick judgment are reflected in his 20-year career on the force. His aides, Lt. Johnny Russo (Tige Andrews), Lt. Otto Lindstrom (Russ Thorson), and Sgt. Chris Ballard (Mark Goddard) form a team that is both proficient and warmly human. The stories stress the interrelationships between the men as well as the solutions to crimes and the apprehension of criminals, adding a dimension of human drama to the excitement, action, and suspense inherent in each story of the detectives' difficult, sometimes thankless, and frequently dangerous assignments.

The Detectives

1959

The Barbara Stanwyck Show poster
6.4

An American anthology drama television series hosted by Barbara Stanwyck served.

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

1960

The Barbara Stanwyck Show poster
6.4

An American anthology drama television series hosted by Barbara Stanwyck served.

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

1960

Bus Stop poster
10.0

Bus Stop is a 26-episode American drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies. The program was adapted from William Inge's play, Bus Stop, and Inge was a script consultant for the series, which followed the lives of travelers passing through the bus station and the diner. Maxwell's co-stars were Richard Anderson as District Attorney Glenn Wagner, Rhodes Reason as Sheriff Will Mayberry, Joan Freeman as waitress Elma Gahrigner, Bernard Kates as Ralph the coroner, and Buddy Ebsen as Virge Blessing.

Bus Stop

1961

Man with a Camera poster
5.5

Man with a Camera is an American 1950s television crime drama starring Charles Bronson. Former combat cameraman Mike Kovac (Bronson) is now a freelance photographer in New York City, specializing in difficult and dangerous assignments where he can get the kinds of pictures that other photographers can't, or won't take. He sometimes gets help, often reluctantly, from his contact in the police department, Lt. Donovan, and advice from his immigrant father Anton. Throughout the 1950s, Bronson spent most of his early acting career performing in TV shows as well as small parts in films, until he landed the lead in this ABC series. This is the only series in which he played the lead role. He would go on to have supporting roles either as a guest star or a recurring character in dozens of TV shows after this series was cancelled.

Man with a Camera

1958

EZ Streets poster
6.1

No synopsis available yet.

EZ Streets

1996

New York Confidential poster
10.0

New York Confidential is a British-American crime drama series that aired from 1958 to 1959. The series aired in syndicated in the United States and was broadcast on London's local ITV station, Associated-Rediffusion, in the UK. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment, Metropolis Productions, Inc., and Television Programs of America.

New York Confidential

1959