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Allen Ginsberg, actor
Actor

Allen Ginsberg: Movies & Box Office

films
76
on screen
1959–2026
box office
$7.31M
average score
78
Born
June 3, 1926
Birthplace
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Full name
Irwin Allen Ginsberg
Citizenship
American
Occupations
Writer, Poet
Years active
1940s-1997
Spouses
Peter Orlovsky
Career at a glance

Allen Ginsberg's Career in Numbers

Allen Ginsberg's films in numbers — as an actor, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres Allen Ginsberg works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from Pull My Daisy (1959) to The Velvet Underground (2021), and the 1960s were the busiest decade.

Allen Ginsberg Movies by Decade

  1. 1950s 1
  2. 1960s 3
  3. 1970s 3
  4. 2010s 2
  5. 2020s 1

The 1960s were Allen Ginsberg's busiest decade, with 3 films.

Allen Ginsberg Movies by Genre

  • Drama 4
  • Music 3
  • Biography 1
  • Documentary 1
  • Comedy 1

Drama is the genre Allen Ginsberg has worked in most, with 4 films, ahead of music (3).

Allen Ginsberg Career Milestones

First film
Pull My Daisy 1959
Biggest box office hit
The Velvet Underground $5.63M worldwide
Newest film
The Velvet Underground 2021
76 credits

Allen Ginsberg Filmography: Every Movie

Every film Allen Ginsberg is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. Rated films average a score of 78. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.

Allen Ginsberg in Documentaries & Specials

66
  1. 2026 Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC (2026) movie poster Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC as Self · Documentary Movie Echo Score: 76
  2. 2025 John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (2025) movie poster John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  3. 2024 Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (2024) movie poster Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg as Self - Poet · Documentary Movie Echo Score: 67
  4. 2023 Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (2023) movie poster Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  5. 2020 Symphony Of The Invisible (2020) movie poster Symphony Of The Invisible as Self (voice) (archive) · Documentary
  6. 2017 Harry Smith at the Breslin Hotel (2017) movie poster Harry Smith at the Breslin Hotel as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  7. 2017 How the Beatles Changed the World (2017) movie poster How the Beatles Changed the World as Self (archive footage) · Music
  8. 2014 Beat Generation (2014) movie poster Beat Generation as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  9. 2012 Norman Mailer: The American (2012) movie poster Norman Mailer: The American as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  10. 2009 Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder (2009) movie poster Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  11. 2008 Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (2008) movie poster Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  12. 2007 65 Revisited (2007) movie poster 65 Revisited as Self (archive footage) · Music
  13. 2007 The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music (2007) movie poster The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  14. 2006 Poets at the Living Theater (2006) movie poster Poets at the Living Theater as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  15. 2005 No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005) movie poster No Direction Home: Bob Dylan as Self (archive footage) · Music
  16. 2001 New York in the Fifties (2001) movie poster New York in the Fifties as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  17. 2000 As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) movie poster As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  18. 1998 Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles (1998) movie poster Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  19. 1998 Brakhage (1998) movie poster Brakhage as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  20. 1997 No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg (1997) movie poster No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  21. 1997 Ballad of the Skeletons (1997) movie poster Ballad of the Skeletons as Self (archive footage) · Music
  22. 1997 Happy Birthday to John (1997) movie poster Happy Birthday to John as Self · Documentary
  23. 1997 Birth of a Nation (1997) movie poster Birth of a Nation as Self · Documentary
  24. 1997 Scenes from Allen’s Last Three Days on Earth as a Spirit (1997) movie poster Scenes from Allen’s Last Three Days on Earth as a Spirit as Self · Documentary
  25. 1995 Van Gogh’s Ear (1995) movie poster Van Gogh’s Ear as Self
  26. 1994 The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994) movie poster The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  27. 1994 ChickenHawk (1994) movie poster ChickenHawk as Self · Documentary
  28. 1994 Jonas in the Desert (1994) movie poster Jonas in the Desert as Self · Documentary
  29. 1993 Road Scholar (1993) movie poster Road Scholar as Self
  30. 1990 Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships & Intersections (1990) movie poster Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships & Intersections as Self · Documentary
  31. 1990 Berkeley in the Sixties (1990) movie poster Berkeley in the Sixties as Self · Documentary
  32. 1990 Summer of Love (1990) movie poster Summer of Love as Self · Documentary
  33. 1989 Silence = Death (1989) movie poster Silence = Death as Self · Documentary
  34. 1989 Heavy Petting (1989) movie poster Heavy Petting as Self · Documentary
  35. 1989 Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets (1989) movie poster Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets as Self
  36. 1988 Growing Up in America (1988) movie poster Growing Up in America as Self · Documentary
  37. 1986 He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life (1986) movie poster He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  38. 1985 All Star Video (1985) movie poster All Star Video as Self (archive footage) · Animation
  39. 1984 Good Morning, Mr. Orwell (1984) movie poster Good Morning, Mr. Orwell as Self · Documentary
  40. 1983 Burroughs: The Movie (1983) movie poster Burroughs: The Movie as Self · Documentary
  41. 1982 Poetry in Motion (1982) movie poster Poetry in Motion as Self · Documentary
  42. 1982 Allan ‘n Allen’s Complaint (1982) movie poster Allan ‘n Allen’s Complaint as Self
  43. 1981 Greetings from Washington, D.C. (1981) movie poster Greetings from Washington, D.C. as Self · Documentary
  44. 1980 No. 18: Mahagonny (1980) movie poster No. 18: Mahagonny as Self · Drama
  45. 1980 La marche gaie (1980) movie poster La marche gaie as Self · Documentary
  46. 1980 Lake Placid ’80 (1980) movie poster Lake Placid ’80 as Self
  47. 1978 Thot-Fal’N (1978) movie poster Thot-Fal’N as Self · Documentary
  48. 1976 Lost, Lost, Lost (1976) movie poster Lost, Lost, Lost as Self · Documentary
  49. 1974 Suite 212 (1974) movie poster Suite 212 as Self
  50. 1973 Global Groove (1973) movie poster Global Groove as Self · Music
  51. 1972 Ciao! Manhattan (1972) movie poster Ciao! Manhattan as Self · Documentary
  52. 1969 Bed Peace (1969) movie poster Bed Peace as Self · Documentary
  53. 1969 Me and My Brother (1969) movie poster Me and My Brother as Self · Drama
  54. 1969 The Fall (1969) movie poster The Fall as Self · Documentary
  55. 1968 Yippie (1968) movie poster Yippie as Self · Documentary
  56. 1968 Diaries, Notes, and Sketches (1968) movie poster Diaries, Notes, and Sketches as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  57. 1968 Underground New York (1968) movie poster Underground New York as Self · Documentary
  58. 1967 Anatomy of Violence (1967) movie poster Anatomy of Violence as Self · Documentary
  59. 1967 Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London (1967) movie poster Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London as Self · Documentary
  60. 1967 Hare Krishna (1967) movie poster Hare Krishna as Self · Music
  61. 1967 Be-In (1967) movie poster Be-In as Self · Documentary
  62. 1965 Wholly Communion (1965) movie poster Wholly Communion as Self
  63. 1965 Dylan Speaks (1965) movie poster Dylan Speaks as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  64. 1965 Andy Warhol Screen Tests (1965) movie poster Andy Warhol Screen Tests as Self · Documentary
  65. 1964 Couch (1964) movie poster Couch as Self
  66. 1961 Guns of the Trees (1961) movie poster Guns of the Trees as Self (voice) · Drama
Biography

Who Is Allen Ginsberg?

Allen Ginsberg was born in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. in 1926. Credited on films since 1959, as an actor. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.

Irwin Allen Ginsberg (/ˈɡɪnzbɜːrɡ/; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer who played a significant role in the Beat Generation—a literary and cultural movement known for advocating nonconformity, drugs, and sexual liberation. Ginsberg is best recognized for his groundbreaking poem 'Howl', which fundamentally criticized capitalism and conformity in the United States. His open and raw discussion of sexuality—specifically homosexuality—in his work made him a controversial figure during the 1950s and a significant figure in the 1960s. He also developed a deep interest in Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism, which played a large role in his literary output. Ginsberg's work often stirred controversy for its explicit sexual content and scathing critique of American society. Despite the controversy, Ginsberg's impact on American literature and the countercultural movement of the 1960s remains significant.

Works with

Who Allen Ginsberg Makes Movies With

The actors and directors Allen Ginsberg shares the most films with. Jonas Mekas comes first, with 18 films together, followed by Andy Warhol (12).

FAQ

Allen Ginsberg: Questions & Answers

How many movies Allen Ginsberg has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.

How many movies has Allen Ginsberg been in?

Allen Ginsberg is credited on 76 films, from 1959 to 2026. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.

What is Allen Ginsberg's highest-grossing movie?

The Velvet Underground (2021) is Allen Ginsberg's biggest box office hit, with $5.63M worldwide, ahead of The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994) ($670K). Across every film with box office figures, Allen Ginsberg's movies have made $7.31M.

Allen Ginsberg's biggest hits

What is the best Allen Ginsberg movie?

By the Movie Echo Score, which blends critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact, Allen Ginsberg's best-rated film is Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019) with a score of 85, followed by The Velvet Underground (2021) (84).

Best Allen Ginsberg movies, ranked

What is Allen Ginsberg's newest movie?

The most recent film on Allen Ginsberg's filmography is Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC (2026), in the role of Self.

Who does Allen Ginsberg work with most often?

Allen Ginsberg shares the most films with Jonas Mekas (18 films), Andy Warhol (12 films) and John Lennon (7 films).

The Best Allen Ginsberg Movies, Ranked

Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 76 credits.

See the ranking

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