Skip to content
What's After the Movie?
Ken Burns, director
Director

Ken Burns: Movies & Box Office

films
35
as director
29
on screen
1981–2025
box office
$3.61M
Career at a glance

Ken Burns's Career in Numbers

Ken Burns's films in numbers — as a director, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres Ken Burns works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from Brooklyn Bridge (1981) to The American Revolution (2025), and the 2010s were the busiest decade.

Ken Burns Movies by Decade

  1. 1980s 6
  2. 1990s 4
  3. 2000s 5
  4. 2010s 9
  5. 2020s 7

The 2010s were Ken Burns's busiest decade, with 9 films.

Ken Burns Movies by Genre

  • Documentary 27
  • History 3
  • Drama 1

Documentary is the genre Ken Burns has worked in most, with 27 films, ahead of history (3).

Ken Burns Career Milestones

First film
Brooklyn Bridge 1981
Biggest box office hit
Wordplay $3.18M worldwide
35 credits

Ken Burns Filmography: Every Movie

Every film Ken Burns is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. 29 as director and 2 as actor. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.

Works with

Who Ken Burns Makes Movies With

The actors and directors Ken Burns shares the most films with. Peter Coyote comes first, with 12 films together, followed by Keith David (7).

FAQ

Ken Burns: Questions & Answers

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

How many movies has Ken Burns been in?

Ken Burns is credited on 35 films, from 1981 to 2025. 2 of them as an actor and 29 as a director. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.

What is Ken Burns's highest-grossing movie?

Wordplay (2006) is Ken Burns's biggest box office hit, with $3.18M worldwide, ahead of The American Buffalo (2023) ($433K). Across every film with box office figures, Ken Burns's movies have made $3.61M.

Ken Burns's biggest hits

What is Ken Burns's newest movie?

The most recent film on Ken Burns's filmography is The American Revolution (2025), which Ken Burns directed.

Who does Ken Burns work with most often?

Ken Burns shares the most films with Peter Coyote (12 films), Keith David (7 films) and Adam Arkin (5 films).

The Best Ken Burns Movies, Ranked

Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 35 directing credits.

See the ranking

Coming soon to your phone

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app