Ed Wood
Ambitious but delusional filmmaker Ed Wood battles industry rejection and personal secrets as he scrambles to produce a scandalous trans‑gender biopic starring his idol Bela Lugosi, risking love, reputation, and his own sanity to finally break into Hollywood.
“Movies were his passion. Women were his inspiration. Angora sweaters were his weakness.”
Synopsis
The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time," who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 121+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Chris LebenzonShot by Stefan CzapskyScored by Howard ShoreDesigned by Tom Duffield
Box Office
1994 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$5.9M
US & Canada: $5.9M — 100% of worldwide · International: $13K (0%)
Opening weekend: $72K — 1% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $398K — 7% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2 theaters
Full synopsis
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Cast & Crew
121 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Johnny Depp
as Ed Wood
Martin Landau
as Bela Lugosi
Sarah Jessica Parker
as Dolores Fuller
Patricia Arquette
as Kathy O'Hara
Jeffrey Jones
as Criswell
G D Spradlin
as Reverend Lemon
Vincent D Onofrio
as Orson Welles
Bill Murray
as Bunny Breckinridge
Mike Starr
as Georgie Weiss
Max Casella
as Paul Marco
Brent Hinkley
as Conrad Brooks
Lisa Marie
as Vampira
Supporting cast
99Jim Myers
as Tor Johnson
Juliet Landau
as Loretta King
Clive Rosengren
as Ed Reynolds
Norman Alden
as Cameraman Bill
Leonard Termo
as Makeup Man Harry
Ned Bellamy
as Dr. Tom Mason
Danny Dayton
as Soundman
Ross Manarchy
as Camera Assistant
Bill Cusack
as Tony McCoy
Aaron Nelms
as Teenage Kid
Biff Yeager
as Rude Boss
Joseph R Gannascoli
as Security Guard
Carmen Filpi
as Old Crusty Man
Lisa Malkiewicz
as Secretary #1
Melora Walters
as Secretary #2
Conrad Brooks
as Bartender
Don Amendolia
as Salesman
Tommy Bertelsen
as Tough Boy
Reid Cruickshanks
as Stage Guard
Stanley Desantis
as Mr. Feldman
Lionel Decker
as Executive #1
Edmund L Shaff
as Executive #2
Gene Lebell
as Ring Announcer
Bobby Slayton
as TV Show Host
Gretchen Becker
as TV Host's Assistant
John Rice
as Conservative Man
Catherine Butterfield
as Conservative Wife
Mary Portser
as Backer's Wife
King Cotton
as Hick Backer
Don Hood
as Southern Backer
Frank Echols
as Doorman
Matthew Barry
as Valet
Ralph Monaco
as Waiter
Anthony Russell
as Busboy
Tommy Bush
as Stage Manager
Gregory Walcott
as Potential Backer
Charles C Stevenson Jr
as Another Backer
Rance Howard
as Old Man McCoy
Vasek Simek
as Professor Strowski
Alan Martin
as Vampira's Assistant
Salwa Ali
as Vampira's Girlfriend
Rodney Kizziah
as Vampira's Friend
Korla Pandit
as Indian Musician
Hannah Eckstein
as Greta Johnson
Luc De Schepper
as Karl Johnson
Vinny Argiro
as TV Horror Show Director
Patti Tippo
as Nurse
Ray Baker
as Doctor
Louis Lombardi
as Rental House Manager
Jim Boyce
as Theatre Manager
Ben Ryan Ganger
as Angry Kid
Ryan Holihan
as Frantic Usher
Marc Revivo
as High School Punk
Charlie Holliday
as Tourist
Adam Drescher
as Photographer #1
Ric Mancini
as Photographer #2
Daniel Riordan
as Pilot / Strapping Young Man
Mickey Cottrell
as Hammy Alien
Christopher George Simpson
as Organist
Robert Binford
as Choir Member
Herbert Boche
as Choir Member
Linda Rae Brienza
as Choir Member
Marlene Cook
as Choir Member
Sylvia Coussa
as Choir Member
Audrey Cuyler
as Choir Member
Joseph Golightly
as Choir Member
Carrie Starner Hummel
as Choir Member
Ramona Kemp Blair
as Choir Member
Carolyn Kessinger
as Choir Member
Nancy Longyear
as Choir Member
Matthew Nelson
as Choir Member
Robert Nuffer
as Choir Member
William Michael Short
as Choir Member
Susan Eileen Simpson
as Choir Member
George F Sterne
as Choir Member
Charles Alan Stephenson
as Choir Member
Cheri A Williams
as Choir Member
Cynthia Ann Wilson
as Choir Member
Maurice Lamarche
as Orson Welles (voice) (uncredited)
Jesse Hernandez
as Wrestling Opponent
Lena Banks
as Sexy Pedestrian (uncredited)
Ada Tai
as Vampira's Friend (uncredited)
Arlene Tai
as Vampira's Friend (uncredited)
Rayder Woods
as Car Vandal (uncredited)
Bill Blair
as Carny (uncredited)
Bill Anderson
as Wrestling Referee (uncredited)
Eugenie Bondurant
as Dagmar (uncredited)
Mike Breyer
as Photographer (uncredited)
Patrick Cranshaw
as Editor on Studio Lot (uncredited)
Ryal Haakenson
as Wedding Guest / Theatre Goer (uncredited)
Zachary Keats
as Trick-or-Treating Kid (uncredited)
Susan Knego
as Girl in Theater Lobby (uncredited)
Navya La Shay
as Secretary (uncredited)
Tanya Marten
as Secretary (uncredited)
Gorja Max
as Bra Stuffing Transvestite (uncredited)
Johnny Meyer
as Kid At Movie Theater (uncredited)
John Michael Quinn
as Minister (uncredited)
Jeff Shrewsbury
as Theater Patron (uncredited)
Richard Yett
as Wrap Party Guest (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
2Other crew
5Parents Guide
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