Patch Adams
A rebellious med student uses humor to heal patients, clashing with a cold-hearted dean while fighting to prove his unconventional methods can save lives.
“Laughter is contagious.”
Synopsis
Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams is the subject of a true story centered on his belief, developed in the 1970s, that humor is an effective form of medicine. He became known for his efforts to make his patients laugh, often going to great lengths—even at the risk of jeopardizing his medical career.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 91+ 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 Don ZimmermanShot by Phedon PapamichaelScored by Marc ShaimanDesigned by Linda Descenna
Box Office
1998 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 4.0× 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
$202.3M
US & Canada: $135.0M — 67% of worldwide · International: $67.3M (33%)
Opening weekend: $25.3M — 19% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $46.4M — 34% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,712 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Docteur Patchfr
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Cast & Crew
91 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Robin Williams
as Patch Adams
Daniel London
as Truman
Monica Potter
as Carin Fisher
Philip Seymour Hoffman
as Mitch Roman
Bob Gunton
as Dean Walcott
Josef Sommer
as Dr. Eaton
Harve Presnell
as Dean Anderson
Irma P Hall
as Joletta
Peter Coyote
as Bill Davis
Frances Lee Mccain
as Judy
Michael Jeter
as Rudy
Daniella Kuhn
as Adelane
Supporting cast
66Barry Shabaka Henley
as Emmet
James Greene
as Bile
Harold Gould
as Arthur Mendelson
Bruce Bohne
as Trevor Beene
Harry Groener
as Dr. Prack
Steven Anthony Jones
as Charlie
Richard Kiley
as Dr. Titan
Douglas Roberts
as Larry
Ellen Albertini Dow
as Aggie
Alan Tudyk
as Everton
Ryan Hurst
as Neil
Peter Siteri
as Chess Man
Don West
as Instructor
Greg Sestero
as Jaime
Jason Aaron Baca
as Patch Pirate
Ismael East Carlo
as Hispanic Father
Diane Amos
as Older Waitress
Andy Arness
as Orderly (uncredited)
Renee Rogers
as Receptionist
Dot Marie Jones
as Miss Meat
Ralph Peduto
as Organizer
Norman Alden
as Truck Driver
Sonya Eddy
as Older Waitress
Domenique Lozano
as Passerby
Ken Hoffman
as Big Texan
Roy Conrad
as E.R. Doctor
Jay Jacobus
as Jack Walton
Geoff Fiorito
as 3rd Year Student
Samuel Sheng
as 3rd Year Student
Kathleen Stefano
as Margery
Piers Mackenzie
as Dr. Hashman
Alex Gonzalez
as Hispanic Boy
Jake Bowen
as Bryan
Richard J Silberg
as Psych Patient
James Anthony Cotton
as Psych Patient
Michael X Sommers
as Psych Patient
David Fine
as Psych Patient
James Carraway
as Psych Patient
J Stephen Coyle
as Psych Patient
Wanda Mccaddon
as Woman in Lobby
Wanda Christine
as Nurse Klegg
Lorri Holt
as Pediatric Nurse
Stephanie Smith
as Laughing Nurse
Mary Delorenzo
as Nurse
Vivis Colombetti
as Hysterical Woman (as Vivis)
Donna Kimball
as Waitress
Lydell M Cheshier
as Younger Man
Kelvin Han Yee
as Orderly (as Kelvin Yee)
Doreen Foo Croft
as Asian Woman (as Doreen Chou Croft)
Bill Roberson
as Fred Jarvis
Randy Oglesby
as Pinstriped Man
Vilma Vitanva
as Maria (as Vilma Vitanza)
Bonnie Johnson
as Walcott's Secretary
Karen Pavlick
as Mrs. Davis (as Karen Michel)
James Allen
as Ed
Katherine Fitzhugh
as Mrs. O'Bannon (as Katherine A. Fitzhugh)
Kyle Timothy Smith
as Davis Son
Jonathan Holder
as Davis Son
Shannon Orrock
as Receptionist
George Lee
as Boardroom Doctor (as George Lee Masters)
Dan P Hannafin
as Boardroom Doctor (as Daniel P. Hannafin)
Roger W Durrett
as Boardroom Doctor
Ralph David Westfall
as Gynecologist
Thom Mcintyre
as Gynecologist
Michael Stanton Kennedy
as Gynecologist (as Michael Kennedy)
David Acuff
as Dr. Anderson (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
4Other crew
5Parents Guide
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