Michael Stuhlbarg Movies and TV Shows: Full Filmography

If you’ve watched a prestige drama or an Oscar contender in the past decade, chances are Michael Stuhlbarg has appeared on screen — sometimes in a role so small you barely notice, other times with a monologue that stays with you long after the credits roll. His filmography connects the Coen brothers’ dark comedies, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This guide traces his journey from a theater-trained Juilliard alum to one of Hollywood’s most respected supporting players, covering his best movies and TV shows.

Film appearances: 30+ ·
Notable TV series: 5 ·
Years active: 1993–present ·
Breakout role: Larry Gopnik in A Serious Man (2009)

Four personal attributes show the foundation beneath the screen credits.

What is Michael Stuhlbarg famous for?

Early career and breakthrough

Stuhlbarg graduated from Juilliard’s Drama Division in 1992 and spent the first decade of his career on stage and in minor film roles. His first credited feature was a small part in A Price Above Rubies (1998) (MovieWeb). He worked steadily in theatre and television for years before the Coen brothers cast him as Larry Gopnik in A Serious Man (2009).

Acclaimed supporting roles

After that breakthrough, Stuhlbarg became a fixture in prestige cinema. He appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012) as George Yeaman, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011) as Prof. René Tabard, and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013) as Dr. Flicker (Wikipedia). His range across period dramas, comedies, and thrillers made him a director favorite.

Television prestige

On the small screen, Stuhlbarg has played gangster Arnold Rothstein on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (2010–2013), counterterrorism expert Richard A. Clarke in Hulu’s The Looming Tower (2018), and Richard Sackler in Dopesick (2021), earning an Emmy nomination for the latter (Wikipedia).

That paradox underscores his unique place in Hollywood.

What is Michael Stuhlbarg’s breakout role?

A Serious Man (2009): The role that changed everything

Stuhlbarg’s performance as Larry Gopnik, a physics professor whose life unravels in 1960s Minnesota, is the anchor of the Coen brothers’ dark comedy. The role required him to carry nearly every scene with a mixture of bewilderment, desperation, and dry wit (ScreenRant).

Critical reception and award recognition

The performance earned Stuhlbarg a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (Wikipedia). Critics praised his ability to hold the screen without histrionics.

Impact on subsequent casting

After A Serious Man, Stuhlbarg gained access to top-tier directors: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), Steven Spielberg (The Post), and Sam Raimi (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).

The implication: one role unlocked a decade of high-profile collaborations that most character actors never achieve.

Is Michael Stuhlbarg in a Marvel movie?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Yes. Stuhlbarg appears as Dr. Nicodemus West, a fellow surgeon and colleague of Stephen Strange, in both Doctor Strange (2016) and its 2022 sequel (Wikipedia).

His character: Dr. Nicodemus West

West is a minor but recurring figure — a skeptical member of the medical community who doubts Strange’s claims after the car accident. Stuhlbarg brings a skeptical, world-weary tone to the role.

Connection to the broader MCU

His appearances are limited to the two Doctor Strange films. There is no confirmed return in upcoming phases as of early 2025.

His Marvel appearances add blockbuster credibility to his independent film foundation.

What are the best Michael Stuhlbarg movies?

Top-rated film by critics

A Serious Man (2009) holds a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes). It is widely considered his finest work.

Fan favorites

Call Me by Your Name (2017) features Stuhlbarg’s most celebrated scene — a closing monologue that many viewers rank among the best movie moments of the 2010s (RogerEbert.com).

Underrated performances

In Arrival (2016), Stuhlbarg plays a government agent in the sci-fi drama, proving his ability to ground genre films with human tension (Wikipedia). Similarly, his turn in Steve Jobs (2015) as engineer Andy Hertzfeld is a small but sharply written supporting role.

The pattern: Stuhlbarg elevates every film he joins, even when his screen time is brief — a rare skill that makes him a secret weapon for directors.

Which TV shows has Michael Stuhlbarg appeared in?

Boardwalk Empire (2010–2013)

Stuhlbarg played the real-life gangster Arnold Rothstein across four seasons of HBO’s prohibition-era drama (Wikipedia). His calm, calculating portrayal became a series highlight.

The Looming Tower (2018)

He portrayed Richard A. Clarke, the counterterrorism expert, in Hulu’s dramatization of the lead-up to 9/11 (Wikipedia).

Dopesick (2021)

As Richard Sackler, the executive behind the opioid crisis, Stuhlbarg delivered a performance that earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination (The Hollywood Reporter).

Fargo (2015)

In season 2 of FX’s anthology series, Stuhlbarg played an eccentric mortician named Dr. Herbert (or “The Undertaker”), adding dark comic relief (Wikipedia).

What this means: Stuhlbarg treats television with the same seriousness as film, choosing complex, often morally ambiguous characters that challenge him over easy sympathy.

“I never thought of myself as a character actor. I think of myself as someone who tries to serve the story.”

— Michael Stuhlbarg, Interview Magazine

“We knew as soon as we saw his audition that he was Larry. He had this ability to be both funny and tragic at the same time.”

— Joel Coen, commentary on A Serious Man (The New York Times)

“Stuhlbarg’s performance in Dopesick is a masterclass in quiet malevolence — without shouting, he makes you understand how a corporation enabled a catastrophe.”

— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

For audiences seeking an actor who disappears into every role without ego, Stuhlbarg offers a rare consistency: his filmography is a playlist of the best American cinema of the past fifteen years. The implication is straightforward — if Stuhlbarg is in a movie, it’s worth watching, because he only picks projects that value craft over spectacle. For fans of committed supporting acting, the choice is to track his every appearance, or risk missing the quietest great performance of the year.