Project Showcase common-actors
Find Common Actors Across Movies with a Simple Python Script
Have you ever struggled to remember an actor’s name, even though you can recall a few movies they were in? That’s exactly why I built common-actors - a simple Python script that helps you find common actors (and actresses) from a list of movies.
How It Works
The script uses the IMDbPY Python package to fetch cast lists for each movie you enter. It then returns the actors and actresses who appear in all of the movies you specified.
Why I Built It
I found myself trying to remember the name of an actor, but the only thing I could recall was several movies he had been in. I couldn’t find him through regular google searches, so I created this tool to help me - and now it can help you too.
How to Use It
Install Python 3
Make sure Python 3 is installed on your system.- Install IMDbPY
Open a terminal and run:1
pip3 install imdbpy Run the Script In the terminal, navigate to the folder with the script and run:
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python3 common-actors.py
You’ll be prompted to enter movie titles. The script will then display any actors who appear in all the specified films.
Extra Feature: Wikipedia Lookup
You can also use the -wiki flag to automatically open each common actor’s Wikipedia page in your browser. This is useful for quickly checking their bios or confirming who you were thinking of.
Example:
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python3 common-actors.py -wiki
Examples
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user@pc:~/projects/python$ python3 common-actors.py
Welcome to common-actors!
This tool will give you the common actors from a selection of given movies
How many movies would you like to enter? 3
Enter movie number 1: The Matrix
Enter movie number 2: The Matrix 2
Enter movie number 3: John Wick
Movie 1 found: The Matrix
Movie 2 found: The Matrix Reloaded
Movie 3 found: John Wick
Common actors found 1:
Keanu Reeves
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user@pc:~/projects/python$ python3 common-actors.py
Welcome to common-actors!
This tool will give you the common actors from a selection of given movies
How many movies would you like to enter? 2
Enter movie number 1: Pulp Fiction
Enter movie number 2: Kill Bill
Movie 1 found: Pulp Fiction
Movie 2 found: Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Common actors found 1:
Uma Thurman
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user@pc:~/projects/common-actors$ python3 common-actors.py
Enter your first movie: The matrix
Enter your second movie: The matrix 2
First movie found: The Matrix
Second movie found: The Matrix Reloaded
Common actors found 6 :
Keanu Reeves
Carrie-Anne Moss
Nash Edgerton
Gloria Foster
Laurence Fishburne
Hugo Weaving
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user@pc:~/projects/python$ python3 common-actors.py
Welcome to common-actors!
This tool will give you the common actors from a selection of given movies
How many movies would you like to enter? 3
Enter movie number 1: inception
Enter movie number 2: interstellar
Enter movie number 3: dunkirk
Movie 1 found: Inception
Movie 2 found: Interstellar
Movie 3 found: Dunkirk
Common actors found 1:
Michael Caine