When I search for a person, each matching name on the results page has a title next to it. How is that title chosen?

When you perform a search on a non-unique name, the list of matching names always looks like this:

Results for "harrison ford"

Names

1. Harrison Ford (I) (Actor, Star Wars (1977))
2. Harrison Ford (II) (Actor, Janice Meredith (1924))

The title next to each name is meant to be the most representative or, as we call it, the "Best Known For" title. The idea is to help people identify each name at a glance so that they can find the desired match more easily -- in the example above, everyone should be able to decide whether they want to see the filmography of Harrison Ford the silent-movie era star or Harrison Ford the Indiana Jones star and click on the right link.

The "Best Known For" title is automatically chosen among his/her credits through a complex weighting system.

Every credit in their filmography is assigned a "weight" based on a series of factors. These may include:

  • The job performed on the title (a credit as director will have more weight than a credit as production assistant).
  • The frequency of credits for a particular job in the context of the person's filmography (writing credits may have more weight for someone who is more frequently credited as a writer than as a producer)
  • The type of title (a credit for a theatrical feature has a different weight than a credit for a short film or a TV series)
  • The popularity of the title (this takes into consideration the number of hits/page views, the average user rating, any awards won by the title and several other indicators)
  • The relative importance of the credit among similar ones for the same title (for example an acting credit for someone who received top billing will weigh more than an acting credit for a cameo appearance; a single writing credit on a film will weigh more than a credit shared with several other writers, etc.)
Please note that these aren't the only factors we consider, but should be enough to give an idea of the approach used to calculate the most representative titles in someone's filmography. The title with the highest score is chosen as the 'Best Known For' title.

Since this is an entirely mathematical approach, some of our choices may occasionally not be the best or most representative ones. Unfortunately, since the selection is automated, we are not able to change those titles on a case-by-case basis.

However, the algorithm used to select them is constantly being improved. Also, those choices are recalculated on a periodical basis, so the addition of new credits on someone's filmography will have an impact on their 'Best Known For' titles.

'Known For' credits are also displayed on filmography pages on IMDbPro and IMDb.com
On IMDbPro.com pages, a list of up to three 'known for' credits appears near the top of the filmography page; on IMDb.com a selection of 4 'known for' titles is usually positioned near the middle of the page immediately above the credit listing.

Please be aware that not all pages on IMDb.com will feature a 'known for' section. We are currently experimenting with various display and design options so this section may not be displayed for everyone. Also, the availability of this feature is based on several factors, including the number of titles in a person filmography and whether those titles have a poster/cover image associated with them.

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