This is already possible, but is limited to characters with character pages.
1. From the drop down menu next to the search box select Characters. You should see the following:
2. Enter a character name in the box labeled "Find Movies, TV shows, Celebrities and more...", then click the yellow spyglass. For this example I've used the character name Batman. You should see this link: http://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=Batman&s=ch
hi, I've noticed that with the recent updates on IMDb the feature of searching on character names have gone (or at least I can't find it anymore). Could this feature please be re-instated? it's fun and useful from time to time. cheers, TC
It used to be that we could search the message boards but an upgrade in 2002 screwed that up. They promised that feature would come back soon - it never did and the boards are now gone also.
I miss the character search feature, it was good for checking out all of the actors who have played Sherlock Holmes or how many actresses have played Marilyn Monroe. As the years go on, IMDb keeps taking away features. OK, message boards aren't necessary but the "dB" in "IMdB" refers to data base so why chip away at the usefulness of that feature?
Dear IMDb website-masters, what's your difinition of "soon" ? Three monhts have past and some features like "character search" are still not restored. Not that I want to complain, but just to let you know that I'm still longing to see it back. And it appears I'm not the only one. :-)
Another feature I would like to see in the mobile device= when you've found a particular movie, that you can see if that movie is listed or not in my (private) lists.
So... over 8 months since this feature was removed and it has still not made a comeback! The layman's understanding of 'database' is a CROSS-REFERENCED set of related data, searchable by many useful fields. In IMDB, the most useful fields are title, year, actor and character, (among a few others, of course.)
Without the ability to search this field, how will the average Joe find out which James Bond film starred 'that bloke who only did the one movie?' Or which Sherlock Holmes film starred the actor who played Doctor Who a couple of times...? Or, what's that film with Wade Wilson in it that ISN'T a Deadpool movie?
People need to know these things. That's why the database was invented. Under its current stewardship, they should consider renaming it IML - The Internet Movie... List.
Please pass these messages on. You must have access to SOMEBODY, even if only an assistant to the deputy forum liaison, IMDb Antarctic Office...
Firstly thanks for your response. I was able to access the character search on mobile device (desktop version). Is there any plan to enable advanced searches on mobile apps?
Thank you for your feedback regarding the IMDb mobile apps. We'll change this thread to an "Idea" where it can be reviewed by other IMDb users and staff for future consideration.
Please know that we are constantly making updates to our sites and apps, and welcome all feedback from users when considering these changes.
I used to search by character name, but I no longer see the option available. I think it's a good option to have, for example if you want to see who's played a particular historical figure over the years. Or even a major fictional character.
Hi, I research U.S. names and naming trends. IMDB used to provide a character name search, which was very useful for this. For example, the name Tenley suddenly appeared out of the blue on baby name lists at the beginning of the 2000s. Many times when baby names get popular out of the blue, it's due to a character in a movie/tv show. A character search would have revealed that the name was used in the 2001 film "Summer Catch." Currently, you can search for popular characters, like "Spiderman" or "Walter White" and you will eventually get results, but for more vague names like Tenley, the searches are not useful. Previous incarnations of IMDb had this feature! Please bring it back for the sake of name enthusiasts!
IMDb reformulated character pages. For more details please see: Updates to Characters
As such character searches are not currently available. Until such time as IMDb restores this functionality, you can do a keyword search of IMDb via Google. This is the general format: site:imdb.com {KeyWord} Where {KeyWord} is your search term.
For instance if the {KeyWord} is Tenley, enter this in the Google search window: site:imdb.com Tenley
@Col_Needham 5 years later (2022) and imdb still haven't "re-added" the character search back! This is absolutely ridiculous. It was a great and highly integral feature for search purposes before the changes so why hasn't imdb been working on it all this time to bring it back? And now instead you're making another nonsensical and awful wholesale page layout re-design in Aug 2022.
Amen. I keep checking to see if it has been reinstated. For me, it's the best thing about IMDB, because I do research on name trends (like an above commenter). I'm so irritated that it was taken away.
For what it's worth, I'm in favor. I think it's nice to be able to see who's played the same character over the years in various movies, and a search by title or author won't necessarily turn them all up-- especially for historical figures.
Why has the character search function not been reinstated? Also, in the FAQs it still says "If you're looking for a character or company, you can select these in the right hand drop down at the end of the search bar or click "See all results" to navigate to the search results page.”But there is no drop down menu on the right hand side of the search bar anymore, and “See all results” does not give you character names.I just looked up “Fanny Brice” and neither “Funny Girl” nor “Funny Lady” showed up in the search, even though Fanny Brice is the main character in both of those movies.
Character search is a big missing feature. I'm looking for a tv series that dramatized the story of Richard Jewell. When I search for him, I get a lot for the actual Richard Jewell, and for the film about him, but nothing about TV series. Name search is useless for this task. It brings up lots of similar names, all of which are wrong. So I click on Exact name match, and it only brings up real people. All I need is a button on the "Exact name match" page that lets me search for characters. He shouldn't be hard to find. IMDB has all the data it needs to look this up, but there's no way to do it.
Limiting it to characters within the character pages makes it useless if I can't find the show.
dan_dassow
Champion
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19.3K Messages
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475.6K Points
7 years ago
This is already possible, but is limited to characters with character pages.
1. From the drop down menu next to the search box select Characters. You should see the following:
2. Enter a character name in the box labeled "Find Movies, TV shows, Celebrities and more...", then click the yellow spyglass. For this example I've used the character name Batman. You should see this link:
http://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=Batman&s=ch
6
markdarcy45
11 Messages
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154 Points
7 years ago
Firstly thanks for your response. I was able to access the character search on mobile device (desktop version). Is there any plan to enable advanced searches on mobile apps?
Mark
2
markdarcy45
11 Messages
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154 Points
7 years ago
0
claire
950 Messages
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41.6K Points
7 years ago
Thank you for your feedback regarding the IMDb mobile apps. We'll change this thread to an "Idea" where it can be reviewed by other IMDb users and staff for future consideration.
Please know that we are constantly making updates to our sites and apps, and welcome all feedback from users when considering these changes.
Thanks!
0
markdarcy45
11 Messages
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154 Points
7 years ago
I look forward to your response.
Mark
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mark_l_levinson
17 Messages
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680 Points
7 years ago
0
markdarcy45
11 Messages
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154 Points
7 years ago
0
scooter_burch
2 Messages
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60 Points
6 years ago
3
doctor_bits
13 Messages
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312 Points
6 years ago
I am a retired Software Engineer and UI designer, as well as a retired Professor of Computer Science.
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heathermoss
2 Messages
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62 Points
6 years ago
0
Jovan142002
3 Messages
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80 Points
4 years ago
Who is this (actor wise) and what is this from? I cannot for the life of me remember and I've been searching for the past two hours!!!!
1
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mark_l_levinson
17 Messages
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680 Points
4 years ago
For what it's worth, I'm in favor. I think it's nice to be able to see who's played the same character over the years in various movies, and a search by title or author won't necessarily turn them all up-- especially for historical figures.
0
chylyn
2 Messages
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60 Points
4 years ago
Why has the character search function not been reinstated? Also, in the FAQs it still says "If you're looking for a character or company, you can select these in the right hand drop down at the end of the search bar or click "See all results" to navigate to the search results page.” But there is no drop down menu on the right hand side of the search bar anymore, and “See all results” does not give you character names. I just looked up “Fanny Brice” and neither “Funny Girl” nor “Funny Lady” showed up in the search, even though Fanny Brice is the main character in both of those movies.
0
ACT_1
8.4K Messages
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174.7K Points
4 years ago
mark_d_arcy_28t5abzk3ieq9
Sat, May 13, 2017
Search: Add character search back
? ?
.
(edited)
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MiguelMunoz
2 Messages
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60 Points
4 years ago
Character search is a big missing feature. I'm looking for a tv series that dramatized the story of Richard Jewell. When I search for him, I get a lot for the actual Richard Jewell, and for the film about him, but nothing about TV series. Name search is useless for this task. It brings up lots of similar names, all of which are wrong. So I click on Exact name match, and it only brings up real people. All I need is a button on the "Exact name match" page that lets me search for characters. He shouldn't be hard to find. IMDB has all the data it needs to look this up, but there's no way to do it.
Limiting it to characters within the character pages makes it useless if I can't find the show.
0