Silkwood
On November 13, 1974, Karen Silkwood, an employee of a nuclear facility, left to meet with a reporter from the New York Times. She never got there.
1983 | 131m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Mike Nichols |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Nora Ephron, Alice Arlen |
| Staring: |
| Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood works at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 14, 1983 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Mike Nichols |
| Writer: | Nora Ephron, Alice Arlen |
| Genres: | |
| Keywords | plutonium, radiation, oklahoma, nuclear power plant, idealism, idealist, whistleblower, fighting the system, chemical poisoning, assassinated |
| Production Companies | ABC Motion Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $35,616,970
Budget: $10,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 11, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Meryl Streep | Karen Silkwood |
| Kurt Russell | Drew Stephens |
| Cher | Dolly Pelliker |
| Craig T. Nelson | Winston |
| Fred Ward | Morgan |
| Diana Scarwid | Angela |
| Ron Silver | Paul Stone |
| Charles Hallahan | Earl Lapin |
| Josef Sommer | Max Richter |
| Sudie Bond | Thelma Rice |
| Henderson Forsythe | Quincy Bissell |
| E. Katherine Kerr | Gilda Schultz |
| Bruce McGill | Mace Hurley |
| David Strathairn | Wesley |
| J.C. Quinn | Curtis Schultz |
| Kent Broadhurst | Carl |
| Richard Hamilton | Georgie |
| Les Lannom | Jimmy |
| M. Emmet Walsh | Walt Yarborough |
| Graham Jarvis | Doctor at Union Meeting |
| James Rebhorn | Los Alamos Doctor |
| Bill Cobbs | Man in Lunchroom |
| Ray Baker | Pete Dawson |
| Will Patton | Joe |
| Tom Stovall | 3rd Los Alamos Doctor |
| Drew Stephens | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Tess Harper | Linda Dawson |
| Anthony Heald | 2nd Doctor at Union Meeting |
| Gary Grubbs | Randy Fox |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Patrizia von Brandenstein | Production Design |
| Michael Hausman | First Assistant Director |
| Derek R. Hill | Set Decoration |
| Ken Walker | Assistant Property Master |
| Randy Fife | Stunts |
| Tom Fleischman | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Herb Jellinek | Executive In Charge Of Production |
| Joel Tuber | Second Assistant Director |
| Dennis W. Peeples | Set Decoration |
| Pam Hausman | Assistant Production Design |
| Gary Paul | Stunt Coordinator |
| Mary Goldberg | Casting |
| Richard Brick | Production Manager |
| John Dapper | Assistant Art Director |
| Russ Goble | Property Master |
| Tom Priestley Jr. | Camera Operator |
| Mike Nichols | Director |
| Nora Ephron | Screenplay |
| Georges Delerue | Original Music Composer |
| Miroslav Ondříček | Director of Photography |
| Sam O'Steen | Editor |
| Ann Roth | Costume Design |
| Dick Warlock | Stunt Double |
| Alice Arlen | Screenplay |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Michael Hausman | Producer |
| Larry Cano | Executive Producer |
| Tom Stovall | Associate Producer |
| Buzz Hirsch | Executive Producer |
| Joel Tuber | Associate Producer |
| Mike Nichols | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Actress | Meryl Streep | Won |
| Golden Globes | Best Supporting Actress | Mike Ketcher | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Meryl Streep | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Laurence Belcher | Nominated |
| Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Mike Ketcher | Won |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 50 | 91 | 25 |
| 2024 | 5 | 118 | 139 | 91 |
| 2024 | 6 | 71 | 133 | 41 |
| 2024 | 7 | 23 | 36 | 12 |
| 2024 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 13 | 23 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 5 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 16 | 35 | 10 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 573 | 810 |