Cross-Referencing Databases

If you go to the search box, change "all" to "advanced search," then choose "advanced name search," you can then add the name fragment, then a title, and get a list of names.

I just used, "Richard" (thinking of Richard Schaal), then chose "Bob Newhart Show" for the title and got http://www.imdb.com/search/name?name=richard&role=tt0068049

Is this what you mean?

If not, can you be specific to what you're searching for?

Yes, that is what I meant. Nuts. Just tried it and came up with ‘no results’. It may be because it’s a middle name, but since it was in the credits shouldn’t the name hit anyway? After all, it would be the actor’s stage name.

Oh, it only hits on the most POPULAR people. That’s no good. Popular actors are easier to find than the less popular. It should search for everyone, not just the most popular.

I was not aware that Richard Schaal died November 4, 2014. I remember him in a number of television and film productions.

If you know the two productions the actors is in, you could use Common Cast/Crew Between Two Titles (http://www.imdb.com/search/common). Using the example that bluesmanSF provided above.

I know the actor in question appeared in The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)  and The Bob Newhart Show.

The resulting search is
Most Popular People Credited in "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)" And Credited in "The Bob Newhart Show (1972 TV Series)"
http://www.imdb.com/search/name?roles=tt0060921,tt0068049

This produces three names:
Richard Schaal Actor, The Cube
Cliff Norton Actor, General Hospital
Lewis E. Hurst Jr. Art Director, Love Is All Around

Another possibility is to do an advanced name search (http://www.imdb.com/search/name) specifying other information about the actor such as approximate age. For example:

Most Popular Males Born Between 1927 and 1929 Credited in "The Bob Newhart Show (1972 TV Series)"
http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_date=1927,1929&gender=male&role=tt0068049

You could potentially combine the searches to produce:
Most Popular Males Credited in "The Bob Newhart Show (1972 TV Series)" And Credited in "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)" Born Between 1927 and 1929
http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_date=1927,1929&gender=male&roles=tt0068049,tt0060921

In general, the more information you know about an actor or crew member, the easier it will be to find the person on IMDb.

If you provide the information you know about the actor, we could potentially provide you more guidance on how to do the search or create the search that will find the actor.

The only information I remember is that she appeared in an episode of the original Ironside TV series and her middle name was Siobhan. She was late 20s early 30s.

Hi White Phoenix,

Ironside ran from 1967 to 1975. Assuming that this actress was in her late 20s to early 30s (25 to 35) during the series, she could have been born as early as 1932 and as late as 1950.

This results in this advanced search:
Most Popular Females Born Between 1 January 1932 and 31 December 1950 Credited in "Ironside (1967 TV Series)"
http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_date=1932-01-01,1950-12-31&gender=female&role=tt006126...
... results in 192 matches.

According to http://www.babynamesofireland.com/siobhan

MEANING: Siobhan is another Irish form of Joan meaning “God is gracious.” A popular name in Ireland where the anglicised versions are often used. Siobhan McKenna, an Irish actress who died in 1986, was considered by many as a woman who personified all that was good about being Irish.

GENDER: Girl | Female

If you include the word Irish in biography, the advanced search produces:

Most Popular Females Born Between 1 January 1932 and 31 December 1950 Credited in "Ironside (1967 TV Series)" With Biography Matching "Irish"

http://www.imdb.com/search/name?bio=Irish&birth_date=1932-01-01,1950-12-31&gender=female&...

... results in 2 matches Anne Archer and Darlene Conley.

Some possibilities include:

5.  Anne Archer Actress, Patriot Games Anne Archer was nominated for an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe and the British (BAFTA) Academy Award for her role as Michael Douglas' sympathetic, tortured wife, "Beth Gallagher", in Adrian Lyne's 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction. Archer is also well-known for her poignant Golden Globe-winning performance...

10. Margaret O'Brien Actress, Meet Me in St. Louis Born Angela Maxine O'Brien on January 15, 1937 in San Diego, California. Her film debut was one-minute shot in MGM's Babes on Broadway. Her big moment came when she was cast in Journey for Margaret. This film shot her into instant stardom and also resulted in Angela changing her name to Margaret. Throughout the 1940s

12. Kim Darby Actress, True Grit The child of professional dancers, Kim Darby began her career studying dance with her father, as well as Nico Charisse. At fourteen, she was granted special admission to Tony Barr's acting workshop at Desilu Studios on the Paramount Pictures lot.

17. Tyne Daly Actress, The Enforcer

23. Diana Muldaur Actress, The Other Diana Muldaur is known for L.A. Law, Star Trek: The Next Generation, McCloud, Born Free, The Other and McQ. In the eighties, Diana became the president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the academy handing out the Emmy awards). Diana's L.A. Law character, Rosalind Shays, was a widely discussed character in the nineties...

73. Darlene Conley Actress, General Hospital Darlene Conley has received two Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful, a role she has played since December of 1988. She was also nominated for two Soap Opera awards from Soap Opera Digest as Outstanding Comic Performer in a Daytime Drama...

If you remember other information such as height, hair color, eye color, or other attributes, we may be able to narrow the search. It will also help if you remember anything about the episode or the role she played in the episode.

I also suggest that you post your question on IMDb's I Need to Know message board.

I Need To Know (http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000001/threads/) This is the place to post those film/TV/video/etc trivia questions you DON'T know the answers to - perhaps one of your fellow users can help.

Charter:

Have a movie/TV/entertainment-related question that you need help answering? Post your question here, and let other IMDb users help you find the answer (edit your post to add the word "Solved" to your subject line where appropriate).

This board is specifically for "things you need to know" about film and tv.

Many of the regular contributors to this board have an amazing knowledge of films and television. They are happy to help.