The Who Filmography

1975 Tommy

Ken Russell's camp treatment of the Rock opera, with Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Jack Nicholson, and an all-star cast of Rock musicians like Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and Elton John, along with The Who. For more information about the movie see its entry at The Internet Movie Database.

1979 Quadrophenia

A Franc Roddam film that expands on the sketchy story of the Rock opera. It tells of the coming of age of a young mod at the time of the Mod versus Rocker riots of 1964. Sting plays a prancing phony along with a cast of unknowns. The Who's participation was limited to the soundtrack, which includes songs from the Rock opera, new songs written for the soundtrack by Pete Townshend, and the original recordings of various Motown hits. For more information about the movie see its entry at The Internet Movie Database.

1979 The Kids Are Alright

A Jeff Steindocumentary about The Who, including live performances, TV appearances, and interviews from all phases of their career up to that point, including their US debut on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. For more information about the movie see its entry at The Internet Movie Database.

2008 Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

A documentary produced by the band .

Other film appearances

1967 Monterey Pop

The Who's stage-wide destruction competes with Jimi Hendrix's lighter fluid. For more information about the movie see its entry at The Internet Movie Database.

1968 The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

Includes a for-the-occasion performance of "A Quick One While He's Away". Filmed in 1968, but not released until its direct-to-video release in 1996. Lore among Who fans holds that it was this performance that kept the film from being released, because The Who upstaged the Rolling Stones' performance with it. For more information about the movie see its entry at IMDb. (A portion of this performance is also included on the album The Kids Are Alright, described in the discography above.)

1969 Woodstock

The movie about the famous music festival. Includes excerpts from The Who's performance of Tommy. For more information about the movie see its entry at The Internet Movie Database.

Roger Daltrey also has an ongoing career in film and television, unrelated to his work with The Who. This career began with a starring role in The Who's movie version of Tommy, followed by a role as Franz Liszt in Ken Russell's Lisztomania. Daltrey has acted as producer for a number of films, as well.