# IMDb Search Scraper - Titles, People & IMDb IDs (`dami_studio/imdb-scraper`) Actor

Search IMDb for titles, people and companies. This reads IMDb's autocomplete index, so about 8 results come back per query. No ratings. You get the IMDb ID, year, category and poster. Also the stars or known-for line and popularity rank. $2.50 per 1,000.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dami\_studio/imdb-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Dami's Studio](https://apify.com/dami_studio) (community)
- **Categories:** Integrations, AI, Other
- **Stats:** 8 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

$2.50 / 1,000 item returneds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## IMDb Search Scraper

Searches IMDb the same way its own search box does, by calling the public suggestion endpoint behind
it. Type `breaking bad` or `tom hanks` and you get back the IMDb id, the title or name, what kind of
thing it is, the year, the "stars / known for" line, the poster or headshot, IMDb's popularity rank,
and the canonical imdb.com URL. No API key, no account, no HTML parsing.

**$2.50 per 1,000 results** ($0.0025 each). A run that finds nothing costs exactly nothing.

### Be clear on what this returns

This is the autocomplete index, not the full title page. That means two things worth knowing before
you build on it:

- **No ratings, no vote counts, no genre, no runtime, no plot, no full cast.** Those live on the
  title page and the suggestion endpoint doesn't carry them. What you get is the identity of the
  thing plus the fields listed below.
- **Roughly 8 results per query, and no pagination.** That's the endpoint's own cap. Setting
  `maxItems` to 200 won't produce 200 rows from one query — pass more terms in `queries` instead and
  the rows are merged and de-duplicated by IMDb id.

If you need ratings and full metadata, this actor is the wrong tool. It's good at resolving a name
to an IMDb id fast and cheaply, which is usually what you want first.

### What you get per result

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| `id` | IMDb id: `tt0903747` for titles, `nm0000158` for people, `co…` for companies. |
| `kind` | `title`, `person`, `company` or `other`, derived from the id prefix. |
| `title` | The title, or the person's name. |
| `category` | IMDb's own label, such as `feature`, `TV series`, `video game`. `null` for people. |
| `year` | Release year for titles. `null` where it doesn't apply. |
| `yearRange` | Run span for series, e.g. `2008-2013`. |
| `starsOrKnownFor` | Main cast for a title, or the "known for" line for a person. |
| `rank` | IMDb popularity rank. Lower is more popular. |
| `image` | Poster or headshot URL. `null` when IMDb has none. |
| `url` | `imdb.com/title/{id}/` or `imdb.com/name/{id}/`. `null` for the odd `kind: "other"` row, like a franchise entry, which has no canonical page. |

A real row:

```json
{
  "ok": true,
  "id": "tt0903747",
  "kind": "title",
  "title": "Breaking Bad",
  "category": "TV series",
  "year": 2008,
  "yearRange": "2008-2013",
  "starsOrKnownFor": "Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul",
  "rank": 41,
  "image": "https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWE4NTc3YmYt%E2%80%A6.jpg",
  "url": "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/"
}
```

### Input

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| `query` | One search term. |
| `queries` | An array of terms searched in the same run, merged and de-duplicated by id. This is how you get past the ~8-row ceiling. |
| `type` | `all` (default), `titles` (ids starting `tt`), or `people` (ids starting `nm`). |
| `maxItems` | Cap on de-duplicated rows across all queries. Default 50. |

```json
{ "queries": ["inception", "the matrix", "arrival"], "type": "titles" }
```

```json
{ "query": "tom hanks", "type": "people" }
```

### Billing

You pay $0.0025 per result row, and nothing else.

Nothing is charged for a run that returns no results, for bad input, or for a rate limit or network
error. Those come back as a single `ok: false` row with an `errorCode` of `BAD_INPUT`, `NO_RESULTS`,
`RATE_LIMITED` or `NETWORK`.

Because each query tops out near 8 rows, a single-query run costs about $0.02 and a 20-term run
lands near $0.40.

### Proxy

Off by default, and you almost certainly want to leave it that way. The suggestion endpoint is
public, needs no auth, and has no anti-bot in front of it, so a proxy just adds cost. Turn Apify
Proxy on only if you're running high enough volume to hit an IP rate limit.

### If something looks wrong

- **`NO_RESULTS` with `type` set** — the endpoint may have returned only the other kind. Try
  `type: "all"`.
- **Fewer rows than you asked for** — that's the ~8 per query cap. Add more terms to `queries`.

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

A single thing to search IMDb for — a movie, TV show or person name, e.g. "breaking bad" or "tom hanks". For several searches at once, use the "queries" field below instead (or as well).

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Run several searches in one go — one request per term, results merged and de-duplicated by IMDb id. Use this to get more than the ~8 results a single query returns (the suggestion API has no pagination). Example: \["inception", "the matrix"]. If both "query" and "queries" are set, all are searched.

## `type` (type: `string`):

Which kinds of results to keep: "all" (titles + people + companies), "titles" (movies/shows only, IMDb ids starting tt), or "people" (cast/crew only, ids starting nm).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of de-duplicated rows to return across all queries. NOTE: a single query returns a fixed ~8 results (the suggestion API has no pagination); to get more, add more terms to "queries". If maxItems exceeds what's available, the actor just returns what it found.

## `notionConnector` (type: `string`):

Optional. Write each item as a page into your Notion when the run finishes. Authorize a Notion connector once in Settings → API & Integrations → MCP connectors, then pick it here. Leave empty to skip (default) — results are always saved to the dataset regardless.

## `notionParentId` (type: `string`):

Optional. The Notion data source ID of the database to write into (only used if a Notion connector is set). Leave empty to create the pages privately in your workspace instead.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

OPTIONAL. IMDb's suggestion API is a public, no-auth JSON endpoint with no anti-bot, so no proxy is needed and the default routes traffic directly (saving proxy credits). Only enable Apify Proxy if you hit IP rate limits when running very high volumes.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "breaking bad",
  "queries": [],
  "type": "all",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Scraped rows are stored in the default dataset (one row per result). Blocked/empty/error runs return a single uncharged diagnostic row instead.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "breaking bad"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dami_studio/imdb-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "query": "breaking bad" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dami_studio/imdb-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "breaking bad"
}' |
apify call dami_studio/imdb-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dami_studio/imdb-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/zzLRlLMSAcfTDIYOS/builds/Hby71soBYINNc4N2k/openapi.json