TopTenREVIEWS presents the film career and movie reviews of John Wayne.
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Birthdate: May 26, 1907
Death date: June 11, 1979
John Wayne
ACTOR RANKINGS:
CAREER SPAN
Decade
Movie Score
# Movies
1920s
No Reviews
1
1930s
4.0000
63
1940s
3.1491
33
1950s
3.1580
18
1960s
2.9286
20
1970s
2.7343
10
Ratings and rankings are based on all available critic reviews & awards.
Overall Actor Score: 
3.2348
3.2348
John Wayne Movie Rankings
1
3.6915Ethan Edwards (John Wayne)returned from war to find his family massacred and his niece kidnapped by Indians. With his half-nephew he vows to find and save his niece from the people he despises. After years of searching, he finds she as become one of them. ...more about Searchers
DVD from $4.69
(16 sellers)
2
3.3925Tom Dunson builds a cattle empire with his adopted son Matthew Garth. Together they begin a massive cattle drive north from Texas to the Missouri railhead. ...more about Red River
DVD from $4.86
(16 sellers)
3
3.2500After a disaster in the ring, boxer Sean Thornton returns to his birthplace in Ireland. Hoping to live out a quiet existence Sean falls in love with a local girl. Her brother, Red Will, refuses to give his sister's hand and Sean is forced to conquer is old demons and fight for the woman he loves. ...more about Quiet Man
DVD from $5.62
(11 sellers)
4
3.2128
A wounded outlaw is taken in and nursed by a nice Quaker family. During his stay, he begins to fall for the oldest daughter and soon has to choose between his feelings for revenge or his feelings of love. ...more about Angel and the Badman
DVD from $2.90
(13 sellers)
5
3.1759
Lilly (Baby Face) sleeps her way from basement speakeasy bartender, literally floor by floor, to the top floor of a New York office building. ...more about Baby Face
DVD from $25.55
(11 sellers)
6
3.1636
Three outlaws, on the run after robbing a bank, encounter a woman in labor in the middle of the desert. Although the child lives, the woman dies. To appease her dying wish the three promise to deliver the baby to safety, even if it risks their own lives. ...more about 3 Godfathers
DVD from $9.99
(10 sellers)
7
3.0659
The sudden death of her father sends a young tomboy of a girl, 'Mattie Ross' (Kim Darby) on a mission to find justice, and the avenging of her father's death. ...more about True Grit
Actor Awards
- Academy Awards, USA - Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Golden Globes, USA - Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama
DVD from $6.39
(7 sellers)
8
3.0260
Tells the story of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in WWII. There are dozens of characters, some seen only briefly, who together weave the story of five separate invasion points that made up the operation. ...more about Longest Day
DVD from $7.26
(13 sellers)
9
2.9848
Senator Ranse Stoddard returns to the city Shinbone in the Wild West to go to the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon. ...more about Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Actor Awards
- Laurel Awards - Top Action Performance
DVD from $3.66
(13 sellers)
10
2.9780
An aging gunfighter discovers he has cancer. Over the course of two months, he attempts to mend old wounds and make amends with those around him. However, he is not willing to let the cancer take him quietly and instead insists on going out with a bang in the "line of duty. ...more about Shootist
DVD from $3.66
(15 sellers)
11
2.9684
A transport plane crash-lands in the frozen wastes of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while waiting for rescue. ...more about Island in the Sky
DVD from $7.18
(10 sellers)
12
2.9542
The fall of the Phillippines to the Japanese in World War II, and the heroism and tragedy of the defenders, as exemplified by the story of one American PT boat squadron. ...more about They Were Expendable
DVD from $6.62
(13 sellers)
13
2.9463
In John Ford's sombre exploration mythologising of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday, who sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. ...more about Fort Apache
DVD from $11.52
(2 sellers)
14
2.8801
Taw Jackson returns from prison having survived being shot, to the ranch and gold that Frank Pierce stole from him. Jackson makes a deal with Lomax, the man who shot him 5 years ago to join forces against Pierce and steal a large gold shipment. ...more about War Wagon
DVD from $3.65
(13 sellers)
16
2.8706
Cattle baron George Washington McLintock fights his wife, his daughter, and political land-grabbers, finally "taming" them all in this Western comedy with Taming of the Shrew overtones. ...more about McLintock!
Actor Awards
- Laurel Awards - Top Action Performance
DVD from $1.96
(15 sellers)
17
2.8609
Captain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled. ...more about She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
DVD from $16.37
(9 sellers)
18
2.8283
A stagecoach carrying various passengers sets off from Tonto to Lordsburg, New Mexico, but along the way they encounter a group of Apaches led by Geronimo. The passengers try to fight off the Indians, and just as they run out of ammo, the U.S. Calvary comes to the rescue. ...more about Stagecoach
DVD from $13.99
(19 sellers)
19
2.8130
Hondo Lane, a despatch rider for the cavalry, encounters Angie Lowe, a woman living alone with her young son in the midst of hostile Apache territory. She presumes she is safe because the Apaches, under their chief Vittorio, have always left them alone. ...more about Hondo
DVD from $4.86
(11 sellers)
20
2.7939
When a commercial airliner developes engine problems on a trans- Pacific flight and the pilot loses his nerve, it is up to the washed-up co-pilot Dan Roman to bring the plane in safely. ...more about High and the Mighty
DVD from $11.25
(12 sellers)
21
2.7819
Rio Grande takes place after the Civil War when the Union turned their attention towards the Apaches. ...more about Rio Grande
DVD from $4.29
(8 sellers)
22
2.7531
The Elder boys return to Clearwater, Texas for their Mother's funeral. John the eldest is a well known gunfighter and trouble follows him wherever he goes. ...more about Sons of Katie Elder
DVD from $3.66
(14 sellers)
23
2.7457
Aboard the freighter Glencairn, the lives of the crew are lived out in fear, loneliness, suspicion and cameraderie. ...more about Long Voyage Home
DVD from $19.99
(9 sellers)
24
2.7252
Marine sergeant John Stryker seems a martinet and a bully as he trains young Marines for combat in the Pacific war. ...more about Sands of Iwo Jima
Actor Awards
- Academy Awards, USA - Best Actor in a Leading Role
DVD from $7.99
(8 sellers)
25
2.7157
Breck leads a wagon train of pioneers through Indian attack, storms, deserts, swollen rivers, down cliffs and so on while looking for the murder of a trapper and falling in love with Ruth. ...more about Big Trail
DVD from $4.52
(11 sellers)
26
2.7094
When his cattle drivers abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his drivers in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. ...more about Cowboys
DVD from $34.99
(4 sellers)
27
2.7086
John Wayne and his ensemble cast cavort over the African landscape filling orders from zoos for wild animals. Bruce Cabot plays "the Indian", a womanizing sharpshooter who is gored by a rhino in the opening scenes of the film. ...more about Hatari!
DVD from $3.90
(12 sellers)
28
2.6965
A merchant marine captain, rescued from the Chinese Communists by local visitors, is "shanghaied" into transporting the whole village to Hong Kong on an ancient paddle steamer. ...more about Blood Alley
DVD from $4.99
(13 sellers)
29
2.6939
Engineer Johnny Munroe is enlisted to build a railroad tunnel through a mountain to reach mines. His task is complicated, and his ethics are compromised, when he falls in love with his boss's daughter. ...more about Tycoon
- Not Available on DVD
30
2.6797
The life of Jesus Christ. ...more about Greatest Story Ever Told
DVD from $7.49
(12 sellers)
31
2.6785
Sam (John Wayne) and George (Stewart Granger) strike gold in Alaska. George sends Sam to Seattle to bring George's fiance back to Alaska. Sam finds she is already married, and returns instead with Angel (Capucine). ...more about North to Alaska
DVD from $5.47
(17 sellers)
32
2.6763
A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy. ...more about Rio Bravo
DVD from $9.58
(7 sellers)
33
2.6652
A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail/supply centre. Along with them is sent a doctor who causes instant antipathy between him and the commander. ...more about Horse Soldiers
DVD from $4.86
(11 sellers)
34
2.6460
Captain Ralls fights Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye for the woman he loves, Angelique Desaix, and for a fortune in gold aboard the Red Witch. ...more about Wake of the Red Witch
DVD from $3.99
(8 sellers)
35
2.6398
In 1836, a small group of Americans and Texans are assigned to defend a small fort from the Mexican Gen. Santa Anna and his sweeping tyranny across Texas. Then in very early morning, the fort is ambushed by Mexican soldiers that annihilate the fort and its defenders. ...more about Alamo
Actor Awards
- Laurel Awards - Top Action Performance
DVD from $4.86
(13 sellers)
36
2.6090
Police Lieutenant Lon McQ investigates the killing of his best friend and uncovers corrupt elements of the police department dealing in confiscated drugs. ...more about McQ
DVD from $6.49
(11 sellers)
37
2.5546
Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests gambler Paul Regret, but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves known as Comancheros. ...more about Comancheros
Actor Awards
- Laurel Awards - Top Action Performance
DVD from $6.88
(16 sellers)
38
2.5064
Col. Cord McNally an ex union officer teams up with a couple of ex Johnny Rebs to search for the traitor who sold information to the South during the Civil War. ...more about Rio Lobo
DVD from $5.96
(11 sellers)
39
2.4985
When a stranger arrives in a western town he finds that the rancher who sent for him has been murdered. Further, most of the townsfolk seem to be at each other's throats, and the newcomer has soon run contrariwise to most of them. ...more about Tall in the Saddle
DVD from $6.84
(12 sellers)
40
2.4932
As one of the founders of the town of Lincoln, John Chisum is increasingly worried as Lawrence Murphy moves in on the local stores, bank and land by questionable means. ...more about Chisum
Actor Awards
- Laurel Awards - Best Action Performance
DVD from $9.30
(4 sellers)
41
2.4793
Clipper ships taking the shortest route between the Mississippi and the Atlantic often end up on the shoals of Key West in the 1840s. Salvaging the ships' cargos has become a lucrative business for two companies -- one headed by a feisty young woman. ...more about Reap the Wild Wind
DVD from $5.95
(11 sellers)
42
2.4748
Jim Gordon commands a unit of the famed Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group which fought the Japanese in China before America's entry into World War II. ...more about Flying Tigers
DVD from $4.02
(12 sellers)
43
2.4687
Construction workers in World War II in the Pacific are needed to build military sites, but the work is dangerous and they doubt the ability of the Navy to protect them. ...more about Fighting Seabees
DVD from $9.99
(8 sellers)
44
2.4565
Prizefighter Jimmy Dolan accidentally kills a man at a party and escapes. He hides out at a health farm for invalid children and begins to lose his cynicism under the influence of the children and of Peggy and Mrs. Moore, who run the farm. ...more about Life of Jimmy Dolan
- Not Available on DVD
45
2.4529
Bijou, a saloon singer with a reputation for insighting brouhahas, is one of several deportees from a south Pacific island to arrive at another U.S. protectorate, Boni Komba. She becomes very popular with U.S. navymen by performing at the 'Seven Sinners'. ...more about Seven Sinners
DVD from $16.22
(12 sellers)
46
2.4247
After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. ...more about Undefeated
DVD from $5.91
(17 sellers)
47
2.4232
Paul Bonnard arrives in Timbuktu in search of a guide to escort him into the Sahara desert. American Joe January takes the job despite misgivings about Bonnard's plans. ...more about Legend of the Lost
DVD from $5.32
(12 sellers)
49
2.3973
Submarine commander Duke Gifford feels guilty in the death of his former commanding officer, as well as about his failed marriage. These issues pull at him during a hazardous mission against the Japanese in World War II. ...more about Operation Pacific
DVD from $7.57
(3 sellers)
50
2.3908
Duke falls for Flaxen in the Barbary Coast in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. He loses money to crooked gambler Tito, goes home and PL: learns to gamble, and returns. After he makes a fortune he opens his own place with Flaxen as the entertainer. ...more about Flame of Barbary Coast
DVD from $9.99
(7 sellers)
51
2.3361
Jim Brannigan is sent to London to bring back an American mobster who is being held for extradition but when he arrives he has been kidnapped which was set up by his lawyer. ...more about Brannigan
DVD from $9.99
(7 sellers)
52
2.3260
Captain Rockwell Torrey and Commander Paul Eddington are part of the Navy's effort to recuperate from, and retaliate for, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. ...more about In Harm's Way
DVD from $3.90
(11 sellers)
53
2.3145
Marine Major Dan Kirby is tough on his group of World War II aviators, tougher than his subordinate Captain Carl Griffin thinks is necessary. But Kirby proves that his method is more suited to the demands of war. ...more about Flying Leathernecks
DVD from $11.99
(6 sellers)
54
2.3130
'Guns' Donovan prefers carousing with his pals Doc Dedham and 'Boats' Gilhooley, until Dedham's high-society daughter Amelia shows up in their South Seas paradise. ...more about Donovan's Reef
DVD from $3.90
(14 sellers)
55
2.2952
Young Matt Masters, an Ozark Mountains moonshiner, hates the father he has never seen, who apparently deserted Matt's mother and left her to die. His obsession contributes to the hatred rampant in the mountains. ...more about Shepherd of the Hills
DVD from $16.22
(12 sellers)
56
2.2739
John Travers and his Indian companion Yak are after the mysterious Shadow and his gang. When Sheriff Davis is killed, Travers becomes Sheriff. ...more about Star Packer
DVD from $3.42
(10 sellers)
57
2.2693
Jerry Mason (Wayne), a young Texan, and Jake Benson (Hayes), an old rancher, become partners and strike it rich with a gold mine. They then find their lives complicated by bad guys and a woman. ...more about Lucky Texan
DVD from $3.99
(9 sellers)
58
2.2602
In British colonial America, Captain Swanson's adherence to the rules results in Trader Callendar's selling to the Indians under cover of a government permit. Jim Smith won't sit still for that. ...more about Allegheny Uprising
- Not Available on DVD
59
2.2510
Returning a lost item to Ann, Stony arrives just two men shoot each other. Ann is a Government Agent and she gets Stony to replace her now dead partner. ...more about Pals of the Saddle
- Not Available on DVD
60
2.2465
John Mason is hit with a bullet. Alice who nurses him turns out to be the sister of the man Mason is looking for, the man who gunned down his father. ...more about Dawn Rider
DVD from $2.91
(11 sellers)
61
2.2373
Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the townsfolk in moving to greener pastures in Oregon. ...more about Three Faces West
DVD from $9.99
(6 sellers)
62
2.2296
The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. ...more about Big Jake
DVD from $7.74
(13 sellers)
63
2.2282
Accused of murder and robbery, Randy is released from jail to the custody of Sally Rogers so he can find the real badguys. He finds their secret hideout behind a waterfall. ...more about Randy Rides Alone
DVD from $3.42
(11 sellers)
64
2.2145
Dare Rudd takes a shine to his cattleman cousin Tom's girlfriend who asks Tom to hire Dare to head the big cattle drive. Dare loses the money for the drive to cardsharps, but Tom wins it back, but Dare must save Tom's life. ...more about Born to the West
DVD from $2.99
(10 sellers)
65
2.2145
Cowpoke Bob Seton becomes a rival for William Cantrell's girl and for the sheriff's job Cantrell covets. ...more about Dark Command
DVD from $6.55
(7 sellers)
66
2.2145
Badguy Kincaid controls the local water supply and plans to do in the other ranchers. Government agent Saunders shows up undercover to do in Kincaid and win the heart of one of his victims Fay Denton. ...more about Riders of Destiny
DVD from $3.99
(7 sellers)
67
2.2069
The Marshal sends John Weston to a rodeo to see if he can find out who is killing the rodeo riders who are about to win the prize money. Barton has organized the rodeo and plans to leave with all the prize money put up by the townspeople. ...more about Man from Utah
DVD from $3.42
(9 sellers)
68
2.1949
Struggling to retain custody of his daughter following his divorce, football coach Steve Williams finds himself embroiled in a recruiting scandal at the tiny Catholic college he is trying to bring back to football respectability. ...more about Trouble Along the Way
- Not Available on DVD
69
2.1871
In 1889 pioneers race ahead of the law to claim free land in Oklahoma, forming wide-open towns. In one such, citizens elect Milt Dawson to challenge the self-appointed rule of gambler Ace Holmes, only to have him shot in the back. ...more about New Frontier
- Not Available on DVD
70
2.1838
Hired gunman Cole Thornton turns down a job with Bart Jason as it would mean having to fight an old sheriff friend. Some months later he finds out the lawman is on the bottle and a top gunfighter is heading his way to help Jason. ...more about El Dorado
DVD from $3.66
(12 sellers)
71
2.1643
Sheriff John Higgins quits and goes into prospecting after he thinks he has killed his best friend in shooting it out with robbers. He encounters his dead buddy's sister and helps her run her ranch. Then she finds out about his past. ...more about Texas Terror
DVD from $2.99
(10 sellers)
73
2.1515
After the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in World War II, Col. Joseph Madden of the U.S. Army stays on to organize guerrilla fighters against the conquerors. ...more about Back to Bataan
DVD from $7.40
(10 sellers)
74
2.1410
A gunhand named Lane is hired by a widow, Mrs. Lowe, to find gold stolen by her husband so that she may return it and start fresh. ...more about Train Robbers
DVD from $5.99
(13 sellers)
75
2.1245
The history of Western expansion in the United States as told by the story of one pioneer family's history. Zebulon Prescott takes his family from New York, heading West in the early 1800s. ...more about How the West Was Won
DVD from $9.58
(5 sellers)
76
2.1186
The Three Mesquiteers convince a group of settlers to exchange their present property for some which, unbeknownst to our goodguys, is going to be worthless. They are captured before they can warn the ranchers. ...more about New Frontier
- Not Available on DVD
77
2.0867
Talbot uses a phony land grant to rule thirteen million acres, taxing everyone heavily and evicting those who won't pay. The Three Mesquiteers becomes mysterious "night riders" to fight this evil. ...more about Night Riders
- Not Available on DVD
78
2.0834
Circus owner Matt Masters is beset by disasters as he attempts a European tour of his circus. At the same time, he is caught in an emotional bind between his adopted daughter and her mother. ...more about Circus World
- Not Available on DVD
79
2.0655
In ancient times, the Mongolian warlord Temujin must do battle against the rival tribe that killed his father. ...more about Conqueror
DVD from $16.22
(12 sellers)
80
2.0638
When Texas Grant rides into town people think the supposedly dead Jim Rawlings has returned. After a confrontation with Utah Becker, Grant learns Helen Rawlings is about to lose her ranch to Becker. ...more about Texas Cyclone
DVD from $3.95
(9 sellers)
81
2.0593
Both Sam Crew and his gang and Sonora Joe and his men are rustlers after a cattle herd just arriving. John Steele, sent by the Governor, is out to stop them. Greatly outnumbered, Steele's plan is to deputize Sonora and his men to fight the Crew gang. ...more about Big Stampede
DVD from $9.48
(8 sellers)
82
2.0590
An American Army officer is recruited by the yet to exist Israel to help them form an army. He is disturbed by this sudden appeal to his jewish roots. ...more about Cast a Giant Shadow
DVD from $6.10
(10 sellers)
84
2.0319
In Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister and his partner Dextry, financed by saloon entertainer Cherry Malotte, fight to save their gold claim from crooked commissioner Alexander McNamara. ...more about Spoilers
DVD from $5.66
(9 sellers)
85
1.9588
The Eagle uses sky writing to make threats against a corporation. Nathan Gregory owns a travelling fairground and is thought to be the Eagle. Craig McCoy is a pilot who goes looking for the Eagle when Gregory turns up missing. ...more about Shadow of the Eagle
DVD from $4.29
(9 sellers)
86
1.9542
When Sheriff Jake sees a man at the safe and then finds the payroll gone, he trails him. Just as he is about to arrest him, the man saves his life. ...more about Blue Steel
DVD from $2.50
(11 sellers)
87
1.9269
Chris Morrell, the guardian of Indian girl Nina, is helping her track down her missing father. Until he is found, she is the heir to a rich oil field and in danger from Sam Black, whose gang is out to steal the lands. ...more about 'Neath the Arizona Skies
DVD from $13.99
(7 sellers)
88
