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TopTenREVIEWS presents the film career and movie reviews of Karl Malden.

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Karl Malden
Birthdate: March 22, 1912

Karl Malden

ACTOR RANKINGS:

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CAREER SPAN

Decade
Movie Score
# Movies
1940s
1.7910
4
total ranking of 1.7910
1950s
2.7158
16
total ranking of 2.7158
1960s
2.5333
19
total ranking of 2.5333
1970s
2.2011
6
total ranking of 2.2011
1980s
0.7247
4
total ranking of 0.7247
Ratings and rankings are based on all available critic reviews & awards.
Overall Actor Score: Karl Malden is ranked overall as 2.6431 of of 4 stars2.6431

Karl Malden Movie Rankings

1
Karl Malden starring in On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront (1954)
Karl Malden scores a combined 3.5617 out of 4 stars for On the Waterfront3.5617
Terry has been a witness and participant in the murder of dockworker, Joey. Terry's conscience begins to get the best of him when he starts falling for Joey's sister. Soon Terry will have to stand up against some of the most powerful men in New Jersey. ...more about On the Waterfront
2
Karl Malden starring in Patton
Patton (1970)
Karl Malden scores a combined 3.2187 out of 4 stars for Patton3.2187
The story of WWII General George S. Patton. His unconventional tactics, tough as nails exterior and sheer arrogance made him a wild card during missions. He was feared and respected amongst allied and axis regimes alike. ...more about Patton
3
Karl Malden starring in Streetcar Named Desire
Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
Karl Malden scores a combined 3.1769 out of 4 stars for Streetcar Named Desire3.1769
Blanche is in real need of a protector at this stage in her life when circumstances lead her into paying a visit to her younger sister Stella in New Orleans. ...more about Streetcar Named Desire
Actor Awards
  • Academy Awards, USA - Best Actor in a Supporting Role
4
Kiss of Death (1947)
Kiss of Death (1947)
Karl Malden scores a combined 3.0483 out of 4 stars for Kiss of Death3.0483
Small-time crook Nick Bianco gets caught in a jewel heist and despite urgings from well-meaning district attorney D'Angelo, refuses to rat on his partners and goes to jail, assured that his wife and children will be taken care of. ...more about Kiss of Death
5
Pollyanna (1960)
Pollyanna (1960)
Karl Malden scores a combined 3.0229 out of 4 stars for Pollyanna3.0229
A little girl comes to a town that is embattled by feuds and intimidated by her aunt. ...more about Pollyanna
6
I Confess (1953)
I Confess (1953)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.9344 out of 4 stars for I Confess2.9344
Otto Kellar and his wife Alma work as caretaker and housekeeper at a Catholic church in Quebec. Whilst robbing a house where he sometimes works as a gardener, Otto is caught and kills the owner. ...more about I Confess
7
Dead Ringer (1964)
Dead Ringer (1964)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.9063 out of 4 stars for Dead Ringer2.9063
Broke Edith murders and assumes the identity of her recently widowed, well-to-do twin sister Margaret, who had married Edith's former flame 20 years before. ...more about Dead Ringer
8
Gunfighter, The (1950)
Gunfighter, The (1950)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.8737 out of 4 stars for Gunfighter2.8737
Jimmie Ringo is the fastest gun in the west, but he is getting tired of it all and would like to retire. But whereever he goes, there is always some tough kid who wants to try to beat him to the draw. ...more about Gunfighter
  • Not Available on DVD
9
Baby Doll (1956)
Baby Doll (1956)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.8678 out of 4 stars for Baby Doll2.8678
Archie Lee Meighan, middle-aged cotton gin owner, can hardly wait for the 20th birthday of his childish bride Baby Doll, when he'll be allowed to consummate the marriage...he thinks. ...more about Baby Doll
Actor Awards
  • BAFTA Awards - Best Foreign Actor
  • Golden Globes, USA - Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama
10
Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.8311 out of 4 stars for Fear Strikes Out2.8311
Jim Piersall is groomed by his loving but hard-driving father (living vicariously through his son) to play major league baseball. His desire to succeed to please his father leads to mental illness and a nervous breakdown. ...more about Fear Strikes Out
11
Cincinnati Kid, The (1965)
Cincinnati Kid, The (1965)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.8079 out of 4 stars for Cincinnati Kid2.8079
In New Orleans, an up-and-coming poker player takes on a long-time master of the game. Not only is there a small fortune at stake, but also the status of being the top player. But the trusted dealer has been blackmailed into rigging the game. ...more about Cincinnati Kid
12
Halls of Montezuma (1950)
Halls of Montezuma (1950)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.7374 out of 4 stars for Halls of Montezuma2.7374
The marines attack a strongly held enemy island in the Pacific. ...more about Halls of Montezuma
13
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.7238 out of 4 stars for Birdman of Alcatraz2.7238
As an inmate at Leavenworth prison, Robert Stroud has a series of confrontations with the guards and with the other convicts. ...more about Birdman of Alcatraz
14
Cat o' Nine Tails, The (1971)
Cat o' Nine Tails, The (1971)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.6336 out of 4 stars for Cat o' Nine Tails2.6336
Franco Arno is a blind man that lives with his young niece and makes a living writing crossword puzzles. ...more about Cat o' Nine Tails
15
Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.6211 out of 4 stars for Billion Dollar Brain2.6211
Harry Palmer has left the British Secret Service and become a private detective. ...more about Billion Dollar Brain
16
Boomerang! (1947)
Boomerang! (1947)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.6170 out of 4 stars for Boomerang!2.6170
This dramatization of a factual incident opens in a quiet Connecticut town where a kindly priest is murdered while waiting at a street corner. The citizens are horrified and demand action from the police. ...more about Boomerang!
  • Not Available on DVD
17
Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, The (1967)
Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, The (1967)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.4176 out of 4 stars for Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin2.4176
A young boy stows away on a California-bound ship, determined to strike it rich in the gold fields and save himself and his sister from financial ruin. ...more about Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin
18
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.3950 out of 4 stars for Beyond the Poseidon Adventure2.3950
After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. ...more about Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
19
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.3560 out of 4 stars for Cheyenne Autumn2.3560
20
Gypsy (1962)
Gypsy (1962)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.3455 out of 4 stars for Gypsy2.3455
Mama Rose lives to see her daughter June succeed on Broadway by way of vaudeville. When June marries and leaves, Rose turns her hope and attention to her elder, less obviously talented, daughter Louise. ...more about Gypsy
Actor Awards
  • Golden Globes, USA - Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy
21
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.2894 out of 4 stars for Where the Sidewalk Ends2.2894
Cop Mark Dixon is already in trouble with his superiors for his brutal tactics when he accidentally kills a murder suspect. ...more about Where the Sidewalk Ends
22
Hot Millions (1968)
Hot Millions (1968)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.1473 out of 4 stars for Hot Millions2.1473
A Cockney con-artist just out of prison replaces an insurance company's computer programmer and sends claim checks to himself in various guises at addresses all over Europe. ...more about Hot Millions
  • Not Available on DVD
23
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.1369 out of 4 stars for One-Eyed Jacks2.1369
Running from the law after a bank robbery in Mexico, Dad Longworth finds an opportunity to take the stolen gold and leave his partner Rio to be captured. Years later, Rio escapes from the prison where he has been since, and hunts down Dad for revenge. ...more about One-Eyed Jacks
24
How the West Was Won (1962)
How the West Was Won (1962)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.1245 out of 4 stars for How the West Was Won2.1245
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
25
Blue (1968)
Blue (1968)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.0852 out of 4 stars for Blue2.0852
A Mexican bandit, part of a gang led by his father, goes on a raid into the U.S. He falls for a beautiful woman and decides to leave his life of crime and settle down with her. ...more about Blue
26
Nevada Smith (1966)
Nevada Smith (1966)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.0706 out of 4 stars for Nevada Smith2.0706
Steve McQueen stars as a young son of an Indian mother and white father. When his father is killed by three men over gold, McQueen sets out to find them and kill them. The boy is taken in by a gun merchant. ...more about Nevada Smith
27
Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)
Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)
Karl Malden scores a combined 2.0214 out of 4 stars for Phantom of the Rue Morgue2.0214
  • Not Available on DVD
28
All Fall Down (1962)
All Fall Down (1962)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.8185 out of 4 stars for All Fall Down1.8185
Ralph and Annabell Willart are a feuding couple who are constantly bickering over their worthless, good-for nothing son Berry-Berry. ...more about All Fall Down
  • Not Available on DVD
29
Wild Rovers (1971)
Wild Rovers (1971)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.8181 out of 4 stars for Wild Rovers1.8181
Ross Bodine and Frank Post are cowhands on Walt Buckman's R-Bar-R ranch. Bodine is older and broods a bit about how he will get along when he's too old to cowboy. Post is young and rambunctious and ambitious for a better life than wrangling cows. ...more about Wild Rovers
  • Not Available on DVD
30
Diplomatic Courier (1952)
Diplomatic Courier (1952)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.8159 out of 4 stars for Diplomatic Courier1.8159
Department of State courier Mike Kelly ends up in postwar hotbed Trieste after failing to collect a package from a colleague. The Military Police are happy for him to get more involved, but things get a bit tough. After all, he is just a postman. ...more about Diplomatic Courier
  • Not Available on DVD
31
Nuts (1987)
Nuts (1987)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.7411 out of 4 stars for Nuts1.7411
A high-class call girl (Streisand) kills a customer in self-defense. To avoid scandal, her parents try to have her declared mentally incompetent. ...more about Nuts
32
Take the High Ground! (1953)
Take the High Ground! (1953)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.7154 out of 4 stars for Take the High Ground!1.7154
Sgt. Thorne Ryan, who once fought bravely in Korea, now serves as an instructor to privates in a southern state of the USA. ...more about Take the High Ground!
  • Not Available on DVD
33
Murderers' Row (1966)
Murderers' Row (1966)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.5309 out of 4 stars for Murderers' Row1.5309
The handsome top agent Matt dies a tragic death in his bath tub - the women mourn about the loss. However it's just faked for his latest top-secret mission: He shall find Dr. ...more about Murderers' Row
34
Great Impostor, The (1961)
Great Impostor, The (1961)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.4396 out of 4 stars for Great Impostor1.4396
Based on a true story, a bright young man who hasn't the patience for the normal way of advancement finds that people rarely question you if your papers are in order. He becomes a marine, a monk, a surgeon onboard a Canadian Warship, and a prison warden. ...more about Great Impostor
  • Not Available on DVD
35
Hanging Tree, The (1959)
Hanging Tree, The (1959)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.3867 out of 4 stars for Hanging Tree1.3867
Character study of a Doctor who saves a local criminal from a mob who are trying to hang him, but then tries to control the life of the young man, realising that he can exploit his secret. ...more about Hanging Tree
  • Not Available on DVD
36
Billy Galvin (1986)
Billy Galvin (1986)
Karl Malden scores a combined 1.2921 out of 4 stars for Billy Galvin1.2921
  • Not Available on DVD
37
Meteor (1979)
Meteor (1979)
Karl Malden scores a combined 0.8197 out of 4 stars for Meteor0.8197
After a collision with a comet, a nearly 8km wide piece of the asteroid "Orpheus" is heading towards Earth. If it will hit it will cause a incredible catastrophe which will probably extinguish mankind. ...more about Meteor
38
Bombers B-52 (1957)
Bombers B-52 (1957)
No Reviews Available
U.S Air Force Sgt. Chuck Brennan always disliked playboy and hotshot, Col. Jim Herlihy. ...more about Bombers B-52
  • Not Available on DVD
39
Come Fly with Me (1963)
Come Fly with Me (1963)
No Reviews Available
  • Not Available on DVD
40
Hotel (1967)
Hotel (1967)
No Reviews Available
  • Not Available on DVD
41
Operation Secret (1952)
Operation Secret (1952)
No Reviews Available
  • Not Available on DVD
42
Parrish (1961)
Parrish (1961)
No Reviews Available
Parrish McLean lives with his mother Ellen on Sala Post's tobacco plantation in the Connecticut River Valley. His mother winds up marrying Sala's rival Judd Raike, ruthless planter who wants to drive Sala out of business. ...more about Parrish
  • Not Available on DVD
43
Ruby Gentry (1952)
Ruby Gentry (1952)
No Reviews Available
44
Sellout, The (1952)
Sellout, The (1952)
No Reviews Available
Big-city newspaper Editor Haven D. Allridge starts a crusade to smash corrupt small-town sheriff Burke. After Allridge is suddenly intimidated into silence, state's attorney Chick Johnson continues the fight for right. ...more about Sellout
  • Not Available on DVD
45
Sting II, The (1983)
Sting II, The (1983)
No Reviews Available
This is another one of those movies that's a sequel to another, only different actors are playing the roles of the characters from the previous movie. ...more about Sting II
46
They Knew What They Wanted (1940)
They Knew What They Wanted (1940)
No Reviews Available
Tony (Charles Laughton), a successful but illiterate middle-aged grape farmer, sends the photograph of his handsome young foreman, Joe (William Gargan), instead of his own, hoping to woo and marry Amy (Carole Lombard), a waitress in a San Francisco ...more about They Knew What They Wanted
  • Not Available on DVD
47
Twilight Time (1982)
Twilight Time (1982)
No Reviews Available
  • Not Available on DVD
48
Summertime Killer (1972)
Summertime Killer (1972)
No Reviews Available
A six-year-old boy witnesses mobsters beat his father to death. Twenty years later, the now-grown boy begins to track down and eliminate the men who did it, determined to wipe out the entire gang. ...more about Summertime Killer
  • Not Available on DVD
49
Winged Victory (1944)
Winged Victory (1944)
No Reviews Available
  • Not Available on DVD
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