The 25+ Best David Janssen Movies

Reference
Updated May 16, 2024 27 items
Ranked By
318 votes
87 voters
Voting Rules
Vote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best David Janssen movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. David Janssen's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top David Janssen movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated David Janssen movies will be at the top of the list. David Janssen has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest David Janssen movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining David Janssen films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best David Janssen role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest David Janssen performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

This is a list that features films like To Hell and Back and Generation.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best David Janssen movies?" and "What are the greatest David Janssen roles of all time?"
Most divisive: Superdome
Over 80 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 25+ Best David Janssen Movies
  • Hijack!
    1

    Hijack!

    Keenan Wynn, William Schallert, David Janssen
    7 votes
    Hijack is a made-for-television dramatic movie that first aired on ABC in 1973 as a movie produced from the ABC Movie of the Week library. It was filmed in the Antelope Valley of California.
  • Birds of Prey
    2
    David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, Don Wilbanks
    17 votes
    Birds of Prey is a 1973 television movie starring David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, and Elayne Heilveil. The screenplay was written by Robert Boris from a story by Boris and Rupert Hitzig, and directed by William A. Graham. It is a crime action film depicting a radio station helicopter traffic reporter who, witnessing an armored car robbery, engages in a chase when the suspects flee in a vehicle and then switch to their own get-away helicopter.
  • Macho Callahan
    3

    Macho Callahan

    David Carradine, Jean Seberg, Joan Lunden
    11 votes
    Macho Callahan is a 1970 American-Mexican Civil War film directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and starring David Janssen, Jean Seberg, Lee J. Cobb and James Booth. During the American Civil War, a Confederate soldier is imprisoned in Andersonville Prison. He manages to escape, but is pursued by a gang of bounty-hunters.
  • Moon of the Wolf
    4
    Geoffrey Lewis, Bradford Dillman, David Janssen
    11 votes
    Moon of the Wolf is an American made-for-television Gothic horror film first broadcast on September 26, 1972, on ABC Movie of the Week. It starred David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Geoffrey Lewis and Bradford Dillman, with a script by Alvin Sapinsley. The film was directed by Daniel Petrie and filmed on location in Burnside, Louisiana. All of the downtown footage was from Clinton, Louisiana.
  • Two-Minute Warning
    5
    Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes, Beau Bridges
    15 votes
    The Los Angeles Police Department, led by Capt. Peter Holly (Charlton Heston), learns that a madman is planning to open fire on football fans in a packed Los Angeles Coliseum. Holly finds himself at tactical odds with SWAT commander Sgt. Button (John Cassavetes) as the fans -- including gambler Sandman (Jack Klugman), a pickpocket (Walter Pidgeon), car salesman Steve (David Janssen) and his girlfriend, Janet (Gena Rowlands) -- unknowingly risk their lives while the gunman takes aim.
  • Warning Shot
    6
    Joan Collins, Stefanie Powers, Lillian Gish
    14 votes
    Warning Shot is a 1967 film about a police sergeant who kills a man while on a stakeout, then must prove that it was self-defense. It is based on the novel 711 - Officer Needs Help by Whit Masterson. David Janssen stars as the accused officer, with supporting performances from Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn, Joan Collins, Stefanie Powers, Sam Wanamaker, George Grizzard, Carroll O'Connor, Steve Allen, Eleanor Parker, Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders and Lillian Gish. Baseball stars Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale signed to appear in this movie during their 1966 holdout, but never made it onto the screen when both agreed to contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Filming took place between the third and fourth seasons of Janssen's television series The Fugitive. The script was written by Mann Rubin, who had authored the Fugitive episode "A Taste of Tomorrow", while the film was directed by Buzz Kulik with a jazz score by Jerry Goldsmith. It was released by Paramount Pictures.
  • The Green Berets
    7
    John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton
    16 votes
    A cynical reporter (David Janssen) who is opposed to the Vietnam War is sent to cover the conflict and assigned to tag along with a group of Green Berets. Led by the tough-as-nails Col. Mike Kirby (John Wayne), the team is given a top-secret mission to sneak behind enemy lines and kidnap an important Viet Cong commander. Along the way, the reporter learns to respect why America is involved in the war and helps to save the life of a war orphan whose life has been destroyed by the conflict.
  • To Hell and Back
    8
    Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Jack Kelly
    9 votes
    Young Audie Murphy's (playing himself) father abandons his large family, and Audie becomes the main breadwinner. When World War II breaks out, Murphy wants to enlist, but looks too young and small to make a good fighter. Nevertheless admitted as an infantryman by the Army, Murphy proves a courageous soldier. The film, based on Murphy's life, reenacts his many battles, including the ultimate feat that earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor: single-handedly turning back a German attack.
  • Hell to Eternity
    9
    Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic Damone
    8 votes
    Guy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter) is an orphaned Latino youth raised in Los Angeles by an adoptive Japanese-American family. With the dawn of conflict in the Pacific, Gabaldon enlists in the military as a translator. Fighting in the Battle of Saipan, he's horrified at the carnage. So, disobeying orders, he goes behind enemy lines and talks the Japanese into willful surrender, saving thousands of lives on both sides. The film is based on the true story of the decorated World War II veteran.
  • Marooned
    10
    Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, James Franciscus
    11 votes
    American astronauts Buzz (Gene Hackman), Jim (Richard Crenna) and Clayton (James Franciscus) are stranded in space on their return journey from a new space station when malfunctioning rocket boosters bring the craft to a halt. With the men drifting in orbit, facing death from declining oxygen levels in the shuttle, NASA director Charles Keith (Gregory Peck) quickly mobilizes to launch a bold rescue mission -- but a hurricane headed for the launch site may ensure the astronauts' demise.
  • Once Is Not Enough
    11
    Kirk Douglas, Alexis Smith, Deborah Raffin
    7 votes
    Has-been producer Mike Wayne (Kirk Douglas) marries rich closeted lesbian Deirdre Granger (Alexis Smith) in an attempt to regain his financial footing. When his daughter, January (Deborah Raffin), returns home after recuperating from a motorcycle accident, she resents the new woman in her father's life, doubting that there is any real love in the marriage. She then takes up with Tom Colt (David Janssen), a famous but alcoholic writer who is close in age to her father.
  • Covert Action
    12
    Arthur Kennedy, David Janssen, Corinne Cléry
    7 votes
    Covert Action is a 1978 Italian/Greek co-production Eurospy film starring the American actor David Janssen. The plot was based on the experiences of former CIA agent Philip Agee who initiated a lawsuit with the producers over his fees and expenses.
  • Man-Trap
    13
    Stella Stevens, Bob Crane, Jeffrey Hunter
    9 votes
    Man-Trap is a 1961 American drama film about a Korean War veteran who becomes involved in a scheme to steal $3.5 million from a Central American dictator. The film was directed by Edmond O'Brien, and stars Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens, Elaine Devry, Arthur Batanides, Cortez Perry Lopez, Ann McCrea, and Bernard Fein.
  • The Swiss Conspiracy
    14
    Elke Sommer, Ray Milland, Senta Berger
    9 votes
    The Swiss Conspiracy is a 1976 action film starring David Janssen, Senta Berger and Elke Sommer, and directed by Jack Arnold. It was co-produced between Germany and the United States.
  • Generation
    15
    Carl Reiner, Sam Waterston, James Coco
    9 votes
    Generation is a 1969 comedy film directed by George Schaefer.
  • The Shoes of the Fisherman
    16
    Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, Oskar Werner
    6 votes
    After spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn) is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Sir Laurence Olivier) at the height of the Cold War, when Russia and China are locked in a tense conflict. Following the death of the pope (Sir John Gielgud), Lakota ends up on the global stage when he is chosen to be his successor. As the pope, the humble Lakota becomes a compassionate advocate for ending world hunger and poverty.
  • The Longest Night
    17
    David Janssen, James Farentino, Sallie Shockley
    6 votes
    In this made-for-TV movie based on a true story, Karen Chambers (Sallie Shockley) is taken from her parents' home by kidnapper John Danbury (James Farentino) and placed in an underground coffin with only an air tube, a fan and a small supply of water to keep her alive. Her wealthy parents, Alan (David Janssen) and Norma (Phyllis Thaxter), are asked to pay the ransom as police frantically try to locate her while Karen does her best to survive under harrowing circumstances.
  • S.O.S. Titanic
    18
    David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Susan Saint James
    8 votes
    As Capt. Edward Smith (Harry Andrews) leads the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic, he begins to speed up the impressive ship. Meanwhile, billionaire John Jacob Astor (David Janssen) chats with Molly Brown (Cloris Leachman) in first class. In second class, teacher Lawrence Beasley (David Warner) shares a wide-ranging discussion with fellow educator Leigh Goodwin (Susan Saint James), beginning what could be a short romance. A group of Irish immigrants, happy to be aboard, sing and dance in third class.
  • Lafayette Escadrille
    19
    Clint Eastwood, Tab Hunter, Tom Laughlin
    4 votes
    Lafayette Escadrille, also known as C'est la Guerre, Hell Bent for Glory and With You in My Arms, is an American war film produced by Warner Brothers Pictures. It stars Tab Hunter and Etchika Choureau and features David Janssen and Will Hutchins as well as Clint Eastwood in an early supporting role. It was the final film in the career of director William A. Wellman and is based on his original story.
  • You Are There: The Outlaws
    20

    You Are There: The Outlaws

    Walter Cronkite, David Janssen, Robert Bray
    6 votes
  • Inchon
    21
    Laurence Olivier, Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara
    7 votes
    Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Laurence Olivier) leads a Korean War campaign, and the war tests a married couple's (Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara) relationship.
  • Pioneer Woman
    22
    Joanna Pettet, William Shatner, David Janssen
    2 votes
    In this 19th-century drama, an American family from the Northeast heads to Wyoming in search of a better life, only to face tragedy and hardship. Maggie Sergent (Joanna Pettet), the hard-driving matriarch of the clan, is totally unprepared when her husband, John (William Shatner), is murdered. Left to handle the farm on her own, Maggie must choose whether to stay in Wyoming and run the farm with her children, or head back to the East Coast and the life she knows.
  • Superdome
    23
    Tom Selleck, Dick Butkus, Donna Mills
    4 votes
    Superdome is a 1978 made for TV drama movie. It premiered on ABC as part of The ABC Monday Night Movie series and was used to promote Super Bowl XII. The film featured an impressive cast of stars but was ridiculed for its confusing and sensational plotlines, as well as for containing no football scenes.
  • Chief Crazy Horse
    24
    Victor Mature, David Janssen, Ray Danton
    2 votes
    Chief Crazy Horse is a 1955 western film released by Universal-International and directed by George Sherman, starring Victor Mature. The film is a fictionalized biography of the Lakota Sioux Chief Crazy Horse that, unusually for the time, portrays the Native American Indians in a more sympathetic light.
  • The Girl He Left Behind
    25

    The Girl He Left Behind

    Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Jessie Royce Landis
    2 votes
    Andy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter) is a spoiled college student, overly reliant on his protective high-society mother (Jessie Royce Landis). Andy's girlfriend, the far more mature Susan Daniels (Natalie Wood), worries that he will never be a suitable mate unless he learns to accept responsibility. Nearly flunking out, Andy is drafted into the army. With help from his superior officers (Murray Hamilton, Jim Backus, David Janssen), the sullen Andy eventually sees an opportunity to grow up and be a man.
  • My Six Loves
    26
    Debbie Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, David Janssen
    2 votes
    The frantic life of Broadway superstar Janice Courtney (Debbie Reynolds) catches up with her when she collapses before a throng of reporters. Fleeing to her rural Connecticut home to recuperate, Janice discovers six abandoned children squatting on her property. She takes in the scruffy but endearing kids, gradually becoming close to them and to the handsome local pastor (Cliff Robertson). But, when she returns to Broadway, one of the children runs away -- and Janice faces a life-changing choice.
  • Warhead
    27
    David Janssen, Art Metrano, Karin Dor
    5 votes
    Warhead is a 1977 American film directed by John O'Connor and produced by Buddy Ruskin who produced The Mod Squad. The film was originally shot in Israel in 1973 under the title Sabra Command The film is also known as Prisoner in the Middle, and Mission Overkill. In Mexico, it was released as Amenaza Nuclear.