Burt Lancaster was an Oscar-winning actor who appeared in dozens of movies until his death in 1994. But which titles are among his finest? Let’s take a look back at 20 of Lancaster’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1913, Lancaster got into acting after performing as an acrobat in the circus. He made his movie debut in 1946 with a leading role in the quintessential noir thriller “The Killers” (1946). He earned his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor for Fred Zinnemann‘s wartime drama “From Here to Eternity” (1953), winning the prize just seven years later for playing a fast-talking preacher in “Elmer Gantry” (1960). Lancaster would compete twice more in the category (“Birdman of Alcatraz” in 1962 and “Atlantic City” in 1981).
In the 1950s, the actor decided to chart his own career by forming the production company Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, which churned out a number of successful titles including the Best Picture-winning “Marty” (1955). Several of Lancaster’s best films came out of this period, including “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), “Separate Tables” (1958), and “Birdman of Alcatraz.”
Tour our photo gallery of Lancaster’s 20 greatest films. Full disclosure, this was a tough one to narrow down, and an even tougher one to pick a “best of the best” for. Do you agree with our #1 choice?
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20. THE SCALPHUNTERS (1968)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Sydney Pollack. Screenplay by William W. Norton, based on the novel by Ed Friend. Starring Ossie Davis, Telly Savalas, Shelley Winters, Armando Silvestre, Nick Cravat, Dabney Coleman.
This western comedy from Sydney Pollack stars Lancaster as a rugged fur trapper forced to trade some valuable pelts to a tribe of Kiowa Indians in exchange for an educated slave (Golden Globe-nominee Ossie Davis). The two pair up to recover the furs while evading a gang of scalphunters (led by Telly Savalas and Shelley Winters). Packed with every cliche and stereotype the genre has to offer, the film is buoyed by the energetic performances of its four leads, particularly Lancaster and Davis as your typical odd couple duo.
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19. THE SWIMMER (1968)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Frank Perry. Screenplay by Eleanor Perry, based on the ‘New Yorker’ short story by John Cheever. Starring Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Joan Rivers, Tony Bickley, Marge Champion, Kim Hunter, Bill Fiore.
In this cult oddity from the husband and wife filmmaking team of Frank and Eleanor Perry, Lancaster plays a prominent ad man who decides to make his way through Connecticut by swimming in one pool after another. Along the way, he encounters people and places that spark memories from his past. Adapted from a 12-page John Cheever story, “The Swimmer” works both as an allegory for the mysteries of life and an excuse to watch a shirtless Lancaster galavant around town for 95-minutes.
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18. THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Robert Siodmak. Written by Roland Kibbee. Starring Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, Leslie Bradley, Torin Thatcher, James Hayter.
A winking throwback to the kind of swashbuckling epics Errol Flynn would’ve made in the 1930s and ‘40s, “The Crimson Pirate” stars Lancaster as the charming leader of a gang of traveling marauders. While looting a British war ship, they become entangled in a political revolution on the Caribbean island of Cobra. Though he at first plans to double-cross the rebel leader “El Libre” (Frederick Leister), his plans soon change when he falls in love with the beautiful Consuelo (Eva Bartok). Check your brain at the door and have some fun with this one.
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17. SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Frankenheimer. Screenplay by Rod Serling, based on the novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II. Starring Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Martin Balsam, George Macready, Whit Bissell, Hugh Marlowe.
Though it was released in 1964, John Frankenheimer’s “Seven Days in May” plays like an eerie cautionary tale for the Donald Trump era. It centers on a military coupe, led by General James M. Scott (Lancaster), to take over the United States when the liberal President (Frederic March) appears soft on Russia. It’s up to the loyal Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey (Kirk Douglas) to help the Commander in Chief stop this diabolical plot before it’s too late. An intelligent script by Rod Serling and fantastic performances all-around (including Supporting Actor nominee Edmond O’Brien as an alcoholic senator) make this a nail-biting must-see.
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16. THE ROSE TATTOO (1955)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Daniel Mann. Screenplay by Hal Kanter and Tennessee Williams, based on the play by Williams. Starring Anna Magnani, Marisa Pavan, Ben Cooper, Virginia Grey, Jo Van Fleet.
Most of the praise for this sensuous Tennessee Williams adaptation usually goes to Anna Magnani’s Oscar-winning performance as a Southern widow who falls in love with a rakish truck driver (Lancaster). But there’s much to commend about Daniel Mann’s film, which creates an onscreen romance as hot and sweaty as a Louisiana summer day. Cinematographer James Wong Howe also took home a prize for his black-and-white lensing, as did the art direction. The film contended in five additional categories, including Best Picture.
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15. AIRPORT (1970)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by George Seaton. Screenplay by Seaton, based on the novel by Arthur Hailey. Starring Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Helen Hayes, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson, Dana Winter, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Hale, Gary Collins.
“Airport” kicked off a string of films featuring A-list casts facing impending doom. In this case it’s an airplane filled with colorful characters who have to make an emergency landing during a blizzard when their craft is damaged by a mad bomber (Van Heflin). Lancaster plays Mel Bakersfield, the airport manager assisting from the ground while also dealing with a divorce from his wife (Dana Wynter) and problems with his assistant/mistress (Jean Seberg). Clearly, this one is not for snobs. Helen Hayes won an Oscar for her supporting turn as an elderly stowaway, one of 10 nominations the box office smash received (including Best Picture).
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14. COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (1952)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Daniel Mann. Screenplay by Ketti Frings, based on the play by William Inge. Starring Shirley Booth, Terry Moore, Richard Jaeckel, Philip Ober, Edwin Max.
Shirley Booth became the first person to win an Oscar and a Tony for the same role with this adaptation of William Inge’s stage hit. She plays Lola Delaney, a frumpy housewife desperately awaiting the return of her runaway dog, Sheba. Her life continues to spiral when her alcoholic husband, Doc (Lancaster), becomes infatuated with a beautiful young boarder (Supporting Actress nominee Terry Moore). Though Lancaster is a little too young to be completely believable in the role, the relationship between him and Booth is undeniably heartbreaking.
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13. BRUTE FORCE (1947)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Jules Dassin. Screenplay by Richard Brooks, story by Robert Patterson. Starring Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blyth, Ella Raines, Anita Colby.
After making his movie debut in “The Killers,” Lancaster returned to the crime genre with this searing prison epic from Jules Dassin. Set inside a maximum security penitentiary, “Brute Force” centers on a worn out inmate (Lancaster) living under the sadistic rule of a ruthless guard (Hume Cronyn). Tired of the abuse, he plots an escape, but not before giving that guard his comeuppance. Written with tough, unsentimental prose by Richard Brooks and shot in gritty black-and-white by William H. Daniels, this is essential viewing for film noir enthusiasts.
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12. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)
Image Credit: Universal/Gordon/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Phil Alden Robinson. Screenplay by Robinson, based on the novel ‘Shoeless Joe’ by W.P. Kinsella. Starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta.
Lancaster made his final big screen appearance in this sentimental sports drama about an Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner) who builds a baseball diamond in his corn field at the behest of a mysterious voice. He provides second chances for several people, including disgraced ballplayer Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), a reclusive writer (James Earl Jones), and a kindly septuagenarian (Lancaster) who gave up his dreams of baseball to become a doctor. “Field of Dreams” is that rare weepy that earns our tears, especially in its famous finale. The film earned three Oscar bids, including Best Picture.
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11. THE TRAIN (1965)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Frankenheimer. Screenplay by Franklin Coen and Frank Davis, based on the book “Le Front De L’Art” by Rose Valland. Starring Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, Michel Simon, Wolfgang Preiss, Albert Remy.
“The Train” was nearly derailed on it’s way to theaters. Director Arthur Penn was replaced three days after filming began because Lancaster was dissatisfied by his emphasis on emotion over action. He was replaced by John Frankenheimer, got the caboose back on track and created a nail-biting masterpiece. Set during WWII, the film centers on the efforts of a French Resistance leader (Lancaster) to stop a Nazi Colonel (Paul Scofield) from moving stolen art pieces via train to Germany. Franklin Coen and Frank Davis earned an Oscar nomination for their screenplay, loosely based on a book by Rose Valland (so loosely, in fact, it qualified as an original).
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10. SEPARATE TABLES (1958)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Delbert Mann. Screenplay by Terence Rattigan and John Gay, based on Rattigan’s play. Starring Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Wendy Hiller.
“Separate Tables” is like “Grand Hotel” for Brits, an ensemble drama about an eclectic group of vacationeers at a seaside resort. David Niven won Best Actor (with a whopping 24 minutes of screen time) for playing an alleged war hero who strikes up a relationship with a timid spinster (Best Actress-nominee Deborah Kerr). Also present are a long-married couple (Lancaster and Rita Hayworth) trying to reignite their romance despite the presence of his mistress (Supporting Actress-victor Wendy Hiller). Though these plots are melodramatic, the realistic performances ground them in reality. The film earned 7 Academy Award bids, including Best Picture.
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9. JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Kramer. Screenplay by Abby Mann, based on his ‘Playhouse 90’ television play. Starring Spencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Maximilian Schell, William Shatner, Montgomery Clift, Werner Klemperer.
This long, engrossing adaptation of Abby Mann’s “Playhouse 90” television play remains one of the most powerful dramas about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Directed by Stanley Kramer, “Judgment at Nuremberg” centers on an American judge (Spencer Tracy) in 1948 Germany presiding over the trial of four Nazi officials convicted of war crimes. Lancaster plays Dr. Ernst Janning, one of the notable defendants. Maximilian Schell won Best Actor for playing the German defense attorney, while Mann picked up a prize for screenwriting. The film contended in 11 categories overall, including Best Picture.
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8. LOCAL HERO (1983)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Bill Forsyth. Starring Peter Riegert, Denis Lawson, Fulton Mackay, Norman Chancer, Peter Capaldi, Jenny Seagrove.
This hidden gem from Bill Forsyth stars Lancaster as a Texas oil magnate who sends an employee (Peter Riegert) to a small village off the coast of Scotland in the hopes of snatching up land for drilling. Yet while the citizens are more than happy to sell, this little hamlet is just too magical to destroy. “Local Hero” relies of whimsy rather than belly-laughs, making for a perfectly charming experience. Sadly, the Academy wasn’t so charmed, and they ignored the film despite 7 BAFTA nominations, including a supporting bid for Lancaster and a directing victory for Forsyth.
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7. BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1961)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Frankenheimer. Screenplay by Guy Trosper, based on the book by Thomas E. Gaddis. Starring Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand, Edmond O’Brien, Betty Field, Hugh Marlowe.
Lancaster earned his third Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for this biographical drama about Robert Stroud, a convicted murderer who redeems himself by becoming a renowned bird expert. Frequent collaborator John Frankenheimer directs with sensitivity and restraint, while cinematographer Burnett Guffey (who also earned an Oscar bid) manages to create a whole world within the confines of a prison cell. The film also reaped supporting bids for Telly Savalas as a fellow prisoner and Thelma Ritter as Stroud’s mother. Despite winning the BAFTA, Lancaster lost at the Academy to Gregory Peck (“To Kill a Mockingbird”).
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6. THE KILLERS (1946)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Robert Siodmak. Screenplay by Anthony Veiller, based on the short story by Ernest Hemingway. Starring Edmond O’Brien, Ava Gardner, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene.
Lancaster first came to the attention of movie audiences with Robert Siodmak’s film noir classic. Adapted from an Ernest Hemingway short story, “The Killers” opens with the murder of a compliant victim, Ole “Swede” Anderson (Lancaster). An insurance investigator (Edmond O’Brien) tries to uncover the truth, leading him through a tangled web of crime and deception, with all roads leading to the Swede’s failed romance with the beautiful Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner). The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Screenplay (Anthony Veiller).
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5. THE LEOPARD (1963)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Luchino Visconti. Screenplay by Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, and Visconti, based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Starring Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Serge Reggiani, Mario Girotti, Pierre Clementi.
When Lancaster was cast in “The Leopard,” it raised more than a few eyebrows. Indeed, the Hollywood star was drafted to play a Sicilian prince in order to insure a large budget for Luchino Visconti’s lavish production. Yet the actor gives one of his best performances as a noble aristocrat grappling with the unification of Italy in the 1860s, when the working class rose up against the old world order. The closing section — an hour-long ball — is magnificent. Avoid the butchered, English-dubbed 161-minute version. Though the film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and earned an Oscar bid for its costumes, Lancaster was inexplicably ignored.
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4. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Screenplay by Daniel Taradash, based on the novel by James Jones. Starring Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Philip Ober, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden.
James Jones’ epic novel about three U.S. Army soldiers (Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra) stationed in Hawaii in the months leading up to Pearl Harbor translates beautifully to the screen thanks to Fred Zinnemann’s sensitive treatment. Lancaster plays 1st Sergeant Milton Warden, who’s carrying on an affair with the base captain’s wife (Deborah Kerr). Their kiss on the beach, the waves crashing against them as they lay in the sand, remains iconic. “From Here to Eternity” swept the Oscars, winning 8 trophies including Best Picture. Lancaster and Clift split the vote in Best Actor, swinging the prize to William Holden (“Stalag 17”).
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3. ATLANTIC CITY (1981)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Louis Malle. Written by John Guare. Starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Robert Joy, Hollis McLaren, Michel Piccoli, Al Waxman.
Lancaster earned his final Oscar nomination for playing Lou Pascal, an aging gangster with little to show for his life. He falls in love with a Casino waitress (Susan Sarandon) whose husband steals drugs from the mob. Though in the midst of a long-time affair with an aging former beauty queen (Kate Reid), Lou becomes the young woman’s savior, adding some kick to his step. Director Louis Malle brings a European sensibility to this American drama, painting Atlantic City as a decaying empire filled with misfits. Lancaster swept the critics prizes (plus BAFTA), paving the way for a second Best Actor victory. Unfortunately, he happened to be up against Henry Fonda, who won a career achievement prize for “On Golden Pond.”
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2. ELMER GANTRY (1960)
Image Credit: United Artists/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Richard Brooks. Screenplay by Brooks, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis. Starring Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley Jones, Patti Page, Edward Andrews, Hugh Marlowe, John McIntire, Rex Ingram.
Richard Brooks’ “Elmer Gantry” brought Lancaster his sole Oscar victory as Best Actor, and what a heavenly triumph it was. He stars as the titular character, a huckster salesman who convinces a sincere evangelist (Jean Simmons) he can help her spread the word of God. Lancaster’s performance is so riveting there are times when he truly seems to be inhabited by the holy spirit. Shirley Jones won for her supporting performance as Gantry’s prostitute girlfriend, as did Brooks for his sprawling script, adapted from the epic Sinclair Lewis novel. The film also contended in Best Picture and Best Score.
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1. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alexander Mackendrick. Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, based on the novelette by Lehman. Starring Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco.
As J.J. Hunsecker, a powerful New York gossip columnist who rules Broadway with an iron pen, Lancaster creates one of the all-time great movie baddies. Tony Curtis proves his equal as the scrappy press agent Sidney Falco, who Hunsecker enlists to break up a relationship between his beloved sister (Susan Harrison) and a budding jazz musician (Martin Milner). Directed by Alexander Mackendrick from a cynical, acid-laced script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, “Sweet Smell of Success” is a ruthlessly entertaining Darwinian parable, with James Wong Howe’s black-and-white cinematography painting Manhattan like a jungle where only the fittest will survive.
