Want to know the best Barry Fitzgerald movies? How about the worst Barry Fitzgerald movies? Curious about Barry Fitzgerald box office grosses or which Barry Fitzgerald movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Barry Fitzgerald movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Barry Fitzgerald (1888-1961) was an Irish Oscar®-winning actor. Fitzgerald was one of the great supporting actors from the mid 1930s to the late 1950s. His IMDb page shows 50 acting credits from 1924-1964. This page will rank 37 Barry Fitzgerald movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television roles, uncredited roles and movies that were not released in North America were not included in the rankings.
One of our favorite pieces of movie trivia revolves around Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the only actor/actress to get two Oscar® nominations for the same role in the same year. Fitzgerald was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for 1944’s Going My Way. The Oscar® people changed the rules after this happened….so it will never happen again.
Barry Fitzgerald Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Barry Fitzgerald movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Barry Fitzgerald movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Barry Fitzgerald movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Barry Fitzgerald movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Barry Fitzgerald movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Barry Fitzgerald movie won.
- Sort Barry Fitzgerald movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Barry Fitzgerald Table
- Nineteen Barry Fitzgerald movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 51.35% of his movies listed. Going My Way (1944) was easily his biggest box office hit when looking at adjusted domestic box office gross.
- An average Barry Fitzgerald movie grosses $128.20 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 31 Barry Fitzgerald movies are rated as good movies…or 83.78% of his movies. Bringing Up Baby (1938) is his highest rated movie while Full Confession (1939) was his lowest rated movie.
- Ten Barry Fitzgerald movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 27.02% of his movies.
- Five Barry Fitzgerald movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 13.51% of his movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 60.00 or higher. 25 Barry Fitzgerald movies scored higher than that average….or 67.56% of his movies. Going My Way (1944) got the the highest UMR Score while Full Confession (1939) got the lowest UMR Score.
Ten Possibly Interesting Facts About Barry Fitzgerald
1. William Joseph Shields was born in Walworth Road, Portobello, Dublin, Ireland in 1888.
2. Barry Fitzgerald became a full-time actor when he was 41 years old.
3. Barry Fitzgerald and playwrite Seán O’Casey were roommates. Appearing in O’Casey’s plays is what first got Fitzgerald attention.
4. Barry Fitzgerald’s first full length movie picture was 1930’s Juno and the Paycock…..that movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
5. Barry Fitzgerald broke the head off his Best Supporting Actor Oscar® practicing his golf swing.
6. Barry Fitzgerald was never married and did not have any children.
7. Along with Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone, Barry Fitzgerald is one of only three actors to receive Oscar® nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same character: (1) Fitzgerald was nominated for both awards for playing Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944), (2) Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for playing Michael Corleone The Godfather (1972) and Best Actor for the same role in The Godfather: Part II (1974) and (3) Stallone was nominated for Best Actor for playing Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) and Best Supporting Actor for the same role in Creed (2015).
8. Check out Barry Fitzgerald’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Academy Award®, Tony® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
I agree with those choices
Hey Barbara C. Glad we agree on these rankings. Thanks for stopping by.
1 HI BRUCE: I welcome your tribute to little Barry. The rules that allowed him to be nominated in both supporting and leading actor Oscar categories were apparently immediately changed after that to avoid a recurrence of a situation that was clearly a nonsense.
2 There is of course often a fine dividing line between the two categories and in fact the New York Critics were equally divided over whether to give Little Al or Mr. Mumbles the best actor award for Godpop 1 and in the end ducked the issue by giving their prestigious award to Olivier as the compromise candidate for Sleuth, and as you know Sir Maurice was also in the running for Best Actor awards for Sleuth so you can really get a fine old mix when a whole bunch of great actors are at the top of their game.
3 However whatever the juggling over categories for Going my Way Bing was undoubtedly THE star of the film and his billing was in much larger letters than that of Barry and the rest of the performers. Also Bing got the Best Actor Oscar for Going my Way and reprised the role of father Chuck O’Malley in the 1945 Bells of St Mary’s and was again nominated for that part being the first actor to be nominated for two BEST ACTOR Oscars for playing the same character. Bing and Leo McCarey presented a personal copy of Going my Way to Pope Pius X11 at the Vatican.
4 Again though whilst primarily a supporting actor Barry did play the lead roles in the 1945 And Then There were None and in the 1948 The Naked City and got star billing in both those movies. And Then there were None is in fact my favourite Fitzgerald role and the scenes between him and Walter Huston are truly magic. The Naked City was noted among other things for its unusual partial documentary style of storytelling. It was shot over 84 days in the summer of 1947 and the young Stanley Kubrick was often on the set taking photos for Life Magazine.
5 Anyway I don’t think it is patronising to congratulate you once again on your policy of honouring supporting performers of possibly no great direct box office worth but who nevertheless have given movie audiences many excellent artistic performances. Like Steve you have started off the New Year in fine form!
Hey Bob…glad you like our Fitzgerald page. I figured you would enjoy a page on an Irish man. I am amazed that it actually took almost 20 years before Oscar ran into the Fitzgerald duo nomination problem.
I agree Bing was the star of Going My Way….I image many people that watch Going My Way today would be very surprised that Fitzgerald got a Best Actor nomination. Bing and his Father O’Mallery movies were huge….actually shocked they stopped at 2. If the movie was made today there would have been at least 7 sequels.
Good trivia on Kubrick being on the set of The Naked City….that is a movie that has escaped me. I agree with you on Fitzgerald and Huston…..it is the best version of that book….I wish (and maybe it has happened) that somebody would make the movie that ended like the book…I remember reading that book and being so confused about what was going on….until the final pages of the book…Agatha Christie at her best.
Glad you like this look at one of the best supporting actors…..good feedback.
HI BRUCE
I enjoyed your own feedback.. I understand that Gene Kelly played Father O’Malley in a TV production.
Hey Bob. Thanks for the info about Gene Kelly playing Bing’s old role. Good stuff as always.
Interesting to see all the quality films Barry Fitzgerland has appeared in, though if my memory serves me right, I once again have the lowest tally at 6 movies seen. Wonderful and engaging character actor, sort of like an old Irish uncle one would want to have (I’m not Irish, but what the hell). Though mainly a supporting player, I thought his lead role in the excellent crime thriller,The Naked City, was one of his best.
Now, I know Cogerson does not like it when I do this, but I feel compelled to point The Catered Affair gets an extremely raw deal on this site in terms of critical rating (44%). It’s normally a relatively critically acclaimed film. IMDB,s rating is 7.7 by 3,200 users, AllMovie gives it 4/5 stars, Leonard Maltin 3/4 stars, Rotten Tomatos 3.6/5 by 426 users. For some reason, 5 out of 6 reviewers on RT give it rotten reviews bringing the Tatometer to 17% – I suspect this unfairly contributes to the low UMR rating.
Aside from this sticky point though, great page and good addition to this web site!
Hey PhilHOF2017
1. Thanks for checking out our latest page.
2. You are correct….your tally of 6 would put you last but….you only 1 behind me and 2 behind Steve.
3. I agree..he seems like an uncle or a grandfather that you would like to have.
4. I have not see The Naked City but I want to.
5. As for The Catered Affair….I agree that does seem a little low. It has probably been 7 years since I looked at the reviews for that movie.
6. Bette Davis was one of the first classic stars we did a page on….so that means we looked up the reviews in 2011 when we were at HubPages.
7. I will go back and see what the review score would be in 2018…..looking at your numbers it should be higher.
Thanks for the visit, comment, tally and heads up.
Hey PhilHOF2017….so just went back and calculated the review score for The Catered Affair. (1) Wow the IMDb score has really risen over the last years….back in 2011….it was at 6.8….and now it is at 7.7 (2) Orginally we gave Rotten Tomatoes a good % of the review score….and we did not even notice if the review score was based on 6 reviewers or 5,000 reviewers….so yes that 17% on Rotten Tomatoes did in fact kill the score. (3) Over the years we have found and use more sources….and RottenTomatoes influence has dropped. (4) So this is a look winded way to say….The Catered Affair is now living in 2018…versus 2011…..and the review score and UMR score is much better. (5) The reviews would say it is a “good movie”….while the UMR score would say statistically it is slightly below average.
Running the updates….and the Fitzgerald, Borgnine, Davis and 1957 pages should show the new updated scores….thanks again for the headsup.
Thanks Bruce for the revised assessment of The Catered Affair. I realize it’s not a simple thing to revise a rating on this site so I appreciate you taking the time to do it, and I think it was worth it given the significant change. Don’t forget also the Debbie Reynolds page, which is where I actually first noticed the low rating. Overall, The Catered Affair is a pretty good film with a great cast. Apart from the four main stars, it was also the first significant Hollywood role of Australian-born Rod Taylor, who went on to do The Time Machine, The Birds and many others.
Ha, just saw the Debbie Reynolds page was also updated 🙂
Hey PhilHOF2017. Luckily with the website being dynamic, making changes is a lot easier. The changes helped The Caterred Affair but it is still near the middle versus being near the top. Thanks again for the heads up.
The Debbie page got picked up by the dynamic update. Love my dynamic source.
Faith and Begorrah! [Bob winces] Barry Fitzgerald has his very own UMR page.
I was watching him getting chased by a leopard in Bringing Up Baby just a few days ago. The greatest screwball comedy of them all.
I’ve seen 8 of the 37 films listed on the chart. Less than I thought. Favorites include – The Quiet Man, Bringing Up Baby and The Dawn Patrol.
I have yet to see Going My Way or How Green Was My Valley.
Good to see Bringing Up Baby top the critics chart.
Interesting trivia on actors getting Oscar nominated again for the same role though it was strange to nominate Fitzgerald in two acting categories on the same movie.
Good stuff Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve….thanks for checking out our latest page. Your 8 just tops my 7….but as it usually happens we are trailing both Flora and Lupino. Bringing Up Baby is the movie that first introduced me to Cary Grant…so glad to see it make your favorites list as well as the compliment on that classic.
Thankfully, the Oscar people changed that rule…can you imagine if they had not? Meryl Streep would have 50 nominations as they would vote her Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for the same role every single year…actually as much as the Oscar people love her…..she might get some Best Actor nominations…lol.
One day you will see some of those Best Picture Oscar Winners from the 1940s….Mrs. Miniver, Best Years of Our Lives, Going My Way and How Green Was My Valley. Maybe 2018 is the year it happens. Thanks for the feedback.
You know Barry had a brother Arthur Shields who was in films too. Barry Fitzgerald was never on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. These are the only people on the 2016 list (we’re waiting for them to do a list this year) who appeared with him. All but William Smith have passed on and Mr. Smith is 85.
142 ERNEST BORGNINE The Catered Affair (1956)
571 WILLIAM SMITH Going My Way (1944)
681 ANTHONY QUINN California (1947)
809 ROBERT MITCHUM Corvette K-225 (1943)
914 CLIFF ROBERTSON Corvette K-225 (1943)
937 ROBERT EASTON Union Station (1950)
966 KATHLEEN FREEMAN The Naked City (1948)
The following actors who worked with Barry were on the original list back in 2000 but have since fallen off. Rank is for 2000.
14 JOHN CARRADINE Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL How Green Was My Valley (1941)
41 BURGESS MEREDITH SAN FRANCISCO DOCKS (1940)
45 BURT LANCASTER Variety Girl (1947)
50 JEFF COREY California (1947)
94 ROBERT MORLEY Marie Antoinette (1938)
100 IAN WOLFE California (1947)
100 IAN WOLFE Corvette K-225 (1943)
100 IAN WOLFE Marie Antoinette (1938)
102 DAVID NIVEN Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
102 DAVID NIVEN The Dawn Patrol (1938)
120 ROBERT STACK Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948)
179 JOHN WAYNE The Long Voyage Home (1940)
179 JOHN WAYNE The Quiet Man (1952)
187 RAY MILLAND California (1947)
187 RAY MILLAND Ebb Tide (1937)
187 RAY MILLAND Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948)
187 RAY MILLAND Variety Girl (1947)
192 YVONNE DE CARLO Silver City (1951)
207 WILLIAM HOLDEN Union Station (1950)
207 WILLIAM HOLDEN Variety Girl (1947)
221 JOHN CRAWFORD Union Station (1950)
222 BESS FLOWERS Incendiary Blonde (1945)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
237 PETER LAWFORD Corvette K-225 (1943)
255 ALEXANDER KNOX The Sea Wolf (1941)
256 HANK WORDEN The Sainted Sisters (1948)
273 GEORGE COULOURIS California (1947)
273 GEORGE COULOURIS None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
299 FRITZ FELD Bringing Up Baby (1938)
323 GEORGE SANDERS Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
323 GEORGE SANDERS The Saint Strikes Back (1939)
362 BARRY SULLIVAN Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
379 ANN DORAN I Love a Soldier (1944)
379 ANN DORAN Variety Girl (1947)
380 STERLING HAYDEN Variety Girl (1947)
395 WALTER PIDGEON How Green Was My Valley (1941)
399 NEHEMIAH PERSOFF The Naked City (1948)
406 EDMOND O’BRIEN Silver City (1951)
406 EDMOND O’BRIEN The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
409 ROD TAYLOR The Catered Affair (1956)
463 EDWARD G. ROBINSON The Sea Wolf (1941)
534 BOB HOPE Variety Girl (1947)
555 HUME CRONYN Top o’ the Morning (1949)
562 PAUL BRYAR Corvette K-225 (1943)
599 JOHN DOUCETTE Two Tickets to London (1943)
609 JOHN MARLEY The Naked City (1948)
657 DEBBIE REYNOLDS The Catered Affair (1956)
671 EDUARDO CIANELLI California (1947)
671 EDUARDO CIANELLI Incendiary Blonde (1945)
690 PARLEY BAER Union Station (1950)
732 ARTHUR O’CONNELL The Naked City (1948)
740 GEORGE CHANDLER The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
767 PHILIP AHN The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Corvette K-225 (1943)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Incendiary Blonde (1945)
783 JAMES FLAVIN The Long Voyage Home (1940)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Two Years Before the Mast (1946)
786 LLOYD NOLAN Ebb Tide (1937)
832 DON BRODIE Incendiary Blonde (1945)
859 MYRON HEALEY Silver City (1951)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT California (1947)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)
918 BETTE DAVIS The Catered Affair (1956)
963 FRANK FERGUSON California (1947)
963 FRANK FERGUSON Variety Girl (1947)
963 FRANK FERGUSON Welcome Stranger (1947)
969 BYRON FOULGER Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)
969 BYRON FOULGER Union Station (1950)
975 MAUREEN O’HARA How Green Was My Valley (1941)
975 MAUREEN O’HARA The Quiet Man (1952)
982 BILLY BENEDICT Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Barry worked with 21 Oscar winners:
ANTHONY QUINN California (1947)
BETTE DAVIS The Catered Affair (1956)
BING CROSBY Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
BING CROSBY Going My Way (1944)
BING CROSBY Top o’ the Morning (1949)
BING CROSBY Variety Girl (1947)
BING CROSBY Welcome Stranger (1947)
BURT LANCASTER Variety Girl (1947)
CLIFF ROBERTSON Corvette K-225 (1943)
DAVID NIVEN Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
DAVID NIVEN The Dawn Patrol (1938)
DONALD CRISP HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)
EDMOND O’BRIEN Silver City (1951)
EDMOND O’BRIEN The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
ERNEST BORGNINE The Catered Affair (1956)
ETHEL BARRYMORE None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
GARY COOPER Variety Girl (1947)
GEORGE SANDERS Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
GEORGE SANDERS The Saint Strikes Back (1939)
JOHN WAYNE The Long Voyage Home (1940)
JOHN WAYNE The Quiet Man (1952)
KATHARINE HEPBURN Bringing Up Baby (1938)
LORETTA YOUNG Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
NORMA SHEARER Marie Antoinette (1938)
RAY MILLAND California (1947)
RAY MILLAND Ebb Tide (1937)
RAY MILLAND Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948)
RAY MILLAND Variety Girl (1947)
THOMAS MITCHELL THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (1940)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN Full Confession (1939)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN Pacific Liner (1939)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN The Quiet Man (1952)
WALTER HUSTON And Then There Were None (1945)
WILLIAM HOLDEN Union Station (1950)
WILLIAM HOLDEN Variety Girl (1947)
Hey Dan
1. As always thanks for sharing these lists.
2. So only William Smith survives. Maybe Smith and Clint Eastwood can make another Every Which Way But Loose movie……who would not pay to watch two almost 90 year olds get into a bare knuckles fight….lol.
3. The second list is filled with many great actors.
4. James Flavin….leads the way with 6 movies.
5. 21 Oscar winners seems low….but I guess since Fitzgerald does not have a ton of movies it makes sense.
Good stuff.
He’s also at Paramount too many years, not too much away from the studio.
Actually he seems by the Oscar winners he worked with that he worked at a few other outfits too (Universal, Fox, Republic, MGM and Warner Bros).
Good points Dan.