Ed Begley Movies

Want to know the best Ed Begley movies?  How about the worst Ed Begley movies?  Curious about Ed Begley box office grosses or which Ed Begley movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Ed Begley 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.

Ed Begley (1901-1970) was an Oscar®-winning American actor.   Begley’s career included successful roles in theater, radio,  film and television.  He won the Best Supporting Oscar® for his role in 1962’s Sweet Bird of Youth.   His acting career has spanned over 4 decades.    His IMDb page shows  105 acting credits between 1946 and 1970.   This page will rank Ed Begley movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, uncredited roles and movies that were not released in North American were not included in the rankings.

1957’s 12 Angry Men

Ed Begley Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.

1962’s Sweet Bird of Youth

Ed Begley 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 Ed Begley movies by his co-stars
  • Sort Ed Begleymovies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
  • Sort Ed Begley movies by domestic yearly box office rank
  • Sort Ed Begley movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Ed Begley movie received.
  • Sort Ed Begley 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.
1968’s Hang ‘Em High

Best IMDb Trivia on Ed Begley

1. Edward James Begley Sr. was born  in Hartford, Connecticut in 1901.

2. Ed Begley Sr. is the father of actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr.

3.  Ed Begley dropped-out of school when he was in the 5th grade.  Begley ran away from home several times, going to work for carnivals, fairs, and small circuses.  Later he sold brushes, delivered milk, and served in the United States Navy during World War I.

4.  Ed Begley began his acting career as a Broadway and radio actor while in his teens.

5. Ed Begley won Broadway’s 1956 Tony® Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for “Inherit the Wind.”

Check out Ed Begley’s career compared to current and classic actors.  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

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15 thoughts on “Ed Begley Movies

  1. Thanks for the feedback.

    I saw Patterns aka Patterns of Power on an obscure double bill when they first came out in 1956. The other feature was a thriller, Nightmare starring Edward G and Kevin McCarthy.

    Your sources give Patterns 79% but award only 53% to Nightmare. However as I like both Eddie and Kevin and Patterns was terrific, I recall that overall I was satisfied with the double bill; and IMDB is on my side because it gives Nightmare a “good” 65% and Patterns 78%.

    Incidentally [as we have discussed aka confusion recently] IMDB refers to the Heflin movie by both titles – Patterns and Patterns of Power. Wiki refers to it first by patterns but then adds in power as an afterthought! – hope all that keeps Sidney off our backs!

    1. Hey Bob….sorry Nightmare is lower than the why you are thinking…I guess my other sources did not think as highly about it as IMDb did…6.5 is an alright rating. Thanks for the clarification on the Heflin movie. Good stuff as always. As for Sidney…I am glad he is catching so many mistakes…..I can use the help….especially with this site getting bigger and bigger.

      1. Thanks for the comments. But hey – don’t beat yourself up; leave THAT to Sidney and me!

        Anyway as I’ve already suggested my perception is that commas are largely optional in titles -and indeed for the most part I do not prefer them – and it was NOT a mistake to call by its original title a movie such as Nobody Runs Forever.

        So relax and keep safe.

        HAROLD WILSON – [British Labour Party Prime Minister [1966-1970 and 1974-76]
        “The Conservative press are always ruthlessly after me because my support for kinder trade union legislation so I’ve been trying to avoid journalists as much as possible”

        SENIOR TRADE UNION LEADER
        “They’ll stop chasing you if you stop running away.”

  2. Ed Begley was never on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list (his son is # 681). These are the actors on the list Ed Sr. appeared with.

    4 DONALD SUTHERLAND Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
    5 MICHAEL CAINE Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
    14 ERNEST BORGNINE The Oscar (1966)
    19 DENNIS HOPPER Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    69 ALAN ARKIN The Monitors (1969)
    79 BRUCE DERN Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    85 JACK WARDEN 12 Angry Men (1957)
    85 JACK WARDEN You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    92 CHARLTON HESTON Dark City (1950)
    94 PAUL NEWMAN Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    102 RIP TORN Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    103 CLINT EASTWOOD Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    119 DEAN STOCKWELL Deep Waters (1948)
    119 DEAN STOCKWELL Stars in My Crown (1950)
    119 DEAN STOCKWELL The Dunwich Horror (1970)
    127 BURT LANCASTER Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    137 SHELLEY WINTERS Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
    137 SHELLEY WINTERS The Great Gatsby (1949)
    137 SHELLEY WINTERS Wild in the Streets (1968)
    140 LAUREN BACALL Patterns (1956)
    146 MARTIN BALSAM 12 Angry Men (1957)
    193 WILLIAM HOLDEN Boots Malone (1952)
    193 WILLIAM HOLDEN The Turning Point (1952)
    227 KEENAN WYNN The Monitors (1969)
    242 AVA GARDNER Lone Star (1952)
    243 HAL HOLBROOK Wild in the Streets (1968)
    261 PETER BOYLE The Monitors (1969)
    297 HENRY FONDA 12 Angry Men (1957)
    297 HENRY FONDA Firecreek (1968)
    305 JOSEPH COTTEN The Oscar (1966)
    308 GLENN FORD Convicted (1950)
    321 GEORGE SANDERS Warning Shot (1967)
    341 CHARLES BRONSON You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    342 EDDIE ALBERT You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    352 BRIAN KEITH Boomerang! (1947)
    381 FERDY MAYNE The Green Helmet (1961)
    406 GARY BUSEY Wild in the Streets (1968)
    428 RICHARD WIDMARK The Street with No Name (1948)
    479 VIVECA LINDFORS Backfire (1950)
    479 VIVECA LINDFORS Dark City (1950)
    496 ARTHUR KENNEDY Boomerang! (1947)
    501 RAY MILLAND It Happens Every Spring (1949)
    517 ELKE SOMMER The Oscar (1966)
    524 JACK ELAM Firecreek (1968)
    610 PAT HINGLE Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    613 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Convicted (1950)
    613 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Lone Star (1952)
    613 BRODERICK CRAWFORD The Oscar (1966)
    621 BEN JOHNSON Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    634 DEBBIE REYNOLDS The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
    643 SHIRLEY KNIGHT Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    672 WALTER PIDGEON Warning Shot (1967)
    688 ROBERT WEBBER 12 Angry Men (1957)
    691 DUB TAYLOR Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    708 JOHN DEHNER Backfire (1950)
    708 JOHN DEHNER Tulsa (1949)
    717 ROBERT RYAN Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
    717 ROBERT RYAN On Dangerous Ground (1952)
    725 BARRY SULLIVAN The Great Gatsby (1949)
    760 LEE MARVIN You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    784 CESAR ROMERO Deep Waters (1948)
    805 CHARLES LANE Backfire (1950)
    808 RICHARD JAECKEL Wyoming Mail (1950)
    815 DANA ANDREWS Boomerang! (1947)
    815 DANA ANDREWS Deep Waters (1948)
    827 GEORGE HAMILTON Lone Star (1952)
    851 E.G. MARSHALL 12 Angry Men (1957)
    867 PETER LAWFORD The Oscar (1966)
    877 LLOYD NOLAN The Street with No Name (1948)
    909 JAMES STEWART Firecreek (1968)
    921 RICHARD BRIGHT Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
    964 STEPHEN BOYD The Oscar (1966)
    966 JIM BACKUS Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
    HM (863) EDMOND O’BRIEN Backfire (1950)
    HM (863) EDMOND O’BRIEN The Turning Point (1952)

    Eddie appeared with 32 Oscar winners.

    ALAN ARKIN The Monitors (1969)
    BEN JOHNSON Hang ‘Em High (1968)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD Convicted (1950)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD Lone Star (1952)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD The Oscar (1966)
    BURT LANCASTER Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    CHARLTON HESTON Dark City (1950)
    CLARK GABLE Lone Star (1952)
    DEAN JAGGER Dark City (1950)
    DEAN JAGGER Firecreek (1968)
    DOROTHY MALONE Convicted (1950)
    EDMOND O’BRIEN Backfire (1950)
    EDMOND O’BRIEN The Turning Point (1952)
    ERNEST BORGNINE The Oscar (1966)
    ETHEL BARRYMORE Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
    GARY COOPER You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    GEORGE SANDERS Warning Shot (1967)
    GERALDINE PAGE Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    GLORIA GRAHAME Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
    HENRY FONDA 12 Angry Men (1957)
    HENRY FONDA Firecreek (1968)
    HUMPHREY BOGART Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
    JAMES DUNN The Oscar (1966)
    JAMES STEWART Firecreek (1968)
    KARL MALDEN Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
    KARL MALDEN Boomerang! (1947)
    KIM HUNTER Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
    LEE MARVIN You’re in the Navy Now (1951)
    LIONEL BARRYMORE Lone Star (1952)
    MARTIN BALSAM 12 Angry Men (1957)
    MICHAEL CAINE Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
    PAUL NEWMAN Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    RAY MILLAND It Happens Every Spring (1949)
    SHELLEY WINTERS Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
    SHELLEY WINTERS The Great Gatsby (1949)
    SHELLEY WINTERS Wild in the Streets (1968)
    SUSAN HAYWARD Tulsa (1949)
    VAN HEFLIN Patterns (1956)
    WALTER BRENNAN The Oscar (1966)
    WILLIAM HOLDEN Boots Malone (1952)
    WILLIAM HOLDEN The Turning Point (1952)

    Patterns, 12 Angry Men and Wild in the Streets are faves of mine.

    1. Hey Dan
      1. Looking at your three favorites….I have only seen 12 Angry Men. Bob is right there with you on Patterns…..which is a movie I had never heard of before writing this page. As for Wild in the Streets….a young Richard Pryor is in it….that might be interesting to see.
      2. Not surprised Ed Sr. is not on the Oracle list, but really surprised that Ed Jr. is so highly ranked. As I sit here…..I can not think of many of his movies….I know he has made a ton of them….but they are hard to recall other than the dud Transylvania 6-5000. That movie is a shocking 35 years old!
      3. Looking at the first list….lots of well known actors…including many favorites of the UMR regulars…Caine, Heston, Fonda……even more when you expand to his non-Oracle co-stars…Ladd, Newman.
      4. His most frequent co-stars on list 1…Dean Stockwell and Oscar winners Shelley Winters and Broderick Crawford (he is due an UMR page).
      5. Second list features an “about average” 32 Oscar winners….including some of those UMR regular favorites again…Caine, Gable, Hayward, Heston.
      6. Currently I do not have Alan Arkin attached to The Monitors in the database…I will have to go back and see if his role was more than a cameo.
      Good information as always.

      1. I don’t think Ed Jr. ever had a leading role. Me thinks he was in a few of those Kurt Russell Dexter Riley films in the early 70’s (Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and its 2 sequels). Ever notice Dexter attends the same school that Fred MacMurray invented Flubber at, and Merlin Jones (Tommy Kirk/Annette Funicello star in both) invented things in 2 films too. Medford College I think.

  3. I’ve only seen 8 Ed Begley films but I remember him best as the loud mouth bigot in 12 Angry Men, a loony pseudo-Bond villain in Billion Dollar Brain and the vicious leader of a lynching party in Hang Em High.

    He was more subdued in The Dunwich Horror.

    I haven’t seen Sorry, Wrong Number but I have seen clips from that in the Steve Martin comedy Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. I don’t think I’ve seen Alan Ladd’s Great Gatsby, it might be worth a look. I haven’t seen the Robert Redford version either. I did see the DiCaprio version.

    Nice work Bruce. Vote Up!

    1. Hey Steve….thanks for stopping by and sharing your movie wisdom. Tally count….Flora’s 15 almost doubles our totals of 8. As for how I remember Begley Sr….I am right there with you on Angry Men and Hang ‘Em High. For some reason…Billion Dollar Brain did not register with me very well…I probably need to re-visit the threee Caine thrillers again…probably been 20 years since I watched any of them.

      I have not seen The Dunwich Horror or his Gatsby. I like you have seen the Leo version. I haave also seen the Redford version….one day will see the Ladd version. Just think….the next Gatsby is probably in pre-school right now…..lol. Sorry, Wrong Number is an ok thriller, but a pale version of a Hitchcock thriller. Good stuff as always.

    2. HI STEVE

      Glad you have now dropped the “old” from “loud mouth bigot” We old-timers don’t like our name taken in vain: ie there are young bigots too!

      WIKIPEDIA: To take one’s name in vain.EXAMPLES

      1/Speak casually or idly of someone, or some group. This idiom originated as a translation from the Latin of the Vulgate Bible (Exodus 20:7), “to take God’s name in vain,”

      2: to use (a name, especially the name of God) in a way that does not show proper respect “poor people are all lazy” whereas logic dictates that cannot be so. However “some people are poor because they are lazy,” is more relaistic.

  4. I have seen 15 Ed Begley Sr. movies.

    The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is Sorry, Wrong Number.

    The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is Sitting Pretty.

    The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is Firecreek.

    Favourite Ed Begley Sr. Movies;

    12 Angry Men
    Sorry, Wrong Number
    The Unsinkable Molly Brown
    Boomerang
    Stars in My Crown
    The Street with No Name
    Patterns
    On Dangerous Ground
    Odds Against Tomorrow
    Convicted

    Other Ed Begley Sr. Movies I Have Seen:

    Hang ‘Em High
    Sweet Bird of Youth
    It Happens Every Spring
    Deadline USA
    Firecreek

    1. Hey Flora…thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts on Ed Begley Sr. Tally counts….Flora 15, Steve and myself 8. Our your favorites I have seen only 3 of them…with 12 Angry Men, Sorry, Wrong Number and Odds Against Tomorrow being those three. On your others list…I have seen Hang ‘Em High, Sweet Bird of Youth and Firecreek. I would have Hang “Em High, Odds Against Tomorrow and 12 Angry Men on favorites list. I like you have not seen Sitting Pretty… I was surprised that it got the top spot in our rankings. Thanks for the comment.

  5. I mostly enjoyed Ed Begley in

    (1) 12 Angry Men

    (2) The Dunwich Horror which involved H P Lovecraft’s Cthulhu whom Steve and I have often mentioned and discussed on this site. Made in 1970 it was Ed’s last movie as indicated in table 1 above.

    (3) Van Heflin’s Patterns [known as Patterns of Power over here]. Heflin’s performance in that one caused one 1950s film critic to dub him “The new Tyrone Power” I never could see the connection between the pair in either style, type of movie or appearance; and anyway Heflin was 6 years older than Power so he would have been chronologically out of sync as the “new” Power as when Patterns was made in 1956 there was no hint of Ty’s premature death in 1958.

    I admire the miniature still above of Ed with his son, Ed Begley Jr. The latter has had a massive acting career in terms of output. IMDB lists 324 credits for him and Wikipedia lists 110 movies that he has made [mostly in unimportant roles in low key films] and over 200 TV appearances that he has put in. I can find no reliable net worth figure for Ed Senior but Ed Junior’s net worth is said to be $5 million at present.

    1. Hey Bob….thanks for the thoughts and visit on our Ed Begley Sr. page. I have only seen 12 Angry Men when looking at the three movies you broke down. That now gives me 6 angry men completed….not sure how many of the other 6 angry men will get an UMR page. So Ed Sr. is connected Cthulhu…..interesting…though Cthulhu is still flying over my head…lol. I will have to check out Patterns….both you and Bob speak highly of it…..but I had not even heard of it before doing this page. Wow…Ed Jr. has been busy….his movie career is filled with many roles…but not too many memorable movies. Good stuff as always.

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