George Kennedy (1925-2016) was an Oscar®-winning American actor and film director. Kennedy won an Oscar® for his role in 1967’s Cool Hand Luke. From the 1960s to the 1980s, he was one of the most popular and recognizable supporting actors working in movies. His IMDb page shows 183 acting credits from 1959 to 2014. This page ranks 60 George Kennedy movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, cameos and his movies not released in North America theaters are not included in the rankings. This page comes from a request by Mike.
George Kennedy Movies Ranked By Combination of Box Office, Reviews and Awards (UMR Score) *Classic UMR Table (the one with all the stats is the second table)
CreditRank
Movie (Year)
UMR Co-Star Links
UMR Score
S
CreditRank Movie (Year) UMR Co-Star Links UMR Score S
2
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Lee Marvin &
Charles Bronson98.9
3
Charade (1963)
Cary Grant &
Audrey Hepburn98.7
4
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Paul Newman &
Dennis Hopper98.4
4
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Leslie Nielsen &
Ricardo Montalban97.9
5
Airport (1970)
AA Best Picture NomBurt Lancaster &
Dean Martin97.1
7
Shenandoah (1965)
James Stewart
96.6
8
The Boston Strangler (1968)
Henry Fonda &
Tony Curtis95.7
8
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Leslie Nielsen
95.3
9
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
John Wayne &
Dean Martin94.8
10
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Clint Eastwood &
Jeff Bridges94.1
11
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Bette Davis &
Olivia de Havilland92.7
12
Earthquake (1974)
Charlton Heston &
Ava Gardner88.9
13
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
Leslie Nielsen
88.2
16
In Harm's Way (1965)
John Wayne &
Kirk Douglas86.5
13
Airport 1975 (1974)
Charlton Heston &
Karen Black86.4
14
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
James Stewart &
Ernest Borgnine86.1
17
The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Clint Eastwood
85.6
18
Airport '77 (1977)
Jack Lemmon &
Joseph Cotten85.6
19
Lonely Are The Brave (1962)
Kirk Douglas &
Walter Matthau81.6
20
Strait-Jacket (1964)
Joan Crawford &
Lee Majors81.5
21
Death on the Nile (1978)
Bette Davis &
David Niven81.0
22
Small Soldiers (1998)
Voice OnlyTommy Lee Jones &
Denis Leary80.1
23
Mirage (1965)
Gregory Peck &
Walter Matthau76.0
24
Cahill United States Marshal (1973)
John Wayne
73.8
27
Bandolero! (1968)
James Stewart &
Dean Martin71.9
25
Tick, Tick, Tick (1970)
Jim Brown &
Fredric March69.7
26
McHale's Navy (1964)
Ernest Borgnine &
Tim Conway69.5
28
Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964)
Celia Milius
63.6
29
Lost Horizon (1973)
Peter Finch &
Liv Ullmann62.2
31
Hurry Sundown (1967)
Michael Caine &
Jane Fonda60.3
32
Dirty Dingus Magee (1970)
Frank Sinatra
57.7
30
Modern Romance (1981)
Albert Brooks
56.9
34
The Gambler (2014)
Mark Wahlberg &
John Goodman55.5
33
Cats Don't Dance (1997)
Don Knotts
53.7
36
The Delta Force (1986)
Lee Marvin &
Chuck Norris53.3
35
Gaily, Gaily (1969)
Brian Keith
51.1
37
Zig Zag (1970)
Eli Wallach
48.9
38
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
Jimmie Rodgers
45.8
39
Fools' Parade (1971)
James Stewart &
Kurt Russell44.9
40
The Double McGuffin (1979)
Ernest Borgnine
43.0
41
The Pink Jungle (1968)
James Garner
42.9
42
The Ballad of Josie (1967)
Doris Day
41.7
43
Don't Come Knocking (2005)
Sam Shepard &
Eva Marie Saint39.3
45
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Gregg Henry
33.5
44
Just Before Dawn (1981)
Gregg Henry
33.3
46
Creepshow 2 (1987)
Dorothy Lamour
32.7
47
Steel (1979)
Lee Majors &
Art Carny26.3
48
Virus (1980)
Film Festival Circuit Only Glenn Ford
25.2
49
Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)
James Whitmore
24.9
48
Radioactive Dreams (1985)
John Stockwell
24.8
50
Brain Dead (1990)
Bill Paxton &
Bill Pullman24.0
51
The Man From The Diners' Club (1963)
Danny Kaye &
Telly Savalas23.8
52
Brass Target (1978)
Sophia Loren
22.7
53
The 'Human' Factor (1975)
John Mills
21.7
54
Another Happy Day (2011)
Demi Moore &
Ellen Barkin20.8
55
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969)
Robert Mitchum
20.4
57
The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979)
Robert Wagner
14.6
58
Death Ship (1980)
Richard Crenna
13.3
59
The Terror Within (1989)
Andrew Stevens
12.2
58
Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984)
Barbara Eden &
Joe Namath11.2
59
Wacko (1982)
Joe Don Baker
5.2
61
Bolero (1984)
Bo Derek
0.3
George Kennedy 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 George Kennedy movies by movie title and movie trailers.
- Sort George Kennedy movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort George Kennedy movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort George Kennedy movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort George Kennedy 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 George Kennedy movie received and how many Oscar® wins each George Kennedy movie won.
- Sort George Kennedy 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.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 2 | The Dirty Dozen (1967) | Lee Marvin & Charles Bronson |
51.00 | 454.4 | 703.90 | 5 | 86 | 04 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 3 | Charade (1963) | Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn |
18.70 | 235.0 | 235.00 | 8 | 88 | 01 / 00 | 98.7 | |
| 4 | Cool Hand Luke (1967) | Paul Newman & Dennis Hopper |
18.20 | 162.6 | 162.60 | 15 | 93 | 04 / 01 | 98.4 | |
| 4 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) | Leslie Nielsen & Ricardo Montalban |
78.80 | 206.6 | 206.60 | 8 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 5 | Airport (1970) AA Best Picture Nom |
Burt Lancaster & Dean Martin |
102.40 | 712.0 | 712.00 | 2 | 63 | 10 / 01 | 97.1 | |
| 7 | Shenandoah (1965) | James Stewart | 19.20 | 202.8 | 202.80 | 10 | 75 | 01 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 8 | The Boston Strangler (1968) | Henry Fonda & Tony Curtis |
22.90 | 188.1 | 188.10 | 12 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 95.7 | |
| 8 | The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) | Leslie Nielsen | 86.90 | 222.6 | 222.60 | 10 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 9 | The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) | John Wayne & Dean Martin |
16.20 | 171.4 | 171.40 | 15 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 94.8 | |
| 10 | Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) | Clint Eastwood & Jeff Bridges |
27.60 | 159.0 | 159.00 | 20 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 94.1 | |
| 11 | Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) | Bette Davis & Olivia de Havilland |
10.70 | 122.9 | 122.90 | 24 | 80 | 07 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 12 | Earthquake (1974) | Charlton Heston & Ava Gardner |
78.60 | 453.3 | 453.30 | 4 | 45 | 04 / 01 | 88.9 | |
| 13 | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) | Leslie Nielsen | 51.10 | 135.1 | 135.10 | 23 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 88.2 | |
| 16 | In Harm's Way (1965) | John Wayne & Kirk Douglas |
11.50 | 121.4 | 121.40 | 18 | 67 | 01 / 00 | 86.5 | |
| 13 | Airport 1975 (1974) | Charlton Heston & Karen Black |
76.70 | 442.1 | 442.10 | 5 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 86.4 | |
| 14 | The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) | James Stewart & Ernest Borgnine |
7.30 | 77.1 | 77.10 | 40 | 79 | 02 / 00 | 86.1 | |
| 17 | The Eiger Sanction (1975) | Clint Eastwood | 24.20 | 127.1 | 127.10 | 28 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 85.6 | |
| 18 | Airport '77 (1977) | Jack Lemmon & Joseph Cotten |
40.80 | 197.1 | 197.10 | 17 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 85.6 | |
| 19 | Lonely Are The Brave (1962) | Kirk Douglas & Walter Matthau |
2.80 | 40.7 | 40.70 | 87 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 81.6 | |
| 20 | Strait-Jacket (1964) | Joan Crawford & Lee Majors |
6.30 | 71.9 | 71.90 | 45 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 81.5 | |
| 21 | Death on the Nile (1978) | Bette Davis & David Niven |
14.60 | 67.1 | 67.10 | 49 | 72 | 01 / 01 | 81.0 | |
| 22 | Small Soldiers (1998) Voice Only |
Tommy Lee Jones & Denis Leary |
54.70 | 125.7 | 163.80 | 41 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 80.1 | |
| 23 | Mirage (1965) | Gregory Peck & Walter Matthau |
4.10 | 42.8 | 42.80 | 67 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 76.0 | |
| 24 | Cahill United States Marshal (1973) | John Wayne | 12.40 | 75.7 | 114.40 | 28 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 73.8 | |
| 27 | Bandolero! (1968) | James Stewart & Dean Martin |
15.70 | 129.3 | 129.30 | 23 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 71.9 | |
| 25 | Tick, Tick, Tick (1970) | Jim Brown & Fredric March |
6.50 | 45.2 | 45.20 | 46 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 69.7 | |
| 26 | McHale's Navy (1964) | Ernest Borgnine & Tim Conway |
4.30 | 49.1 | 49.10 | 69 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 69.5 | |
| 28 | Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964) | Celia Milius | 4.90 | 55.7 | 55.70 | 59 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.6 | |
| 29 | Lost Horizon (1973) | Peter Finch & Liv Ullmann |
11.50 | 70.1 | 70.10 | 33 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 62.2 | |
| 31 | Hurry Sundown (1967) | Michael Caine & Jane Fonda |
10.10 | 90.2 | 90.20 | 29 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 60.3 | |
| 32 | Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) | Frank Sinatra | 8.20 | 56.9 | 56.90 | 40 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 57.7 | |
| 30 | Modern Romance (1981) | Albert Brooks | 2.90 | 11.1 | 11.10 | 105 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 56.9 | |
| 34 | The Gambler (2014) | Mark Wahlberg & John Goodman |
33.70 | 44.4 | 51.80 | 91 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 55.5 | |
| 33 | Cats Don't Dance (1997) | Don Knotts | 3.60 | 8.4 | 8.40 | 152 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 53.7 | |
| 36 | The Delta Force (1986) | Lee Marvin & Chuck Norris |
17.80 | 51.6 | 51.60 | 48 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 53.3 | |
| 35 | Gaily, Gaily (1969) | Brian Keith | 2.90 | 21.7 | 21.70 | 73 | 61 | 03 / 00 | 51.1 | |
| 37 | Zig Zag (1970) | Eli Wallach | 2.30 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 100 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 48.9 | |
| 38 | The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961) | Jimmie Rodgers | 1.20 | 18.2 | 18.20 | 113 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 45.8 | |
| 39 | Fools' Parade (1971) | James Stewart & Kurt Russell |
3.00 | 19.8 | 19.80 | 90 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 44.9 | |
| 40 | The Double McGuffin (1979) | Ernest Borgnine | 2.10 | 9.2 | 9.20 | 117 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 43.0 | |
| 41 | The Pink Jungle (1968) | James Garner | 2.30 | 18.8 | 18.80 | 113 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 42.9 | |
| 42 | The Ballad of Josie (1967) | Doris Day | 1.30 | 11.8 | 11.80 | 126 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 41.7 | |
| 43 | Don't Come Knocking (2005) | Sam Shepard & Eva Marie Saint |
0.40 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 241 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 39.3 | |
| 45 | Mean Dog Blues (1978) | Gregg Henry | 1.20 | 5.8 | 5.80 | 122 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 33.5 | |
| 44 | Just Before Dawn (1981) | Gregg Henry | 0.90 | 3.4 | 3.40 | 142 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 33.3 | |
| 46 | Creepshow 2 (1987) | Dorothy Lamour | 14.00 | 38.6 | 38.60 | 71 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 32.7 | |
| 47 | Steel (1979) | Lee Majors & Art Carny |
2.00 | 8.5 | 8.50 | 120 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 26.3 | |
| 48 | Virus (1980) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Glenn Ford | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 203 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 25.2 | |
| 49 | Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) | James Whitmore | 1.60 | 11.9 | 11.90 | 120 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 24.9 | |
| 48 | Radioactive Dreams (1985) | John Stockwell | 0.20 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 178 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 24.8 | |
| 50 | Brain Dead (1990) | Bill Paxton & Bill Pullman |
1.60 | 4.1 | 4.10 | 159 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 24.0 | |
| 51 | The Man From The Diners' Club (1963) | Danny Kaye & Telly Savalas |
2.20 | 27.0 | 27.00 | 86 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 23.8 | |
| 52 | Brass Target (1978) | Sophia Loren | 5.60 | 25.6 | 25.60 | 82 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 22.7 | |
| 53 | The 'Human' Factor (1975) | John Mills | 1.50 | 8.0 | 8.00 | 128 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 21.7 | |
| 54 | Another Happy Day (2011) | Demi Moore & Ellen Barkin |
0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 334 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.8 | |
| 55 | The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) | Robert Mitchum | 2.40 | 18.4 | 18.40 | 89 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 20.4 | |
| 57 | The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) | Robert Wagner | 13.00 | 55.9 | 79.50 | 57 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 58 | Death Ship (1980) | Richard Crenna | 4.10 | 16.9 | 16.90 | 109 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 13.3 | |
| 59 | The Terror Within (1989) | Andrew Stevens | 0.90 | 2.3 | 2.30 | 171 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 12.2 | |
| 58 | Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984) | Barbara Eden & Joe Namath |
1.00 | 3.2 | 3.20 | 157 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 11.2 | |
| 59 | Wacko (1982) | Joe Don Baker | 0.40 | 1.3 | 1.30 | 147 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 5.2 | |
| 61 | Bolero (1984) | Bo Derek | 8.90 | 28.6 | 28.60 | 82 | 17 | 00 / 00 | 0.3 |
George Kennedy is the # 7 most connected actor of the 1970’s.
My perception of the Top 18 POSTERS in your Kennedy video (1) Death Ship (2) human Factor (3) Small Soldiers [how my grand-kids love that!] (4) Just before Dawn (5) foreign language one for Cahill (6) foreign language one for Bandolero! (7) foreign language one for Earthquake (8) a really unique one for my Joan’s Straitjacket (9) foreign language one for Lonely are the Brave (10) foreign language one for In Harm’s Way (11) 1st one for Shenandoah (12) Mirage (13) foreign language one for Thunderbolt/Lightfoot (14) The Goody Guys and the Bad Guys. I always loved that title and nowadays when it crops up I often think of me and Hirsch (15) 1st one for Sons of Katie Elder and (16)-(18) a stunning set for Cool Hand Luke.
My pick of the Top 15 Stills (1) George as Patton (2) with Chuck [George certainly dined out on those Airport movies] (3) The Pink Jungle (4) George with Big Bob (5) with Clint in Eiger Sanction (6) Naked Gun Final Insult (7) with Burt (8) the Death on the Nile ensemble (9) with Clint in Thunderbolt/Lightfoot (10) Naked Gun Smell of Fear [hilarious!] (11) Flight of the Phoenix (12) George with Charlie in Dirty Dozen (13) the first Naked Gun film (14) George solo in Guns of Magnificent Seven and (15) “Stick em up Archibald Alexander Leach!”
For me this has been one of your best videos and deserving of membership of the 98%-rated club. You and WH agree on 3 of George’s Top 5 best reviewed movies
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, generous rating, info and comparison, always appreciated. Happy you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
This was originally a top 30 which is my typical number of films, but times have changed and I hate leaving movies out, especially when I look at the posters that might not ever get displayed. So it became a top 35 and finally a top 40.
Now I look at my videos of 2 years ago and a top 30 just wasn’t enough for actors and actresses like – David Niven, James Mason, Susan Hayward, Deborah Kerr etc etc I will update and expand some of those videos in the next few months. And it will give me an excuse to add more stills.
George Kennedy like Lee Marvin started off as villains in films, both actors won Oscars for roles where they were more likable and their movie choices opened up.
Swivel-eyed character actor Jack Elam played villains in many westerns in the 1950s and was instantly recognisable, by the late 60s and 70s he had segued to likable old coots, and who knew he could be so funny? Maybe one day I’ll do a video on him too.
Two films scored 10 out of 10 in George Kennedy’s filmography – Cool Hand Luke and Charade. Two more scored 9 – The Dirty Dozen and Flight of the Phoenix. Six more scored 8.
Cool Hand Luke tops the charts at IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and Bruce’s critics chart.
According to IMDB – “Kennedy’s maternal grandfather was a German immigrant. His other ancestry included Irish and English.”
At the time of his death aged 91, Kennedy was the oldest living Oscar winner in the Best Supporting Actor category.
HI STEVE
Thanks for your response to my Kennedy posts and for the additional interesting trivia.
Your posters clearly show that whilst George was rarely if ever the lead performer if Legends were in the cast, he started to get equal billing to them often once he established himself as a prestige actor – Burt and Dino in Airport, Stewart and Martin in Bandolero, Mitchum in Good Guys and Bad Guys and Chuck in Earthquake
George doesn’t get a mention in The Master’s Dark Book but at least you and Bruce have both now recognised George’s wonderful career.
Take care and have a good weekend.
“Voted up 4th, shared 1st, commented 1st. Overall, I have seen 26 George Kennedy movies…..22 of these movies. Favorites include the Top 4. Love Cool Hand Luke, Charade, The Dirty Dozen and Lonely Are The Brave. Love #12 Thunderbolt and Lightfoot…have not seen that one in years. #14 Airport…monster hit and a fun movie to watch, #8 Naked Gun….funny move and #7 The Sons of Katie Elder….a very good Wayne western. Good subject.”
Steve’s Kennedy video has been added to this page.
HI STEVE When Bruce gave us a George Kennedy page last year the following people submitted comments:
You
Flora
Dan
Phil
Bob Cox
Yours Truly
I mention myself last as that billing is justified by the fact that I was the only one of the 6 of us not to get a response [and in fact Flora got two replies though admittedly her contributions merited that and I would never complain about Flora’s excellent work getting recognition].
A fair number of my recent comments have drawn no response so maybe I’m submitting too many posts. Anyhow in On the Waterfront gangster Johnny Friendly played by Lee J Cobb complained that his henchmen were not being respectful or obedient enough to him and he protested “Pretty soon I’ll just be another guy around here!”
As you may have noticed I am fond of quoting that line but I think it’s time to paraphrase it into “Now I’m not even just another guy around here!”
Catch up with you again in a Part 2 post.
I saw 26 including top 19. 10s and favorites cool hand luke, in harms way. 10s not favorites dirty dozen,charade, flight of the phoenix. hidden gems: hush, hush sweet charlotte, an 8, a horrorifying movie, and lonely are the brave an 8
Hey bob cox….thanks for the George Kennedy feedback. I am right there with you on Cool Hand Luke….that is one of my all-time Top 100 movies. As for your 9s….Charade is another of my Top 100…..Lonely Are The Brave is a good movie….but I give Kirk Douglas all the credit for that. I have not seen Flight of the Phoenix lately….need to watch that one again. Good stuff as always.