Joseph Cotten (1905-1994) was an American actor whose career spanned over 6 decades. His IMDb page shows 132 acting credits from 1937-1981. This page will rank 48 Joseph Cotten movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings. This page was requested many moons ago by Flora.
Joseph Cotten 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 Joseph Cotten movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Joseph Cotten movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Joseph Cotten movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Joseph Cotten 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 Joseph Cotten movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Joseph Cotten movie won.
- Sort Joseph Cotten 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 |
| 1 | Gaslight (1944) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ingrid Bergman & Charles Boyer |
7.30 | 245.9 | 501.30 | 29 | 83 | 07 / 02 | 99.3 | |
| 2 | Since You Went Away (1944) AA Best Picture Nom |
Claudette Colbert & Shirley Temple |
14.00 | 470.0 | 470.00 | 2 | 73 | 09 / 01 | 98.7 | |
| 5 | The Third Man (1949) | Orson Welles | 7.20 | 181.1 | 181.10 | 24 | 90 | 03 / 01 | 98.6 | |
| 3 | Citizen Kane (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Orson Welles | 3.20 | 123.0 | 160.20 | 76 | 93 | 09 / 01 | 98.1 | |
| 4 | Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) | Jason Robards | 44.00 | 306.2 | 306.20 | 8 | 75 | 05 / 01 | 97.4 | |
| 6 | The Farmer's Daughter (1947) | Loretta Young | 8.90 | 259.9 | 259.90 | 21 | 74 | 02 / 01 | 96.8 | |
| 7 | Duel in the Sun (1946) | Jennifer Jones & Gregory Peck |
17.80 | 548.6 | 548.60 | 2 | 70 | 02 / 00 | 95.5 | |
| 8 | I'll Be Seeing You (1944) | Ginger Rogers & Shirley Temple |
9.70 | 326.0 | 326.00 | 16 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.5 | |
| 9 | Love Letters (1945) | Jennifer Jones | 8.30 | 264.2 | 264.20 | 31 | 67 | 04 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 11 | Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | Teresa Wright & Directed by Alfred Hitchcock |
3.40 | 123.2 | 123.20 | 90 | 90 | 01 / 00 | 94.2 | |
| 12 | Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) | Bette Davis & Olivia de Havilland |
10.70 | 122.9 | 122.90 | 24 | 80 | 07 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 13 | Hers To Hold (1943) | Deanna Durbin | 5.00 | 179.7 | 179.70 | 60 | 59 | 01 / 00 | 90.3 | |
| 13 | The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
Agnes Moorehead & Directed by Orson Welles |
1.90 | 69.0 | 69.00 | 130 | 85 | 04 / 00 | 89.9 | |
| 14 | Niagara (1953) | Marilyn Monroe | 7.10 | 127.9 | 127.90 | 34 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 15 | Portrait of Jennie (1948) | Jennifer Jones | 2.60 | 69.6 | 69.60 | 119 | 81 | 02 / 01 | 86.4 | |
| 16 | Airport '77 (1977) | Jack Lemmon & James Stewart |
40.80 | 197.1 | 197.10 | 17 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 85.6 | |
| 17 | Beyond the Forest (1949) | Bette Davis | 3.70 | 92.7 | 121.00 | 95 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 19 | The Last Sunset (1961) | Kirk Douglas & Rock Hudson |
7.90 | 114.5 | 114.50 | 27 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.3 | |
| 18 | Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) | Burt Lancaster & Richard Widmark |
12.20 | 58.8 | 58.80 | 51 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 81.7 | |
| 20 | September Affair (1950) | Joan Fontaine | 4.10 | 91.4 | 91.40 | 77 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 80.7 | |
| 21 | Soylent Green (1973) | Charlton Heston & Edward G. Robinson |
10.90 | 66.4 | 66.40 | 34 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 22 | Petulia (1968) | George C. Scott | 4.30 | 35.3 | 35.30 | 73 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 76.8 | |
| 25 | Half Angel (1951) | Loretta Young | 4.30 | 92.4 | 92.40 | 83 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 23 | Journey Into Fear (1943) | Directed by Orson Welles | 1.30 | 46.3 | 46.30 | 135 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 72.9 | |
| 24 | The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) | Vincent Price | 4.50 | 29.7 | 29.70 | 65 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 71.6 | |
| 26 | Under Capricorn (1949) | Ingrid Bergman & Directed by Alfred Hitchcock |
3.40 | 84.3 | 185.80 | 107 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 69.3 | |
| 27 | Untamed Frontier (1952) | Shelley Winters & Lee Van Cleef |
4.20 | 81.7 | 81.70 | 74 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 68.6 | |
| 28 | The Wild Heart (1952) | Jennifer Jones | 1.20 | 22.9 | 22.90 | 191 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 65.8 | |
| 30 | The Bottom of the Bottle (1956) | Van Johnson | 3.10 | 61.6 | 61.60 | 106 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 65.6 | |
| 31 | Walk Softly, Stranger (1950) | Jack Parr | 2.40 | 52.9 | 91.40 | 131 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 65.2 | |
| 29 | Lydia (1941) | Merle Oberon | 1.00 | 38.8 | 38.80 | 176 | 65 | 01 / 00 | 64.1 | |
| 33 | The Steel Trap (1952) | Teresa Wright | 2.80 | 54.4 | 54.40 | 124 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.0 | |
| 32 | The Grasshopper (1970) | Jacqueline Bisset & Jim Brown |
6.10 | 42.2 | 42.20 | 48 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
| 34 | A Blueprint For Murder (1953) | Gary Merrill | 2.20 | 38.9 | 38.90 | 158 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 61.7 | |
| 36 | The Killer Is Loose (1956) | Rhonda Fleming | 1.80 | 36.0 | 36.00 | 144 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 60.2 | |
| 36 | A Delicate Balance (1973) | Katharine Hepburn | 1.80 | 10.7 | 10.70 | 129 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 58.5 | |
| 37 | Peking Express (1951) | Edmund Gwenn | 3.10 | 67.8 | 67.80 | 117 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 53.3 | |
| 38 | Two Flags West (1950) | Linda Darnell & Jeff Chandler |
2.40 | 54.5 | 54.50 | 127 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 51.9 | |
| 39 | The Halliday Brand (1957) | Ward Bond | 1.60 | 30.9 | 30.90 | 127 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 49.9 | |
| 40 | The Money Trap (1965) | Glenn Ford & Rita Hayworth |
2.30 | 24.3 | 24.30 | 101 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 45.6 | |
| 41 | Caravans (1978) | Anthony Quinn | 4.40 | 20.5 | 20.50 | 87 | 60 | 01 / 00 | 44.9 | |
| 42 | Special Delivery (1955) | Eva Bartok | 1.60 | 32.6 | 32.60 | 152 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 42.7 | |
| 43 | Heaven's Gate (1980) | Jeff Bridges & Christopher Walken |
3.50 | 14.4 | 14.40 | 122 | 58 | 01 / 00 | 37.0 | |
| 45 | The Man With A Cloak (1951) | Barbara Stanwyck | 1.30 | 27.2 | 47.00 | 183 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 36.9 | |
| 44 | The Angel Wore Red (1960) | Ava Gardner | 1.20 | 18.3 | 41.70 | 123 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 36.2 | |
| 46 | From the Earth to the Moon (1958) | George Sanders | 2.10 | 38.5 | 38.50 | 105 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 26.7 | |
| 47 | The Hearse (1980) | 5.50 | 22.7 | 22.70 | 99 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 21.8 | ||
| 47 | The Great Sioux Massacre (1965) | Darren McGavin | 1.30 | 13.6 | 13.60 | 120 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 16.2 | |
| 49 | The Oscar (1966) | Ernest Borgnine | 2.00 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 103 | 42 | 02 / 00 | 12.7 | |
| 49 | Egypt By Three (1953) | Ann Stanville | 0.30 | 5.6 | 5.60 | 235 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 1.7 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Joseph Cotten Table
- Eleven Joseph Cotten movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 22.91% of his movies listed. Duel in the Sun (1946) was easily his biggest box office hit when looking at adjusted domestic box office gross.
- An average Joseph Cotten movie grosses $84.30 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 32 Joseph Cotten movies are rated as good movies…or 66.66% of his movies. Citizen Kane (1941) is his highest rated movie while Egypt By Three (1953) was his lowest rated movie.
- Eighteen Joseph Cotten movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 37.50% of his movies.
- Seven Joseph Cotten movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 14.58% of his movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 60.00. 25 Joseph Cotten movies scored higher than that average….or 52.08% of his movies. Gaslight (1944) got the the highest UMR Score while Egypt By Three (1953) got the lowest UMR Score.
Ten Possibly Interesting Facts About Don Joseph Cotten
1. Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jr. was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1905. That is about 90 minutes from our house. He grew up in Hampton Roads/Tidewater/The Seven Cities (my area has lots of nicknames).
2. Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles became friends in 1934 while working together in radio. Their screen partnership we create some of the most memorable movies ever made: 1941’s Citizen Kane, 1942’s The Magnificent Ambersons, 1949’s The Third Man and 1958’s Touch of Evil (Cotten cameo).
3. Joseph Cotten was Orson Welles’ best man when Welles married Rita Hayworth.
4. Between 1941 and 1944, Joseph Cotten appeared in 4 movies that were nominated for a Best Picture Oscar®: 1941’s Citizen Kane, 1942’s The Magnificent Ambersons, 1944’s Gaslight and 1944’s Since You Went Away.
5. Joseph Cotten was ranked by Quigley Publications as the 17th most popular actor of 1945. That was his one and only appearance on that poll.
6. Joseph Cotten never received an Oscar® nomination. He is one of 10 classic performers that we fell got seriously cheated by the Academy voters. 10 Biggest Mistakes By Academy Voters on Classic Actors.
7. Joseph Cotten was married two times…..he had one step child.
8. Check out Joseph Cotten’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
9. Wonderful World of Cinema’s Joseph Cotten from A to Z is a wonderful read….highly recommend stopping and seeing the ABC’s of Mr. Cotten.
10. And finally….check out Steve Lensman’s Joseph Cotten You Tube Video.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Hello Bruce.
I’ve seen 31 of these titles plus The Tramplers (1966), The Hellbenders (1967), Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1967) and White Comanche (1968) which I saw on television in the 1970’s. Thanks again for doing this page Bruce.
Alright….Lyle coming through with a tally count…..much appreciated. That is good enough for a silver medal.
Lupino…34 Cotten movies
Lyle…..31 Cotten movies
Flora….19 Cotten movies
Cogerson….18 Cotten movies
Steve……16 Cotten movies
Thanks for the visit, comment and tally count.
hello Phil,
I think you are perfectly right on Joseph Cotten , i think he is a great actor and first of all he was working with a genius Orson Welles during the forties with some great chefs
d oeuvre films;
Citizen Kane and Ambersons and he was great also in others parts like in Gaslight
good day
pierre
Hey Pierre….glad you found, liked and commented on our Joseph Cotten page. The Welles/Cotten team was on of the best of all-time. 🙂
Hi
My favourite Cotten movie has to be Shadow of Doubt. He made a wonderful villain, he was a bad guy also in Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. I can’t believe he never got an Oscar nomination considering all the classy movies he was in. But for that reason, he was in such a lot of quality movies, he will always be remembered.
There’s always going to be an audience for Citizen Kane and The Third Man. For those two films alone. I suppose most actors want the chance to appear in one truly great movie in their life, Cotten had several.
Hey Chris…I agree he was outstanding in his villain roles….love his Uncle Charlie role….one of Hitchcock’s best villains. Yep…the Oscar people not only did not get him a nomination…he never got a Honorary Oscar either…..that seems so wrong. Citizen Kane and The Third Man will indeed get him new fans when they get watched….and thus will keep his memory alive. Good stuff…:)
My favorite film starring Joseph Cotten is Portrait of Jennie. Other favs are Duel in the Sun, Love Letters, Since you went away, Citizen Kane, The magnificent Ambersons, Lydia, Shadow of a Doubt, The Third Man and Niagara. Of his later films, I like Hush, Hush sweet Charlotte and Soylent green the most. Some of his B pictures are quite interesting, too: Blueprint for Murder and The Killer is loose come to mind. I’ve also seen Lady Frankenstein (awful!) and Lo scopone scientifico, costarring him for a third time with Bette Davis, which is in fact a good one! Of the above listed, I have seen 34 movies. Cotten was a very likable and reliable actor, who fell short making it into the league of Superstars, but who contributed immensly to the american films of the 40’s and beyond. Thank you for adding Mr. Cotten to this page.
Hey Lupino.
1. I think if ever Cotten fan commented….Portrait of Jennie would not be too far behind Citizen Kane as their favorite Cotten movie.
2. Tally counts….you 34, Flora 19, me 18 and Steve 16…..so congrats on another victory.
3. I will be sure to skip Lady Frankenstein…lol.
4. I also agree with you about Soylent Green…love the ending.
5. I think you are the first person to mention Lydia….I will have to see if I can track that one down. Thanks for the stopping by. 🙂
Thanks for giving Joseph Cotten his page Bruce. He was a classy and talented actor who unfortunately became increasingly relatively forgotten – although not on this site obviously! I think his most memorable performances were in Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Journey into Fear, Shadow of a Doubt, I’ll Be Seeing You, Portrait of Jennie and The Third Man, all in the 1940s. A bit surprising that for a star who had so many commercial and/or critical hits in the 1940s, his career did not hold up better in later years. He rather quickly moved into B-movies and supporting roles, and by the mid-70s I remember him guest starring in The Rockford Files (among other TV shows). Still, thanks to several outstanding classics from the 40s, Cotten is sure to be remembered by cinema lovers for a long time to come.
Hey Phil
1. I agree….Cotten’s 1940 out put was amazing….box office hits…all-time classics…and yet by 1954 his career in high budget leading man roles were almost gone completely.
2. That meant he was a television actor and low budget movie actor for almost 30 years.
3. I have seen and liked all of your mentioned memorable performances with the exception of I’ll Be Seeing You..
4. I also agree he has become somewhat forgotten……but Citizen Kane will keep introducing him to movie fans for a very long time.
Thanks for the movie thoughts and for the visit.