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.
Joseph Cotten, is the # 11 most connected actor of the 1970’s, and the # 12 most connected of the 1940’s.