Want to know the best Paul Newman movies? How about the worst Paul Newman movies? Curious about Paul Newman’s box office grosses or which Paul Newman movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Paul Newman 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.
One of the few things I remember from my college days was this little lesson……one of my professors was explaining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid and how self-actualization is the highest level a person can reach. The example he gave off a person that had reached the top of the pyramid was Paul Newman (1925-2008). During Newman’s very successful 52 year movie career, he received nine Oscar® nominations for acting……winning for The Color of Money. He also received two honorary Oscars® in 1986 and 1994. His 56 movies averaged almost 100 million in adjusted for inflation dollars at the box office per movie, while earning 98 Oscar® nominations.
I however believe he will ultimately be remembered for what he gave back to society. He started Newman’s Own in 1982 with all profits being donated, after taxes, to various charitable organizations. To date they have donated nearly 300 million dollars. Newman also started the Hole in the Wall summer camp program. The camp serves nearly 15,000 seriously ill children every year, free of charge. Newman arranged for the continuation of the distribution of Newman’s Own profits to charity after Newman’s death through the establishment of the Newman’s Own Foundation.
Ok….so let’s starting talking about movies. Paul Newman is one of my favorite actors. My favorite movie of all-time is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Other Newman movies that I think are classics would include: The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict, Nobody’s Fool, Slap Shot and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Paul Newman passed away in September 2008. He is missed by movie fans all around the world.
His IMDb page shows 82 acting and 6 directing credits from 1949-2006. This page will rank Paul Newman movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings.
Paul Newman Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1973
The Sting (1973)
AA Best Picture Win
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
AA Best Picture Nom
1958
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1982
The Verdict (1982)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1961
The Hustler (1961)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1967
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
AA Best Actor Nom
1974
The Towering Inferno (1974)
AA Best Picture Nom
2002
Road to Perdition (2002)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1963
Hud (1963)
AA Best Actor Nom
2006
Cars (2006)
Voice Only
1981
Absence of Malice (1981)
AA Best Actor Nom
1958
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
1976
Silent Movie (1976)
1986
The Color of Money (1986)
AA Best Actor Win
1960
Exodus (1960)
1977
Slap Shot (1977)
1967
Hombre (1967)
1972
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
1966
Harper (1966)
1994
Nobody's Fool (1994)
AA Best Actor Nom
1966
Torn Curtain (1966)
1956
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
1981
Fort Apache The Bronx (1981)
1964
What a Way To Go! (1964)
1959
The Young Philadelphians (1959)
1960
From the Terrace (1960)
1962
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
1968
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
AA Best Picture Nom
1971
Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
1963
The Prize (1963)
1969
Winning (1969)
1958
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
1958
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
1954
The Silver Chalice (1954)
1989
Blaze (1989)
1990
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
1999
Message in a Bottle (1999)
1961
Paris Blues (1961)
1968
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
1972
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
1957
Until They Sail (1957)
1963
A New Kind of Love (1963)
1957
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
1972
Pocket Money (1972)
1975
The Drowning Pool (1975)
1976
Buffalo Bill and The Indians (1976)
1998
Twilight (1998)
1964
The Outrage (1964)
1973
The Mackintosh Man (1973)
1987
The Glass Menagerie (1987)
1962
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
1994
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
1956
The Rack (1956)
1989
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
2000
Where the Money Is (2000)
1965
Lady L (1965)
1970
WUSA (1970)
1984
Harry & Son (1984)
1980
When Time Ran Out... (1980)
1979
Quintet (1979)
Paul Newman 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 Paul Newman movies by titles and trailers
- Sort Paul Newman movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Paul Newman movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Paul Newman movies by yearly box office rank
- Sort Paul Newman 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 Paul Newman movie received.
- Sort Paul Newman 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 | The Sting (1973) AA Best Picture Win |
Robert Redford & Robert Shaw |
157.60 | 959.9 | 1,698.10 | 2 | 88 | 10 / 03 | 99.9 | |
2 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Directed by George Roy Hill |
100.10 | 760.0 | 931.40 | 1 | 79 | 07 / 04 | 99.3 | |
3 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor | 25.10 | 451.0 | 637.10 | 2 | 85 | 06 / 00 | 99.2 | |
4 | The Verdict (1982) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
James Mason | 68.30 | 250.6 | 250.60 | 10 | 86 | 05 / 00 | 99.2 | |
6 | The Hustler (1961) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Jackie Gleason & George C. Scott |
10.90 | 158.2 | 158.20 | 20 | 88 | 09 / 02 | 99.0 | |
6 | Cool Hand Luke (1967) AA Best Actor Nom |
George Kennedy | 18.20 | 162.6 | 162.60 | 15 | 93 | 04 / 01 | 98.4 | |
5 | The Towering Inferno (1974) AA Best Picture Nom |
Steve McQueen & William Holden |
114.80 | 662.1 | 662.10 | 2 | 69 | 08 / 03 | 98.3 | |
10 | Road to Perdition (2002) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Tom Hanks | 104.50 | 194.1 | 336.40 | 24 | 81 | 06 / 01 | 98.2 | |
8 | Hud (1963) AA Best Actor Nom |
Patricia Neal & Melvyn Douglas |
14.30 | 179.1 | 179.10 | 18 | 79 | 07 / 03 | 97.8 | |
10 | Cars (2006) Voice Only |
Owen Wilson | 244.10 | 399.9 | 756.90 | 3 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 96.9 | |
12 | Absence of Malice (1981) AA Best Actor Nom |
Sally Field | 50.50 | 195.8 | 195.80 | 9 | 76 | 03 / 00 | 96.8 | |
13 | The Long, Hot Summer (1958) | Joanne Woodward | 10.00 | 179.7 | 179.70 | 14 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 95.9 | |
15 | Silent Movie (1976) | Mel Brooks & James Caan |
36.10 | 182.9 | 182.90 | 14 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.5 | |
14 | The Color of Money (1986) AA Best Actor Win |
Tom Cruise & Directed by Martin Scorsese |
52.30 | 151.9 | 151.90 | 13 | 82 | 04 / 01 | 95.4 | |
15 | Exodus (1960) | Eva Marie Saint | 23.80 | 371.9 | 371.90 | 4 | 67 | 03 / 01 | 95.4 | |
16 | Slap Shot (1977) | Directed by George Roy Hill | 36.80 | 177.7 | 177.70 | 22 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
18 | Hombre (1967) | Fredric March | 14.00 | 124.9 | 124.90 | 20 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 92.1 | |
18 | The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) | Ava Gardner & Directed by John Huston |
24.50 | 155.6 | 155.60 | 14 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 91.2 | |
19 | Harper (1966) | Lauren Bacall | 13.30 | 130.7 | 191.90 | 24 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 90.6 | |
20 | Nobody's Fool (1994) AA Best Actor Nom |
Bruce Willis & Jessica Tandy |
39.50 | 104.3 | 174.30 | 35 | 84 | 02 / 00 | 90.6 | |
21 | Torn Curtain (1966) | Julie Andrews & Directed by Alfred Hitchcock |
16.40 | 160.5 | 160.50 | 18 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 90.5 | |
23 | Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) | Pier Angeli | 5.70 | 112.0 | 112.00 | 52 | 77 | 03 / 02 | 90.3 | |
25 | Fort Apache The Bronx (1981) | Ed Asner | 35.00 | 135.6 | 135.60 | 20 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 90.0 | |
24 | What a Way To Go! (1964) | Shirley MacLaine & Robert Mitchum |
17.40 | 199.9 | 324.80 | 6 | 51 | 02 / 00 | 89.8 | |
26 | The Young Philadelphians (1959) | Barbara Rush | 7.70 | 138.6 | 138.60 | 31 | 69 | 03 / 00 | 89.8 | |
25 | From the Terrace (1960) | Myrna Loy | 14.90 | 232.1 | 232.10 | 12 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
27 | Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) | Geraldine Page | 7.70 | 110.9 | 110.90 | 31 | 74 | 03 / 01 | 88.9 | |
28 | Rachel, Rachel (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Joanne Woodward & Estelle Parson |
8.60 | 70.5 | 70.50 | 43 | 81 | 04 / 00 | 88.7 | |
29 | Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) | Henry Fonda | 13.20 | 86.5 | 86.50 | 24 | 78 | 02 / 00 | 86.9 | |
30 | The Prize (1963) | Edward G. Robinson | 9.90 | 123.6 | 123.60 | 29 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
31 | Winning (1969) | Joanne Woodward & Robert Wagner |
19.20 | 145.4 | 145.40 | 15 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 83.8 | |
33 | Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) | Joanne Woodward & Joan Collins |
9.70 | 174.5 | 174.50 | 16 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
32 | The Left Handed Gun (1958) | Directed by Arthur Penn | 4.40 | 79.1 | 79.10 | 54 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
34 | The Silver Chalice (1954) | Virginia Mayo & Jack Palance |
9.10 | 214.3 | 298.20 | 29 | 30 | 02 / 00 | 80.7 | |
35 | Blaze (1989) | Lolita Davidovich | 19.10 | 51.9 | 51.90 | 53 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 75.9 | |
36 | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) | Joanne Woodward | 7.70 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 105 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 68.1 | |
39 | Message in a Bottle (1999) | Kevin Costner | 52.90 | 112.7 | 253.30 | 46 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 67.6 | |
37 | Paris Blues (1961) | Joanne Woodward & Sidney Poitier |
3.10 | 45.8 | 45.80 | 71 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 66.4 | |
40 | The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968) | Sylva Koscina | 10.00 | 82.3 | 82.30 | 36 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 65.6 | |
38 | The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972) | Paul Newman & Nell Potts |
1.60 | 10.4 | 10.40 | 127 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
41 | Until They Sail (1957) | Joan Fontaine & Jean Simmons |
2.10 | 41.0 | 78.10 | 111 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 61.2 | |
42 | A New Kind of Love (1963) | Joanne Woodward & Thelma Ritter |
6.10 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 48 | 49 | 02 / 00 | 60.5 | |
42 | The Helen Morgan Story (1957) | Ann Blyth | 2.30 | 44.0 | 44.00 | 107 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
45 | Pocket Money (1972) | Lee Marvin | 8.80 | 55.7 | 55.70 | 45 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 58.8 | |
44 | The Drowning Pool (1975) | Joanne Woodward & Melanie Griffith |
7.90 | 41.4 | 41.40 | 52 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 57.9 | |
46 | Buffalo Bill and The Indians (1976) | Joel Grey & Directed by Robert Altman |
3.90 | 19.7 | 19.70 | 91 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
47 | Twilight (1998) | James Garner & Gene Hackman |
15.10 | 34.6 | 34.60 | 97 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 53.5 | |
48 | The Outrage (1964) | Edward G. Robinson | 4.60 | 52.4 | 52.40 | 64 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 47.4 | |
49 | The Mackintosh Man (1973) | James Mason & Directed by John Huston |
4.50 | 27.7 | 27.70 | 68 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 47.0 | |
48 | The Glass Menagerie (1987) | Joanne Woodward & John Malkovich |
0.90 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 182 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 47.0 | |
51 | Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) | Diane Baker | 2.70 | 39.0 | 39.00 | 88 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 46.8 | |
52 | The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) | Tim Robbins & Directed by Coen Brothers |
2.80 | 7.4 | 39.40 | 163 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 43.0 | |
54 | The Rack (1956) | Lee Marvin | 1.00 | 20.4 | 42.80 | 177 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 32.6 | |
53 | Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) | John Cusack | 3.60 | 9.7 | 9.70 | 123 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 32.3 | |
55 | Where the Money Is (2000) | Linda Fiorentino | 5.70 | 11.3 | 11.30 | 139 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 26.0 | |
56 | Lady L (1965) | Sophia Loren & David Niven |
6.90 | 72.4 | 72.40 | 45 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
57 | WUSA (1970) | Joanne Woodward & Anthony Perkins |
4.70 | 32.7 | 32.70 | 57 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 20.2 | |
58 | Harry & Son (1984) | Robbie Benson | 4.90 | 15.6 | 15.60 | 111 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 7.1 | |
59 | When Time Ran Out... (1980) | William Holden | 4.00 | 16.4 | 16.40 | 115 | 32 | 01 / 00 | 4.0 | |
60 | Quintet (1979) | Fernando Rey & Directed by Robert Altman |
2.40 | 10.2 | 10.20 | 109 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 1.5 |
Adjusted Paul Newman Adjusted Worldwide Box Office Grosses
Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
---|---|---|---|
Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
The Sting (1973) AA Best Picture Win |
Robert Redford & Robert Shaw |
1,698.10 | |
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Directed by George Roy Hill |
931.40 | |
Cars (2006) Voice Only |
Owen Wilson | 756.90 | |
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor | 637.10 | |
Road to Perdition (2002) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Tom Hanks | 336.40 | |
What a Way To Go! (1964) | Shirley MacLaine & Robert Mitchum |
324.80 | |
The Silver Chalice (1954) | Virginia Mayo & Jack Palance |
298.20 | |
Message in a Bottle (1999) | Kevin Costner | 253.30 | |
Harper (1966) | Lauren Bacall | 191.90 | |
Nobody's Fool (1994) AA Best Actor Nom |
Bruce Willis & Jessica Tandy |
174.30 | |
Until They Sail (1957) | Joan Fontaine & Jean Simmons |
78.10 | |
The Rack (1956) | Lee Marvin | 42.80 | |
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) | Tim Robbins & Directed by Coen Brothers |
39.40 |
Check out Paul Newman’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Cool Hand Luke,Sting,Butch Cassidy are some of my first memories of going to the movies…r.i.p.Paul.;)
Thanks for stopping by mentalist acer…..those movies you mention are some of my first movies I remember as well….I was very sad when he passed away….he was like a member of the family….I agree rest in peace Mr. Newman.
Wonderful movie tribute for an amazing actor! I enjoyed his movies but was more impressed with his personal life and legacy. His inspiring 50 year marriage to Joanne Woodward and his charity work with Newman’s Own products. ALL proceeds supposedly go to charity….he was unique.
Thanks for the compliments Sunshine…..he was a great man…..pretty much everybody that knew him or worked with him…only had good things to say about him…..I think that is how you are supposed to live your life….I failed to mention his long Hollywood marriage to Joanne Woodward As always thanks for stopping by…
he first Paul Newman film I remember seeing was Butch Cassidy, at the cinema, really enjoyed it. I skipped The Sting and saw The Towering Inferno which became a favourite and caught it again at the cinema when it was re-released in the early 80’s.
I liked Newman but I was never a big fan, I was more into Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson back then.
I have a bunch of his films on DVD, Butch Cassidy, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke of course, great film. The Hustler and The Color of Money, Road to Perdition many more.
The Silver Chalice was awful but I thought the set design was interesting. Very sparse and artificial unlike the more lavish epics released in the 50’s.
A useful page on a Hollywood legend Conanson. Now how about page on McQueen and Bronson or have you done them already? 🙂
Hey Steve….Mr. McQueen is done…Charles Bronson has not been done…but it is now on the list….My McQueen page was one of the first ones I did….not my best work though….it needs a facelift….so does that mean you have never seen The Sting? As for Road To Perdition…the piano scene with Newman and Hanks will be his last great movie moment……did you check out the Verdict video and see Bruce Willis and the guy that played Jigsaw…playing court observers years before they became famous?
I saw The Sting later on video, not as good as Butch Cassidy I thought but still enjoyable. I have to confess I’ve never seen The Verdict, not being a fan I wasn’t actively seeking out his films.
I wasn’t a Robert Redford or Warren Beatty fan either. But I did catch up with many of their films later on vhs and dvd.
I’ll check out your Steve McQueen movie page. Cheers.
Hey Steve….check out the two minute video on this page….Bruce Willis and Tobin Bell are in the background as extras….just look to the right of Newman…and you can almost see Willis about to smirk…The Verdict was about 4 years before Moonlighting.
Hoho I forgot what Willis looked like with hair. Did he have a part in the film or just happened to be an extra in that scene?
Hey Steve….Willis and Bell were just extras….later in life when Willis and Newman made Nobody’s Fool…..Newman told Willis he was glad to get a chance to work with him…..and Willis was like…hey this is the second time we have worked together…the first being The Verdict….Willis then found a VHS copy of the movie and showed Newman the clips were Willis was an extra in the background….thus in Willis’s mind Nobody’s Fool was the 2nd time he worked with Newman. Willis actually got to say some lines in Nobody’s Fool.
When ‘the sting’ came out everyone was going on about it. I shut my ears as i didn’t want the movie spoilt. My mom was mentally ill at the time but i took her along to watch the movie. It is the number one movie of all ‘my’ time, that has had the most impact on me. I discussed the movie with my mom on the drive home and she knew exactly what went on. I absolutely loved it and saw it again a couple of years back and still loved it. Butch Cassidy and the sun-dance kid was brilliant too, along with many more of Paul Newman’s movies. One of his quotes i remember from him, probably on the Michael Parkinson show, was when he was asked about the temptations of stardom.
His reply was. “Why go out looking for a hamburger, when you have filet mignon at home.” What a great man, what a true star. What a great movie page. Cheers. PS Do you get the Michael Parkinson show in the US?
Hey attemptedhumour…..growing up The Sting and Butch Cassidy were always playing on tv…..and back then Sunday night movies were must watch tv….as VHS was still years away…..my dad would always let me stay up and watch these two movies to the end…..on a sidenote….I could only stay up until Q showed up with the devices on James Bond…then I had to go to bed…..glad you have good memories of The Sting and your mom….I do not think Michael Parkinson is on here in the states….but You Tube has a ton of his interviews on their site…..I always enjoy when Michael Caine is on the Parkinson show….I will try and find the Newman interview….thanks for the comments….
A terrific actor. I’ve always enjoyed his work. He had this certain charisma that few actors could match. I think his best performance was between “the Hustler” and “Cool Hand Luke”, but my personal favorite was in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.
He once said he thought his worst performance was in “the Silver Chalice”, which I would agree with.
Rob
Hey Rob…..after writing this movie page, I figure it is time to see The Silver Chalice….I have been aware of the movie for as long as I have followed his career….now I am curious to check this one out to see just how bad it really is…..I am in the same boat….Butch and Sundance is the best….thanks for reading.