Want to know the best Piper Laurie movies? How about the worst Piper Laurie movies? Curious about Piper Laurie box office grosses or which Piper Laurie movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Piper Laurie movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Piper Laurie (1932-2023) was a three-time Oscar® nominated American actress. Laurie known for her roles in the films The Hustler (1961), Carrie (1976), and Children of a Lesser God (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award® nominations. Her IMDb page shows over 184 acting credits from 1955 to 2018. This page will rank Piper Laurie movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. To do well in our overall rankings a movie has to do well at the box office, get good reviews by critics, be liked by audiences, and get some award recognition.
Piper Laurie 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 |
| 1961 | The Hustler (1961) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
 |
|
| 1976 | Carrie (1976) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
 |
|
| 1953 | The Mississippi Gambler (1953) | |
|
| 1986 | Children of a Lesser God (1986) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
 |
|
| 1951 | Francis Goes To The Races (1951) | |
|
| 1952 | Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) | |
|
| 1998 | The Faculty (1998) |  |
|
| 1950 | Louisa (1950) | |
|
| 1951 | The Prince Who Was A Thief (1951) | |
|
| 1954 | Johnny Dark (1954) | |
|
| 1953 | The Golden Blade (1953) |  |
|
| 1957 | Until They Sail (1957) | |
|
| 1955 | Smoke Signal (1955) | |
|
| 1999 | Inherit the Wind (1999) Showtime Movies |
|
|
| 1952 | No Room For The Groom (1952) | |
|
| 1954 | Dangerous Mission (1954) | |
|
| 1954 | Dawn at Socorro (1954) | |
|
| 1955 | Ain't Misbehavin' (1955) | |
|
| 2018 | White Boy Rick (2018) | |
|
| 2006 | The Dead Girl (2006) | |
|
| 1956 | Kelly and Me (1956) | |
|
| 1950 | The Milkman (1950) | |
|
| 1952 | Son of Ali Baba (1952) | |
|
| 1991 | Other People's Money (1991) |  |
|
| 1985 | Return to Oz (1985) | |
|
| 1992 | Rich in Love (1992) | |
|
| 2018 | Snapshots (2018) | |
|
| 1995 | The Grass Harp (1995) |  |
|
| 1995 | The Crossing Guard (1995) | |
|
| 1989 | Dream a Little Dream (1989) | |
|
| 1993 | Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993) | |
|
| 1988 | Appointment with Death (1988) |  |
|
| 2010 | Hesher (2010) | |
|
| 1992 | Storyville (1992) | |
|
| 1979 | Tim (1979) | |
|
| 2010 | Another Harvest Moon (2010) | |
|
| 2009 | Saving Grace B. Jones (2009) |  |
|
| 1977 | Ruby (1977) | |
|
| 1978 | The Boss' Son (1978) | |
|
| 2004 | Eulogy (2004) | |
|
| 1999 | The Mao Game (1999) | |
|
| 2012 | Bad Blood (2012) | |
|
| 2007 | Hounddog (2007) | |
|
| 1999 | Palmer's Pick Up (1999) | |
|
| 1988 | Tiger Warsaw (1988) |  |
Piper Laurie 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 any way you want.
- Sort Piper Laurie movies by her co-stars
- Sort Piper Laurie movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Piper Laurie movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Piper Laurie movies by 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 Piper Laurie movie received.
- Sort Piper Laurie movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR 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 Hustler (1961)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress NomPaul Newman &
Jackie Gleason10.90
158.2
158.20
21
88
09 / 02
99.0
2
Carrie (1976)
AA Best Supp Actress NomSissy Spacek &
John Travolta33.80
171.1
171.10
17
87
02 / 00
97.3
4
The Mississippi Gambler (1953)
Tyrone Power
9.10
163.3
163.30
19
72
01 / 00
92.7
3
Children of a Lesser God (1986)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Supp Actress NomWilliam Hurt &
Marlee Matlin31.90
92.6
92.60
32
76
05 / 01
89.9
5
Francis Goes To The Races (1951)
Donald O'Connor
6.60
141.7
141.70
34
62
00 / 00
86.6
6
Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952)
Rock Hudson
2.50
49.0
49.00
135
80
00 / 00
81.2
7
The Faculty (1998)
Jordana Brewster &
Teaching Movies40.30
92.6
92.60
50
64
00 / 00
79.8
8
Louisa (1950)
Ronald Reagan &
Ruth Hussey4.10
91.5
91.50
75
60
01 / 00
77.6
9
The Prince Who Was A Thief (1951)
Tony Curtis &
Piper Laurie4.20
90.9
90.90
84
59
00 / 00
75.5
10
Johnny Dark (1954)
Tony Curtis
4.20
97.5
97.50
74
52
00 / 00
71.0
11
The Golden Blade (1953)
Rock Hudson
2.60
46.3
46.30
142
65
00 / 00
66.9
13
Until They Sail (1957)
Jean Simmons &
Paul Newman2.10
41.0
78.10
111
63
00 / 00
61.2
14
Smoke Signal (1955)
Dana Andrews &
Piper Laurie2.90
59.2
59.20
103
57
00 / 00
60.6
12
Inherit the Wind (1999)
Showtime MoviesJack Lemmon &
George C. Scott0.00
0.1
0.10
355
74
00 / 00
58.7
15
No Room For The Groom (1952)
Tony Curtis &
Piper Laurie2.30
44.4
44.40
145
60
00 / 00
58.6
17
Dangerous Mission (1954)
Victor Mature &
Vincent Price3.40
80.3
80.30
99
49
00 / 00
58.5
16
Dawn at Socorro (1954)
Rory Calhoun
0.70
16.7
16.70
167
68
00 / 00
56.5
18
Ain't Misbehavin' (1955)
Musicals &
Rory Calhoun2.90
59.2
59.20
108
53
00 / 00
54.7
20
White Boy Rick (2018)
Matthew McConaughey &
Bruce Dern24.00
28.4
29.80
97
62
00 / 00
52.3
20
The Dead Girl (2006)
Toni Collette &
Brittany Murphy0.00
0.0
1.50
443
70
00 / 00
51.2
21
Kelly and Me (1956)
Van Johnson
0.90
18.2
18.20
188
64
00 / 00
50.9
22
The Milkman (1950)
Donald O'Connor
1.00
22.5
22.50
184
63
00 / 00
50.7
24
Son of Ali Baba (1952)
Tony Curtis &
Piper Laurie3.50
68.1
68.10
102
48
00 / 00
50.7
25
Other People's Money (1991)
Danny DeVito &
Gregory Peck25.70
65.8
65.80
49
47
00 / 00
49.8
23
Return to Oz (1985)
Fairuza Balk &
Nicol Williamson11.10
33.8
33.80
75
57
01 / 00
48.6
26
Rich in Love (1992)
Albert Finney &
Ethan Hawke2.10
5.6
5.60
147
65
00 / 00
43.6
27
Snapshots (2018)
Brooke Adams
0.10
0.1
0.10
392
66
00 / 00
43.4
28
The Grass Harp (1995)
Piper Laurie &
Sissy Spacek0.60
1.4
1.40
203
64
00 / 00
39.7
30
The Crossing Guard (1995)
Jack Nicholson &
David Morse0.90
2.2
2.20
197
63
00 / 00
37.1
31
Dream a Little Dream (1989)
Corey Feldman &
Jason Robards5.60
15.1
15.10
106
59
00 / 00
37.1
29
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)
Robert Duvall &
Richard Harris0.30
0.7
0.70
211
63
00 / 00
36.9
32
Appointment with Death (1988)
Peter Ustinov &
Lauren Bacall1.00
2.5
2.50
188
59
00 / 00
29.6
33
Hesher (2010)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt &
Devin Brochu0.40
0.5
0.50
213
59
00 / 00
28.2
34
Storyville (1992)
James Spader &
Joanne Whalley0.40
1.1
1.10
189
58
00 / 00
26.1
35
Tim (1979)
Piper Laurie &
Mel Gibson1.00
4.3
4.30
141
56
00 / 00
25.0
36
Another Harvest Moon (2010)
Ernest Borgnine
0.00
0.1
0.10
379
57
00 / 00
23.5
37
Saving Grace B. Jones (2009)
Tatum O'Neal
0.10
0.1
0.10
335
55
00 / 00
19.6
40
Ruby (1977)
Horror
6.00
29.2
29.20
79
45
00 / 00
18.4
38
The Boss' Son (1978)
Rita Moreno
0.00
0.1
0.10
175
54
00 / 00
18.0
39
Eulogy (2004)
Ray Romano &
Jesse Bradford0.10
0.1
0.20
288
53
00 / 00
16.7
41
The Mao Game (1999)
Kirstie Alley
0.00
0.1
0.10
315
51
00 / 00
14.3
42
Bad Blood (2012)
Conrad Janis
0.00
0.1
0.10
409
50
00 / 00
13.0
43
Hounddog (2007)
Dakota Fanning &
David Morse0.10
0.2
0.20
284
49
00 / 00
11.7
44
Palmer's Pick Up (1999)
Robert Carradine
0.00
0.1
0.10
313
48
00 / 00
10.4
45
Tiger Warsaw (1988)
Patrick Swayze &
Piper Laurie0.40
1.1
1.10
218
47
00 / 00
9.7
Check out Piper Laurie’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Rest in peace Piper Laurie. I added one more movie to my total since the page was created: Dangerous Mission, not a favourite.
Rest in Peace Piper Laurie. Lots of great movies left behind.
THE 14 PIPER LAURIE MOVIES THAT I HAVE SEEN
The Hustler
Prince Who was a Thief
The Golden Blade
Johnny Dark
Smoke Signal
Dangerous Mission
Children of a Lesser Joel
Kelly and Me
Other People’s Money
Appointment with Death
Dawn at Socorro – “Dawn and the Gambler” was a 1954 trailer catchphrase for the movie
Mississippi Gambler
Ain’t Misbehavin
AND-
The Faculty -I rented a Blockbuster store video of this movie and watched it in my daughter’s apartment in Atlanta on my 1999 holiday in the States.
According to Piper in an interview the first real romance that she ever had was with Ronnie Reagan when they made Louisa together in 1950. She was a big part of my boyhood because she appeared frequently in the B action movies that I used to haunt in my early years as a glance at the list of her movies that I have seen and which I provide in Part 2 will illustrate.
In that interview that I mention Piper showed me that because movies were made so relatively cheaply in Old Hollywood they didn’t have to be massive grossers to potentially generate large fortunes for studios. For example Son of Ali Baba and The Prince who was a Thief had an average adjusted domestic gross of about $65 million according to Bruce– far below his magical $ 100 million benchmark; but according to Piper they collectively made “tons of money” for Universal in the currency of their day
HISTORICAL NOTE: Prince who was a Thief was Bernie Schwartz’s first movie as a star and Son of Ali is apparently the one where he uttered the now-legendary “Yonda lies de castle of my Faddah!” [though as always it seems that he never said precisely that].
Piper later contemptuously put both movies down as “T**s and sand” pot-boilers and probably her most prestigious movie was The Hustler. However my own fave Piper Laurie films are Dawn at Socorro and Other People’s Money [which I regard as homage to Myrna Loy] and in which Piper was the romantic partner of my idol Royal Dano.
Indeed Dawn at Socorro is one of my all-time fave westerns despite being a supporting feature. In fact I see that above The Work Horse gives it a 68% rating which is actually quite excellent [and observant rating from my viewpoint] for what was regarded in its day as a routine B western; though it was sexually explicit to a degree that whilst tame by today’s standards was quite open for a small western of the early 1950s. The icing on the cake is that Bruce actually gives its top star Rory Calhoun credit for the movie in the co-star links column as WH does for Rory’s other movie with Piper Ain’t Misbehavin.
Piper was one of the cornerstones of the 1950s B movie cinema which she ultimately transcended; so this new page gets a high “Vote Up!” from me.