Who were the Top Movie Stars of the 1940s statistically? This page will attempt to answer that question. Our main source of information was our massive Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) that looked at over 1,300 movies made from 1940 to 1949. Granted this is far from all the movies made during that time frame….but it does cover most of the major movie releases in that decade. To see that massive page…check out 1940s Box Office Grosses.
We have included four lists of information. List one looks at the Top 15 stars by adjusted domestic box office (the Top Star might surprise you). List two looks at the Top 15 stars by highest average rating per movie according to critics and audiences. List three looks at the Top 15 Stars by highest average UMR score per movie. List four shows our entire table of all the stars we looked at while complying these lists.
Top 15 Adjusted Domestic Box Office Leaders 1940 – 1949
- 1st – Van Johnson $5,254,200,000
- 2nd – William Bendix $5,144,000,000
- 3rd – Bing Crosby $4,791,800,000
- 4th – Dorothy Lamour $4,724,400,000
- 5th – William Demarest $4,692,600,00
- 6th – Thomas Mitchell $4,550,700,000
- 7th – John Wayne $4,508,800,000
- 8th – Edward Arnold $4,495,500,000
- 9th – Walter Brennan $4,368,000,000
- 10th – Bob Hope $4,322,000,000
- 11th – Dennis Morgan $4,297,800,000
- 12th – Dana Andrews $4,296,000,000
- 13th – Ray Milland $4,200,500,000
- 14th – Humphrey Bogart $3,992,500,000
- 15th – Spencer Tracy $3,917,800,000
Top 15 Average Critic/Audience Rating Leaders 1940 – 1949 (min 9 movies)
1st – Teresa Wright – 79.20%
2nd – Orson Welles – 79.00%
3rd – Joseph Cotton – 76.00%
4th – Cary Grant – 75.40%
5th – Humphrey Bogart – 74.90%
6th – Edward G. Robinson – 74.90%
7th – Burt Lancaster – 74.50%
8th – Ingrid Berman – 74.00%
9th – Katharine Hepburn – 73.20%
10th – Elsa Lanchester – 73.10%
11th – Bing Crosby – 73.00%
12th – Myrna Loy – 72.70%
13th – Gary Cooper – 72.60%
14th – Judy Garland – 72.60%
15th – Claude Rains – 72.60%
Top 15 Average UMR Score Per Movie (minimum 9 movies)
1st – Katharine Hepburn
2nd – Teresa Wright
3rd – Gregory Peck
4th – Gary Cooper
5th – Ingrid Bergman
6th – Judy Garland
7th – Bing Crosby
8th – Bob Hope
9th – Greer Garson
10th – Cary Grant
11th – Clark Gable
12th – Bette Davis
13th – Olivia de Havilland
14th – Spencer Tracy
15th – Celeste Holm
Top Movie Stars 1940-1949 Main Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort by actor or actress
- Sort by movies made between 1940 and 1949
- Sort by total adjusted domestic box office from 1940 to 1949
- Sort by total adjusted worldwide box office from 1940 to 1949
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each performers’ movies earned
- Sort by average Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| Rank | Thespians | Movies | Adj. Domestic B.O. | Adj. Worldwide B.O. | AVG Review% | Oscar Noms / Wins | AVG UMR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Johnson | 27 | $5,254,200,000 | $7,508,400,000 | 66.3 % | 025 / 04 | 74.85 | |
| William Bendix | 40 | $5,144,000,000 | $5,237,600,000 | 63.9 % | 013 / 01 | 68.61 | |
| Bing Crosby | 19 | $4,791,800,000 | $5,462,700,000 | 73.0 % | 032 / 09 | 82.02 | |
| Dorothy Lamour | 31 | $4,724,400,000 | $4,873,400,000 | 64.0 % | 011 / 00 | 70.25 | |
| William Demarest | 33 | $4,692,600,000 | $4,911,800,000 | 68.0 % | 019 / 03 | 70.89 | |
| Thomas Mitchell | 33 | $4,550,700,000 | $5,128,400,000 | 66.9 % | 039 / 07 | 70.75 | |
| John Wayne | 32 | $4,508,800,000 | $5,168,400,000 | 65.9 % | 029 / 02 | 70.97 | |
| Edward Arnold | 37 | $4,495,500,000 | $6,035,900,000 | 64.0 % | 013 / 02 | 67.45 | |
| Walter Brennan | 28 | $4,368,000,000 | $5,087,400,000 | 69.8 % | 045 / 04 | 74.43 | |
| Bob Hope | 20 | $4,322,000,000 | $4,424,000,000 | 70.8 % | 011 / 01 | 81.21 | |
| Dennis Morgan | 29 | $4,297,800,000 | $5,820,000,000 | 61.2 % | 012 / 01 | 69.67 | |
| Dana Andrews | 30 | $4,296,000,000 | $4,967,000,000 | 67.4 % | 038 / 11 | 71.53 | |
| Ray Milland | 31 | $4,200,500,000 | $4,365,600,000 | 63.9 % | 024 / 06 | 69.15 | |
| Humphrey Bogart | 25 | $3,992,500,000 | $5,975,300,000 | 74.9 % | 021 / 07 | 78.28 | |
| Spencer Tracy | 19 | $3,917,800,000 | $5,542,100,000 | 68.8 % | 016 / 02 | 78.96 | |
| Barry Fitzgerald | 24 | $3,902,400,000 | $4,260,100,000 | 67.5 % | 037 / 15 | 73.51 | |
| Gary Cooper | 16 | $3,836,800,000 | $4,380,400,000 | 72.6 % | 050 / 06 | 83.35 | |
| Cary Grant | 20 | $3,804,000,000 | $5,198,600,000 | 75.4 % | 036 / 06 | 80.95 | |
| Judy Garland | 17 | $3,774,000,000 | $5,471,800,000 | 72.6 % | 013 / 02 | 82.72 | |
| Fred MacMurray | 32 | $3,763,200,000 | $3,927,000,000 | 62.2 % | 018 / 00 | 65.95 | |
| Walter Pidgeon | 23 | $3,707,600,000 | $5,567,800,000 | 64.7 % | 040 / 12 | 72.60 | |
| June Allyson | 18 | $3,706,200,000 | $5,369,000,000 | 65.0 % | 010 / 02 | 78.42 | |
| George Sanders | 27 | $3,688,200,000 | $4,004,400,000 | 66.6 % | 038 / 07 | 69.20 | |
| Paulette Goddard | 26 | $3,598,400,000 | $3,644,100,000 | 61.9 % | 029 / 02 | 67.63 | |
| Lionel Barrymore | 26 | $3,585,400,000 | $4,501,600,000 | 66.7 % | 022 / 02 | 67.35 | |
| Agnes Moorehead | 24 | $3,549,600,000 | $4,415,700,000 | 69.7 % | 040 / 04 | 73.93 | |
| Betty Grable | 20 | $3,512,000,000 | $3,511,900,000 | 63.5 % | 012 / 02 | 73.59 | |
| Maureen O'Hara | 23 | $3,512,100,000 | $3,735,700,000 | 64.1 % | 024 / 10 | 72.69 | |
| Eve Arden | 31 | $3,431,700,000 | $4,447,900,000 | 63.3 % | 015 / 02 | 65.60 | |
| Mickey Rooney | 19 | $3,429,500,000 | $4,740,500,000 | 64.6 % | 014 / 04 | 76.58 | |
| Anthony Quinn | 24 | $3,429,600,000 | $3,861,600,000 | 67.5 % | 009 / 02 | 71.52 | |
| Barbara Stanwyck | 22 | $3,390,200,000 | $4,012,500,000 | 68.7 % | 016 / 00 | 75.62 | |
| Sydney Greenstreet | 24 | $3,364,800,000 | $5,210,400,000 | 70.4 % | 016 / 03 | 72.60 | |
| Anne Baxter | 23 | $3,355,700,000 | $3,573,200,000 | 67.9 % | 024 / 02 | 72.80 | |
| Robert Young | 30 | $3,354,000,000 | $3,969,100,000 | 65.6 % | 010 / 01 | 67.70 | |
| Ingrid Bergman | 13 | $3,321,500,000 | $4,750,700,000 | 74.0 % | 051 / 10 | 82.75 | |
| Charles Bickford | 17 | $3,286,100,000 | $3,584,200,000 | 68.7 % | 033 / 07 | 77.22 | |
| Claude Rains | 24 | $3,276,000,000 | $4,666,400,000 | 72.6 % | 036 / 08 | 73.58 | |
| Lana Turner | 16 | $3,270,400,000 | $4,832,800,000 | 65.9 % | 009 / 02 | 77.36 | |
| Alan Ladd | 22 | $3,238,400,000 | $3,297,700,000 | 66.1 % | 005 / 00 | 72.39 | |
| Linda Darnell | 24 | $3,180,000,000 | $3,179,500,000 | 65.3 % | 017 / 05 | 70.54 | |
| Fay Bainter | 23 | $3,169,400,000 | $3,969,200,000 | 66.8 % | 012 / 03 | 70.61 | |
| Errol Flynn | 20 | $3,152,000,000 | $5,280,400,000 | 64.8 % | 015 / 01 | 74.53 | |
| Jane Wyman | 27 | $3,148,200,000 | $3,783,700,000 | 62.1 % | 027 / 08 | 65.60 | |
| John Garfield | 22 | $3,130,600,000 | $4,218,200,000 | 68.1 % | 022 / 05 | 72.10 | |
| Ann Sheridan | 22 | $3,126,200,000 | $4,318,900,000 | 66.6 % | 005 / 00 | 72.09 | |
| Gene Tierney | 20 | $3,098,000,000 | $3,141,300,000 | 67.1 % | 022 / 03 | 73.67 | |
| Randolph Scott | 29 | $3,085,600,000 | $3,415,000,000 | 59.4 % | 010 / 00 | 64.26 | |
| Donald Crisp | 19 | $3,078,000,000 | $4,459,100,000 | 70.4 % | 029 / 07 | 76.09 | |
| Claudette Colbert | 17 | $3,066,800,000 | $3,361,100,000 | 69.5 % | 023 / 02 | 75.36 | |
| Red Skelton | 20 | $3,054,000,000 | $4,518,100,000 | 61.4 % | 006 / 02 | 70.20 | |
| Robert Walker | 15 | $3,034,500,000 | $3,995,700,000 | 65.2 % | 018 / 02 | 76.01 | |
| Walter Huston | 17 | $3,019,200,000 | $3,927,800,000 | 70.0 % | 029 / 07 | 76.40 | |
| Harry Morgan | 28 | $2,996,000,000 | $3,121,700,000 | 66.9 % | 009 / 02 | 66.97 | |
| Peter Lawford | 19 | $2,984,900,000 | $4,437,000,000 | 66.8 % | 012 / 03 | 73.14 | |
| Peter Lorre | 24 | $2,976,000,000 | $4,537,100,000 | 72.1 % | 015 / 03 | 71.29 | |
| Abbott & Costello | 25 | $2,970,000,000 | $3,086,200,000 | 69.3 % | 000 / 00 | 70.76 | |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | 27 | $2,959,200,000 | $3,388,700,000 | 67.5 % | 025 / 03 | 66.56 | |
| Hattie McDaniel | 21 | $2,937,900,000 | $3,561,200,000 | 63.5 % | 017 / 03 | 68.35 | |
| Gene Kelly | 15 | $2,917,500,000 | $4,301,500,000 | 66.4 % | 018 / 03 | 77.35 | |
| Hedy Lamarr | 17 | $2,910,400,000 | $3,640,200,000 | 60.2 % | 009 / 02 | 69.08 | |
| Greer Garson | 13 | $2,910,700,000 | $4,968,200,000 | 68.3 % | 037 / 08 | 81.11 | |
| Marsha Hunt | 31 | $2,889,200,000 | $4,256,000,000 | 64.1 % | 022 / 03 | 63.47 | |
| Ronald Reagan | 22 | $2,842,400,000 | $3,619,300,000 | 59.5 % | 009 / 01 | 63.89 | |
| Dan Duryea | 24 | $2,822,400,000 | $3,771,800,000 | 72.1 % | 036 / 02 | 70.08 | |
| Donna Reed | 21 | $2,801,400,000 | $3,793,400,000 | 66.7 % | 022 / 03 | 68.92 | |
| Gregory Peck | 12 | $2,775,600,000 | $3,067,900,000 | 72.4 % | 035 / 08 | 84.00 | |
| Mary Astor | 18 | $2,736,000,000 | $3,857,300,000 | 66.7 % | 014 / 02 | 72.54 | |
| Tyrone Power | 15 | $2,728,500,000 | $2,728,500,000 | 66.4 % | 020 / 05 | 76.01 | |
| Edward G. Robinson | 22 | $2,719,200,000 | $3,129,700,000 | 74.9 % | 012 / 01 | 73.87 | |
| Ginger Rogers | 16 | $2,718,400,000 | $3,331,900,000 | 63.2 % | 011 / 01 | 73.60 | |
| Esther Williams | 12 | $2,689,200,000 | $4,339,100,000 | 63.7 % | 003 / 01 | 77.95 | |
| Lucille Ball | 22 | $2,662,000,000 | $3,478,100,000 | 63.6 % | 003 / 00 | 66.58 | |
| Angela Lansbury | 13 | $2,658,500,000 | $3,863,700,000 | 69.2 % | 024 / 08 | 76.37 | |
| Van Heflin | 20 | $2,654,000,000 | $3,857,800,000 | 69.0 % | 011 / 03 | 71.09 | |
| Joseph Cotten | 16 | $2,652,800,000 | $3,011,900,000 | 76.0 % | 046 / 07 | 77.20 | |
| Virginia Mayo | 17 | $2,633,300,000 | $3,512,600,000 | 66.3 % | 018 / 08 | 70.34 | |
| Margaret O'Brien | 17 | $2,631,600,000 | $3,732,200,000 | 69.9 % | 017 / 01 | 73.79 | |
| Vincent Price | 16 | $2,622,400,000 | $2,936,500,000 | 68.1 % | 036 / 11 | 74.16 | |
| Veronica Lake | 20 | $2,608,000,000 | $2,608,200,000 | 67.2 % | 008 / 00 | 70.32 | |
| Bette Davis | 17 | $2,568,700,000 | $4,063,900,000 | 72.5 % | 033 / 03 | 79.86 | |
| Olivia de Havilland | 16 | $2,552,000,000 | $3,325,800,000 | 70.7 % | 026 / 07 | 79.81 | |
| George Brent | 28 | $2,525,600,000 | $3,116,900,000 | 62.8 % | 005 / 00 | 63.27 | |
| Lee J. Cobb | 17 | $2,519,400,000 | $2,547,200,000 | 64.5 % | 020 / 06 | 70.23 | |
| Clark Gable | 11 | $2,502,500,000 | $3,454,100,000 | 69.3 % | 002 / 00 | 79.97 | |
| Henry Fonda | 20 | $2,502,000,000 | $2,639,300,000 | 68.4 % | 010 / 02 | 71.97 | |
| Susan Hayward | 22 | $2,492,600,000 | $2,767,600,000 | 62.7 % | 016 / 01 | 66.43 | |
| Cornel Wilde | 18 | $2,422,800,000 | $2,474,200,000 | 65.6 % | 014 / 01 | 69.24 | |
| Robert Mitchum | 20 | $2,420,000,000 | $3,085,000,000 | 64.7 % | 011 / 01 | 68.13 | |
| Herbert Marshall | 20 | $2,418,000,000 | $3,025,300,000 | 68.8 % | 033 / 01 | 68.50 | |
| Judith Anderson | 16 | $2,393,600,000 | $2,894,100,000 | 72.0 % | 022 / 03 | 74.23 | |
| Rita Hayworth | 18 | $2,392,200,000 | $2,580,500,000 | 67.4 % | 020 / 03 | 71.87 | |
| Roddy McDowall | 14 | $2,371,600,000 | $2,884,100,000 | 68.8 % | 019 / 05 | 75.34 | |
| Ida Lupino | 20 | $2,360,000,000 | $3,189,700,000 | 67.0 % | 005 / 00 | 68.61 | |
| Loretta Young | 18 | $2,356,200,000 | $2,597,800,000 | 67.2 % | 017 / 02 | 72.17 | |
| Jeanne Crain | 12 | $2,349,600,000 | $2,349,200,000 | 67.4 % | 015 / 04 | 76.56 | |
| Betty Hutton | 14 | $2,321,200,000 | $2,320,900,000 | 63.9 % | 006 / 00 | 73.67 | |
| Robert Preston | 20 | $2,306,000,000 | $2,366,300,000 | 62.8 % | 014 / 02 | 65.33 | |
| Paul Henreid | 16 | $2,264,000,000 | $3,548,700,000 | 70.8 % | 014 / 04 | 69.03 | |
| Gail Russell | 18 | $2,262,600,000 | $2,262,800,000 | 63.4 % | 007 / 00 | 68.04 | |
| Teresa Wright | 10 | $2,249,000,000 | $3,097,700,000 | 79.2 % | 044 / 14 | 85.37 | |
| Glenn Ford | 23 | $2,242,500,000 | $2,354,000,000 | 63.0 % | 003 / 00 | 63.96 | |
| Kathryn Grayson | 12 | $2,235,600,000 | $3,493,800,000 | 60.9 % | 008 / 01 | 71.58 | |
| Victor Mature | 17 | $2,135,200,000 | $2,233,400,000 | 63.6 % | 012 / 03 | 66.07 | |
| Lena Horne | 11 | $2,129,600,000 | $2,947,700,000 | 63.8 % | 005 / 00 | 74.29 | |
| Joan Fontaine | 13 | $2,129,400,000 | $2,417,400,000 | 69.8 % | 023 / 05 | 78.37 | |
| Elsa Lanchester | 15 | $2,119,500,000 | $2,565,900,000 | 73.1 % | 020 / 02 | 74.96 | |
| Rosalind Russell | 18 | $2,091,600,000 | $2,398,100,000 | 63.1 % | 012 / 00 | 68.62 | |
| Don Ameche | 22 | $2,090,000,000 | $2,090,500,000 | 61.4 % | 011 / 00 | 63.67 | |
| Katharine Hepburn | 10 | $2,081,000,000 | $2,972,800,000 | 73.2 % | 011 / 03 | 85.97 | |
| James Cagney | 12 | $2,076,000,000 | $2,714,100,000 | 68.5 % | 014 / 04 | 77.12 | |
| Leo G. Carroll | 15 | $2,052,000,000 | $2,393,600,000 | 70.0 % | 025 / 05 | 71.26 | |
| Shirley Temple | 15 | $2,052,000,000 | $2,273,700,000 | 64.8 % | 012 / 02 | 67.85 | |
| Irene Dunne | 11 | $2,044,900,000 | $2,605,900,000 | 72.5 % | 020 / 02 | 76.77 | |
| Basil Rathbone | 26 | $2,038,400,000 | $2,493,400,000 | 64.7 % | 003 / 01 | 61.33 | |
| Fred Astaire | 11 | $2,026,200,000 | $2,975,600,000 | 70.4 % | 016 / 01 | 76.42 | |
| James Stewart | 15 | $1,992,000,000 | $2,404,600,000 | 71.5 % | 012 / 03 | 75.10 | |
| Robert Taylor | 15 | $1,975,500,000 | $3,222,000,000 | 61.7 % | 008 / 02 | 69.78 | |
| Cyd Charisse | 13 | $1,976,000,000 | $2,988,000,000 | 60.9 % | 006 / 01 | 68.99 | |
| Myrna Loy | 12 | $1,948,800,000 | $2,782,400,000 | 72.7 % | 009 / 08 | 74.42 | |
| Robert Cummings | 21 | $1,942,500,000 | $2,299,800,000 | 66.1 % | 011 / 01 | 64.85 | |
| Charles Laughton | 18 | $1,935,000,000 | $2,236,100,000 | 64.1 % | 006 / 01 | 66.96 | |
| Dean Stockwell | 13 | $1,924,000,000 | $2,586,200,000 | 68.6 % | 018 / 04 | 70.60 | |
| George Raft | 17 | $1,912,500,000 | $2,159,200,000 | 59.6 % | 003 / 00 | 63.63 | |
| Pat O'Brien | 24 | $1,855,200,000 | $2,122,000,000 | 59.9 % | 004 / 00 | 60.07 | |
| Elizabeth Taylor | 10 | $1,820,000,000 | $2,775,500,000 | 66.6 % | 012 / 03 | 75.28 | |
| Monty Woolley | 10 | $1,807,000,000 | $2,136,600,000 | 70.5 % | 019 / 02 | 78.65 | |
| Dick Powell | 18 | $1,794,600,000 | $1,930,600,000 | 62.1 % | 004 / 00 | 64.27 | |
| Arthur Kennedy | 17 | $1,795,200,000 | $2,516,800,000 | 70.0 % | 013 / 02 | 69.37 | |
| Ralph Bellamy | 21 | $1,768,200,000 | $1,956,000,000 | 62.9 % | 004 / 00 | 60.91 | |
| Robert Ryan | 18 | $1,764,000,000 | $2,171,000,000 | 63.4 % | 013 / 01 | 65.63 | |
| Jennifer Jones | 8 | $1,740,800,000 | $1,793,400,000 | 72.6 % | 030 / 06 | 79.73 | |
| Gig Young | 12 | $1,738,800,000 | $2,749,500,000 | 65.0 % | 007 / 01 | 72.52 | |
| William Holden | 18 | $1,720,800,000 | $1,749,000,000 | 59.7 % | 000 / 00 | 62.21 | |
| Claire Trevor | 17 | $1,710,200,000 | $2,090,500,000 | 66.6 % | 007 / 01 | 66.56 | |
| Jack Benny | 11 | $1,708,300,000 | $1,948,100,000 | 70.0 % | 002 / 00 | 74.09 | |
| Joan Bennett | 21 | $1,703,100,000 | $1,857,100,000 | 62.5 % | 002 / 00 | 61.53 | |
| June Haver | 10 | $1,701,000,000 | $1,763,000,000 | 60.5 % | 003 / 00 | 72.64 | |
| Ruth Hussey | 14 | $1,698,200,000 | $2,087,200,000 | 66.8 % | 009 / 02 | 69.40 | |
| William Powell | 12 | $1,693,200,000 | $2,400,300,000 | 68.2 % | 004 / 00 | 71.50 | |
| Dan Dailey | 14 | $1,649,200,000 | $1,902,300,000 | 62.5 % | 006 / 02 | 66.96 | |
| Joel McCrea | 16 | $1,640,000,000 | $1,874,300,000 | 68.3 % | 013 / 01 | 68.18 | |
| Merle Oberon | 15 | $1,551,000,000 | $1,776,500,000 | 60.9 % | 011 / 00 | 63.06 | |
| Charles Boyer | 13 | $1,548,300,000 | $2,084,500,000 | 70.6 % | 018 / 02 | 72.77 | |
| Alice Faye | 10 | $1,546,000,000 | $1,545,500,000 | 64.8 % | 005 / 02 | 73.12 | |
| Melvyn Douglas | 17 | $1,540,200,000 | $1,915,500,000 | 62.3 % | 002 / 00 | 63.01 | |
| Norman Lloyd | 14 | $1,521,800,000 | $1,604,900,000 | 67.4 % | 012 / 01 | 66.16 | |
| Deanna Durbin | 15 | $1,512,000,000 | $1,511,800,000 | 66.3 % | 011 / 00 | 67.14 | |
| Lloyd Bridges | 15 | $1,504,500,000 | $1,589,800,000 | 65.3 % | 006 / 00 | 64.81 | |
| Joan Crawford | 12 | $1,504,800,000 | $2,140,200,000 | 67.6 % | 009 / 01 | 71.08 | |
| Fredric March | 12 | $1,488,000,000 | $1,913,800,000 | 69.8 % | 014 / 07 | 69.17 | |
| Wallace Beery | 16 | $1,476,800,000 | $1,630,300,000 | 58.5 % | 000 / 00 | 61.60 | |
| Ethel Barrymore | 12 | $1,466,400,000 | $1,675,900,000 | 67.8 % | 015 / 03 | 72.86 | |
| Celeste Holm | 9 | $1,451,700,000 | $1,452,100,000 | 71.4 % | 024 / 06 | 79.86 | |
| Jessica Tandy | 7 | $1,439,200,000 | $1,841,100,000 | 66.0 % | 005 / 00 | 74.57 | |
| Victor McLaglen | 17 | $1,416,100,000 | $1,645,200,000 | 63.0 % | 004 / 01 | 61.60 | |
| Edmond O'Brien | 15 | $1,393,500,000 | $1,635,200,000 | 67.0 % | 010 / 02 | 64.94 | |
| Danny Kaye | 6 | $1,339,800,000 | $1,853,900,000 | 73.0 % | 006 / 01 | 82.39 | |
| Johnny Weissmuller | 12 | $1,326,000,000 | $2,276,500,000 | 59.4 % | 002 / 00 | 62.72 | |
| Dorothy McGuire | 7 | $1,318,800,000 | $1,385,700,000 | 71.3 % | 012 / 04 | 83.19 | |
| Boris Karloff | 21 | $1,318,800,000 | $1,533,300,000 | 63.5 % | 003 / 00 | 57.84 | |
| Marlene Dietrich | 10 | $1,303,000,000 | $1,555,500,000 | 61.4 % | 009 / 00 | 69.45 | |
| Frank Sinatra | 8 | $1,260,000,000 | $1,736,000,000 | 63.4 % | 009 / 02 | 72.41 | |
| Broderick Crawford | 23 | $1,248,900,000 | $1,291,100,000 | 62.1 % | 007 / 03 | 58.28 | |
| Burt Lancaster | 9 | $1,205,100,000 | $1,204,700,000 | 74.5 % | 005 / 00 | 75.97 | |
| Joan Blondell | 13 | $1,199,900,000 | $1,338,000,000 | 64.0 % | 004 / 01 | 62.43 | |
| Robert Montgomery | 13 | $1,184,300,000 | $1,422,300,000 | 65.3 % | 012 / 03 | 65.44 | |
| Dean Jagger | 12 | $1,172,400,000 | $1,340,000,000 | 66.3 % | 012 / 02 | 66.84 | |
| Lizabeth Scott | 9 | $1,169,100,000 | $1,169,500,000 | 64.3 % | 001 / 00 | 69.31 | |
| Dorothy Malone | 9 | $1,168,200,000 | $1,643,000,000 | 61.9 % | 000 / 00 | 67.55 | |
| Donald O'Connor | 17 | $1,156,000,000 | $1,155,700,000 | 65.5 % | 002 / 00 | 61.31 | |
| Eleanor Parker | 10 | $1,146,000,000 | $1,613,400,000 | 62.5 % | 002 / 00 | 64.67 | |
| Rhonda Fleming | 7 | $1,145,200,000 | $1,186,900,000 | 68.4 % | 007 / 01 | 75.48 | |
| Ava Gardner | 12 | $1,098,000,000 | $1,294,000,000 | 62.5 % | 004 / 00 | 63.16 | |
| Andy Hardy | 7 | $1,094,800,000 | $1,611,900,000 | 61.8 % | 000 / 00 | 73.29 | |
| Janet Leigh | 10 | $1,092,000,000 | $1,649,900,000 | 65.1 % | 004 / 01 | 67.59 | |
| Paul Lukas | 14 | $1,080,800,000 | $1,426,300,000 | 67.8 % | 007 / 01 | 64.68 | |
| Elia Kazan | 5 | $1,071,500,000 | $1,174,500,000 | 73.3 % | 014 / 04 | 88.49 | |
| Lauren Bacall | 5 | $1,070,000,000 | $1,572,900,000 | 84.0 % | 001 / 01 | 88.19 | |
| Raymond Burr | 18 | $1,069,200,000 | $1,294,200,000 | 63.3 % | 002 / 01 | 58.83 | |
| Orson Welles | 10 | $1,067,000,000 | $1,099,000,000 | 79.0 % | 015 / 02 | 74.97 | |
| Ed Begley | 8 | $1,064,000,000 | $1,063,600,000 | 66.5 % | 006 / 00 | 71.83 | |
| Jean Arthur | 8 | $1,060,000,000 | $1,220,700,000 | 71.3 % | 018 / 01 | 76.10 | |
| Clifton Webb | 5 | $1,045,000,000 | $1,044,900,000 | 77.2 % | 010 / 02 | 86.99 | |
| Gloria Grahame | 9 | $1,031,400,000 | $1,303,200,000 | 69.0 % | 010 / 00 | 69.71 | |
| Ronald Colman | 7 | $1,019,900,000 | $1,635,600,000 | 71.9 % | 022 / 02 | 75.62 | |
| Burgess Meredith | 11 | $996,600,000 | $1,108,400,000 | 56.9 % | 008 / 00 | 61.57 | |
| Lew Ayres | 12 | $993,600,000 | $1,062,800,000 | 64.2 % | 013 / 01 | 62.97 | |
| Laurence Olivier | 8 | $989,600,000 | $1,068,500,000 | 75.9 % | 030 / 09 | 79.62 | |
| Natalie Wood | 9 | $983,700,000 | $983,300,000 | 65.7 % | 005 / 03 | 67.97 | |
| Maria Montez | 22 | $981,200,000 | $1,204,900,000 | 56.0 % | 006 / 00 | 54.32 | |
| Oscar Levant | 7 | $960,400,000 | $1,299,000,000 | 61.9 % | 007 / 00 | 69.62 | |
| Priscilla Lane | 11 | $943,800,000 | $1,188,500,000 | 65.0 % | 003 / 00 | 62.3 | |
| Kirk Douglas | 8 | $937,600,000 | $995,700,000 | 71.4 % | 012 / 03 | 72.71 | |
| Ann Miller | 15 | $937,500,000 | $1,150,200,000 | 65.5 % | 002 / 01 | 59.62 | |
| David Niven | 10 | $912,000,000 | $1,034,100,000 | 67.2 % | 005 / 01 | 65.53 | |
| Eleanor Powell | 6 | $895,800,000 | $1,259,100,000 | 62.9 % | 005 / 01 | 69.84 | |
| Jane Powell | 6 | $888,000,000 | $1,287,800,000 | 51.2 % | 002 / 00 | 66.06 | |
| Rex Harrison | 11 | $887,700,000 | $887,700,000 | 70.8 % | 009 / 03 | 65.09 | |
| Ruth Gordon | 7 | $863,100,000 | $1,303,500,000 | 73.2 % | 007 / 02 | 73.69 | |
| Yvonne De Carlo | 11 | $845,900,000 | $932,500,000 | 63.8 % | 001 / 00 | 61.58 | |
| Jeanette MacDonald | 8 | $826,400,000 | $1,386,500,000 | 60.3 % | 003 / 00 | 64.54 | |
| Betty Garrett | 5 | $819,000,000 | $1,196,800,000 | 68.8 % | 002 / 02 | 77.40 | |
| Lillian Gish | 5 | $805,500,000 | $805,300,000 | 70.2 % | 005 / 01 | 71.14 | |
| Kay Francis | 10 | $791,000,000 | $953,900,000 | 60.3 % | 001 / 00 | 59.68 | |
| Richard Widmark | 6 | $762,600,000 | $762,300,000 | 69.9 % | 002 / 00 | 73.64 | |
| Jane Russell | 3 | $759,900,000 | $760,000,000 | 63.8 % | 001 / 01 | 76.50 | |
| Bela Lugosi | 20 | $724,000,000 | $742,600,000 | 58.5 % | 001 / 00 | 53.16 | |
| Thelma Ritter | 5 | $698,000,000 | $698,000,000 | 75.5 % | 007 / 05 | 78.94 | |
| Farley Granger | 6 | $692,400,000 | $915,700,000 | 70.9 % | 006 / 00 | 70.35 | |
| Madeleine Carroll | 9 | $684,900,000 | $685,000,000 | 65.5 % | 006 / 01 | 62.46 | |
| Sonja Henie | 5 | $674,000,000 | $764,900,000 | 56.0 % | 003 / 00 | 66.09 | |
| James Mason | 8 | $668,800,000 | $781,900,000 | 71.2 % | 003 / 01 | 66.65 | |
| Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | 8 | $660,800,000 | $661,100,000 | 62.7 % | 003 / 00 | 62.48 | |
| Constance Bennett | 10 | $661,000,000 | $758,300,000 | 62.9 % | 003 / 00 | 59.66 | |
| Maureen O'Sullivan | 6 | $655,200,000 | $1,071,600,000 | 70.1 % | 001 / 01 | 70.04 | |
| Arlene Dahl | 5 | $643,000,000 | $831,000,000 | 57.5 % | 001 / 00 | 65.13 | |
| Joe E. Brown | 7 | $639,800,000 | $826,300,000 | 62.3 % | 000 / 00 | 59.85 | |
| Dorothy Dandridge | 8 | $636,000,000 | $751,800,000 | 55.6 % | 009 / 00 | 58.37 | |
| Nelson Eddy | 8 | $630,400,000 | $850,300,000 | 62.1 % | 010 / 02 | 61.94 | |
| Burl Ives | 4 | $625,200,000 | $680,100,000 | 64.8 % | 002 / 00 | 71.63 | |
| Gene Autry | 28 | $624,400,000 | $623,600,000 | 64.3 % | 001 / 00 | 53.54 | |
| Laurel and Hardy | 10 | $615,000,000 | $615,400,000 | 63.9 % | 000 / 00 | 58.67 | |
| W.C. Fields | 6 | $600,000,000 | $600,200,000 | 70.6 % | 004 / 00 | 68.31 | |
| Deborah Kerr | 9 | $588,600,000 | $745,100,000 | 69.0 % | 004 / 03 | 62.40 | |
| Tallulah Bankhead | 3 | $583,200,000 | $583,200,000 | 70.7 % | 005 / 00 | 72.27 | |
| Marjorie Main | 3 | $553,500,000 | $553,600,000 | 68.5 % | 001 / 00 | 71.92 | |
| Vivien Leigh | 5 | $545,500,000 | $659,500,000 | 66.0 % | 007 / 01 | 69.18 | |
| Miriam Hopkins | 5 | $529,000,000 | $710,400,000 | 69.8 % | 008 / 04 | 70.24 | |
| Paul Muni | 5 | $523,500,000 | $523,400,000 | 64.2 % | 007 / 00 | 66.97 | |
| Jean Simmons | 6 | $495,600,000 | $495,800,000 | 72.4 % | 014 / 08 | 70.13 | |
| Eva Gabor | 7 | $480,900,000 | $480,700,000 | 55.4 % | 002 / 00 | 55.79 | |
| Margaret Sullavan | 6 | $480,000,000 | $480,000,000 | 74.2 % | 002 / 00 | 66.75 | |
| Sylvia Sidney | 5 | $472,000,000 | $509,000,000 | 57.3 % | 001 / 01 | 60.06 | |
| Judy Holliday | 2 | $452,800,000 | $510,600,000 | 78.2 % | 001 / 00 | 85.08 | |
| Montgomery Clift | 3 | $447,900,000 | $448,000,000 | 86.7 % | 014 / 05 | 85.36 | |
| Barbara Bel Geddes | 4 | $443,200,000 | $520,000,000 | 70.3 % | 005 / 00 | 71.82 | |
| Karl Malden | 3 | $441,300,000 | $441,300,000 | 67.7 % | 003 / 00 | 71.05 | |
| Lyle Talbot | 5 | $433,000,000 | $433,100,000 | 62.1 % | 003 / 00 | 59.25 | |
| Ben Johnson | 3 | $401,700,000 | $581,000,000 | 75.3 % | 002 / 01 | 76.59 | |
| Charles Chaplin | 2 | $384,000,000 | $384,000,000 | 89.0 % | 006 / 00 | 89.51 | |
| Marx Brothers | 5 | $383,000,000 | $486,300,000 | 61.3 % | 000 / 00 | 60.67 | |
| Helen Hayes | 1 | $378,600,000 | $378,600,000 | 54.0 % | 002 / 00 | 77.20 | |
| Ethel Merman | 1 | $378,600,000 | $378,600,000 | 54.0 % | 002 / 00 | 77.20 | |
| Doris Day | 3 | $372,300,000 | $517,100,000 | 58.2 % | 003 / 00 | 67.04 | |
| Frances Farmer | 6 | $367,800,000 | $388,000,000 | 60.1 % | 000 / 00 | 57.40 | |
| Carole Lombard | 4 | $355,200,000 | $430,800,000 | 65.6 % | 002 / 00 | 65.23 | |
| Sterling Hayden | 5 | $351,000,000 | $350,900,000 | 59.8 % | 000 / 00 | 59.06 | |
| Shelley Winters | 5 | $336,500,000 | $336,700,000 | 67.1 % | 005 / 02 | 62.20 | |
| José Ferrer | 2 | $315,200,000 | $415,600,000 | 67.5 % | 007 / 02 | 76.72 | |
| Buster Keaton | 2 | $313,200,000 | $351,100,000 | 66.3 % | 000 / 00 | 75.36 | |
| Patricia Neal | 3 | $301,500,000 | $322,300,000 | 69.4 % | 001 / 00 | 68.84 | |
| Trevor Howard | 8 | $293,600,000 | $293,600,000 | 76.1 % | 006 / 01 | 61.20 | |
| Louis Jourdan | 4 | $288,400,000 | $350,400,000 | 68.5 % | 002 / 00 | 63.10 | |
| Red Buttons | 1 | $277,000,000 | $277,000,000 | 65.0 % | 000 / 00 | 81.60 | |
| Norma Shearer | 3 | $236,700,000 | $361,200,000 | 62.7 % | 000 / 00 | 61.69 | |
| Leslie Howard | 3 | $229,800,000 | $229,900,000 | 73.8 % | 003 / 01 | 68.35 | |
| Zero Mostel | 1 | $224,400,000 | $305,000,000 | 55.5 % | 000 / 00 | 77.10 | |
| Ralph Richardson | 6 | $219,600,000 | $219,700,000 | 70.5 % | 010 / 04 | 60.48 | |
| Jack Albertson | 1 | $211,700,000 | $326,600,000 | 72.5 % | 003 / 01 | 86.90 | |
| John Gielgud | 2 | $206,600,000 | $208,800,000 | 73.0 % | 007 / 04 | 72.56 | |
| Christopher Lee | 1 | $204,900,000 | $204,900,000 | 81.0 % | 007 / 04 | 98.05 | |
| Robert Morley | 5 | $204,500,000 | $204,300,000 | 62.3 % | 000 / 00 | 55.27 | |
| Mae West | 2 | $202,000,000 | $201,900,000 | 62.3 % | 000 / 00 | 64.90 | |
| Alec Guinness | 3 | $200,400,000 | $200,500,000 | 82.4 % | 005 / 02 | 70.71 | |
| Marilyn Monroe | 3 | $188,700,000 | $188,600,000 | 51.4 % | 000 / 00 | 53.54 |
(Visited 1,199 times)
There was a “Sabu” making movies in the 1940s. He was the boy in The Thief of Bagdad. Sadly, he died of a heart attack at the young age of 39.
Hey In The Shadows…I think you might be correct…..I did not know Sabu had passed away at such a young age. Thanks as always for helping out.
This page just got a massive update….tons of stats added….I have now updated the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s decade pages….4 decades left to update.
Looking for an actor by the name Savad. 40-60’s maybe later. Curious to know what happened to him
Hey Anonymous….In The Shadows offered up a possible answer….is the actor you are thinking about named Sabu? I did some research on Savad and found nothing even close to an actor by that name during that time period. Glad you came to UMR to find out an answer to your question.
Hello, I’m looking for an Actors name that isn’t on any lists? He was famous in the 50’s and 60’s, I remember him I on b/w television. He was a star and also did cigarette commercials (looking real cool, sitting on a table) I also think he had (two) first names, like David James but nothing comes up, pretty sure that’s his name, i thought.
Hey Valorie P. I would check out the IMDb page on David Wayne. He had some leading roles in the 1950s, but quickly moved to supporting roles. He would be my first choice. Hope that helps.
How about Dorothy McGuire
Claudia 185
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 212
The Enchanted Cottage 136
The Spiral Staircase 183
Claudia and David 110
Till the End of Time 171
Gentleman’s Agreement 246
1243 in total .if your others were correct ,she should be ranked No.93
Hey Li…..you are 100% correct…..this list is mainly made up of the actors/actresses I had in my database. When I did later decade versions of this page, I started including other actors/actresses into the table. I went ahead and added in Dorothy McGuire to this table….and she is indeed in 93rd place. Good to see our page makes it easy to do research they made you did McGuire’s 1940s movies. Makes us happy.
JOHN
I again watched Road House last night and I feel that the advice of Dalton therein is worth repeating. Referring to bull-in-the-china-shop bouncers who caused havoc and devastation in the night clubs they were supposed to be protecting Dalton lectured his own team of subordinate heavies that ”People looking for a good time don’t want to come to a slaughterhouse so firmly escort troublemakers to the door but BE NICE – until you get outside.”
Bob
Why not just say what you mean instead of insinuations. What does “people looking for a good time don’t want to come to a slaughterhouse” have to do with a discussion of top box office performances of the 1940’s. It seems to me that anyone who doesn’t want to read my posts doesn’t have to. I can certainly stop posting if that is the desire.