Want to know the best Warren Oates movies? How about the worst Warren Oates movies? Curious about Warren Oates’s box office grosses or which Warren Oates movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Warren Oates 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.
If there was a Hall of Fame for character actors, Warren Oates (1928-1982), would be in that museum. Oates was an American actor who appeared in movies from 1959 to 1982. Highlights of his career would include the iclassic movies 1967’s In The Heat of the Night, 1969’s The Wild Bunch and Stripes (yes Stripes is now 35 years old). Oates also appeared in many movies that were ignored back in the 1970s that are now considered cult classics….can you say…1974’s Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia, 1971’s Two-Lane Blacktop, 1974’s Cockfighter and 1973’s Dillinger. His IMDb page shows 124 acting credits from 1956-1983. This page ranks 39 Warren Oates movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows (79 tv appearances), a short film, a cameo appearance and movies not released in North America (4 movies) were not included in the following table.
Drivel part of the page: This is our first page using our new formulas for calculating box office grosses and for calculating our UltimateMovieRankings (UMR) Score. The request was made by Wayne and Letterboxd.com’s Todd Gaines. Todd is one of the more popular movie reviewers on that very popular movie review website….we highly recommend that website but caution that is very addictive. Sorry it took so long to complete this page…but better late than never.
Warren Oates 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
1967
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
AA Best Picture Win
1981
Stripes (1981)
1969
The Wild Bunch (1969)
1983
Blue Thunder (1983)
1973
Badlands (1973)
1975
Race with the Devil (1975)
1973
Tom Sawyer (1973)
1965
Major Dundee (1965)
1962
Ride the High Country (1962)
1978
The Brink's Job (1978)
1979
1941 (1979)
1960
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)
1974
Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
1973
Dillinger (1973)
1971
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
1974
Cockfighter (1974)
1970
There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)
1982
The Border (1982)
1959
Yellowstone Kelly (1959)
1971
The Hired Hand (1971)
1959
Up Periscope (1959)
1974
The White Dawn (1974)
1968
The Split (1968)
1965
The Rounders (1965)
1964
Mail Order Bride (1964)
1975
92 in the Shade (1975)
1960
Private Property (1960)
1976
Drum (1976)
1973
The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973)
1969
Smith! (1969)
1973
Kid Blue (1973)
1977
Sleeping Dogs (1977)
1970
Barquero (1970)
1983
Tough Enough (1983)
1966
Return of the Magnificent Seven (1966)
1969
Sophie's Place/Crooks & Coronets (1969)
1967
Welcome To Hard Times (1967)
1962
Hero's Island (1962)
1976
Dixie Dynamite (1976)
1971
Chandler (1971)
Warren Oates 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 Warren Oates movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Warren Oates movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Warren Oates movies by domestic yearly box office rank
- Sort Warren Oates 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 Warren Oates movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Warren Oates movie won.
- Sort Warren Oates 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.
- Use the search and sort button to make this page very interactive.
| 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 | In the Heat of the Night (1967) AA Best Picture Win |
Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger |
24.00 | 213.8 | 213.80 | 11 | 84 | 07 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 2 | Stripes (1981) | Bill Murray & John Candy |
85.30 | 330.8 | 330.80 | 5 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 97.0 | |
| 3 | The Wild Bunch (1969) | William Holden & Ernest Borgnine |
15.10 | 115.0 | 115.00 | 21 | 89 | 02 / 00 | 93.4 | |
| 4 | Blue Thunder (1983) | Roy Scheider | 42.30 | 144.8 | 144.80 | 18 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 89.4 | |
| 5 | Badlands (1973) | Martin Sheen & Sissy Spacek |
3.00 | 18.5 | 18.50 | 94 | 89 | 00 / 00 | 81.2 | |
| 7 | Race with the Devil (1975) | Peter Fonda | 17.60 | 92.8 | 92.80 | 39 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 78.8 | |
| 8 | Tom Sawyer (1973) | Jodie Foster & Johnny Whitaker |
15.20 | 92.3 | 92.30 | 24 | 59 | 03 / 00 | 78.4 | |
| 9 | Major Dundee (1965) | Charlton Heston & James Coburn |
5.50 | 58.6 | 58.60 | 51 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 77.3 | |
| 9 | Ride the High Country (1962) | Randolph Scott & Joel McCrea |
2.10 | 30.5 | 30.50 | 96 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 10 | The Brink's Job (1978) | Peter Falk & Peter Boyle |
15.40 | 71.0 | 71.00 | 47 | 65 | 01 / 00 | 76.5 | |
| 11 | 1941 (1979) | John Candy & Directed by Steven Spielberg |
31.80 | 136.4 | 397.10 | 27 | 43 | 03 / 00 | 75.7 | |
| 12 | The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) | Dyan Cannon | 2.70 | 42.4 | 42.40 | 85 | 72 | 01 / 00 | 74.5 | |
| 11 | Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) | Isela Vega & Directed by Sam Peckinpah |
4.30 | 24.6 | 24.60 | 70 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 74.2 | |
| 15 | Dillinger (1973) | Ben Johnson | 6.10 | 36.9 | 36.90 | 58 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 14 | Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) | James Taylor & Dennis Wilson |
3.00 | 19.8 | 19.80 | 82 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 73.1 | |
| 14 | Cockfighter (1974) | Harry Dean Stanton | 3.00 | 17.5 | 17.50 | 88 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 72.9 | |
| 17 | There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) | Kirk Douglas & Henry Fonda |
3.00 | 20.9 | 20.90 | 84 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 71.2 | |
| 18 | The Border (1982) | Jack Nicholson | 6.10 | 22.4 | 22.40 | 81 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 71.1 | |
| 19 | Yellowstone Kelly (1959) | Clint Walker | 4.30 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 59 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 71.0 | |
| 20 | The Hired Hand (1971) | Peter Fonda | 2.20 | 14.7 | 14.70 | 112 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 66.9 | |
| 22 | Up Periscope (1959) | James Garner | 3.90 | 70.0 | 136.60 | 66 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 66.3 | |
| 21 | The White Dawn (1974) | Louis Gossett Jr. | 2.80 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 94 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 64.4 | |
| 23 | The Split (1968) | Gene Hackman & Ernest Borgnine |
2.40 | 19.4 | 19.40 | 110 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 59.7 | |
| 24 | The Rounders (1965) | Henry Fonda & Glenn Ford |
3.90 | 40.7 | 40.70 | 69 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 59.3 | |
| 27 | Mail Order Bride (1964) | Buddy Ebsen | 3.40 | 39.3 | 39.30 | 77 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 52.3 | |
| 26 | 92 in the Shade (1975) | Peter Fonda | 3.00 | 15.9 | 15.90 | 88 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 51.6 | |
| 25 | Private Property (1960) | Kate Manx | 0.10 | 1.5 | 1.50 | 156 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 50.9 | |
| 28 | Drum (1976) | Pam Grier & Ken Norton |
7.30 | 36.7 | 36.70 | 71 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 49.5 | |
| 29 | The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973) | Jacqueline Bisset & Ryan O'Neal |
5.30 | 32.3 | 32.30 | 62 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 47.9 | |
| 30 | Smith! (1969) | Glenn Ford | 3.70 | 28.2 | 28.20 | 61 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 43.9 | |
| 31 | Kid Blue (1973) | Dennis Hopper | 2.50 | 15.2 | 15.20 | 110 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 41.9 | |
| 32 | Sleeping Dogs (1977) | Sam Neill | 0.10 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 159 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 39.1 | |
| 33 | Barquero (1970) | Lee Van Cleef | 2.00 | 13.8 | 13.80 | 106 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 37.3 | |
| 34 | Tough Enough (1983) | Dennis Quaid | 2.40 | 8.3 | 8.30 | 109 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 34.5 | |
| 35 | Return of the Magnificent Seven (1966) | Yul Brynner | 3.20 | 31.9 | 31.90 | 73 | 46 | 01 / 00 | 24.2 | |
| 36 | Sophie's Place/Crooks & Coronets (1969) | Telly Salavas | 0.40 | 3.3 | 3.30 | 163 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 21.8 | |
| 36 | Welcome To Hard Times (1967) | Henry Fonda | 1.50 | 13.4 | 13.40 | 118 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 17.0 | |
| 37 | Hero's Island (1962) | James Mason | 2.00 | 28.7 | 28.70 | 98 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 15.3 | |
| 38 | Dixie Dynamite (1976) | Christopher George | 2.30 | 11.5 | 11.50 | 119 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 11.7 | |
| 39 | Chandler (1971) | Leslie Caron | 1.30 | 8.4 | 8.40 | 148 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 2.6 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Warren Oates
1. Warren Mercer Oates was born in Depoy, Kentucky in 1928.
2. Warren Oates path to stardom. 1. Served two years with the Marines. 2. Became interested in theater at the University of Louisville. 3. Started appearing in plays in 1953. 4. In 1957 he moved to New York City and appeared in a live production of the television show, Series One. 5. Moved to Los Angeles and appeared in almost every Western television being made. 6. Worked with Sam Peckinpah on the television show The Westerner. 7. Started appearing in movies in 1959. 8. Started his long movie collaboration with Peckingpah in the 1962 cult classic, Ride The High Country. 9. Movie parts got bigger and better until hitting it big with 1967’s In The Heat Of The Night and 1969’s The Wild Bunch.
3. Warren Oates and Sam Peckinpah worked together 5 times: The television show The Westerner, 1962’s Ride The High Country, 1965’s Major Dundee, 1969’s The Wild Bunch and 1974’s Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (Oates was pretty much imitating Peckinpah in their last movie together).
4. Warren Oates was never nominated for Oscar® or a Golden Globe®.
5. Warren Oates was married 4 times. Oates had 3 children with his 2nd wife, Teddy Louise Farmer.
6. Warren Oates sang in the backup chorus for “Rocket to Stardom” on Kris Kristofferson’s 1975 album “Who’s to Bless . . . Who’s to Blame.”
7. The University of Louisville has a scholarship named after Warren Oates for promising students in the arts programs.
8. Warren Oates’ The Shooting (1966) is not included in the rankings. But why? Even with a young Jack Nicholson this movie was NEVER released in theaters. It however has become a cult classic….and is one of my favorite Oates’s performances.
Check out Warren Oates‘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.
Oates was a good reliable supporting actor but also a lead actor too on a couple of films, Dillinger and Alfredo Garcia. In the Heat of the Night tops the UMR, excellent film and a Best Picture winner. A bit of a shock seeing fun comedy Stripes rated above The Wild Bunch, one of the all time great westerns, and a signature role for Oates.
Hmm I’ve only seen 14 of the 39 films you’ve listed, I expected more. Good to see Blue Thunder doing well on the charts, an ace action thriller, also Oates last film, there is a dedication to him on the end credits.
Other favorites include Major Dundee and Ride the High Country. I don’t think I’ve seen The Border or The Brink’s Job.
Nice work Bruce. Voted Up!
Hey Steve….He actually only had 4 leading roles in his entire career. Stripes was Oates’s biggest hit….and his Sgt Hulka is after all the “big toe” of his movies…..lol. You and Flora tied with 14…I am at 11. Sharing the gold…while I get yet another bronze medal. Blue Thunder and Tough Enough both came out after his death. Sad that he passed away so young…though I have read he led a pretty hard life. Everytime I do one of these pages I find a movie that makes me really want to see it….in this case it was one of your favorites…Major Dundee. Pretty sure I have seen The Brink’s Job….but I have no memory of his part in the movie…so I did not include it in my tally count. Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Hi, Bruce.
I have The Wild Bunch recorded and I still have not seen it.
I have seen quite a lot of Warren Oates movies. Some I have seen multiple times like In the Heat of the Night or Badlands to the point where I do not remember how many times I have seen them. Others I saw once only.
Movies I have seen of his for the first time in the last year include Mail Order Bride and The Thief Who Came to Dinner.
The highest ranked movie I have seen is Badlands at number 2.
The lowest ranked movie I have seen is the last-Chandler at number 39.
Views by rankings:
I have seen 4 of the top 5 movies.
The other films are all over the place, so I will give the overall total:
I have seen 14 movies of Mr. Oates.
My top 5 of his films based upon how often I have seen them;
In the Heat of the Night
Badlands
Ride the High Country
The Rounders
The Thief Who Came to Dinner
I sew he made a lot of movies with the Fondas as well.
Hey Flora
1. I just re-watched The Wild Bunch a couple of weeks ago….the violence was considered bad back then….but pretty PG-13 today. I think you will enjoy it…as it is loaded with lots of great performances.
2. Oates has a small but memorable role in In The Heat of the Night. I have actually only seen that movie once.
3. I know Badlands is one of your favorites….I have not seen that movie in over 30 years. I will have to re-watch that one.
4. So you have seen Chandler…do you agree with Oates that is a horrible movie….movie had all kinds of problems….and ended up with lawsuits as well.
5. So you are at 14….Steve is at 14….I have a chance to take the top spot…let me count….counting…I started off strong….10 of the first 13….then only 1 out of the last 26…..doomed to last place.
6. I have seen 3 of your Top 5….I have not seen The Rounders or The Thief Who Came To Dinner.
7. Yep he made movies with papa Hank…and bubba Peter but nothing with Jane.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Warren Oates thoughts…..it is of course appreciated.
Thanks for letting me know about the violence rating for today about The Wild Bunch.
I did not think I would tie with Steve for first. Hooray!
I didn’t know there were lawsuits with Chandler. I do know that I have no intention of seeing it a second time.
Hey Flora….it is still gory….but not on the same level you see in R-Rated movies today…..Ryan, Borgnine, Holden, Oates, Johnson….fun seeing all of those guys together.
Caron had to sue for equal billing was one of the lawsuits. Pretty much almost everybody involved in the making of Chandler ended up very unhappy…..so I am not surprised to see it so lowly ranked.
I like it! I want to say Steve McQueen was a motorcycle rider in Dixie Dynamite. I noticed your trivia about McQueen & his uncredited role. Stripes sure did make a lot with the adjusted gross
Hey Todd….glad you like your Warren Oates page….sorry it took so long to complete. I had never heard of McQueen being in Double Dynamite…I will have to check that movie out….just for the McQueen cameo. Yep Stripes was huge…I saw it numerous times when it was in theaters….has not aged well….but back then everybody thought it was a very funny movie. Thanks for the visit.
Yes- your father and I saw Yellowstone Kelly on our first date in a theater in Norfolk, VA. in 1959.
We had dinner first and then the movie. There was a young couple in the theater with a crying baby during the movie which was a distraction at times. I remember seeing Warren Oates on old TV series – in fact he was on The Big Valley recently on a rerun. The Wild Bunch was a very VIOLENT movie – man I still remember some of those horrible scenes. I remember wondering why William Holden was in such a violent movie. Another good site – thanks for the memories. By the way Yellowstone Kelly was on TV sometime last year and I watched it once again!
Hey BERN1960…..when I was putting Yellowstone Kelly in the table…you and dad’s first date popped right into my mind….and I had to included in the table. The Wild Bunch was shocking then….it would only be rated PG-13 today. Amazing how times have changed. Glad this page brought back some good memories…thanks for the comment.
“Hall of Fame for character actors, Warren Oates (1928-1982), would be in that museum” I like that. You should build one.
Hey Trey D. Hey they have museums for everything….so a Hall of Fame for character actors might not be such a bad idea….surprised Hollywood does not have a Hall of Fame…a movie museum in Los Angles would be a great tourist attraction.