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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Can’t believe I never did Warren Oates. Warren is # 824 on the first 2023 Oracle of Bacon list; these are the other actors on the list he appeared with.
1 HARVEY KEITEL The Border (1982)
3 CHRISTOPHER LEE 1941 (1979)
6 MARTIN SHEEN Badlands (1973)
9 DONALD SUTHERLAND The Split (1968)
13 ERNEST BORGNINE The Split (1968)
13 ERNEST BORGNINE The Wild Bunch (1969)
24 MALCOLM MCDOWELL Blue Thunder (1983)
25 DENNIS HOPPER Kid Blue (1973)
31 ROD STEIGER In the Heat of the Night (1967)
38 CHARLTON HESTON Major Dundee (1965)
48 BRUCE MCGILL Tough Enough (1983)
52 NED BEATTY 1941 (1979)
52 NED BEATTY The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
55 JAMES CAAN 1941 (1979)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON 92 in the Shade (1975)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Cockfighter (1974)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Dillinger (1973)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Hero’s Island (1962)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Lanton Mills (1969)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Rancho Deluxe (1975)
59 HARRY DEAN STANTON Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
71 GENE HACKMAN The Split (1968)
82 SAM NEILL Sleeping Dogs (1977)
86 M. EMMET WALSH Kid Blue (1973)
96 JACK NICHOLSON The Border (1982)
96 JACK NICHOLSON The Shooting (1966)
106 MICKEY ROURKE 1941 (1979)
117 RIP TORN Hero’s Island (1962)
123 RICHARD HARRIS Major Dundee (1965)
130 JAMES MASON Hero’s Island (1962)
155 JACQUELINE BISSET The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
157 DENNIS QUAID Stripes (1981)
157 DENNIS QUAID Tough Enough (1983)
164 BILL MURRAY Stripes (1981)
176 FERNANDO REY Return of the Seven (1966)
179 KRIS KRISTOFFERSON Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
193 PAUL SORVINO The Brink’s Job (1978)
199 JEFF BRIDGES Rancho Deluxe (1975)
216 CLORIS LEACHMAN Dillinger (1973)
220 PETER FONDA 92 in the Shade (1975)
220 PETER FONDA Race with the Devil (1975)
220 PETER FONDA The Hired Hand (1971)
220 PETER FONDA The Rounders (1965)
235 DAN AYKROYD 1941 (1979)
244 RICHARD DREYFUSS Dillinger (1973)
262 AUSTIN PENDLETON The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
265 KIRK DOUGLAS There Was a Crooked Man… (1970)
286 JAMES COBURN Major Dundee (1965)
295 GEOFFREY LEWIS Dillinger (1973)
315 BILL PAXTON Stripes (1981)
319 TREAT WILLIAMS 1941 (1979)
322 BURGESS MEREDITH 92 in the Shade (1975)
322 BURGESS MEREDITH There Was a Crooked Man… (1970)
328 KEENAN WYNN Smith! (1969)
328 KEENAN WYNN Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
330 ED BEGLEY JR. Cockfighter (1974)
333 JODIE FOSTER Tom Sawyer (1973)
334 PETER FALK The Brink’s Job (1978)
348 SCOTT WILSON In the Heat of the Night (1967)
356 JAMES GARNER Up Periscope (1959)
362 PETER BOYLE Kid Blue (1973)
362 PETER BOYLE The Brink’s Job (1978)
377 HARRIS YULIN American Raspberry (1977)
390 BO HOPKINS The Wild Bunch (1969)
406 HENRY FONDA The Rounders (1965)
406 HENRY FONDA There Was a Crooked Man… (1970)
406 HENRY FONDA Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
412 DICK MILLER 1941 (1979)
432 MELANIE GRIFFITH Smith! (1969)
452 ROY SCHEIDER Blue Thunder (1983)
472 WILLIAM HOLDEN The Wild Bunch (1969)
475 MARIO ADORF Major Dundee (1965)
477 SAM WATERSTON Rancho Deluxe (1975)
485 PAM GRIER Drum (1976)
485 PAM GRIER Tough Enough (1983)
488 GLENN FORD Smith! (1969)
488 GLENN FORD The Rounders (1965)
492 MICHAEL MCKEAN 1941 (1979)
493 LIONEL STANDER 1941 (1979)
515 JOHN VERNON Drum (1976)
539 JENNY AGUTTER CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37 (1978)
561 ROBERT STACK 1941 (1979)
596 KATHLEEN FREEMAN Mail Order Bride (1964)
596 KATHLEEN FREEMAN The Rounders (1965)
634 JIM BROWN The Split (1968)
653 CLIFTON JAMES Kid Blue (1973)
653 CLIFTON JAMES Rancho Deluxe (1975)
656 DUB TAYLOR 1941 (1979)
656 DUB TAYLOR Major Dundee (1965)
656 DUB TAYLOR The Wild Bunch (1969)
656 DUB TAYLOR Tom Sawyer (1973)
669 MICHAEL MURPHY The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
731 RYAN O’NEAL The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
735 JAMES WHITMORE The Split (1968)
736 ROYAL DANO Chandler (1971)
736 ROYAL DANO Drum (1976)
736 ROYAL DANO Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
737 YUL BRYNNER Return of the Seven (1966)
742 BEN JOHNSON Dillinger (1973)
742 BEN JOHNSON Kid Blue (1973)
742 BEN JOHNSON Major Dundee (1965)
742 BEN JOHNSON The Wild Bunch (1969)
745 LESLIE CARON Chandler (1971)
762 SENTA BERGER Major Dundee (1965)
763 JOANNA CASSIDY American Raspberry (1977)
784 WILFORD BRIMLEY TOUGH ENOUGH (1983)
792 SIDNEY POITIER In the Heat of the Night (1967)
798 ROBERT WEBBER Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
807 MATT CLARK In the Heat of the Night (1967)
811 ALLEN GARFIELD The Brink’s Job (1978)
815 SYLVIA MILES 92 IN THE SHADE (1975)
827 HARRY SHEARER American Raspberry (1977)
839 ALDO RAY Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
864 JOHN CANDY 1941 (1979)
864 JOHN CANDY Stripes (1981)
866 SEAN YOUNG Stripes (1981)
891 SISSY SPACEK Badlands (1973)
906 GENA ROWLANDS The Brink’s Job (1978)
908 SLIM PICKENS 1941 (1979)
908 SLIM PICKENS Major Dundee (1965)
908 SLIM PICKENS Rancho Deluxe (1975)
910 MARGOT KIDDER 92 in the Shade (1975)
925 LOUIS GOSSETT JR. The White Dawn (1974)
929 JOE SPINELL 92 in the Shade (1975)
929 JOE SPINELL Rancho Deluxe (1975)
949 FRANK MCRAE 1941 (1979)
949 FRANK MCRAE Dillinger (1973)
950 LEE VAN CLEEF Barquero (1970)
953 YAPHET KOTTO Drum (1976)
969 ROBERT RYAN The Wild Bunch (1969)
Warren appeared with 23 Oscar winners.
BEN JOHNSON Dillinger (1973)
BEN JOHNSON Kid Blue (1973)
BEN JOHNSON Major Dundee (1965)
BEN JOHNSON The Wild Bunch (1969)
CELESTE HOLM Tom Sawyer (1973)
CHARLTON HESTON Major Dundee (1965)
CLORIS LEACHMAN Dillinger (1973)
DEAN JAGGER Smith! (1969)
EDMOND O’BRIEN The Wild Bunch (1969)
EDMOND O’BRIEN Up Periscope (1959)
ERNEST BORGNINE The Split (1968)
ERNEST BORGNINE The Wild Bunch (1969)
GENE HACKMAN The Split (1968)
GIG YOUNG Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
GLORIA GRAHAME Chandler (1971)
HENRY FONDA The Rounders (1965)
HENRY FONDA There Was a Crooked Man… (1970)
HENRY FONDA Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
JACK NICHOLSON The Border (1982)
JACK NICHOLSON The Shooting (1966)
JAMES COBURN Major Dundee (1965)
JEFF BRIDGES Rancho Deluxe (1975)
JODIE FOSTER Tom Sawyer (1973)
LEE GRANT In the Heat of the Night (1967)
LEE GRANT There Was a Crooked Man… (1970)
LOUIS GOSSETT JR. The White Dawn (1974)
RICHARD DREYFUSS Dillinger (1973)
ROD STEIGER In the Heat of the Night (1967)
SIDNEY POITIER In the Heat of the Night (1967)
SISSY SPACEK Badlands (1973)
WILLIAM HOLDEN The Wild Bunch (1969)
YUL BRYNNER Return of the Seven (1966)
Happy Birthday Warren
I just saw The Wild Bunch. I barely got through it and I had to fast forward in a few places at that. No way am I watching this again.
Sorry you did not like it. But you can knock that one off your list. Sorry you had to fast forward some of the movie…..the story is good….as you see the actors and the characters dealing with the end of the line……if they filmed that movie today….it would be so much more gory….versus blood squibs going off. Just know your tally count on Oates and Holden went up….and eventually I will get that Borgnine page done. Thanks for the mini-review.
Also, my list of Robert Ryan movies…..
True….and you were right it took awhile to find your posts….but it was worth the effort. Nice review.
Thanks. Much appreciated.