Best Burt Lancaster movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Burt Lancaster movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don't know about Burt Lancaster.
TOP 25:
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Burt Lancaster as: Marshal Wyatt Earp
Genre: Western
Release: 1957
Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best DeForest Kelley movies?
Genre: Western
Release: 1957
Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best DeForest Kelley movies?
TOP 24:
Atlantic City
Burt Lancaster as: Lou
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Release: 1980
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Elias Koteas movies?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Release: 1980
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Elias Koteas movies?
TOP 23:
The Crimson Pirate
Burt Lancaster as: Capt. Vallo (The Crimson Pirate)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Release: 1952
Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings on of a revolution in the Caribbean in the late 1700s. A light hearted adventure involving prison breaks, an oddball Scientist, sailing ships, naval fights, and tons of swordplay.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Christopher Lee movies?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Release: 1952
Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings on of a revolution in the Caribbean in the late 1700s. A light hearted adventure involving prison breaks, an oddball Scientist, sailing ships, naval fights, and tons of swordplay.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Christopher Lee movies?
TOP 22:
The List of Adrian Messenger
Burt Lancaster as: Protester
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Release: 1963
Adrian Messenger, a famous writer, asks his friend Anthony Gethryn, a former British agent, to help him investigate the whereabouts of the people who appear on a list, without asking him the reason why he should do so.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best George C. Scott movies?
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Release: 1963
Adrian Messenger, a famous writer, asks his friend Anthony Gethryn, a former British agent, to help him investigate the whereabouts of the people who appear on a list, without asking him the reason why he should do so.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best George C. Scott movies?
TOP 21:
And the Oscar Goes To...
Genre: Documentary, TV Movie
Release: 2014
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best George Chakiris movies?
Release: 2014
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best George Chakiris movies?
TOP 20:
Ulzana's Raid
Burt Lancaster as: McIntosh
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
Release: 1972
Report reaches the US cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, Lieutenant DeBuin, is given a small company to find him and bring him back; accompanying the troop is McIntosh, an experienced scout, and Ke-Ni-Tay, an Apache guide. Ulzana massacres, rapes and loots across the countryside; and as DeBuin encounters the remains of his victims, he is compelled to learn from McIntosh and to confront his own naivity and hidden prejudices.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Bruce Davison movies?
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
Release: 1972
Report reaches the US cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, Lieutenant DeBuin, is given a small company to find him and bring him back; accompanying the troop is McIntosh, an experienced scout, and Ke-Ni-Tay, an Apache guide. Ulzana massacres, rapes and loots across the countryside; and as DeBuin encounters the remains of his victims, he is compelled to learn from McIntosh and to confront his own naivity and hidden prejudices.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Bruce Davison movies?
TOP 19:
Run Silent, Run Deep
Burt Lancaster as: Lt. Jim Bledsoe
Genre: Drama, War
Release: 1958
The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His singleminded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unneccessary danger.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Clark Gable movies?
Genre: Drama, War
Release: 1958
The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His singleminded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unneccessary danger.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Clark Gable movies?
TOP 18:
The Professionals
Burt Lancaster as: Bill Dolworth
Genre: Action, Adventure, Western
Release: 1966
The Professionals is a 1966 American Western film directed by Richard Brooks. A kidnap-rescue adventure set in about 1917, it features a small group of experts heading into Mexico to free the Mexican-born wife of a wealthy Texan from several hundred bandits. The film is based on the novel A Mule for the Marquesa by Frank O'Rourke.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Jack Palance movies?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Western
Release: 1966
The Professionals is a 1966 American Western film directed by Richard Brooks. A kidnap-rescue adventure set in about 1917, it features a small group of experts heading into Mexico to free the Mexican-born wife of a wealthy Texan from several hundred bandits. The film is based on the novel A Mule for the Marquesa by Frank O'Rourke.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Jack Palance movies?
TOP 17:
Brute Force
Burt Lancaster as: Joe Collins
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Release: 1947
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Yvonne De Carlo movies?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Release: 1947
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Yvonne De Carlo movies?
TOP 16:
Seven Days in May
Burt Lancaster as: Gen. James Mattoon Scott
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Release: 1964
A U.S. Army colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Richard Anderson movies?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Release: 1964
A U.S. Army colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Richard Anderson movies?
TOP 15:
Field of Dreams
Burt Lancaster as: Doc "Moonlight" Graham
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Release: 1989
Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Michael Milhoan movies?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Release: 1989
Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Michael Milhoan movies?
TOP 14:
Conversation Piece
Original Title: Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno
Burt Lancaster as: The Professor
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1974
A retired professor of American origin lives a solitary life in a luxurious palazzo in Rome. He is confronted by a vulgar Italian marchesa and her lover, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend, and forced to rent to them an apartment on the upper floor of his palazzo. From this point on his quiet routine is turned into chaos by his tenants' machinations, and everybody's life takes an unexpected but inevitable turn.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Dominique Sanda movies?
Burt Lancaster as: The Professor
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1974
A retired professor of American origin lives a solitary life in a luxurious palazzo in Rome. He is confronted by a vulgar Italian marchesa and her lover, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend, and forced to rent to them an apartment on the upper floor of his palazzo. From this point on his quiet routine is turned into chaos by his tenants' machinations, and everybody's life takes an unexpected but inevitable turn.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Dominique Sanda movies?
TOP 13:
Elmer Gantry
Burt Lancaster as: Elmer Gantry
Genre: Drama
Release: 1960
When hedonistic but charming con man Elmer Gantry meets the beautiful Sister Sharon Falconer, a roadside revivalist, he feigns piousness to join her act as a passionate preacher. The two make a successful onstage pair, and their chemistry extends to romance. Both the show and their relationship are threatened, however, when one of Gantry's ex-lovers decides that she has a score to settle with the charismatic performer.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Jean Simmons movies?
Genre: Drama
Release: 1960
When hedonistic but charming con man Elmer Gantry meets the beautiful Sister Sharon Falconer, a roadside revivalist, he feigns piousness to join her act as a passionate preacher. The two make a successful onstage pair, and their chemistry extends to romance. Both the show and their relationship are threatened, however, when one of Gantry's ex-lovers decides that she has a score to settle with the charismatic performer.
Did you know that this movie is also one of best Jean Simmons movies?
TOP 12:
The Rose Tattoo
Burt Lancaster as: Alvaro Mangiacavallo
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1955
A grieving widow embarks on a new romance when she discovers her late husband had been cheating on her.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1955
A grieving widow embarks on a new romance when she discovers her late husband had been cheating on her.
TOP 11:
Criss Cross
Burt Lancaster as: Steve Thompson / Narrator
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release: 1949
Burt Lancaster plays Steve Thompson, a man who seals his dark fate when he returns to Los Angeles to find his ex-wife Anna Dundee (Yvonne DeCarlo) eager to rekindle their love against all better judgement. She encourages their affair but then quickly marries mobster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea). To deflect suspicion of the affair, Steve Thompson leads Dundee into a daylight armored-truck robbery.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release: 1949
Burt Lancaster plays Steve Thompson, a man who seals his dark fate when he returns to Los Angeles to find his ex-wife Anna Dundee (Yvonne DeCarlo) eager to rekindle their love against all better judgement. She encourages their affair but then quickly marries mobster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea). To deflect suspicion of the affair, Steve Thompson leads Dundee into a daylight armored-truck robbery.
TOP 10:
Birdman of Alcatraz
Burt Lancaster as: Robert Stroud
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release: 1962
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release: 1962
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.
TOP 9:
From Here to Eternity
Burt Lancaster as: 1st Sgt. Milton Warden
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Release: 1953
In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second in command are falling in love.
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Release: 1953
In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second in command are falling in love.
TOP 8:
The Killers
Burt Lancaster as: 'Swede' Andersen
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Release: 1946
Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Release: 1946
Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.
TOP 7:
The Train
Burt Lancaster as: Paul Labiche
Genre: Thriller, War
Release: 1964
As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim is desperate to take all of France's greatest paintings to Germany. He manages to secure a train to transport the valuable art works even as the chaos of retreat descends upon them. The French resistance however wants to stop them from stealing their national treasures but have received orders from London that they are not to be destroyed. The station master, Labiche, is tasked with scheduling the train and making it all happen smoothly but he is also part of a dwindling group of resistance fighters tasked with preventing the theft. He and others stage an elaborate ruse to keep the train from ever leaving French territory.
Genre: Thriller, War
Release: 1964
As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim is desperate to take all of France's greatest paintings to Germany. He manages to secure a train to transport the valuable art works even as the chaos of retreat descends upon them. The French resistance however wants to stop them from stealing their national treasures but have received orders from London that they are not to be destroyed. The station master, Labiche, is tasked with scheduling the train and making it all happen smoothly but he is also part of a dwindling group of resistance fighters tasked with preventing the theft. He and others stage an elaborate ruse to keep the train from ever leaving French territory.
TOP 6:
The Swimmer
Burt Lancaster as: Ned Merrill
Genre: Drama
Release: 1968
Neddy Merrill has been away for most of the summer. He reappears at a friend's pool. As they talk, someone notices that there are pools spanning the entire valley. He decided to jog from pool to pool to swim the whole valley. As he stops in each pool his interactions tell his life story.
Genre: Drama
Release: 1968
Neddy Merrill has been away for most of the summer. He reappears at a friend's pool. As they talk, someone notices that there are pools spanning the entire valley. He decided to jog from pool to pool to swim the whole valley. As he stops in each pool his interactions tell his life story.
TOP 5:
La Classe américaine
Burt Lancaster as: José (archive footage)
Genre: Comedy, TV Movie
Release: 1993
George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. With his last breath, he whispers: “Shitty world.” The director of an American newspaper, wondering about the meaning of these intriguing final words, asks his three best investigators, Dave, Peter and Steven, to solve the mystery… (16 French actors dub scenes from various Warner Bros. films to create a parody of “Citizen Kane,” 1941.)
Genre: Comedy, TV Movie
Release: 1993
George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. With his last breath, he whispers: “Shitty world.” The director of an American newspaper, wondering about the meaning of these intriguing final words, asks his three best investigators, Dave, Peter and Steven, to solve the mystery… (16 French actors dub scenes from various Warner Bros. films to create a parody of “Citizen Kane,” 1941.)
TOP 4:
Sweet Smell of Success
Burt Lancaster as: J.J. Hunsecker
Genre: Thriller
Release: 1957
New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can't control is his younger sister, Susan, who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas. Hunsecker strongly disproves of the romance and recruits publicist Sidney Falco to find a way to split the couple, no matter how ruthless the method.
Genre: Thriller
Release: 1957
New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can't control is his younger sister, Susan, who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas. Hunsecker strongly disproves of the romance and recruits publicist Sidney Falco to find a way to split the couple, no matter how ruthless the method.
TOP 3:
The Leopard
Original Title: Il gattopardo
Burt Lancaster as: Don Fabrizio Salina
Genre: Drama
Release: 1963
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.
Burt Lancaster as: Don Fabrizio Salina
Genre: Drama
Release: 1963
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.
TOP 2:
1900
Original Title: Novecento
Burt Lancaster as: Berlinghieri
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Release: 1976
Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils that took place in Italy in the first half on the 20th century.
Burt Lancaster as: Berlinghieri
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Release: 1976
Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils that took place in Italy in the first half on the 20th century.
TOP 1:
Judgment at Nuremberg
Burt Lancaster as: Ernst Janning
Genre: Drama, History
Release: 1961
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
Genre: Drama, History
Release: 1961
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
If you like the best Burt Lancaster movies, then you will also like the best Tony Curtis movies, where many of their films coincide.
