Laurence Fishburne (1961-) is an Oscar®-nominated American actor, playwright, producer, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for playing Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy, Jason “Furious” Styles in the 1991 drama film Boyz n the Hood and Tyrone “Mr. Clean” Miller in the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now. His IMDb page shows 111 acting credits since 1968.
In the table below, Ultimate Movie Rankings ranks 56 of his movies in 6 different sortable columns. Television roles, cameos, shorts and straight to DVD movies were not included in the rankings on the table, but have a spot near the bottom of the page.
Laurence Fishburne 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 Laurence Fishburne movies by movie title and movie trailers.
- Sort Laurence Fishburne movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Laurence Fishburne movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Laurence Fishburne movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Laurence Fishburne 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 Laurence Fishburne movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Laurence Fishburne movie won.
- Sort Laurence Fishburne 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.
| 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 | Apocalypse Now (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Martin Sheen & Marlon Brando |
99.90 | 497.4 | 1,047.90 | 3 | 88 | 08 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 2 | The Color Purple (1985) AA Best Picture Nom |
Whoopi Goldberg & Directed by Steven Spielberg |
94.20 | 331.6 | 500.60 | 4 | 87 | 11 / 00 | 99.5 | |
| 4 | Mystic River (2003) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sean Penn & Directed by Clint Eastwood |
90.10 | 186.8 | 325.10 | 33 | 87 | 06 / 02 | 99.1 | |
| 3 | The Matrix (1999) | Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss |
171.50 | 423.6 | 1,145.10 | 5 | 85 | 04 / 04 | 99.0 | |
| 4 | John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) | Keanu Reeves | 187.10 | 204.0 | 471.30 | 9 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 98.3 | |
| 6 | John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) | Keanu Reeves & Halle Berry |
171.00 | 233.4 | 444.40 | 14 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 97.6 | |
| 5 | Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) | Paul Rudd & Michael Douglas |
216.60 | 295.6 | 849.40 | 9 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 10 | Boyz N the Hood (1991) | Ice Cube | 57.50 | 170.7 | 170.80 | 22 | 84 | 02 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 7 | The Matrix ReLoaded (2003) | Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss |
281.60 | 583.7 | 1,538.40 | 4 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 8 | Mission: Impossible III (2006) | Tom Cruise & Philip Seymour Hoffman |
134.00 | 254.6 | 755.80 | 15 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 94.9 | |
| 9 | Man of Steel (2013) | Russell Crowe & Michael Shannon |
291.00 | 447.5 | 1,027.10 | 5 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 93.3 | |
| 13 | John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) | Keanu Reeves | 92.00 | 128.2 | 239.00 | 35 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 11 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) | Ben Affleck & Amy Adams |
330.40 | 477.4 | 1,261.90 | 8 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 89.3 | |
| 16 | What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) AA Best Actor Nom |
Angela Bassett | 39.10 | 118.1 | 118.10 | 39 | 79 | 02 / 00 | 89.2 | |
| 15 | Contagion (2011) | Kate Winslet & Matt Damon |
75.70 | 119.3 | 213.50 | 45 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 89.2 | |
| 18 | The Mule (2018) | Clint Eastwood & Bradley Cooper |
103.80 | 141.7 | 227.40 | 30 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 88.2 | |
| 16 | Matrix Revolutions (2003) | Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss |
139.30 | 288.8 | 885.90 | 9 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 88.0 | |
| 17 | Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) | Chris Evans | 131.90 | 239.7 | 525.20 | 17 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 19 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) | Heather Langenkamp & Robert Englund |
44.80 | 143.2 | 143.20 | 24 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 84.8 | |
| 19 | Ride Along (2014) | Kevin Hart & Ice Cube |
134.90 | 206.5 | 236.30 | 21 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 84.5 | |
| 20 | Passengers (2016) | Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt |
100.00 | 144.5 | 438.10 | 31 | 58 | 02 / 00 | 84.4 | |
| 22 | 21 (2008) | Kevin Spacey & Kate Bosworth |
81.20 | 141.3 | 278.30 | 37 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 84.2 | |
| 24 | Transformers One (2024) Voice Only |
Chris Hemsworth & Brian Tyree Henry |
59.10 | 59.1 | 128.30 | 35 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 80.8 | |
| 24 | The Cotton Club (1984) | Richard Gere & Nicolas Cage |
25.90 | 96.5 | 96.50 | 39 | 65 | 02 / 00 | 80.4 | |
| 26 | Higher Learning (1995) | Ice Cube | 38.30 | 110.0 | 110.00 | 44 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 79.6 | |
| 24 | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) | Ben Kingsley | 7.30 | 21.9 | 21.90 | 122 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 79.0 | |
| 27 | Red Heat (1988) | Arnold Schwarzenegger & James Belushi |
35.00 | 106.4 | 106.40 | 30 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 28 | Class Action (1991) | Gene Hackman & Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio |
24.30 | 72.1 | 72.10 | 54 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 75.7 | |
| 28 | Akeelah and the Bee (2006) | Angela Bassett | 18.80 | 35.8 | 36.00 | 117 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 75.7 | |
| 31 | Predators (2010) | Adrien Brody & Topher Grace |
52.00 | 82.4 | 201.50 | 66 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 31 | Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975) | Basketball Movies & Moses Gunn |
4.80 | 29.6 | 29.60 | 70 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 72.5 | |
| 30 | Deep Cover (1992) | Jeff Goldblum & Lira Angel |
16.60 | 50.1 | 50.10 | 74 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 33 | Hoodlum (1997) | Tim Roth | 23.50 | 64.0 | 64.00 | 82 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 66.3 | |
| 35 | TMNT (2007) | Chris Evans & Patrick Stewart |
54.10 | 98.4 | 173.70 | 46 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 66.1 | |
| 36 | The Amateur (2025) | Rami Malek | 40.80 | 40.8 | 96.00 | 45 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 63.5 | |
| 35 | Rumble Fish (1983) | Nicolas Cage & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola |
2.50 | 9.9 | 9.90 | 106 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 60.3 | |
| 37 | Just Cause (1995) | Sean Connery & Kate Capshaw |
36.90 | 105.9 | 180.60 | 47 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 59.8 | |
| 40 | Fast Break (1979) | Basketball Movies & Gabe Kaplan |
23.70 | 117.9 | 117.90 | 42 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 58.2 | |
| 35 | The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) HBO Movie |
John Lithgow | 0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 246 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 57.9 | |
| 38 | Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) | Ethan Hawke & Gabriel Byrne |
20.00 | 39.1 | 70.40 | 117 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 57.5 | |
| 40 | Miss Evers' Boys (1997) HBO Movie |
Alfre Woodard | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 320 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 56.2 | |
| 40 | King of New York (1990) | Christopher Walken & Wesley Snipes |
2.60 | 7.5 | 7.50 | 136 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 53.4 | |
| 42 | Last Flag Flying (2017) | Bryan Cranston & Steve Carell |
1.00 | 1.3 | 1.40 | 185 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 53.2 | |
| 43 | School Daze (1988) | Samuel L. Jackson & Directed by Spike Lee |
14.50 | 44.2 | 44.20 | 66 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 53.0 | |
| 42 | Othello (1995) | Kenneth Branagh | 2.80 | 8.2 | 8.20 | 163 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 52.7 | |
| 45 | Osmosis Jones (2001) | Bill Murray & Chris Rock |
13.60 | 30.1 | 31.00 | 119 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 50.0 | |
| 49 | Fled (1996) | Will Patton | 17.20 | 48.6 | 48.60 | 92 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 46.6 | |
| 47 | Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019) | Cate Blanchett | 9.20 | 12.6 | 13.10 | 123 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 46.0 | |
| 48 | Rudderless (2014) | Billy Crudup & Anton Yelchin |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 246 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 45.4 | |
| 48 | Band of the Hand (1986) | Stephen Lang | 4.90 | 16.4 | 16.40 | 105 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 44.4 | |
| 51 | Event Horizon (1997) | Sam Neill | 26.70 | 72.6 | 72.60 | 75 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
| 51 | Bobby (2006) | Anthony Hopkins & Demi Moore |
11.20 | 21.4 | 39.30 | 154 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 42.3 | |
| 53 | Willie & Phil (1980) | Michael Ontkean & Margot Kidder |
4.40 | 21.2 | 21.20 | 107 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 41.3 | |
| 55 | Armored (2009) | Matt Dillon & Jean Reno |
16.00 | 26.6 | 38.20 | 117 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 40.6 | |
| 53 | Death To 2020 (2020) | Samuel L. Jackson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 211 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 40.3 | |
| 56 | Quicksilver (1986) | Kevin Bacon | 7.60 | 25.7 | 25.70 | 80 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 37.0 | |
| 57 | All The Old Knives (2022) Amazon |
Chris Pine | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 254 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 36.8 | |
| 58 | Death Wish II (1982) | Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland |
16.10 | 68.5 | 68.50 | 43 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 32.5 | |
| 57 | The Standoff (2016) | Thomas Jane | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 398 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.6 | |
| 58 | The Signal (2014) | Brenton Thwaites | 0.60 | 0.9 | 0.90 | 191 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 30.1 | |
| 63 | Biker Boyz (2003) | Derek Luke & Orlando Jones |
22.10 | 45.8 | 45.80 | 103 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 24.9 | |
| 59 | Bad Company (1995) | Ellen Barkin | 3.70 | 10.6 | 10.60 | 156 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 24.1 | |
| 62 | Gardens of Stone (1987) | James Caan & Anjelica Huston |
5.30 | 16.8 | 16.80 | 103 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 22.7 | |
| 64 | The School For Good And Evil (2022) Netflix |
Cate Blanchett | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 293 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 21.7 | |
| 63 | Once in the Life (2000) | Gregory Hines | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 272 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 21.7 | |
| 64 | The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007) VOD Release |
Paul Walker | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.80 | 366 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 21.6 | |
| 67 | Cadence (1990) | Charlie Sheen & Martin Sheen |
2.10 | 6.1 | 6.10 | 148 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 18.0 | |
| 68 | Khumba (2013) | Liam Neeson & Steve Buscemi |
0.10 | 0.1 | 41.90 | 290 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 14.0 | |
| 68 | Megalopolis (2024) | Adam Driver & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola |
6.50 | 6.5 | 7.40 | 99 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 12.3 | |
| 69 | Cherry 2000 (1987) | Melanie Griffith & Ben Johnson |
0.00 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 262 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 11.9 | |
| 70 | The Ice Road (2021) Netflix |
Liam Neeson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 328 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 11.1 | |
| 71 | Imprisoned (2018) Limited Release |
Edward James Olmos | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 306 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 9.5 | |
| 72 | Running with the Devil (2019) Limited Release |
Nicolas Cage | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 361 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 8.9 | |
| 73 | The Colony (2013) | Bill Paxton & Kevin Zegers |
0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 356 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 7.7 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Laurence Fishburne Table
1. 15 Laurence Fishburne movies crossed the magical $100 million mark. That is a percentage of 26.79% of his movies listed. His top box office hit is The Matrix ReLoaded (2003) .
2. An average Laurence Fishburne movie grosses $81.30 million in adjusted box office gross.
3. Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 31 Laurence Fishburne movies are rated as good movies…or 55.35% of his movies. His highest rated movie is Apocalypse Now (1979). His lowest rated movie is Fast Break (1979) .
4. 9 Laurence Fishburne movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 16.07% of his movies.
5. 3 Laurence Fishburne movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 5.35% of his movies.
6. A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 60.00. 27 Laurence Fishburne movies scored higher that average….or 34.37% of his movies. Apocalypse Now (1979) got the highest UMR Score…. while Cherry 2000 (1988) got the lowest UMR Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Laurence Fishburne
1. Laurence John Fishburne III was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1961.
2. Laurence Fishburne studied acting at the Lincoln Square Academy in Manhattan, New York City. He was originally credited as “Larry” versus “”Laurence”.
3. Laurence Fishburne was 14 years old when he was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979); he had celebrated his 15th and 16th birthdays during the making of the film. Saved Emilio Estevez from being sucked under by quicksand, while they were relaxing off the set.
4. Laurence Fishburne became friends with writer/director John Singleton when Singleton was a production assistant and Fishburne was an actor (“Cowboy Curtis”) on the popular children’s TV program Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986). They would later make 1991’s Boyz n the Hood.
5. Laurence Fishburne is often mistaken for Samuel L. Jackson and vice versa. According to Jackson, they have stood right next to each other, and people still call them by the wrong names.
6. Laurence Fishburne on his character in the Matrix movies – “Morpheus was like being Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in one character.”
7. Laurence Fishburne turned down the role of Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) five times. When he learned that Angela Bassett had won the role of Ike Turner, he changed his mind. They both received Oscar® nominations for their roles.
8. Laurence Fishburne has been married twice and has three children.
9. Laurence Fishburne is an Ambassador for the United Nations Childrens’ Emergency Fund (UNICEF), an agency of the United Nations which helps children all over the world with educational, health and humanitarian assistance.
10. Check out Laurence Fishburne’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Hey Steve….Death Wish 2 is now on the table.
“You are the one, Neo.” Good to see Morpheus getting a factfilled UMR page
I’ve seen 28 of the 55 films on the chart. Favorites include The Matrix Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, Man of Steel, Mission Impossible III, John Wick 2, Batman v Superman, Fantastic Four 2, Passengers, Cotton Club and A Nightmare on Elm St 3.
He also played a member of the gang Charles Bronson was after in Death Wish 2.
I haven’t seen Boyz n the Hood or Whats Love Got to do with it.
Enjoyed the trivia. Good stuff Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve
1. Thanks for checking out our latest page.
2. Tally count….me 39 , you 28, bob cox 18 and a surprise tally count from Flora…..4.
3. Seen all of your favorite Fishburne movies except for Nightmare 3….not a huge horror fan…..have seen some of that movie….just not from beginning to end.
4. I liked The Matrix….but not the last two parts of that trilogy. But it was fun seeing them together again in John Wick 2.
5. They are going to both be in John Wick 3 as well.
6. I forgot to add in Death Wish 2…..will fix that soon.
7. Good feedback as always.
I’ve found two errors on this page. Below the photograph for What’s Love Got to Do With It on the left side you have the phrase “Danny DeVito and Arnold from 1988’s Twins.”
Also in the instructions for sorting movies by Oscar nominations, you have Danny DeVito’s name there too.
Thanks Flora…..I will fix those errors….currently WoC has the database…so I will have to change them after she works her magic. Thanks for the heads up.
I saw 18. apocalypse now( not redux) and matrix are favorites. those 2 and color purple are in my top 500. hidden gem searching for bobby fisher
Hey bob cox……thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on Laurence Fishburne. You tally of 18 is currently sitting in third place….behind my 39 and Steve’s 28. I am right there with you about A.N. Redux and The Matrix…not a huge fan of The Color Purple. Bobby Fisher is a very interesting movie……hidden gem is a great way to describe it.
I tried leaving a long comment on this page, but it disappeared. I will try again.
I said that normally I would not comment on a current star when I have seen so few of his movies, but two of the films I have seen have been on the big screen: Apocalypse Now: Redux (I have seen the original theatrical version on DVD) and Mystic River.
Apocalypse Now isn’t really my type of movie, but I am a Martin Sheen fan and I had never seen him as a young man on the big screen (though he and Emilio look like the same man at different ages.) Also, I wanted to see it because Sheen nearly died of a heart attack. That was a heavy and bizarre film. Fishburne had an expanded part in the Redux version.
Mystic River was a satisfying murder mystery. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If they made more movies like that now, I might go out to the movies but they rarely do. I must admit that there is also a financial reason. I cannot really afford going to the movies.
I have seen a third movie: Rumble Fish. I don’t remember much about it.
I also used to watch CSI. I enjoyed Fishburne’s character even if a lot of other fans didn’t.
I see I have missed one of his movies. I have also seen Cadence, again with Martin Sheen. So my total is 4 movies.
Hey Flora….(1)…those pesky “DeVito” errors have been fixed. (2) Cadence was a Apocalyspe Now reunion….for both Sheens and Fishburne. I imagine they shared some Apocalyspe Now stories while filming Cadence. Thanks again for the heads up on those errors.
Hey Flora….thanks for checking out our Laurence Fishburne page. Sorry your long comment disappeared. Thanks for the mini-reviews of Apocalpyse Now and Mystic River. I like you can barely remember Rumble Fish…..so my tally does not include that movie. I have 39 of these movies…including the Top 12….my first miss is What’s Love Got To Do With It….which I need to see…especially since it is his only Oscar nominated performance.