Top Movie Stars of the 1960s

Who were the Top Movie Stars of the 1960s statistically?  This page will attempt to answer that question.  Our main source of information was our Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) pages that covered movie stars that made movies in the 1960s. So far we have box office grosses on 1,644 movies made between 1960 and 1969.  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.

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 1960 – 1969

    1. 1st John Wayne $3,182,500,000
  1.  2nd Julie Andrews $2,973,600,000
  2. 3rd Paul Newman $2,788,000,00
  3. 4th Sean Connery $2,665,000,000
  4. 5th Richard Burton $2,656,000,000
  5. 6th Omar Sharif  $2,441,600,000
  6. 7th Roddy McDowall $2,222,000,000
  7. 8th Dean Martin $2,212,800,000
  8. 9th Tony Curtis $2,071,000,000
  9. 10th Jack Lemmon $2,044,900,000
  10. 11th Rod Steiger $1,994,300,000
  11. 12th Henry Fonda $1,992,600,000
  12. 13th George Kennedy $1,980,300,000
  13. 14th Rod Taylor $1,920,600,000
  14. 15th Alec Guinness $1,902,000,000

Top 15 Average Critic/Audience Rating Leaders 1960 – 1969 (minimum 8 movies)

    1. Laurence Olivier  75.6 % critic and audience voting
      Burt Lancaster  75.1 % critic and audience voting
      Steve McQueen  74.9 % critic and audience voting
      Peter O’Toole  74.3 % critic and audience voting
      Jean Simmons 74.7% critic and audience voting
      Sean Connery  73.2 % critic and audience voting
      Lee Marvin  72.6 % critic and audience voting
      Julie Christie 72.6% critic and audience voting
      Jack Lemmon  71.3 % critic and audience voting
      Alec Guinness  71.3 % critic and audience voting
      Gregory Peck  70.9 % critic and audience voting
      Michael Caine  70.3 % critic and audience voting
      Anthony Quinn  69.9 % critic and audience voting
      Henry Fonda 69.6% critic and audience voting
      Audrey Hepburn 79.9% critic and audience voting

Top 15 Average UMR Score (Box Office, Reviews, Awards) Per Movie 1960-1969 (minimum 8 movies)

    1. Peter O’Toole
      Audrey Hepburn
      Jack Lemmon
  1.  John Wayne
  2.  Lee Marvin
  3. Natalie Wood
  4. Sean Connery
  5. Omar Sharif
  6. Steve McQueen
  7. Gregory Peck
  8. Richard Harris
  9. Paul Newman
  10. Hayley Mills
  11. Burt Lancaster
  12. Sidney Poitier

Top Movie Stars 1960-1969 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 1960 and 1969
  • Sort by total adjusted domestic box office from 1960 to 1969
  • Sort by total adjusted worldwide box office from 1960 to 1969
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each performers’ movies earned
  • Sort by highest average UMR Score (best combo of box office, reviews & awards)
Box Office RankThespianMoviesAdj. Domestic B.O.Adj Worldwide B.O.AVG Review %Oscar Noms / WinsAVG UMR Score
John Wayne19$3,182,500,000$4,533,600,00067.1 %025 / 0774.30
Julie Andrews7$2,973,600,000$4,874,900,00074.5 %046 / 1187.37
Paul Newman20$2,788,000,000$3,090,300,00067.3 %042 / 1271.15
Sean Connery13$2,665,000,000$5,787,100,00073.2 %006 / 0369.98
Richard Burton20$2,656,000,000$3,110,200,00063.0 %059 / 1668.65
Omar Sharif14$2,441,600,000$3,363,400,00068.3 %029 / 1365.44
Roddy McDowall20$2,222,000,000$2,770,600,00060.5 %025 / 0660.32
Dean Martin24$2,212,800,000$2,610,700,00056.9 %006 / 0061.24
Tony Curtis19$2,071,000,000$2,071,000,00068.9 %015 / 0567.02
Jack Lemmon13$2,044,900,000$2,072,100,00071.3 %029 / 0977.07
Rod Steiger11$1,994,300,000$2,906,300,00068.7 %024 / 1268.75
Henry Fonda18$1,992,600,000$2,616,900,00069.6 %015 / 0566.64
George Kennedy23$1,980,300,000$1,980,200,00069.5 %023 / 0265.05
Rod Taylor18$1,920,600,000$2,423,000,00065.7 %005 / 0260.91
Alec Guinness10$1,902,000,000$2,813,600,00071.3 %023 / 1265.56
Doris Day14$1,892,800,000$2,016,900,00064.2 %006 / 0069.40
Natalie Wood12$1,888,800,000$1,939,700,00068.6 %033 / 1273.83
Peter O'Toole14$1,839,600,000$2,006,200,00070.3 %034 / 1172.05
Karl Malden19$1,833,500,000$2,660,000,00066.8 %018 / 0364.84
Katharine Ross8$1,829,600,000$2,652,100,00067.8 %016 / 0569.45
Elvis Presley27$1,814,400,000$1,814,600,00055.9 %000 / 0056.71
Sidney Poitier16$1,784,000,000$1,859,200,00069.5 %036 / 0969.24
Walter Matthau16$1,782,400,000$1,796,900,00069.5 %015 / 0569.18
Frank Sinatra18$1,780,200,000$2,061,600,00062.0 %008 / 0064.27
Dick Van Dyke11$1,771,000,000$2,679,500,00063.1 %019 / 0567.85
Gregory Peck12$1,758,000,000$2,365,300,00070.9 %029 / 0871.44
Richard Harris12$1,744,800,000$1,744,500,00069.3 %029 / 0468.81
Steve McQueen14$1,703,800,000$2,081,200,00074.9 %021 / 0271.84
Elizabeth Taylor11$1,691,800,000$2,266,300,00053.8 %028 / 1265.25
Anthony Quinn20$1,676,000,000$1,754,300,00069.9 %029 / 1162.61
Eleanor Parker8$1,676,000,000$2,842,000,00060.8 %012 / 0560.62
Rex Harrison10$1,675,000,000$2,137,700,00061.5 %036 / 1467.60
Peter Lawford14$1,643,600,000$1,727,200,00059.3 %017 / 0363.40
Ralph Richardson13$1,639,300,000$2,554,800,00072.2 %015 / 0661.78
Robert Ryan14$1,632,400,000$1,632,600,00068.8 %015 / 0366.38
Robert Mitchum21$1,608,600,000$1,781,700,00063.5 %014 / 0260.33
Telly Savalas19$1,601,700,000$2,091,700,00066.0 %015 / 0162.59
David Niven15$1,593,000,000$1,916,800,00059.2 %011 / 0162.12
Spencer Tracy6$1,588,200,000$2,224,600,00075.2 %039 / 0885.46
Lee Marvin12$1,575,600,000$1,773,400,00072.6 %022 / 0473.89
James Garner19$1,569,400,000$1,587,900,00069.0 %011 / 0365.37
Eli Wallach18$1,564,200,000$2,680,700,00066.4 %011 / 0362.42
Charlton Heston13$1,539,200,000$1,614,000,00068.8 %019 / 0067.22
Christopher Plummer10$1,537,000,000$2,638,500,00064.3 %014 / 0557.82
George Peppard15$1,521,000,000$2,212,500,00066.1 %014 / 0563.08
Martin Balsam15$1,482,000,000$1,719,200,00074.9 %015 / 0366.64
Debbie Reynolds12$1,477,200,000$2,142,200,00066.1 %023 / 0368.70
John Gavin10$1,437,000,000$1,674,100,00072.7 %019 / 0568.54
Jack Albertson15$1,432,500,000$1,460,700,00065.6 %009 / 0264.49
Peter Sellers24$1,428,000,000$1,570,600,00066.8 %008 / 0060.45
Audrey Hepburn9$1,422,000,000$1,421,600,00079.9 %025 / 1078.40
Hayley Mills12$1,419,600,000$1,419,300,00071.8 %003 / 0068.42
Kirk Douglas19$1,417,400,000$1,598,000,00068.1 %012 / 0461.89
Brian Keith18$1,414,800,000$1,414,100,00059.9 %011 / 0059.29
James Stewart13$1,404,000,000$2,262,000,00064.4 %013 / 0365.36
Julie Christie9$1,384,200,000$2,296,700,00072.6 %016 / 0863.61
William Demarest6$1,369,800,000$1,428,100,00069.4 %013 / 0178.09
Rock Hudson15$1,368,000,000$1,367,700,00064.5 %006 / 0062.68
Shirley MacLaine15$1,363,500,000$1,478,900,00062.2 %031 / 0664.91
George Sanders11$1,362,900,000$1,430,100,00063.6 %002 / 0061.25
Edmond O'Brien15$1,345,500,000$1,503,600,00071.6 %020 / 0466.29
Charles Bronson17$1,343,000,000$1,887,400,00065.6 %007 / 0260.71
Fred MacMurray7$1,337,700,000$1,377,500,00066.3 %017 / 0576.49
Lee J. Cobb8$1,337,600,000$2,031,300,00068.2 %012 / 0472.57
Arthur Kennedy17$1,336,200,000$1,467,800,00065.1 %022 / 1261.19
James Coburn18$1,312,200,000$1,689,100,00069.5 %005 / 0063.42
Laurence Harvey21$1,262,100,000$1,683,200,00061.5 %021 / 0657.61
Jerry Lewis17$1,252,900,000$1,252,500,00061.0 %001 / 0060.18
Dustin Hoffman5$1,244,000,000$1,921,600,00062.8 %014 / 0468.29
Robert Duvall8$1,237,600,000$1,237,300,00074.8 %015 / 0573.93
Elsa Lanchester8$1,235,200,000$2,038,500,00061.2 %013 / 0562.13
Carroll Baker11$1,234,200,000$2,048,100,00061.5 %014 / 0361.46
Richard Widmark13$1,231,100,000$2,270,100,00065.4 %027 / 0663.09
Burt Lancaster16$1,230,400,000$1,393,000,00075.1 %027 / 0569.17
Jane Fonda17$1,220,600,000$1,240,800,00064.1 %017 / 0262.05
Dean Jones9$1,210,500,000$1,210,100,00066.6 %000 / 0068.38
Peter Falk15$1,189,500,000$1,268,900,00060.5 %017 / 0258.43
Janet Leigh11$1,174,800,000$1,522,100,00068.6 %016 / 0065.24
Dennis Hopper11$1,159,400,000$1,176,700,00072.2 %008 / 0265.64
Sophia Loren16$1,123,200,000$1,123,000,00062.4 %008 / 0159.25
George Segal15$1,110,000,000$1,187,900,00064.8 %028 / 0961.63
Trevor Howard16$1,100,800,000$1,100,500,00065.8 %020 / 0260.53
Marlon Brando13$1,099,800,000$1,099,700,00065.2 %010 / 0062.59
Thelma Ritter10$1,096,000,000$1,747,400,00070.4 %014 / 0367.80
Robert Redford9$1,085,400,000$1,229,800,00067.8 %011 / 0463.54
José Ferrer7$1,075,900,000$1,150,900,00067.5 %023 / 0970.59
Red Buttons10$1,069,000,000$1,069,000,00064.5 %015 / 0364.12
Shelley Winters14$1,069,600,000$1,120,700,00066.8 %015 / 0164.54
Vera Miles13$1,058,200,000$1,415,800,00066.2 %006 / 0060.15
Bruce Dern15$1,051,500,000$1,138,500,00068.8 %016 / 0163.67
Jeffrey Hunter21$1,043,700,000$1,059,700,00058.9 %005 / 0253.46
Sal Mineo8$1,026,400,000$1,232,600,00058.8 %015 / 0363.73
Michael J. Pollard9$1,024,200,000$1,024,000,00067.9 %015 / 0266.99
Frankie Avalon22$996,600,000$1,296,900,00049.7 %007 / 0149.36
Eva Marie Saint7$994,000,000$994,300,00063.7 %011 / 0571.29
Deborah Kerr12$991,200,000$1,176,100,00063.0 %011 / 0163.25
Ann-Margret13$986,700,000$986,900,00061.0 %006 / 0060.19
Robert Wagner11$981,200,000$1,065,600,00061.4 %007 / 0260.78
Peter Ustinov11$979,000,000$979,200,00067.3 %014 / 0564.35
Gene Hackman11$979,000,000$979,100,00064.4 %021 / 0360.08
Don Knotts9$969,300,000$969,600,00067.4 %006 / 0163.70
Robert Morley23$961,400,000$1,011,400,00060.9 %003 / 0154.19
Edward G. Robinson12$937,200,000$1,179,100,00061.6 %010 / 0061.07
Anne Bancroft5$935,500,000$1,613,000,00078.0 %015 / 0373.28
Clint Eastwood7$935,200,000$935,400,00077.2 %001 / 0075.94
Dorothy McGuire5$932,500,000$1,007,200,00069.4 %006 / 0072.18
James Mason20$932,000,000$931,100,00061.1 %007 / 0056.34
William Holden11$928,400,000$1,071,000,00059.8 %003 / 0060.79
Martin Landau4$923,200,000$1,451,900,00057.8 %014 / 0469.82
Ernest Borgnine12$920,400,000$920,400,00066.0 %012 / 0160.74
Jean Simmons9$904,500,000$904,700,00073.7 %014 / 0768.30
Cliff Robertson15$903,000,000$938,400,00064.4 %002 / 0160.49
Yvette Mimieux16$900,800,000$1,050,300,00059.0 %006 / 0256.56
Harry Morgan10$890,000,000$1,620,800,00062.4 %014 / 0360.81
Ray Walston9$882,000,000$882,400,00060.6 %012 / 0563.65
Shirley Jones9$872,100,000$930,200,00066.7 %020 / 0467.34
Agnes Moorehead8$865,600,000$1,472,700,00065.0 %016 / 0364.80
John Cassavetes10$865,000,000$864,700,00075.4 %009 / 0264.06
Maureen O'Hara7$863,800,000$864,000,00068.8 %002 / 0068.16
George Cukor5$859,500,000$859,500,00058.8 %013 / 0867.96
Tony Randall12$858,000,000$887,800,00063.0 %003 / 0058.54
Angie Dickinson16$856,000,000$899,800,00061.1 %003 / 0056.03
Cary Grant5$855,500,000$855,700,00076.5 %007 / 0181.14
Lee Grant9$846,900,000$847,000,00060.9 %013 / 0662.11
George C. Scott8$829,600,000$838,600,00075.6 %014 / 0270.08
Mickey Rooney12$826,800,000$831,900,00055.3 %011 / 0352.82
Carol Lynley13$819,000,000$818,700,00060.7 %008 / 0057.94
Charles Boyer10$815,000,000$1,173,500,00062.7 %009 / 0063.62
Annette Funicello13$804,700,000$805,300,00051.2 %002 / 0053.83
Jacqueline Bisset9$796,500,000$939,900,00061.7 %004 / 0158.93
Claude Rains4$789,200,000$864,000,00064.0 %017 / 0770.79
Peter Fonda8$779,200,000$778,800,00066.8 %002 / 0063.51
Robert Preston5$778,500,000$1,386,000,00068.6 %015 / 0469.30
Cloris Leachman2$763,800,000$908,600,00066.2 %007 / 0478.81
Burgess Meredith12$758,400,000$775,600,00062.5 %009 / 0059.46
Sandra Dee12$757,200,000$756,800,00063.3 %000 / 0059.07
Harry Dean Stanton8$746,400,000$1,383,900,00061.2 %012 / 0458.86
Walter Brennan5$734,500,000$1,341,900,00067.7 %008 / 0368.73
Faye Dunaway7$730,100,000$730,400,00059.5 %012 / 0360.11
Angela Lansbury12$720,000,000$795,000,00064.0 %009 / 0059.59
Warren Beatty8$716,800,000$752,400,00066.8 %013 / 0362.09
Orson Welles17$715,700,000$899,700,00062.1 %013 / 0756.25
Ava Gardner6$714,600,000$734,200,00065.1 %009 / 0167.00
Robert Shaw8$711,200,000$1,291,200,00070.8 %008 / 0665.66
Jack Benny3$708,000,000$708,000,00067.0 %006 / 0174.45
Robert Cummings6$704,400,000$809,800,00055.5 %003 / 0060.61
Susan Hayward8$703,200,000$703,000,00057.2 %003 / 0057.23
Jim Brown8$698,400,000$698,500,00061.4 %006 / 0159.37
Royal Dano11$691,900,000$816,600,00061.6 %003 / 0057.67
Richard Crenna7$686,700,000$690,300,00066.5 %019 / 0165.41
Ben Johnson10$681,000,000$812,300,00065.8 %004 / 0061.80
Yul Brynner19$680,200,000$1,057,500,00058.2 %006 / 0052.59
Kim Novak9$679,500,000$738,100,00059.5 %007 / 0060.12
Joanne Woodward10$680,000,000$734,600,00060.3 %008 / 0060.56
Gene Kelly6$667,800,000$802,600,00069.5 %015 / 0369.82
John Saxon10$666,000,000$666,100,00060.7 %006 / 0059.07
Lee Remick12$662,400,000$689,800,00067.7 %005 / 0160.77
Bob Hope11$660,000,000$659,800,00053.2 %005 / 0154.74
Richard Attenborough12$656,400,000$687,500,00069.4 %021 / 0260.06
Glenn Ford18$655,200,000$877,100,00063.1 %009 / 0055.55
Barbra Streisand2$642,800,000$642,700,00079.6 %015 / 0499.48
Laurence Olivier10$642,000,000$674,900,00075.6 %014 / 0463.88
Gig Young8$636,800,000$637,000,00064.2 %012 / 0161.91
Katharine Hepburn4$632,400,000$632,400,00072.7 %018 / 0580.27
Vincent Price18$628,200,000$628,600,00062.7 %000 / 0054.80
Rita Moreno6$624,600,000$624,500,00067.5 %011 / 1062.40
Anthony Perkins8$618,400,000$856,100,00074.5 %005 / 0062.86
Mel Ferrer9$618,300,000$624,800,00062.8 %006 / 0258.03
Michael Caine13$613,600,000$613,700,00070.3 %008 / 0060.56
Vanessa Redgrave10$612,000,000$611,500,00071.9 %018 / 0964.69
Tuesday Weld12$609,600,000$609,900,00060.2 %001 / 0055.04
Louis Jourdan5$607,000,000$607,100,00058.9 %006 / 0265.15
Walter Pidgeon6$604,800,000$604,600,00069.7 %008 / 0164.53
Dean Jagger9$594,900,000$728,800,00063.0 %006 / 0360.70
Alain Delon25$592,500,000$1,584,100,00067.7 %003 / 0055.00
Albert Finney7$589,400,000$589,100,00070.3 %012 / 0463.56
Elisha Cook Jr.10$589,000,000$594,700,00060.0 %004 / 0254.99
Scatman Crothers8$584,000,000$616,700,00056.8 %007 / 0357.42
George Raft6$573,000,000$715,900,00051.9 %001 / 0059.33
Ethel Merman2$571,200,000$571,100,00071.5 %006 / 0177.46
Max Von Sydow5$567,000,000$661,500,00057.7 %014 / 0163.09
Warren Oates13$560,300,000$560,500,00065.9 %011 / 0558.56
The Beatles8$554,400,000$554,500,00072.1 %003 / 0164.94
Jason Robards13$551,200,000$568,600,00070.1 %007 / 0159.59
Sylvia Miles4$545,600,000$608,800,00071.1 %007 / 0369.54
Ed Begley10$543,000,000$563,000,00061.4 %012 / 0157.77
Jack Nicholson8$540,800,000$554,800,00064.7 %002 / 0058.19
Sandy Dennis7$530,600,000$530,600,00072.8 %015 / 0667.60
Charles Laughton3$525,900,000$525,800,00083.0 %006 / 0476.22
Bette Davis8$523,200,000$603,200,00070.3 %016 / 0165.31
Rip Torn6$520,200,000$520,300,00069.5 %005 / 0164.01
Ralph Bellamy3$517,800,000$517,900,00082.9 %009 / 0181.73
Peter Finch17$513,400,000$545,500,00061.6 %004 / 0053.31
Joe E. Brown2$503,200,000$503,100,00074.3 %006 / 0173.49
Leo G. Carroll5$501,000,000$500,900,00067.5 %002 / 0062.31
Pat Boone9$500,400,000$575,700,00057.4 %005 / 0055.54
Dana Andrews13$497,900,000$497,500,00057.9 %001 / 0052.98
Lucille Ball4$492,400,000$492,200,00060.5 %005 / 0167.12
Donald Sutherland6$492,000,000$491,800,00069.6 %004 / 0160.87
Alan Ladd6$489,600,000$489,600,00054.9 %000 / 0054.53
Kurt Russell7$489,300,000$489,600,00058.5 %000 / 0058.63
Alan Bates12$482,400,000$482,100,00074.0 %018 / 0462.43
Gene Wilder2$479,600,000$479,600,00087.7 %012 / 0387.61
Oliver Reed14$473,200,000$473,100,00066.4 %015 / 0655.73
Raquel Welch14$473,200,000$472,700,00055.4 %006 / 0251.72
Mia Farrow5$468,000,000$498,600,00068.4 %002 / 0162.41
Paul Lukas6$465,600,000$552,300,00060.0 %002 / 0060.36
Rosalind Russell7$460,600,000$472,800,00067.1 %004 / 0062.22
Patricia Neal5$447,000,000$447,000,00075.6 %015 / 0673.57
Gina Lollobrigida7$446,600,000$446,300,00061.1 %000 / 0057.82
Leslie Caron8$444,800,000$610,700,00066.5 %011 / 0160.92
Lee Van Cleef4$443,200,000$563,000,00086.3 %001 / 0075.93
Alan Arkin7$442,400,000$442,400,00068.2 %007 / 0062.43
Jean-Paul Belmondo30$435,000,000$1,703,000,00066.8 %005 / 0153.55
Lew Ayres2$421,200,000$421,100,00070.5 %000 / 0074.03
Woody Allen3$420,300,000$563,500,00057.3 %002 / 0068.15
Myrna Loy3$419,700,000$419,800,00062.8 %001 / 0071.36
Jean Seberg15$417,000,000$553,100,00059.9 %001 / 0051.77
Ingrid Bergman4$416,400,000$425,400,00069.3 %002 / 0168.83
Troy Donahue9$410,400,000$473,400,00059.3 %000 / 0054.91
Ruth Gordon4$405,600,000$405,700,00073.1 %005 / 0169.20
Dirk Bogarde18$401,400,000$420,600,00067.2 %008 / 0455.19
Jon Voight3$397,200,000$397,200,00074.7 %007 / 0368.86
Van Johnson5$393,000,000$405,200,00057.6 %002 / 0058.59
Greer Garson4$391,600,000$489,500,00063.8 %013 / 0067.55
Lana Turner7$389,200,000$389,000,00054.5 %000 / 0054.24
Bing Crosby4$387,600,000$466,400,00055.6 %003 / 0061.24
Don Rickles8$386,400,000$386,300,00053.5 %000 / 0052.47
Melvyn Douglas6$384,600,000$384,300,00068.8 %010 / 0364.83
Montgomery Clift5$379,000,000$423,000,00074.5 %013 / 0269.22
Peter Lorre8$376,800,000$377,100,00063.5 %000 / 0056.73
Van Heflin8$376,000,000$451,000,00056.6 %005 / 0053.69
Candice Bergen5$372,000,000$372,100,00064.9 %009 / 0059.99
Ron Howard4$364,800,000$364,600,00055.9 %006 / 0158.86
Mary Tyler Moore5$354,000,000$353,900,00056.4 %007 / 0155.46
Aldo Ray10$353,000,000$535,400,00054.5 %000 / 0051.64
Jack Palance5$350,000,000$366,900,00068.2 %003 / 0063.69
Wendy Hiller3$348,300,000$348,200,00069.8 %016 / 0774.94
Lillian Gish4$339,600,000$339,500,00060.4 %000 / 0061.53
Elliott Gould2$327,200,000$327,200,00063.5 %004 / 0073.02
Scott Wilson4$321,600,000$321,700,00070.3 %007 / 0568.17
Fred Astaire4$316,800,000$388,100,00061.6 %002 / 0062.07
Fredric March5$307,500,000$336,700,00078.9 %006 / 0067.29
Shirley Knight8$307,200,000$306,800,00069.1 %004 / 0159.18
Dyan Cannon3$306,300,000$306,400,00067.3 %005 / 0065.30
Herbert Marshall7$303,100,000$313,600,00057.1 %002 / 0053.15
Joseph Cotten7$294,700,000$314,200,00059.7 %009 / 0055.78
Geraldine Page8$294,400,000$333,900,00066.8 %007 / 0159.54
Brigitte Bardot13$292,500,000$484,000,00059.4 %001 / 0051.91
Maggie Smith8$289,600,000$289,400,00070.1 %009 / 0260.75
Charles Bickford4$288,400,000$333,800,00066.0 %005 / 0162.99
Boris Karloff9$288,000,000$288,200,00059.6 %000 / 0052.94
Jack Warden6$284,400,000$363,000,00063.3 %000 / 0057.13
Jane Russell4$282,000,000$281,900,00059.3 %001 / 0058.87
Joan Crawford6$281,400,000$336,100,00056.4 %006 / 0154.27
Mary Astor3$279,000,000$279,000,00065.7 %007 / 0066.22
John Gielgud9$278,100,000$278,100,00071.4 %014 / 0159.13
James Caan9$276,300,000$276,300,00056.3 %000 / 0051.30
Burl Ives7$273,700,000$287,700,00061.0 %000 / 0054.40
Terence Stamp8$272,000,000$304,800,00070.5 %005 / 0058.71
Edward Asner6$262,800,000$262,900,00061.0 %002 / 0055.23
Goldie Hawn2$262,000,000$261,900,00069.8 %001 / 0176.27
Donald Crisp4$258,000,000$258,100,00074.6 %000 / 0064.85
Marilyn Monroe2$254,000,000$297,900,00074.0 %001 / 0074.99
Lauren Bacall3$250,200,000$301,900,00068.0 %000 / 0064.89
Jane Wyman3$248,400,000$248,400,00061.0 %002 / 0061.77
Michael Redgrave10$246,000,000$245,500,00073.6 %002 / 0057.37
Jeff Chandler4$238,800,000$238,800,00062.8 %000 / 0058.73
Gena Rowlands6$237,000,000$237,000,00071.2 %003 / 0060.89
Art Carney2$233,800,000$243,000,00062.0 %000 / 0067.27
Audie Murphy8$232,000,000$231,900,00057.7 %000 / 0051.89
Tab Hunter5$231,500,000$231,600,00059.0 %000 / 0053.18
Joel Grey1$228,600,000$228,600,00074.5 %000 / 0086.00
Jayne Mansfield9$224,100,000$224,300,00052.6 %000 / 0048.57
Clark Gable2$223,800,000$267,700,00073.6 %001 / 0071.24
Joan Blondell7$222,600,000$222,500,00057.6 %000 / 0050.64
Paul Henreid5$222,000,000$333,600,00060.7 %000 / 0055.42
Judy Garland4$222,000,000$221,800,00076.8 %011 / 0268.13
Yvonne De Carlo6$220,800,000$221,000,00059.7 %000 / 0052.66
Christopher Lee17$221,000,000$220,900,00058.6 %000 / 0049.46
Claire Trevor4$219,200,000$271,200,00063.1 %001 / 0058.24
Cyd Charisse5$218,000,000$270,200,00058.1 %000 / 0054.06
Barbara Stanwyck3$217,500,000$217,600,00060.3 %001 / 0059.75
William Bendix6$215,400,000$215,600,00060.6 %000 / 0054.17
Dan Dailey2$214,200,000$272,400,00055.5 %007 / 0064.04
Red Skelton1$213,100,000$213,100,00057.0 %000 / 0077.8
Dorothy Lamour3$207,600,000$286,300,00051.6 %000 / 0053.76
Anne Baxter4$207,200,000$301,500,00057.6 %003 / 0054.40
Dorothy Malone3$204,900,000$242,700,00061.8 %001 / 0059.79
Anthony Hopkins2$204,400,000$204,300,00079.6 %007 / 0376.33
Ali MacGraw1$192,500,000$192,500,00067.5 %000 / 0081.54

77 thoughts on “Top Movie Stars of the 1960s

    1. Hey SteinHOF…after a slow April….I have produced some pages in May….glad to see you back.

  1. The 60’s to me show the transition from classic to modern Hollywood even more clearly than the 50’s, where TV had been reponsible for many changes already…the demise of some minor studios, cinemascope, the first 3D craze- plus studios letting go of former big stars in favor of younger- and cheaper- talent.
    The 60’s, though, on one side held on to old formulas and stars (Doris Day, Rock Hudson in classic romcoms, the big budget musical from My Fair Lady to Hello Dolly and everything in between, classic soapers starring the likes of Susan Hayward or Lana Turner),while on the other side movies like Easy Rider, They shoot Horses, don’t they? or Bonny and Clyde paved the way for much more “modern” films, that dealt with socially relevant themes and showed much more sex and violence than known before. A new generation of stars and directors slowly took over, Day and Grant ended their careers in movies, others slowed down considerably (Maureen O’Hara), becoming “and as…” players in All Star productions (Jennifer Jones, Laurence Olivier)) or moved to television for most of the remainder of their careers (Bette Davis). Directors like Vincente Minnelli couldn’t retain their past glory, while the likes of Peter Bogdanovich, FF Coppola and Steven Spielberg took the Hollywood movie to even greater box office glory and critical acclaim. The generation of new stars included Mia Farrow, Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda…
    Thanks for a most interesting page!
    My guess for the 70’s champs by the way are Streisand and Redford 😉

    1. Hey Lupino
      1. Good points about the changes that the 1960s and television brought….this was the first decade that the studio system of stars was not involved at all.
      2. Yep the musicals started off strong but ended in disaster with movies like Paint Your Wagon, Doctor Dolittle, Star and others almost sinking entire studios.
      3. Yep sex, drugs and violence changed the way movies were made and accepted by audiences. The Graduate and some of the ones you mentioned were huge reasons for that.
      4. I agree the decade brought in lots one stars….as Fonda, Dunaway, Streisand, Redford and Nicholas would make a dent in this decade but own the 1970s.
      5. Good guesses about Streisand and Redford….on the UMR side of things they will be very highly rated.
      Good stuff.

      1. Okay, if we’re taking bets on the 70s here, in terms of box office, I agree Redford is likely to be on top, followed by Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman again (thanks mainly to The Sting and Towering Inferno), Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Wilder, Charlton Heston (with his disaster films), Barbara Streisand, Richard Dreyfus, Faye Dunaway, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen. James Caan should do well but more because of supporting roles. Woody Allen, Redford, Hoffman, Nicholson should also do very well on critical ratings. But the only thing I know for sure is that, this time, Thelma Ritter will not make a top 15 list 😉

          1. Ha ha, but I forgot about Ryan O’Neal…and over-estimated Eastwood’s box office showing but no, I was not aware you had a database 😉

  2. Bruce, I have a confession to make. I don’t find these movie star charts as fascinating as other people do. All I see are the names of millions of actors with numbers next to them, I want to see movie titles dude. 🙂

    I know it’s meant to be a bit of fun and not an exact science… I guess you’re right I’m not a stat freak, never was. When I was young I used to buy the Guinness Book of World Records every other year or so, fascinating to dip into but ultimately pointless. No one remembers that stuff. Which country produces the most oil? Salt? Copper? The fattest person in the world? The tallest? The longest moustache? Who cares?

    But since I’m here… looking at the UMR chart I like that James Bond has his own entry but why is Charles Laughton listed above Clint Eastwood? How successful was Laughton in the 60s?

    The late Gene Wilder the third biggest star of the 1960s? Wow! Good for him. 🙂

    Mr. Epic Charlton Heston is lower than expected on the big chart, wasn’t he one of the most bankable stars of the decade?

    Good to see the legendary John Wayne still a box office draw in the swinging 60s, arguably the most popular actor in movie history. Go get em Duke.

    Vote Up!

    1. STEVE

      1 I have looked in vain a couple of times for your latest video after Roger Moore and I can’t think of anything to argue with John about so I’m going to amuse myself by picking on you .

      2 Actually I think you’ve got it a*** about face at least in relation to what makes the movie world tick because what is paramount in the movie industry is not the movies not the stars, and not you and me [horrible grammar!] enjoying ourselves, which are just a means to an end, but the money that the mogul makes and in that respect Bruce’s stats are a true reflection of what goes to the heart of the matter. In short the big studios in their day and the large financial backers do not really care if Kane was a classic or if the Duke of Mickey Mouse was the most popular. It’s the end bank balance that fastens the mind of the producers and financiers.

      Viva la Work Horse!

      1. Hi Bob, I’ve decided to give the videos a rest for a few days, until monday at least.

        You and John have fun with the stats. [sips coffee] I’ve just put a big new movie on, surround sound deafening, the neighbors must be used to the din by now. 🙂

        1. Well I for one would like to know who has the world’s longest mustache…and how he or she takes care of it 🙂 I do think Steve makes some good points in his confession. There are more important things in the world, but I have been finding these pages and some the ensuing comments and discussion an enjoyable distraction. Some people like ranking hockey or baseball players (or maybe cricket players in Steve’s case?), and this is essentially the same idea, though more complex in my view. I see the 3 sets of rankings as a starting point really, presenting the comprehensive picture of the facts, but then (as I’ve been arguing), it’s interesting to put those facts into a wider context and consider other parameters that cannot easily be measured. This can then lead to some interesting discussions like on the 50s page, when my proposed 2 lists of top 15 stars led to an exchange with Bruce, Bob and John that concluded on the Charlton Heston page with Bob sharing some memories of his youth in Belfast waiting in line with friends to see some of the early Heston films (and I won’t mention the heated but informative Mirna Loy exchange as it really started on the 1937 page). I would be interested in other people’s views of who they think defined the 60s and why (I provided my top 25 yesterday and I noted John provided his perspective).

          1. Hey Phil….I am right there with you. If I found this page….I will view it as a gold mind of information for this decade. There is nothing like this out there on the entire internet. Yes it proves nothing….but it sure is fun looking at the stats. But I can see Steve’s viewpoint…..not everybody likes stats….BUT I sure do!

            I agree it is amazing how a movie/subject can lead to a memory or a story. Love reading about Bob, John and Dan’s movie memories. It is like Rutger Hauer says at the end of Blade Runner…..”if you could only see the things my eyes have seen in their lifetime”….or something close to that.

            I have since responded to your Top 25. Good comment there and here. Here come the 1970s.

        2. Hey Steve….I see your latest You Tube is out…..will check it out later today……happy Memorial Day Weekend….that is if you have Memorial Day over there.

    2. What! Say it ain;t so Steve. Breaking my heart Mr. Lensman…..lol. I think all historians agree that Gene Wilder was indeed the 3rd biggest star of the 1960s. I mean come on…The Producers and a two or three scene role in Bonnie and Clyde….I think the defense rests…lol.

      Your points are right on about Laughton and Wilder…..but that is why they were excluded when we listed the leaders at the top of the page…..the massive table are just the stats…and the reader can sort the numbers anyway they want.

      The stats are the main source of information on our website…and when it comes to classic movie box office numbers they are what separates us from so many other websites. There is nothing remotely close to these decade pages on the entire internet.

      Still… I respect your opinion….now I am going to take a few minutes and try to recover from your comment…..lol.

      1. Hey Steve…the good news is today we have a new Joan Blondell page…..but the bad news is our next page will be a 1970s decade page…..sorry about that.

  3. FURTHER CORRECTION AND APOLOGY

    My 4.28 am post should have read “sufficient unto the Day” and not Sufficient Onto. I have since been worried that John might happen to see the post and seize upon my error to start another “Cotton/Cotten” type argument.

  4. ME AGAIN BRUCE!

    1 Since I was being just hypothetical in equating MB’s 1970s average to 3rd place in your 1960s averages column precision does not matter all that much but nevertheless I always like to be as accurate as I can out of courtesy to anybody who reads a post of mine [Raw Mind in Eden would have given me nightmares until it was changed!!!].

    2 An average of $300 million would of course have been 4th placed if Bond had been taken into account but his combined movies have multi-lead actors and I was talking about 3rd place among INDIVIDUAL performers. Sorry for any confusion.

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