Summary

TheWesterngenre was an tremendous entity in twentieth - century filmmaking , and many role player were known primarily for appearing in them . Several actor left a distinct mark on the music genre by star in at least five keen westerly pic . Many quality constitute a peachy Western , be it that they were massively influential for their earned run average , likeStagecoach , stood the tryout of time as chef-d’oeuvre photographic film , likeOnce Upon a Time in the West , or were commercially successful , likeHow the West Was Won .

When deliberate the great westerly actor , name calling like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood immediately skirt a bell . However , many other movie stars made wondrous contributions to the literary genre , get the mythos of Wild West gunslingers , bounty hunters , and peace officer to liveliness . The 1940s-1960s see many ofthe best Western ever madein a Golden Age for the genre . In the mass production of films in America and Spaghetti Westerns in Italy , certain star clung to them , like Wayne , who appear in eighty - three western in his career .

10John Wayne

John Wayne appeared in 83 Westerns in his career, including all-time classics.

John Wayne ’s Western Movies

Release Year

Stagecoach

A collage of various Western actors, including Jamie Foxx and Clint Eastwood

1939

The seeker

1956

Composite of Terry Wilson on Wagon Train, Jack Kelly on Maverick, and Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive.

Rio Bravo

1959

lawful Grit

How Rachel Zegler’s

1969

El Dorado

1966

actorswhohavestarred_inatleast5_westerns

No histrion is more synonymous with the Graeco-Roman westerly than John Wayne . His extensive filmography of enduring and popular picture show cement Wayne ’s legacy as an iconic screen legend . John Wayne helped specify the archetypal Western hero , with elusive , furrowed grapheme like John T. Chance inRio Bravoand Rooster Cogburn inTrue Grit , which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor . Known chiefly for his collaborations with director John Ford , Wayne ’s impact on the westerly genre is inestimable .

9Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood starred in iconic Spaghetti and Revisionist Westerns.

Clint Eastwood ’s Western Movies

A Fistful of dollar

1964

Jimmy-Stewart-best-Westerns

For a Few Dollars More

1965

The Good , the Bad and the Ugly

Franco Nero firing an old machine gun in the 1966 Western film Django

The Outlaw Josey Wales

1976

Unforgiven

Henry Fonda as Frank in his final showdown with Charles Bronson as Harmonica in the desert in Once Upon a Time in the West

1992

While he ’s still make films at the age of 93 , many ofClint Eastwood ’s best moviesare his classical Westerns . While John Wayne represent a hero of traditional American value , Eastwood lay out a subversive activity of the classical Western literary genre , recognise for his virtuously ambiguous characters . Eastwood ’s " Man with No Name " in Sergio Leone ’s " Dollars Trilogy " set a precedency for Spaghetti Westerns , and movies likeUnforgivenset a gold measure for the revisionist Western genre . Though for reason different from John Wayne ’s , Clint Eastwood ’s impact on the Western literary genre is absolutely vital .

8James Stewart

James Stewart brought his everyman persona to the Wild West.

James Stewart ’s Western Movies

Destry Rides Again

Winchester ' 73

Gary Cooper dressed as a cowboy in High Noon

1950

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1962

Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes glaring at Blondie and Tuco in 1966’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’s climax

How the West Was Won

The Shootist

While get it on primarily forIt ’s a Wonderful Lifeand the works of Alfred Hitchcock , James Stewart also had quite a career in Westerns . Like his other film , Stewart brought a relatable , everyman persona to many of his Western characters . In some ofJames Stewart ’s best Westerns , he even portray some antagonist characters , which were rarefied in his filmography . Despite them not being his forte , James Stewart was one of the iconic actors of his era who could do it all , from Westerns likeThe Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceandHow the West Was Wonto classical thriller likeRopeandVertigo .

Charles Bronson as Harmonica gazes off into the distance with his revolver atop a tree stump in Once Upon a Time in the West

7Franco Nero

Franco Nero was one of the most iconic Spaghetti Western stars.

Franco Nero ’s Western Movies

Django

Massacre Time

Randolph Scott with a horse in Heritage of the Desert

The Mercenary

1968

Compañeros

John Wayne and Robert Mitchum looking annoyed in El Dorado

1970

Keoma

After Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone plant the tone for Spaghetti Westerns , Italian doer Franco Nero found stardom in the genre . Known primarily for his function as the titular fictitious character inDjango , Nero was a placeable face in the crimson Italian westerly films of Sergio Corbucci , likeCompañerosandThe Mercenary . Franco Nero was a star during the sixties and seventies who made several significant contributions to the Western musical genre . In Quentin Tarantino ’s loose remake , Django unchain , Nero even made a cameo coming into court .

6Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda delivered one of the best Western villain performances.

Henry Fonda ’s Western Movies

The Ox - Bow Incident

1943

My Darling Clementine

1946

Fort Apache

1948

Once Upon a Time in the Dame Rebecca West

Like James Stewart , Henry Fonda ’s iconic Hollywood career came from his everyman part , best known for films like12 Angry MenandThe Grapes of Wrath . Fonda ’s most outstanding donation to the Western writing style is enrich by its digression from his common quality type . In Sergio Leone’sOnce Upon a Time in the West , Henry Fonda is unconvincing as the vile villain , Frank . Aside from play one of the great Western villains , Fonda starred in Westerns likeHow the West Was WonandMy Name Is Nobody .

Whether secure , unsound , or somewhere in between , great Western character are determine by traits like ethical motive , skill in gunplay , and their school of thought .

5Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper played classic Western heroes.

Gary Cooper ’s Western Movies

The Westerner

1940

Vera Cruz

1954

High Noon

1952

homo of the Rebecca West

1958

The Hanging Tree

With iconic classics likeHigh NoonandThe Westerner , Gary Cooper cemented himself as a Western movie legend . His characters were typically secure , stoical , principled heroes , much like the characters John Wayne portray . Cooper was capable of conveying westerly heroes through still , often minimize carrying out that mark him . Though he did n’t have as many classic as many of the great Western wizard , Cooper ’s fiber were often more relatable and authentic .

4Lee Van Cleef

Lee Van Cleef played iconic Western villains in Sergio Leone’s films.

Lee Van Cleef ’s Western Movies

The Good , The Bad and the Ugly

While many great westerly actors defined different aspects of the mythological fighter , Lee Van Cleef was known for iconic antagonist fibre . He ’s best make out for his roles in Sergio Leone ’s films likeFor a Few Dollars MoreandThe Good , the Bad and the Ugly , play cunning , morally equivocal character reference . There are severalgreat horse opera where the scoundrel stole the show , includingDeath Rides a HorseandFor a Few dollar mark More , where Van Cleef ’s versatility allowed him to overshadow the ilk of Clint Eastwood .

3Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson starred in the ensemble Western, The Magnificent Seven.

Charles Bronson ’s Western Movies

The Magnificent Seven

1960

Red Sun

1971

The White Buffalo

1977

Charles Bronson established himself as a Hollywood superstar as one of the seven gunfighters in the 1960 classicThe Magnificent Seven . afterward in the ' 60s , Bronson starred inOnce Upon a Time in the Westopposite Henry Fonda . While he was the film ’s protagonist , his work bore more similarity to the antihero part of Clint Eastwood . He was known for his stoic deportment and hefty physical presence on screen door , playing roles in other film likeDeath WishandThe Great Escape .

With show like Yellowstone and Lawman : Bass Reeves popularizing TV Westerns again , it ’s worth await back at the classical shows that still hold up .

2Randolph Scott

Randolph Scott played classic Western heroes in the 1940s and 1950s.

Randolph Scott ’s Western Movies

7 Men From Now

The marvelous thymine

1957

Ride Lonesome

Comanche Station

taunt the High Country

During the forties and fifties , Randolph Scott was one of the most prolific Western music genre actor . Like many of the other early Western star topology , Scott ’s characters were make out as estimable , principled men in the idealized variation of the Hero of Alexandria pilot . Movies likeSeven Men from Now , tantalize the High Country , andComanche Stationrepresent the good of his work , helping shape the genre in its earliest stages .

1Robert Mitchum

Aside from starring in other famous films, Robert Mitchum had a great career in Westerns.

Robert Mitchum ’s Western Movies

lineage on the Moon

The Lusty Men

River of No income tax return

The Way West

1967

A movie star whose career included far more than just Westerns , Robert Mitchum look in classic noir moving picture likeThe Night of the Hunterand the 1962 version ofOut of the Past . As for his contribution to Westerns , he star alongside John Wayne inEl Dorado , play the drunken Sheriff J.P. Harrah . InBlood on the Moon , Mitchum play one of his era ’s more complex cowboy characters . With so manyWesternmovies under his belt , Robert Mitchum was the consummate option to narrate the movieTombstonelate in his career .