The Best Karl Malden Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 2.0k votes 124 voters 12.1k views

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Karl Malden movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Karl Malden's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Karl Malden movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Karl Malden movies will be at the top of the list. Karl Malden has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Karl Malden movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Karl Malden films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Karl Malden role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Karl Malden performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List ranges from Meteor to Where the Sidewalk Ends and more.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Karl Malden movies?" and "What are the greatest Karl Malden roles of all time?"

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Baby Doll
Eli Wallach, Rip Torn
Released: 1956
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Baby Doll is a 1956 American black comedy and drama film directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. The film also features Mildred Dunnock and Rip Torn. It was... more
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Patton
George C. Scott, Karl Malden
Released: 1970
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical film about U.S. General George S. Patton during WWII. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by... more
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#153 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars#19 of 302 The Best Movies Based On True Stories
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One-Eyed Jacks
Marlon Brando, Karl Malden
Released: 1961
Directed by: Marlon Brando
One-Eyed Jacks, a 1961 Western, is the only film directed by actor Marlon Brando. The picture was originally planned to be directed by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay by Sam Peckinpah, but studio... more
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#21 of 142 The Best Western Movies on Amazon Prime#31 of 46 The Greatest Western Movies of the 1960s
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Birdman of Alcatraz
Burt Lancaster, Telly Savalas
Released: 1962
Directed by: John Frankenheimer
Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a largely fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the... more
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The Cincinnati Kid
Ann-Margret, Steve McQueen
Released: 1965
Directed by: Norman Jewison
The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best. This quest... more
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How the West Was Won
John Wayne, James Stewart
Released: 1962
Directed by: Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, John Ford, Richard Thorpe
How the West Was Won is a 1962 western film written by James R. Webb and John Gay and directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall and Richard Thorpe.... more
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#143 of 1,195 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#42 of 401 The Best Western Movies Ever Made
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I Confess
Alfred Hitchcock, Montgomery Clift
Released: 1953
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
I Confess is a 1953 drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael William Logan, a Catholic priest, Anne Baxter as Ruth Grandfort, and Karl Malden as Inspector... more
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All Fall Down
Angela Lansbury, Warren Beatty
Released: 1962
Directed by: John Frankenheimer
All Fall Down is a 1962 American drama film, adapted from the novel All Fall Down by James Leo Herlihy, the author of Midnight Cowboy. It was directed by John Frankenheimer and produced by John... more
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Gypsy
Natalie Wood, Rosalind Russell
Released: 1962
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Gypsy is a 1962 musical comedy-drama film produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass is based on the book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur... more
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#268 of 360 The Best Musical Movies Of All Time#77 of 125 The Most Rewatchable Movie Musicals
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The Hanging Tree
Gary Cooper, George C. Scott
Released: 1959
Directed by: Delmer Daves
The Hanging Tree is a 1959 movie directed by Delmer Daves. Karl Malden took over directing duties for several days when Daves fell ill. The film stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, George C. Scott and... more

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Pollyanna
Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman
Released: 1960
Directed by: David Swift
Pollyanna is a 1960 American drama film directed by David Swift, and based on the novel by Eleanor H. Porter of the same title. A cheerful orphan (Hayley Mills) learns to adapt to her new... more
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#828 of 1,506 The Most Rewatchable Movies#361 of 783 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made
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Ruby Gentry
Charlton Heston, Jennifer Jones
Released: 1952
Directed by: King Vidor
Ruby Gentry is a 1952 film, directed by King Vidor and starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden. The movie and the name Gentry was the inspiration for the Professional name of one... more
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On the Waterfront
Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint
Released: 1954
Directed by: Elia Kazan
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption amongst longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and... more
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A Streetcar Named Desire
Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh
Released: 1951
Directed by: Elia Kazan
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1951 American drama film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 play of the same name. It is the story of a southern lady, Blanche Dubois,... more
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Dead Ringer
Bette Davis, Karl Malden
Released: 1964
Directed by: Paul Henreid
Dead Ringer, also known as Who is Buried in my Grave? is a 1964 thriller film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Paul Henreid from a screenplay by Oscar Millard and Albert Beich from the story... more
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
Gene Tierney, Karl Malden
Released: 1950
Directed by: Otto Preminger
Where the Sidewalk Ends is a 1950 American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger. The screenplay for the film was written by Ben Hecht, and adapted by Robert E. Kent, Frank P. Rosenberg,... more
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The Gunfighter
Gregory Peck, Karl Malden
Released: 1950
Directed by: Henry King
The Gunfighter is a 1950 western film starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden. This film was directed by Henry King. It was written by screenwriters William Bowers and... more
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Cheyenne Autumn
James Stewart, Edward G. Robinson
Released: 1964
Directed by: John Ford
Cheyenne Autumn is a 1964 Western movie starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. Regarded as an epic film, it tells the story of a factual event, the Northern... more
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Kiss of Death
Richard Widmark, Karl Malden
Released: 1947
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Kiss of Death is a 1947 film noir movie directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky. The story revolves around a former robber played by... more
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Twilight Time
Karl Malden, Pavle Vuisić
Released: 1982
Directed by: Goran Paskaljević
Twilight Time is a 1982 film directed by Goran Paskaljevic.... more

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Back to the Streets of San Francisco
Karl Malden, Darleen Carr
Released: 1992
Directed by: Mel Damski
Back to the Streets of San Francisco is a 1992 TV movie based on the 1972-1977 series The Streets of San Francisco. Karl Malden plays a police detective and Darleen Carr portrays his daughter; both... more
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Fear Strikes Out
Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden
Released: 1957
Directed by: Robert Mulligan
Fear Strikes Out is a dramatic feature film depicting the life and career of American baseball player Jimmy Piersall. It is based on Piersall's biography Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story,... more
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Billion Dollar Brain
Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland
Released: 1967
Directed by: Ken Russell
Billion Dollar Brain is a 1967 British espionage film directed by Ken Russell and based on the novel of the same name by Len Deighton. The film features Michael Caine as secret agent Harry Palmer,... more
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Hotel
Karl Malden, Merle Oberon
Released: 1967
Directed by: Richard Quine
Hotel is a 1967 Technicolor film adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Arthur Hailey. The film stars Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Rennie, and Melvyn... more
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Halls of Montezuma
Robert Wagner, Jack Palance
Released: 1950
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 World War II war film starring Richard Widmark, Richard Boone, Jack Palance, and Karl Malden. The film, which is about U.S. Marines fighting on a Japanese-held island,... more
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One-Eyed Jacks

Twilight Time

Back to the Streets of San Francisco