The Best Roddy McDowall Movies

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Updated October 1, 2023 1.2K votes 207 voters
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List of the best Roddy McDowall movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Roddy McDowall'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 Roddy McDowall movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Roddy McDowall movies will be at the top of the list. Roddy McDowall has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Roddy McDowall movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Roddy McDowall films to end the squabble once and for all.

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

List ranges from Angel, Angel, Down We Go to Earth Angel and more.

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

Notable directors that worked with Roddy McDowall include names like Orson Welles, Garry Marshall and Fritz Lang.

Most divisive: Cutting Class
Ranked by
  • Planet of the Apes
    1

    Planet of the Apes

    Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
    47 votes
    • Released: 1968
    • Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
    Planet of the Apes is a riveting science fiction classic directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) finds himself in a world run by evolved apes after a catastrophic spaceship crash. In this upside-down society, humans are mute creatures hunted for sport and used for scientific experiments. The intelligent Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and empathetic Zira (Kim Hunter), two chimpanzee scientists, ally with Taylor in his quest to uncover the planet's earth-shattering secret. A gripping tale that won an honorary Academy Award for its groundbreaking makeup design, Planet of the Apes is a thought-provoking exploration of societal roles and humanity's future.

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  • How Green Was My Valley
    2

    How Green Was My Valley

    Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Roddy McDowall
    35 votes
    • Released: 1941
    • Directed by: John Ford
    Huw Morgan (Roddy McDowall), the academically inclined youngest son in a proud family of Welsh coal miners, witnesses the tumultuous events of his young life during a period of rapid social change. At the dawn of the 20th century, a miners' strike divides the Morgans: the sons demand improvements, and the father (Donald Crisp) doesn't want to rock the boat. Meanwhile, Huw's eldest sister, Angharad (Maureen O'Hara), pines for the new village preacher, Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon).

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  • Escape from the Planet of the Apes
    3

    Escape from the Planet of the Apes

    Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman
    23 votes
    • Released: 1971
    • Directed by: Don Taylor
    In this second sequel to "Planet of the Apes," three apes flee their world before it's destroyed, and travel back in time to present-day America. When the humans discover that the trio are intelligent and capable of speech, they treat them as experimental research animals until they attempt to escape.

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  • The Legend of Hell House
    4

    The Legend of Hell House

    Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill
    23 votes
    • Released: 1973
    • Directed by: John Hough
    Scientist Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) and his wife, Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), lead a team into the infamous Belasco House, supposedly haunted by the victims of its late owner, a notorious serial killer. Though the rational Barrett does not believe in ghosts, the other members of his group do, include devout spiritualist Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin) and psychic medium Benjamin Fischer (Roddy McDowall), who has been in Belasco House before and seen what horrors can befall those who enter it.

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  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
    5

    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

    Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalban
    20 votes
    • Released: 1972
    • Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
    In this third sequel to "Planet of the Apes," the apes turn the tables on the human Earth population when they lead a revolt against their cruel masters in the distant year of 1990. By doing this it creates the time loop that leads to the first film. "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" is cinematically etched in broad, brash strokes slashing social satire and science fiction suspense with large-scale spectacle.

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  • Fright Night
    6

    Fright Night

    Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall
    33 votes
    • Released: 1985
    • Directed by: Tom Holland
    In Fright Night, Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) is an average teenager with ordinary worries until his new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), moves in. Unsettling events lead Charley to suspect that Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone about his fears, he turns to Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a washed-up actor famous for playing vampire hunters. This horror-comedy reimagines the 1985 classic, blending suspense and humor. As Charley and Peter go toe-to-toe with Jerry, they uncover dark secrets and face blood-curdling challenges.

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