The Best Karl Malden Movies, Ranked
59 credits from 1940 to 2005, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is Patton (1970) with $61.7M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Karl Malden Box Office Hits
Karl Malden's films have made $108M worldwide in total. Patton (1970) is the biggest hit at $61.7M, ahead of Nuts (1987) ($31M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Patton 1970 · Biography $61.7M $61.7M dom. - 2
Nuts 1987 · Drama $31M $31M dom. - 3
Meteor 1979 · Action $8.4M $8.4M dom. - 4
The Sting II 1983 · Crime $6.35M $6.35M dom. - 5
How the West Was Won 1963 · Western $76.7K $76.7K dom. - 6
A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 · Drama $54.7K - 7
Cheyenne Autumn 1964 · Western $11K - 8
On the Waterfront 1954 · Drama $3.77K - 9
One-Eyed Jacks 1961 · Western $580 - 10
I Confess 1953 · Drama $372
The Best Karl Malden Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Karl Malden has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 25 films, and Nuts (1987) is the pick of them.
The Best Karl Malden Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Karl Malden's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1950s to 1980s.
Most Awarded Karl Malden Movies
Karl Malden's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. On the Waterfront (1954) leads with 14 wins from 20 nominations.
- Awards: 14 wins On the Waterfront 1954 · 20 nominations
- Awards: 9 wins Patton 1970 · 16 nominations
- Awards: 6 wins A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 · 18 nominations
- Awards: 3 wins How the West Was Won 1963 · 8 nominations
-
Awards: 1 win Birdman of Alcatraz 1962 · 7 nominations -
Awards: 1 win Pollyanna 1960 · 2 nominations
The Latest Karl Malden Movies
The most recent films Karl Malden is credited on, newest first — starting with Vanished Without a Trace (1993). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
-
Vanished Without a Trace 1993 · Ed Ray -
Back to the Streets of San Francisco 1992 · Mike Stone -
Absolute Strangers 1991 · Fred Zusselman -
Call Me Anna 1990 · Doctor Harold Arlen - Nuts 1987 · Arthur Kirk
-
Billy Galvin 1986 · Family -
Fatal Vision 1984 · Freddy Kassab - The Sting II 1983 · Gus Macalinski
-
Twilight Time 1982 · Marko Sekulović -
Miracle on Ice 1981 · Herb Brooks - Meteor 1979 · Action
-
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure 1979 · Action
The Best Karl Malden Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Karl Malden films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing Karl Malden movie?
Patton (1970) made the most at the box office, with $61.7M worldwide, followed by Nuts (1987) with $31M. Together, Karl Malden's films with box office figures have made $108M.
Which Karl Malden movie won the most awards?
On the Waterfront (1954) is the most decorated Karl Malden film, with 14 wins from 20 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Karl Malden drama movie?
Nuts (1987) is the best-rated of Karl Malden's drama films. In other genres: How the West Was Won (western), The Sting II (crime) and Meteor (action).
What is the newest Karl Malden movie?
The newest film on Karl Malden's filmography is A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005), with Karl Malden as Self.
More Movie Rankings & Collections
Best-of lists by year, decade and genre, all-time box office records and the films on the trending list.
Best-Rated Movie Rankings
Best-rated, biggest and most-awarded
New Movies & Top Genres
New releases, popular films and the best of every genre