Actors Who've Played Wyatt Earp
AMC Movie List

Actors Who've Played Wyatt Earp

Lots of stars have taken a turn as the famed lawman. Who did it best?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Kurt Russell in Tombstone (1993)
Russell smartly portrays Earp as a kind of mythic silhouette, letting co-stars Val Kilmer and Bill Paxton steal the spotlight. 314 500
2 Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp (1994)
Costner presents a full-figured portrait, tracing Earp's boyhood in Missouri, his gunfighting at Tombstone, and even his prospecting in Alaska. 135 385
3 Burt Lancaster in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Lancaster's strong turn set the standard for future Earps, not to mention Kirk Douglas's ace version of cardshark Doc Holliday. 121 275
4 Henry Fonda in My Darling Clementine (1946)
Fonda's easygoing Earp takes it easy -- sitting on his porch, going to dances, and meeting with the Clanton gang. 102 230
5 James Garner in Hour of the Gun (1967)
Mr.Maverick himself takes the Earp story into the elegiac third act of the gunslinger's life under the direction of John Sturges. 43 233
6 James Stewart in Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Stewart plays the former marshal for laughs, as he tries his luck at the gambling table beside old compadre "Doc" Holliday (Arthur Kennedy). 37 195
7 Randolph Scott in Frontier Marshal (1939)
The in-demand actor delivers the first official portrayal of Earp on-screen, a strong turn that focuses on the scuffle at the O.K. Corral. 33 171
8 Joel McCrea in Wichita (1955)
This unjustly forgotten star -- and director Jacques Tourneur -- does a fine job portraying the early years of a man destined for greatness. 5 167
9 Errol Flynn in Dodge City (1939)
The swashbuckler's Wade Hatton is based on Wyatt Earp, and it's a capable performance despite Flynn's assumed Irish brogue. -25 175
10 Guy Madison in Gunmen of the Rio Grande (1965)
The actor delivers a fun, Spaghetti Western take on Earp, tracking him as he journeys to the border to vanquish a den of desperados. -36 154