Actors Who've Played Wyatt Earp

Russell smartly portrays Earp as a kind of mythic silhouette, letting co-stars Val Kilmer and Bill Paxton steal the spotlight.

Lancaster's strong turn set the standard for future Earps, not to mention Kirk Douglas's ace version of cardshark Doc Holliday.

Stewart plays the former marshal for laughs, as he tries his luck at the gambling table beside old compadre "Doc" Holliday (Arthur Kennedy).

Fonda's easygoing Earp takes it easy -- sitting on his porch, going to dances, and meeting with the Clanton gang.

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.

Costner presents a full-figured portrait, tracing Earp's boyhood in Missouri, his gunfighting at Tombstone, and even his prospecting in Alaska.

Mr.Maverick himself takes the Earp story into the elegiac third act of the gunslinger's life under the direction of John Sturges.

The swashbuckler's Wade Hatton is based on Wyatt Earp, and it's a capable performance despite Flynn's assumed Irish brogue.

This unjustly forgotten star -- and director Jacques Tourneur -- does a fine job portraying the early years of a man destined for greatness.

The actor delivers a fun, Spaghetti Western take on Earp, tracking him as he journeys to the border to vanquish a den of desperados.