This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

List of Rosalind Russell Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. Wonderful Town (1958)
11
1
Wonderful Town
11
1
Role:
Ruth Sherwood
Starring:
Sydney Chaplin, Joseph Buloff, Jacquelyn McKeever, Dort Clark
Directed By:
Herbert Ross, Mel Ferber
2. Auntie Mame (1958)
31
8
Auntie Mame
31
8
Role:
Mame Dennis
Starring:
Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne, Fred Clark, Roger Smith
Directed By:
Morton DaCosta
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
3. His Girl Friday (1940)
117
32
His Girl Friday
117
32

This romantic comedy drama film tells the story of Walter, editor of a newspaper, who becomes furious after learning that Hildy, his ex wife and star reporter, is soon going to get married to Bruce Baldwin, an insurance man. In an attempt to break Hildy’s relationship with Bruce, and win her back, Walter sends her to cover one more story.

Role:
Hildy Johnson
Starring:
Cary Grant, Gene Lockhart, Ralph Bellamy, Porter Hall
Directed By:
Howard Hawks
4. The Women (1939)
36
10
The Women
36
10

Mary Haines lives a wealthy and happy life with her wealthy financier husband Stephen and their little daughter Molly. But her life takes a turn after her friend finds out that Stephen is having an affair.

Role:
Mrs. Howard Fowler - Sylvia
Directed By:
5. The Trouble with Angels (1966)
19
6
The Trouble with Angels
PG
19
6

A comedy about two lively girls growing up in a Catholic environment. It follows their adventures as they go on making mischief and giving the nuns at their Catholic school a hard time. 

Role:
Mother Superior
Starring:
Hayley Mills, Mary Wickes, Binnie Barnes, Camilla Sparv
Directed By:
Ida Lupino
6. Sister Kenny (1946)
9
3
Sister Kenny
9
3
Role:
Elizabeth Kenny
Starring:
Beulah Bondi, Dean Jagger, Philip Merivale, Alexander Knox
Directed By:
Dudley Nichols
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress
7. Craig's Wife (1936)
9
3
Craig's Wife
9
3
Role:
Harriet Craig
Starring:
Jane Darwell, Billie Burke, John Boles, Dorothy Wilson,
Directed By:
Dorothy Arzner
8. Night Must Fall (1937)
12
4
Night Must Fall
12
4
Role:
Olivia
Starring:
May Whitty, Kathleen Harrison, Merle Tottenham, Eily Malyon
Directed By:
Richard Thorpe
9. Gypsy (1962)
19
7
Gypsy
TV-PG
19
7

Gypsy is a musical comedy drama film which tells the story of an aggressive and domineering woman named Rose Hovick, who will stop at nothing to turn her beautiful and gifted daughter June into a vaudeville star. Eventually, after some years, June feels tired of being controlled by her mother, and she elopes with a guy named Gerry. Rose is devastated, and she pours all her energy into her older daughter Louise, despite the fact that she is not as skilled as June.

Role:
Rose Hovick
Starring:
Natalie Wood, Jack Benny, Karl Malden, Betty Bruce, Paul Wallace
Directed By:
Mervyn LeRoy
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
11. Roughly Speaking (1945)
8
3
Roughly Speaking
8
3

After losing her father at an early age, Louise was left with her mother and her sisters in the middle of financial problems. Determined to find success in a man’s world, she enrolls at a business college, but her plans for her career change when she falls for a handsome man named Rodney Crane, despite the fact that the two have very little in common.

Role:
Louise Randall Pierson
Starring:
Donald Woods, Jack Carson, Robert Hutton, Jean Sullivan
Directed By:
12. Picnic (1956)
21
9
Picnic
TV-PG
21
9

Picnic is a romantic drama film which tells the story of Hal Carter, who arrives in a small town in Kansas, to meet his friend Alan. Alan promises Hal a job, and invites him to the town’s Labor Day picnic. Things get complicated when Hal is attracted to Alan’s girlfriend.

Starring:
William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Betty Field, Susan Strasberg, Kim Novak
Directed By:
Joshua Logan
13. My Sister Eileen (1942)
10
4
My Sister Eileen
10
4
Role:
Ruth Sherwood
Starring:
Larry Fine, Brian Aherne, Allyn Joslyn, George Tobias
Directed By:
Alexander Hall
14. China Seas (1935)
12
5
China Seas
12
5
Role:
Sybil Barclay
Starring:
Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Hattie McDaniel, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone
Directed By:
Tay Garnett
15. A Majority of One (1961)
9
4
A Majority of One
9
4

Bertha Jacoby, a widow who lost her son in World War II hates the Japanese. But while relocating to Tokyo, she meets Japanese Buddhist and businessman Koichi Asano on the ship. As her views change, she falls in love with Asano and plans to marry him much to the dismay of her daughter and son-in-law. 

Role:
Bertha Jacoby
Starring:
George Takei, Alec Guinness, Ray Danton, Madlyn Rhue, Mae Questel
Directed By:
Mervyn LeRoy
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
16. The Velvet Touch (1948)
9
4
The Velvet Touch
9
4
Role:
Valerie Stanton / Actress in 'Hedda Gabler': Hedda Gabler
Starring:
Leon Ames, Claire Trevor, Sydney Greenstreet, Leo Genn
Directed By:
Jack Gage
17. Take a Letter, Darling (1942)
7
3
Take a Letter, Darling
7
3

A struggling painter takes up a job as a secretary to a female advertising executive. He soon realizes that his job involves more than just mailing letters. While working hard to obtain an account from a tobacco company, they start finding themselves in love with each other.

Role:
A.M. MacGregor
Starring:
Fred MacMurray, Robert Benchley, Cecil Kellaway, Constance Moore
Directed By:
Mitchell Leisen
18. Rosie! (1967)
7
3
Rosie!
7
3

When widowed millionaire Rosie, a generous giver, decides to buy a closed theater where her late husband had proposed her, Rosie’s mercenary daughters, Mildred and Edith, worried about their inheritance, plan to institutionalize her and declare her insane. As Rosie’s loving granddaughter, Daphne, learns about the wicked plan, she, along with Rosie’s lawyer friend Oliver Stevenson, helps Rosie win in the court. 

Role:
Rosie Lord
Starring:
Leslie Nielsen, Sandra Dee, Brian Aherne, James Farentino
Directed By:
David Lowell Rich
19. Evelyn Prentice (1934)
9
5
Evelyn Prentice
9
5

Evelyn Prentice is a romantic crime drama film which tells the story of a woman named Evelyn, who loves her husband John Prentice, a high profile attorney, but she feels neglected due to his busy schedule. She soon gets involved in a relationship with an unscrupulous womanizer, which turns her life upside down, involving her in blackmail and murder.

Role:
Mrs. Nancy Harrison
Starring:
William Powell, Myrna Loy, Una Merkel, Isabel Jewell
Directed By:
William K. Howard
20. Hired Wife (1940)
8
3
Hired Wife
8
3
Role:
Kendal Browning
Starring:
Robert Benchley, Virginia Bruce, Brian Aherne, John Carroll
Directed By:
William A. Seiter
21. Rendezvous (1935)
7
4
Rendezvous
7
4

During the WWI, a day before William Gordon is about to set off for France, he meets socialite Joel Carter and spends a day with her, revealing that he has written a valuable book on cryptology.. The very next day, he is assigned to the code breaking division and while working there comes in contact with beautiful Olivia, making Joel jealous. 

Role:
Joel Carter
Starring:
Sterling Holloway, Mickey Rooney, Cesar Romero, William Powell, Samuel S. Hinds
Directed By:
Sam Wood, William K. Howard
22. A Woman of Distinction (1950)
7
4
A Woman of Distinction
7
4

Susan Middlecott, who is the dean of a college, feels that there is no room in her life for romance. However, things take a turn when she meets a charming British professor of astronomy named Alec Stevenson. However, she still resists being paired with him, but things don’t go as planned. 

Role:
Susan Manning Middlecott
Starring:
Lucille Ball, Ray Milland, Edmund Gwenn, Janis Carter
Directed By:
Edward Buzzell
23. They Met in Bombay (1941)
7
4
They Met in Bombay
7
4

Gerald and Anya are jewel thieves in British occupied India, planning separately to steal the priceless diamond ‘Star of Asia’. They are forced to team up when a police inspector starts to hunt them down. As they fall in love and escape to Hong Kong, the Japanese invade China, and Gerald becomes a war hero. 

Role:
Anya Von Duren
Starring:
Peter Lorre, Clark Gable, Jessie Ralph, Reginald Owen
Directed By:
Clarence Brown
24. Under Two Flags (1936)
6
3
Under Two Flags
6
3

In order to escape his past, Sergeant Victor joins the French Foreign Legion. He is sent to Africa and placed under the charge of a cruel officer named Major Doyle. When the woman Doyle loves, falls for Victor, Doyle decides to send the Victor on a dangerous mission in order to get him killed. 

Role:
Lady Venetia Cunningham
Starring:
John Carradine, Claudette Colbert, Ronald Colman, Victor McLaglen, Gregory Ratoff
Directed By:
Frank Lloyd
25. Trouble for Two (1936)
6
3
Trouble for Two
6
3
Role:
Miss Vandeleur
Starring:
Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Robert Montgomery, Louis Hayward,
Directed By:
J. Walter Ruben
26. What a Woman (1943)
6
3
What a Woman
6
3

An author is convinced that his agent is in love with him after selling the movie rights of his book. Their relationship makes headlines as the literary agent finds herself torn between living a lie and losing her client.

Role:
Carol Ainsley
Starring:
Shelley Winters, Alan Dinehart, Brian Aherne, Willard Parker
Directed By:
Irving Cummings
27. Five Finger Exercise (1962)
6
3
Five Finger Exercise
6
3

Louise and Philip Harrington have been married for a long time, but they are going through problems in their relationship. Philip remains busy with his work, and therefore he remains distant and disconnected with his family, while Louise is somewhat self-deluded. When Walter, a charming young tutor arrives, it further complicates their troubles.

Role:
Louise Harington
Starring:
Maximilian Schell, Jack Hawkins, Richard Beymer, Annette Gorman
Directed By:
Daniel Mann
28. This Thing Called Love (1940)
6
3
This Thing Called Love
6
3
Role:
Ann Winters
Starring:
Melvyn Douglas, Binnie Barnes, Gloria Dickson, Allyn Joslyn
Directed By:
Alexander Hall
29. The Crooked Hearts (1972)
6
3
The Crooked Hearts
6
3
Role:
Laurita Dorsey
Starring:
Dick Van Patten, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O'Sullivan, Ross Martin
Directed By:
Jay Sandrich
30. Forsaking All Others (1934)
8
4
Forsaking All Others
8
4

Jeff Williams has been in love with his best-friend Mary Clay ever since they were children. But Mary is marrying their other best friend Dill Todd. When Dill runs away the night before the wedding and marries Connie Barnes, Jeff finally has a chance of winning Mary’s heart. But Mary still has feelings for Dill. 

Starring:
Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, Charles Butterworth, Billie Burke
Directed By:
W.S. Van Dyke
31. Reckless (1935)
7
4
Reckless
7
4

Musical on-stage star, Mona Leslie. marries Bob Harrison Jr., the president of S.A.M.L. or the Society for the Admiration of Mona Leslie, and gets embroiled in scandal after Bob’s suicide. Mona’s friend Ned Riley who is in love with her stands by her through everything. 

Starring:
Mickey Rooney, Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, William Powell, May Robson
Directed By:
32. Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)
7
4
Mourning Becomes Electra
7
4

After the Civil War ends, the Mannons, a wealthy family in New England, await the return of Ezra, their patriarch, who was the General of the Union Army, and Orin, his son. However, their daughter, Lavina, is shocked when her mother kisses another man named Adam Brant, on whom she has a crush herself. Eventually, she learns that her mother has never loved Ezra since the day they had got married.

Role:
Lavinia Mannon
Starring:
Kirk Douglas, Michael Redgrave, Raymond Massey, Katina Paxinou
Directed By:
Dudley Nichols
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress
33. The Feminine Touch (1941)
7
4
The Feminine Touch
7
4

Professor of psychology, John Hathaway, who doesn’t believe in jealousy, moves to New York with wife Julie to publish his book on jealousy. They meet publisher Elliot Morgan who totally falls for Julie, while John’s working with Elliot’s assistant, Nellie, irks Julie. She wants John to get jealous and teach Elliot a good lesson. Will John feel what he thinks doesn’t exist?

Role:
Julie Hathaway
Starring:
Don Ameche, Kay Francis, Donald Meek, Van Heflin
Directed By:
W.S. Van Dyke
34. Tell It to the Judge (1949)
6
4
Tell It to the Judge
6
4
Role:
Marsha Meredith
Starring:
Harry Davenport, Robert Cummings, Gig Young, Marie McDonald
Directed By:
Norman Foster
35. Four's a Crowd (1938)
7
4
Four's a Crowd
7
4

Realizing that Pat Buckley, owner of the paper, is planning to close it down, reporter Jean Christy suggests that he hire former employee,  Robert Lansford, now in public relation business, to improve the paper’s circulation. Initially unwilling, Robert agrees to take up the assignment only after he learns that Pat is dating Lorri, whose grandfather is a millionaire.  

Role:
Jean Christy
Starring:
Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lana Turner, Patric Knowles, Walter Connolly
Directed By:
36. Fast and Loose (1939)
6
4
Fast and Loose
6
4
Role:
Garda Sloane
Starring:
Reginald Owen, Robert Montgomery, Ralph Morgan, Etienne Girardot,
Directed By:
Edwin L. Marin
37. Design for Scandal (1941)
6
4
Design for Scandal
6
4
Role:
Judge Cornelia Porter
Starring:
Walter Pidgeon, Edward Arnold, Jean Rogers, Lee Bowman
Directed By:
Norman Taurog
38. The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)
6
4
The Guilt of Janet Ames
6
4

This drama film tells the story of Janet Ames, a bitter war widow, who meets one of the five men whom her husband died to save. The man tries to convince her that the sacrifice was necessary, but she believes that her husband died unnecessarily to save lives which are worthless. 

Role:
Janet Ames
Starring:
Sid Caesar, Denver Pyle, Melvyn Douglas, Nina Foch, Betsy Blair
Directed By:
Henry Levin
39. The Night Is Young (1935)
6
3
The Night Is Young
6
3
Starring:
Edward Everett Horton, Ramon Novarro, Charles Butterworth, Una Merkel, Evelyn Laye
Directed By:
Dudley Murphy
40. No Time for Comedy (1940)
7
4
No Time for Comedy
7
4

Gaylord is a reporter who starts writing plays. After his most recent hit, he meets Amanda Swift at a party. She feels that his talents are being wasted in writing comedies, and urges him to write a tragedy about immortality. Soon, Gaylord finds himself attracted to Amanda, and divorces his wife Linda. However, after his play turns out to be unintentionally funny, Amanda leaves him.

Role:
Linda Paige Esterbrook
Starring:
James Stewart, Charles Ruggles, Genevieve Tobin, Allyn Joslyn
Directed By:
William Keighley
41. The Casino Murder Case (1935)
6
4
The Casino Murder Case
6
4
Role:
Doris Reed
Starring:
Paul Lukas, Alison Skipworth, Donald Cook, Arthur Byron, Ted Healy
Directed By:
Edwin L. Marin
42. The President Vanishes (1934)
5
3
The President Vanishes
5
3
Starring:
Paul Kelly, Andy Devine, Arthur Byron, Edward Arnold,
Directed By:
William A. Wellman
43. It Had to Happen (1936)
5
3
It Had to Happen
5
3
Role:
Beatrice Newnes
Starring:
Alan Dinehart, Arline Judge, George Raft, Leo Carrillo,
Directed By:
Roy Del Ruth
44. Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968)
8
5
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows!
G
8
5
Role:
Mother Superior
Starring:
Milton Berle, Arthur Godfrey, Mary Wickes, Binnie Barnes
Directed By:
James Neilson
45. She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945)
6
4
She Wouldn't Say Yes
6
4

Michael Kent, a comic strip writer for a newspaper, bumps into a gifted psychiatrist named Susan, and instantly falls for her. He also manages to convince her father for their marriage, but Susan is not interested. She comes up with a plan to get rid of him, with a patient’s help.

Role:
Dr. Susan A. Lane
Starring:
Carl Switzer, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, Harry Davenport, Charles Winninger, Lee Bowman
Directed By:
Alexander Hall
46. Man-Proof (1938)
6
4
Man-Proof
6
4
Role:
Elizabeth Kent
Starring:
Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Franchot Tone, Rita Johnson
Directed By:
Richard Thorpe
47. Never Wave at a WAC (1953)
6
4
Never Wave at a WAC
6
4
Role:
Jo McBain
Starring:
Paul Douglas, Marie Wilson, Arleen Whelan, William Ching
Directed By:
Norman Z. McLeod
48. Live, Love and Learn (1937)
5
4
Live, Love and Learn
5
4

Live, Love and Learn is a love story between a heiress and an artist who struggles to make ends meet. They manage to live a peaceful life and strive for an idyllic relationship despite poverty.

Role:
Julie Stoddard
Starring:
Mickey Rooney, Robert Montgomery, Monty Woolley, Robert Benchley
Directed By:
George Fitzmaurice
49. Flight for Freedom (1943)
5
4
Flight for Freedom
5
4

Flight for Freedom is a fictionalized account of the disappearance of a pioneer aviatrix. She sacrifices her life to make way for the US Navy to fly over the Pacific in 1937 to search for some Japanese installations on the nearby islands.

Role:
Tonie Carter
Starring:
Fred MacMurray, Herbert Marshall, Eduardo Ciannelli, Walter Kingsford
Directed By:
Lothar Mendes
50. West Point of the Air (1935)
5
4
West Point of the Air
5
4

West Point of the Air is a drama film which tells the story of an army sergeant who wants his son to become an ace flyer.

Starring:
Walter Brennan, Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Robert Young
Directed By:
Richard Rosson
51. Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1970)
5
4
Mrs. Pollifax-Spy
G
5
4

A widowed woman in New Jersey volunteers for spy duty for the CIA. They agree to accept her, and she is sent to Mexico, for an important assignment. However, things get complicated when she ends up in Eastern Europe instead.

Role:
Mrs. Pollifax
Starring:
Darren McGavin, Nehemiah Persoff, Albert Paulsen, Harold Gould
Directed By:
Leslie H. Martinson
52. The Girl Rush (1955)
4
4
The Girl Rush
4
4

The Girl Rush is a comedy film which tells the story of a gambler’s daughter, who visits Las Vegas along with her aunt after learning that she has inherited 50% interest in a hotel-casino owned by her late uncle. However, when she arrives, she sees that the place is a total mess, and her partner is also in debt.

Role:
Kim Halliday
Starring:
Eddie Albert, George Chakiris, Fernando Lamas, Gloria DeHaven, Marion Lorne
Directed By:
Robert Pirosh
53. Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad (1967)
4
4
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad
4
4
Role:
Madame Rosepettle
Starring:
Jonathan Winters, Barbara Harris, Hugh Griffith, Robert Morse
Directed By:
Richard Quine, Alexander Mackendrick

TV Shows

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
13
4
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
13
4
Starring:
Burt Reynolds, Bette Davis, Charlton Heston, Mary Tyler Moore, Lee Marvin, Tony Curtis, Vincent Price
Directed By:
General Electric Theater
11
5
General Electric Theater
11
5
Starring:
Ron Howard, Angela Lansbury, Cloris Leachman, Dennis Hopper, Michael Landon, Ryan O'Neal, Ernest Borgnine
Directed By:
Startime
8
4
Startime
8
4
Starring:
Agnes Moorehead, Alan Young, Nanette Fabray, Gracie Allen, Sydney Pollack, George Peppard, Bobby Darin

Rosalind Russell Awards

Golden Globe Awards
Gypsy Best Actress - Comedy or Musical 1963
A Majority of One Best Actress - Comedy or Musical 1962
Auntie Mame Best Actress - Comedy or Musical 1959
Mourning Becomes Electra Best Actress 1948
Sister Kenny Best Actress 1947