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 Janet Gaynor Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. High Society Blues (1930)
12
2
High Society Blues
12
2
Role:
Eleanor Divine
Starring:
Hedda Hopper, Charles Farrell, William Collier Sr., Joyce Compton
Directed By:
David Butler
2. Sunrise (1927)
15
3
Sunrise
15
3
Role:
The Wife
Starring:
J. Farrell MacDonald, Margaret Livingston, George O'Brien, Bodil Rosing
Directed By:
F.W. Murnau
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
3. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
12
2
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
12
2

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is an adventure romantic drama film which tells the story of Ben-Hur, a wealthy young Jewish prince, who is a friend fo the powerful Roman tribune, Messala. Ben-Hur’s life gets ugly when an accident and a false accusation leads him to getting arrested falsely. Instead of helping him, Messala, who has now become arrogant and corrupt, makes sure that Be-Hur is jailed and separated from the rest of his family.  

Directed By:
Fred Niblo, Charles Brabin, Christy Cabanne, J.J. Cohn, Rex Ingram
4. Lucky Star (1929)
14
2
Lucky Star
14
2
Role:
Mary Tucker
Starring:
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Charles Farrell, Paul Fix, Hedwiga Reicher
Directed By:
Frank Borzage
5. 7th Heaven (1927)
14
2
7th Heaven
14
2
Role:
Diane
Starring:
David Butler, Marie Mosquini, Charles Farrell, Albert Gran
Directed By:
Frank Borzage
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
6. A Star Is Born (1937)
13
2
A Star Is Born
13
2

A Star Is Born is a romantic drama film which tells the story of Esther, a young farm girl from North Dakota, who aspires to become a Hollywood actress. She eventually goes to Hollywood, but she is not able to find any work. She soon gets acquainted with Norman Maine, an actor who used to be a star, but ruined his career due to his alcoholism. He helps her get the role of the female lead in his next film. The film is a huge success, but over time, Esther becomes more popular than Norman.

Role:
Esther Victoria Blodgett - aka Vicki Lester
Starring:
Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine
Directed By:
Jack Conway, William A. Wellman
7. Street Angel (1928)
13
2
Street Angel
13
2
Role:
Angela
Starring:
Henry Armetta, Natalie Kingston, Charles Farrell, Guido Trento
Directed By:
Frank Borzage
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
8. Skinner's Dress Suit (1926)
11
2
Skinner's Dress Suit
11
2

Mrs Honey Skinner asks her husband to demand a raise, but it is denied since the biggest customer of his boss, has withdrawn his business. Problem is that Honey has already told most of her friends about the raise, but Skinner has not had the heart yet to tell her the truth.

Starring:
E.J. Ratcliffe, Ben Hendricks Jr., Laura La Plante, Arthur Lake
Directed By:
William A. Seiter
9. Servants' Entrance (1934)
11
2
Servants' Entrance
11
2
Role:
Hedda Nilsson aka Helga Brand
Starring:
Louise Dresser, Ned Sparks, Lew Ayres, Walter Connolly
Directed By:
Frank Lloyd
10. The Young in Heart (1938)
13
2
The Young in Heart
13
2

A penniless family of con-artists including Colonel Anthony ‘Sahib’ Carleton, his wife Marmy, his daughter George-Anne, and son Richard, befriend the rich spinster, Miss Ellen Fortune, on their way back to London. While initially intending to swindle her, Ellen’s kindness changes their lives forever.  

Role:
George-Anne Carleton
Starring:
Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Billie Burke, Roland Young, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Directed By:
Lewis Milestone, Gilbert Pratt, Richard Wallace
11. 4 Devils (1928)
10
2
4 Devils
10
2
Role:
Marion
Starring:
Mary Duncan, Charles Morton, Barry Norton, Nancy Drexel
Directed By:
F.W. Murnau
12. Happy Days (1929)
10
2
Happy Days
10
2

Happy Days is a musical film which revolves around Margie, a singer who sings on a showboat. When she comes to know that the showboat is in financial trouble, she decides to travel to New York City. She tries to persuade the former stars of the boat to perform in a show, to collect funds and rescue the showboat from financial ruin.

Starring:
Betty Grable, Will Rogers, Victor McLaglen, Charles E. Evans
Directed By:
Benjamin Stoloff
13. All Wet (1924)
10
2
All Wet
10
2

Jimmie, a resident at a boarding house, receives a telegram telling him to pick up a shipment from the train station. However, things don’t go as expected, as on the way to the station, he experiences problems with his car. 

Starring:
Charley Chase, William Gillespie, Olive Borden, Jack Gavin
Directed By:
Leo McCarey
14. State Fair (1933)
10
2
State Fair
10
2

Based on the eponymous novel by Phil Stong, the film is the first of three released versions. The story follows four members of a farmer family preparing for a visit to the State Fair; the parents hoping to win prizes for their boar and pickles and the children looking for romance. While they all have a grand time at the fir site, something they did not plan also takes place.  

Role:
Margy Frake
Starring:
Will Rogers, Sally Eilers, Lew Ayres, Norman Foster
Directed By:
Henry King
15. One More Spring (1935)
10
2
One More Spring
10
2

One More Spring is a comedy drama film which revolves around three homeless and unemployed people who decide to live together at a maintenance shed at a Park, in order to avoid living on the streets.

Role:
Elizabeth Cheney
Starring:
Stepin Fetchit, Jane Darwell, Warner Baxter, Walter Woolf King
Directed By:
Henry King
16. Carolina (1934)
10
2
Carolina
10
2
Role:
Joanna Tate
Starring:
Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore, Stepin Fetchit, Richard Cromwell
Directed By:
Henry King
17. Daddy Long Legs (1931)
10
2
Daddy Long Legs
10
2
Role:
Judy Abbott
Starring:
Claude Gillingwater, Warner Baxter, Una Merkel, John Arledge
Directed By:
Alfred Santell
18. Tess of the Storm Country (1932)
10
2
Tess of the Storm Country
10
2
Role:
Tess Howland
Starring:
Claude Gillingwater, Charles Farrell, June Clyde, Dudley Digges
Directed By:
Alfred Santell
19. Small Town Girl (1936)
10
2
Small Town Girl
10
2

Bored with her life, Katherine Brannan decides to marry prominent surgeon Robert Dakin after a drunken night out. But Robert is engaged to socialite Priscilla Kelly. To avoid a scandal, Robert and Katherine decide to pretend to be married for six months and then divorce quietly. They end up falling in love but Priscilla complicates matters. 

Role:
Katherine 'Kay' Brannan
Starring:
James Stewart, Robert Taylor, Lewis Stone, Andy Devine, Elizabeth Patterson
Directed By:
William A. Wellman, Robert Z. Leonard
20. Sunnyside Up (1929)
10
2
Sunnyside Up
10
2

Socialite Jack Cromwell has second thoughts regarding his coming marriage, when he sees his fiancée flirting. He runs off to New York, where he meets Molly, daughter of a grocer, who lives in a poor neighborhood. He persuades Molly to return to Southampton with him to make his fiancée jealous. But the two develop a liking for each other in the process. 

Role:
Molly Carr
Starring:
Jackie Cooper, Charles Farrell, El Brendel, Marjorie White
Directed By:
David Butler
21. The First Year (1932)
10
2
The First Year
10
2
Role:
Grace Livingston
Starring:
Charles Farrell, Dudley Digges, Leila Bennett, Minna Gombell
Directed By:
William K. Howard
22. Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
11
2
Three Loves Has Nancy
11
2
Role:
Nancy Briggs
Starring:
Robert Montgomery, Guy Kibbee, Franchot Tone, Claire Dodd
Directed By:
Richard Thorpe
23. Ladies in Love (1936)
10
2
Ladies in Love
10
2

Ladies in Love is a romantic comedy drama film which tells the love stories of three working girls living together in a shared apartment, as they look for ways to impress their dates. 

Role:
Martha Kerenye
Starring:
Loretta Young, Don Ameche, Constance Bennett, Simone Simon
Directed By:
Edward H. Griffith
24. The Return of Peter Grimm (1926)
10
2
The Return of Peter Grimm
10
2
Role:
Catherine
Starring:
Alec B. Francis, Lionel Belmore, John Roche, Richard Walling
Directed By:
Victor Schertzinger
25. With Love and Hisses (1927)
9
2
With Love and Hisses
9
2
Role:
Extra
Starring:
Stan Laurel, James Finlayson, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin,
Directed By:
Fred Guiol
26. The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)
9
3
The Farmer Takes a Wife
9
3

Jotham Klore is a leading canal boater on the Erie Canal. His cook, Molly, who is also his girlfriend likes to work on the canal and sail with him. However, things take an interesting turn, when Molly starts falling for Dan, an aspiring farmer.

Role:
Molly Larkins
Starring:
Henry Fonda, Andy Devine, Charles Bickford, Slim Summerville
Directed By:
27. The Plastic Age (1925)
9
2
The Plastic Age
9
2

Hugh Carver is a football star studying at Prescott College, who falls for a popular party girl named Cynthia Day. Soon, he finds it impossible to keep her happy as well as keep up with his studies and sports training, and therefore their relationship goes through difficulties.

Starring:
Clara Bow, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Donald Keith, Mary Alden, Henry B. Walthall, Gilbert Roland
Directed By:
Wesley Ruggles
28. Paddy the Next Best Thing (1933)
9
2
Paddy the Next Best Thing
9
2
Role:
Paddy Adair
Starring:
Warner Baxter, Walter Connolly, Margaret Lindsay, Harvey Stephens
Directed By:
Harry Lachman
29. Change of Heart (1934)
10
2
Change of Heart
10
2

After completing their graduation, four college graduates relocate to New York City, looking for employment. However, they soon realize that jobs are scarce and finding employment wouldn’t be as easy as they thought. Although they are great friends, their relationships are strained by their romantic entanglements.  

Role:
Catherine Furness
Starring:
Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, Charles Farrell, James Dunn
Directed By:
John G. Blystone
30. Adorable (1933)
9
2
Adorable
9
2

Although her parents want her to get married to an old prince, a rebellious princess decides to take a stand for herself because she is in love with a common man. But she is unsure if the man will accept her once he learns about her identity.

Role:
Princess Marie Christine, aka Mitzi
Starring:
Sterling Holloway, C. Aubrey Smith, Blanche Friderici, Herbert Mundin, Henri Garat
Directed By:
William Dieterle
31. The Stolen Ranch (1926)
9
2
The Stolen Ranch
9
2
Starring:
William Bailey, Louise Lorraine, Fred Humes, Ralph McCullough
Directed By:
32. Delicious (1931)
10
2
Delicious
10
2
Role:
Heather Gordon
Starring:
Charles Farrell, El Brendel, Raul Roulien, Lawrence O'Sullivan
Directed By:
David Butler
33. The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
9
2
The Shamrock Handicap
9
2

This silent drama film revolves around Sir Miles O’Hara, and his daughter, who rent out living quarters to a poor family. The problem is that due to their financial condition, they can never pay the rent on time.

Role:
Lady Sheila O'Hara
Starring:
Claire McDowell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Willard Louis, Leslie Fenton,
Directed By:
34. The Man Who Came Back (1931)
9
2
The Man Who Came Back
9
2
Role:
Angie Randolph
Starring:
Charles Farrell, William Holden, Kenneth MacKenna, Mary Forbes
Directed By:
Raoul Walsh
35. Bernardine (1957)
9
2
Bernardine
9
2

Bernardine is a musical comedy film which revolves around Sanford and Beau, two high school students who like to play pranks on others. They enter a fictional woman’s name in a contest, and things get complicated when the contestant wins.

Role:
Mrs. Ruth Wilson
Starring:
Pat Boone, Dean Jagger, Terry Moore, Dick Sargent
Directed By:
Henry Levin
36. Lazy Lightning (1926)
8
2
Lazy Lightning
8
2
Starring:
Arthur Morrison, Fay Wray, Robert Gordon, Art Acord
Directed By:
37. The Blue Eagle (1926)
8
2
The Blue Eagle
8
2

The Blue Eagle is an action drama film which tells the story of George and Big Jim, who are comrades in the Navy, but in the outside world, they are rivals since they both are attracted to the same woman, i.e. Rose, daughter the local policeman. Eventually, it is decided that they will settle their differences through a boxing fight.

Role:
Rose Kelly
Starring:
William Russell, Robert Edeson, Margaret Livingston, George O'Brien,
Directed By:
38. 45 Minutes from Hollywood (1926)
8
2
45 Minutes from Hollywood
8
2

A family in California is sent a letter which informs them that unless they travel to Hollywood to pay a fee that they owe, they are going to be evicted. Grandpa decides to go and get the problem solved but the son wants to see Hollywood as well, so his convinces his mother to allow him accompany his granddad.  

Starring:
Stan Laurel, Charlotte Mineau, Oliver Hardy, Sally O'Neil, Glenn Tryon
Directed By:
Fred Guiol
39. The Johnstown Flood (1926)
7
1
The Johnstown Flood
7
1
Role:
Anna Burger
Starring:
Carole Lombard, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, George O'Brien, Florence Gilbert, Anders Randolf
Directed By:
Irving Cummings
40. Christina (1929)
8
2
Christina
8
2
Role:
Christina
Starring:
Charles Morton, Harry Cording, Lucy Doraine, Rudolph Schildkraut
Directed By:
William K. Howard

TV Shows and Videos

Lux Video Theatre (1950)
Lux Video Theatre
Starring:
Grace Kelly, Alfred Hitchcock, Anne Bancroft, Roger Moore, Charlton Heston, Charles Bronson, Buster Keaton
Directed By:
Richard Goode, Fielder Cook, Buzz Kulik, Earl Eby, Norman Morgan
Medallion Theatre (1953)
Medallion Theatre
Starring:
Rod Steiger, Ben Gazzara, Jack Lemmon, Leslie Nielsen, Eddie Albert, Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda
Directed By:
Don Medford, Ralph Nelson
The Love Boat (1977)
The Love Boat
TV-G
Starring:
Dina Merrill, Kirstie Alley, Britt Ekland, Heather Locklear, David Hasselhoff, Rosey Grier, Michael J. Fox
Directed By:
Richard Kinon, Roger Duchowny, Robert Scheerer, Allen Baron, Ted Lange
General Electric Theater (1953)
General Electric Theater
Starring:
Carolyn Jones, George Burns, Rosalind Russell, Dennis Hopper, Bea Benaderet, Edward G. Robinson, Broderick Crawford
Directed By:
Herschel Daugherty, Don Medford, James Neilson, Jules Bricken, Mitchell Leisen

Janet Gaynor Awards

Academy Awards
7th Heaven Best Actress in a Leading Role 1929
Street Angel Best Actress in a Leading Role 1929
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Best Actress in a Leading Role 1929