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 John Barrymore Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. On the Quiet (1918)
13
3
On the Quiet
13
3
Role:
Robert Ridgeway
Starring:
Jack W. Johnston, Lois Meredith, Frank Losee, Alfred Hickman
Directed By:
Chester Withey
2. Nearly a King (1916)
11
2
Nearly a King
11
2
Role:
Jack Merriwell, Prince of Bulwana
Starring:
Russell Bassett, Katherine Corri Harris, Beatrice Prentice, Martin Alsop
Directed By:
Frederick A. Thomson
3. The Man from Mexico (1914)
11
2
The Man from Mexico
11
2
Role:
Fitzhugh
Starring:
Harold Lockwood, Wellington A. Playter, Pauline Neff, Anton Ascher
Directed By:
Thomas N. Heffron
4. The Man from Blankley's (1930)
12
2
The Man from Blankley's
12
2
Role:
Lord Strathpeffer
Starring:
Loretta Young, Emily Fitzroy, William Austin, Albert Gran
Directed By:
Alfred E. Green
5. The Dictator (1915)
11
2
The Dictator
11
2
Role:
Brooke Travers
Starring:
Ruby Hoffman, Ivan F. Simpson, Charlotte Ives, Walter Craven
Directed By:
Oscar Eagle
6. The Test of Honor (1919)
11
2
The Test of Honor
11
2
Role:
Martin Wingrave
Starring:
Jack W. Johnston, Marcia Manon, Constance Binney, Robert Schable
Directed By:
John S. Robertson
7. Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V (1933)
12
3
Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V
12
3
Role:
Hamlet
Starring:
Donald Crisp, Reginald Denny, Irving Pichel
Directed By:
Margaret Carrington, Robert Edmond Jones
8. General Crack (1929)
11
2
General Crack
11
2
Role:
Prince Christian Rudolph Augustus Kettlar, Duke of Kurland
Starring:
Hobart Bosworth, Lowell Sherman, Marian Nixon, Armida
Directed By:
Alan Crosland
9. The Lotus Eater (1921)
11
3
The Lotus Eater
11
3
Role:
Jacques Leroi
Starring:
Ida Waterman, Frank Currier, Colleen Moore, Anna Q. Nilsson
Directed By:
Marshall Neilan
10. Here Comes the Bride (1919)
12
2
Here Comes the Bride
12
2
Role:
Frederick Tile
Starring:
Frank Losee, Alfred Hickman, Frances Kaye, Faire Binney
Directed By:
John S. Robertson
11. National Red Cross Pageant (1917)
11
2
National Red Cross Pageant
11
2
Starring:
Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, Edith Wynne Matthison, Douglas Wood
Directed By:
Christy Cabanne
12. An American Citizen (1914)
11
2
An American Citizen
11
2
Role:
Berresford Cruger
Starring:
Hal Clarendon, Evelyn Moore, Peter Lang, Mrs. M.S. Smith
Directed By:
J. Searle Dawley
13. The Green Goddess (1939)
11
2
The Green Goddess
11
2
Role:
Himself (rumored)
Starring:
Orson Welles, William Alland, John Berry, Susan Fox
Directed By:
14. Romance in the Dark (1938)
11
2
Romance in the Dark
11
2
Role:
Zoltan Jason
Starring:
John Boles, Claire Dodd, Gladys Swarthout, Fritz Feld
Directed By:
H.C. Potter
15. Twentieth Century (1934)
18
2
Twentieth Century
18
2

Twentieth Century is a romantic comedy film which tells the story of a Broadway director named Oscar Jaffe, who used to be quite successful, but is currently going through hard times. He therefore tries to get close with his former lover, Lily Garland, who is now a star, after meeting her at a train. He hopes that she can help him revive his failing career. However, things get complicated because the temperamental Lily doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

Role:
Oscar Jaffe
Starring:
Carole Lombard, Ralph Forbes, Roscoe Karns, Walter Connolly
Directed By:
Howard Hawks
16. Midnight (1939)
13
2
Midnight
13
2

Eve Peabody, an unemployed American showgirl, arrives in Paris and with friendly taxi-driver Tibor Czerny searches for work in nightclubs. Realizing their mutual attraction Eve flees to enter a concert as Hungarian Baroness. Wealthy man Georges Flammarion enlists her help to break his wife’s affair with a playboy; but Tibor, who refuses to give up his quest for love, also lands there.

Role:
Georges Flammarion
Starring:
Don Ameche, Claudette Colbert, Mary Astor, Francis Lederer
Directed By:
Mitchell Leisen
17. Dinner at Eight (1933)
16
2
Dinner at Eight
16
2

The happiness of Millicent Jordan knows no bounds when she receives word that Lord and Lady Ferncliffe, the richest couple in England, have accepted an invitation to their dinner party. However, meanwhile, her husband Oliver is struggling with his health, and he is also worried because someone is trying to buy up the stock in his shipping business. He decides to get help from Dan Packard, a businessman, and asks his wife to invite him to the party as well, against her wishes.

Role:
Larry Renault
Starring:
Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler
Directed By:
18. Grand Hotel (1932)
19
2
Grand Hotel
19
2

This film revolves around the stories of a few individuals who are completely different from each other. The only thing common about them is that they are staying at the same hotel in Berlin.

Role:
Baron Felix von Geigern
Starring:
Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery
Directed By:
Edmund Goulding
19. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
10
2
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
10
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.  

Starring:
Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Janet Gaynor, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Lionel Barrymore
Directed By:
Fred Niblo, Charles Brabin, Christy Cabanne, J.J. Cohn, Rex Ingram
20. The Incorrigible Dukane (1915)
10
2
The Incorrigible Dukane
10
2
Role:
James Dukane
Starring:
William T. Carleton, Helen Weir, Stewart Baird, William MacDonald
Directed By:
James Durkin
21. Marie Antoinette (1938)
11
2
Marie Antoinette
11
2
Role:
King Louis XV
Starring:
Norma Shearer, Joseph Schildkraut, Anita Louise, Tyrone Power
Directed By:
W.S. Van Dyke, Julien Duvivier
22. Counsellor-at-Law (1933)
12
3
Counsellor-at-Law
12
3

Devastated by learning about his wife’s extramarital affair, George, a successful barrister, is about to leap from the window of his office in the Empire State Building. However, Regina, his secretary, who is in love with him, comes to rescue him.

Role:
George Simon
Starring:
Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon, Melvyn Douglas, Isabel Jewell
Directed By:
23. Night Club Scandal (1937)
11
2
Night Club Scandal
11
2
Role:
Dr. Ernest Tindal
Starring:
Charles Bickford, Lynne Overman, Harvey Stephens, Louise Campbell
Directed By:
Ralph Murphy
24. The Beloved Rogue (1927)
11
2
The Beloved Rogue
11
2
Role:
François Villon
Starring:
Conrad Veidt, Henry Victor, Marceline Day, Lawson Butt
Directed By:
Alan Crosland
25. Maytime (1937)
12
2
Maytime
12
2

In this musical romantic drama film, Miss Morrison, an aging opera singer, is shown to be looking back at her long life. She remembers her relationship with her vocal teacher, as well as a young student, with whom she had fallen in love. However, they are forced to part when her mentor Nicolai proposes marriage to her.  

Role:
Nicolai Nazaroff
Starring:
Jeanette MacDonald, Herman Bing, Tom Brown, Nelson Eddy
Directed By:
Robert Z. Leonard
26. Are You a Mason? (1915)
9
2
Are You a Mason?
9
2
Role:
Frank Perry
Starring:
Harold Lockwood, Helen Freeman, Charles Dixon, W. Dickinson
Directed By:
Thomas N. Heffron
27. True Confession (1937)
10
2
True Confession
10
2
Role:
Charley Jasper
Starring:
Hattie McDaniel, Fred MacMurray, Carole Lombard, Una Merkel, Porter Hall
Directed By:
Wesley Ruggles
28. Don Juan (1926)
12
2
Don Juan
12
2
Starring:
Montagu Love, Warner Oland, Estelle Taylor, John Roche
Directed By:
Alan Crosland
29. Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917)
9
2
Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman
9
2
Role:
A.J. Raffles
Starring:
Christine Mayo, H. Cooper Cliffe, Frank Morgan, Dudley Hill
Directed By:
George Irving
30. Arsène Lupin (1932)
12
2
Arsène Lupin
12
2

The elite society of Paris is intimidated by a bold thief known by the name of Arsene Lupin, who continues to rob them of their precious possessions. The scandal creates a fear in the city. But Detective Guerchard of French Police is certain of the mysterious thief’s identity, and is also confident of how he is going to apprehend the thief.

Role:
Duke of Charmerace
Starring:
Lionel Barrymore, Tully Marshall, John Miljan, Karen Morley
Directed By:
Jack Conway
31. When a Man Loves (1927)
10
2
When a Man Loves
10
2
Role:
Chevalier Fabien des Grieux
Starring:
Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Sam De Grasse, Holmes Herbert
Directed By:
Alan Crosland
32. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
13
2
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
13
2
Role:
Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
Starring:
Charles Lane, Brandon Hurst, Martha Mansfield, Cecil Clovelly
Directed By:
John S. Robertson
33. Eternal Love (1929)
9
2
Eternal Love
9
2
Role:
Marcus Paltran
Starring:
Hobart Bosworth, Victor Varconi, Camilla Horn, Bodil Rosing
Directed By:
Ernst Lubitsch
34. Svengali (1931)
14
2
Svengali
14
2

Svengali is a music maestro who possesses telepathic powers that allow him to control the actions of women through hypnotism. He meets a beautiful model named Trilby, and gets infatuated with her. However, she falls for a young artist named Billie, who loves her as well. Svengali however manages to convince her to fake suicide, so that all her friends, including Billie, will forget her. He takes her on a singing tour, and uses his powers to make her sing wonderfully and turns her into a singing star. Things get complicated when Billie finds out about her.

Role:
Svengali
Starring:
Donald Crisp, Carmel Myers, Bramwell Fletcher, Marian Marsh
Directed By:
Archie Mayo
35. Topaze (1933)
12
2
Topaze
12
2
Role:
Professor Auguste A. Topaze
Starring:
Myrna Loy, Jackie Searl, Jobyna Howland, Reginald Mason
Directed By:
Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast
36. Tempest (1928)
10
2
Tempest
10
2

Despite his peasant upbringing, Ivan Markov rises to the rank of an officer in the Russian Army, although there are class-based resentments everywhere. He falls for Princess Tamara, but she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, and gets him imprisoned out of spite. The tables are turned when the Russian Civil War begins, and due to his humble origins, he finds himself at an advantage. He finds an opportunity to settle the score.    

Role:
Sgt. Ivan Markov
Starring:
Louis Wolheim, George Fawcett, Camilla Horn, Boris de Fast
Directed By:
Lewis Milestone, Viktor Tourjansky, Sam Taylor
37. Beau Brummel (1924)
10
2
Beau Brummel
10
2
Role:
George Bryon 'Beau' Brummel
Starring:
Carmel Myers, Willard Louis, Irene Rich, Mary Astor
Directed By:
Harry Beaumont
38. State's Attorney (1932)
11
2
State's Attorney
11
2
Role:
Tom Cardigan
Starring:
Mary Duncan, William 'Stage' Boyd, Helen Twelvetrees, Jill Esmond
Directed By:
George Archainbaud
39. Spawn of the North (1938)
9
2
Spawn of the North
9
2

Jim Kimmerlee and Tyler Dawson, two fishermen, are lifelong friends living in Alaska. However, they eventually come across pirates who steal fish from nets. Conflict arises between the two when Tyler joins up with a Russian fishing pirate. 

Role:
Windy Turlon
Starring:
Henry Fonda, Akim Tamiroff, George Raft, Dorothy Lamour
Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
40. World Premiere (1941)
9
2
World Premiere
9
2

World Premiere is a comedy film which tells the story of Duncan DeGrasse, a Hollywood producer, who is preparing for the release of his epic propaganda film titled ‘The Earth is in Flames’. However, in order to promote the film, he comes up with various kinds of schemes.

Role:
Duncan DeGrasse
Starring:
Frances Farmer, Eugene Pallette, Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Dale
Directed By:
Ted Tetzlaff, Otis Garrett
41. The Great Man Votes (1939)
11
2
The Great Man Votes
TV-G
11
2
Role:
Gregory Vance
Starring:
Katharine Alexander, Donald MacBride, Virginia Weidler, Peter Holden
Directed By:
Garson Kanin
42. Romeo and Juliet (1936)
11
2
Romeo and Juliet
11
2

Based on the famous play by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is a romantic drama film which tells the story of Romeo, son of Montague, who falls passionately in love with Juliet, daughter of Capulet. They get married in secret, since their feuding families would never approve of their relationship. Everything seems to be going well, until Romeo’s best friend Mercutio, is killed by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt.

Role:
Mercutio - Kinsman to the Prince and Friend to Romeo
Starring:
Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone
Directed By:
43. A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
13
2
A Bill of Divorcement
13
2
Role:
Hilary
Starring:
Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke, David Manners, Paul Cavanagh
Directed By:
44. Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
11
3
Rasputin and the Empress
11
3

Desperate to cure her hemophilic son Prince Alexei, Czarina Alexandra, resorts to the healer and mystic Rasputin to save him. Although it seems that Rasputin is initially curing the Prince, he conspires to bring about the downfall of the Russian Empire under Czar Nicholas II. Only Prince Paul Chegodieff stands in his way. 

Role:
Prince Paul Chegodieff
Starring:
Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, Tad Alexander, Ralph Morgan
Directed By:
Charles Brabin, Richard Boleslawski
45. The Great Profile (1940)
10
2
The Great Profile
10
2

Evans Garrick is an actor who is fired from a movie due to his persistent drinking behavior. His wife, frustrated with him, as well as his agent Boris, decides to abandon him. Soon, a novice writer Mary Maxwell asks him to star in her play, which her boyfriend is going to produce. Evans agrees, hoping that the play will lure back his wife and his agent.

Role:
Evans Garrick
Starring:
Anne Baxter, Gregory Ratoff, John Payne, Mary Beth Hughes
Directed By:
Walter Lang
46. The Mad Genius (1931)
10
2
The Mad Genius
10
2

Frustrated that he will never become a dancer, a crippled puppeteer adopts a boy and trains him to become the greatest dancer. Over the time, the young man grows up and falls in love. Concerned about his disciple’s career, the master tries his best to keep the lovers apart, not realizing that true love will surmount every hurdle.  

Role:
Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov
Starring:
Luis Alberni, Charles Butterworth, Donald Cook, Marian Marsh
Directed By:
47. The Sea Beast (1926)
10
2
The Sea Beast
10
2
Role:
Captain Ahab Ceeley
Starring:
Dolores Costello, George O'Hara, Mike Donlin, Sam Baker
Directed By:
Millard Webb
48. Long Lost Father (1934)
8
2
Long Lost Father
8
2
Role:
Carl Bellairs
Starring:
Helen Chandler, Alan Mowbray, Donald Cook, Claude King
Directed By:
Ernest B. Schoedsack
49. Night Flight (1933)
9
2
Night Flight
9
2

During the 1930s, a French air-mail company from South America is owned by Riviere who insists on continuing the night fights, though the heavy rains, fog and darkness over treacherous Andes peaks make it risky for the pilots. But when a young boy in Rio-de-Janeiro needs an urgent medical delivery of polio serum, the perilous night flight is the only available lifesaver. 

Role:
Riviere
Starring:
Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Montgomery
Directed By:
Clarence Brown
50. The Invisible Woman (1940)
10
2
The Invisible Woman
10
2
Role:
Professor Gibbs
Starring:
Shemp Howard, Charles Ruggles, Virginia Bruce, John Howard
Directed By:
A. Edward Sutherland
51. Hold That Co-ed (1938)
8
2
Hold That Co-ed
8
2
Role:
Governor
Starring:
Jack Haley, George Murphy, Joan Davis, Marjorie Weaver
Directed By:
George Marshall
52. Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)
9
2
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
9
2
Role:
Colonel Nielson
Starring:
Reginald Denny, John Howard, E.E. Clive, Louise Campbell
Directed By:
James P. Hogan
53. The Show of Shows (1929)
8
2
The Show of Shows
8
2

The film gave a chance to the 1929 audiences to see and hear the famous stars of silent movies for the first time. Frank Fay is the Emcee of this music-comedy revue, where the well-known names of the silent era, actors from first ‘talkie’ movies,  and the Broadway stars perform in a series of musical, dramatic and comedy acts.

Role:
Richard III in 'Henry VI Part III'
Starring:
Ann Sothern, Loretta Young, Hobart Bosworth, H.B. Warner
Directed By:
John G. Adolfi
54. Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
9
2
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back
9
2
Role:
Colonel Neilson
Starring:
Reginald Denny, John Howard, E.E. Clive, Louise Campbell
Directed By:
Louis King
55. Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937)
9
2
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge
9
2
Role:
Colonel Nielson
Starring:
Reginald Denny, John Howard, E.E. Clive, Louise Campbell
Directed By:
Louis King
56. Reunion in Vienna (1933)
9
2
Reunion in Vienna
9
2
Role:
Archduke Rudolf von Habsburg
Starring:
May Robson, Frank Morgan, Diana Wynyard, Henry Travers
Directed By:
Sidney Franklin
57. Sherlock Holmes (1922)
10
2
Sherlock Holmes
10
2

Based on a play of the same name, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, this film tells the story of investigator Sherlock Holmes, trying to bring down the criminal mastermind Moriarty as he also solves a crime involving a blackmailed prince.  

Role:
Sherlock Holmes
Starring:
Louis Wolheim, Carol Dempster, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Roland Young
Directed By:
Albert Parker
58. Moby Dick (1930)
8
1
Moby Dick
8
1
Role:
Ahab
Starring:
Nigel De Brulier, Noble Johnson, Lloyd Hughes, Joan Bennett
Directed By:
Lloyd Bacon
59. Playmates (1941)
7
1
Playmates
7
1
Role:
John Barrymore
Starring:
May Robson, Lupe Velez, Kay Kyser, Ginny Simms
Directed By:
David Butler
60. The Red Widow (1916)
11
2
The Red Widow
11
2
Role:
Cicero Hannibal Butts
Starring:
Flora Zabelle, John Hendricks, Eugene Redding, Millard Benson
Directed By:
James Durkin
61. A Prize Package (1912)
11
2
A Prize Package
11
2
Role:
Si Hawkins (as Jack Barrymore)
Starring:
Jerold T. Hevener, Eleanor Caines, Marie Rainford, William Raus
62. The Widow Casey's Return (1912)
11
2
The Widow Casey's Return
11
2
Role:
The Rejected Suitor (as Jack Barrymore)
Starring:
Jerold T. Hevener, Eleanor Caines, William Chamberlain
63. The Dream of a Moving Picture Director (1912)
11
2
The Dream of a Moving Picture Director
11
2
Role:
The Movie Villain (as Jack Barrymore)
Starring:
Edwin Middleton, Jerold T. Hevener, Eleanor Caines, Will Hartzell
Directed By:
Edwin Middleton
64. The Lost Bridegroom (1916)
10
2
The Lost Bridegroom
10
2
Role:
Bertie Joyce
Starring:
Ida Darling, Hardee Kirkland, Katherine Corri Harris, June Dale
Directed By:
James Kirkwood
65. Just Pretending (1912)
10
2
Just Pretending
10
2
Role:
The Policeman (as Jack Barrymore)
Starring:
Albert Hackett, Jerold T. Hevener, Eleanor Caines, Henrietta O'Beck
66. One on Romance (1913)
11
2
One on Romance
11
2
Role:
Jack Wilson (as Jack Barrymore)
Starring:
Eleanor Caines, Frank DeVernon, Charles Bartlett
Directed By:
Edwin Middleton

TV Movie(s)

1. Shakespeare's Women & Claire Bloom (1999)
9
2
Shakespeare's Women & Claire Bloom
9
2
Role:
Hamlet (archiveFootage)
Starring:
Sarah Bernhardt, Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Directed By:
Phillip Schopper