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 Susan Hayward Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. I Want to Live! (1958)
65
4
I Want to Live!
TV-PG
65
4

Based on real events, I Want to Live is a drama film which revolves around the story of a prostitute and habitual criminal named Barbara Graham, who receives the death sentence after being convicted of murder. The film shows her struggles, as she is put through the justice system, while also claiming her innocence.

Role:
Barbara Graham
Starring:
Gavin MacLeod, Theodore Bikel, Virginia Vincent, Simon Oakland
Directed By:
Robert Wise
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Drama
2. Back Street (1961)
66
6
Back Street
TV-PG
66
6

Paul Saxon falls in love with dress-shop owner, Rae Smith, but Paul’s abusive and alcoholic wife, Liz, who refuses to grant him divorce interferes and humiliates Rae. Later a drunken Liz causes a car crash that ends in tragedy leaving a heartbroken Rae mourning the loss of her beloved. 

Role:
Rae Smith
Starring:
Majel Barrett, Virginia Grey, Charles Drake, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Directed By:
David Miller
3. I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
54
7
I'll Cry Tomorrow
54
7
Role:
Lillian Roth
Starring:
Eddie Albert, Richard Conte, Don Taylor, Jo Van Fleet
Directed By:
Daniel Mann
4. With a Song in My Heart (1952)
53
5
With a Song in My Heart
53
5
Role:
Jane Froman
Starring:
Rory Calhoun, Robert Wagner, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter
Directed By:
Walter Lang
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
5. My Foolish Heart (1949)
47
3
My Foolish Heart
47
3

The story is told in flashback through the eyes of Eloise Winters. The now alcoholic Eloise is trapped in an unhappy marriage and has a difficult relationship with her daughter. While she is contemplating divorcing her husband, she reminisces about her first true love with Walt Dreiser before the beginning of World War II.  

Role:
Eloise Winters
Starring:
Dana Andrews, Kent Smith, Jessie Royce Landis, Lois Wheeler
Directed By:
Mark Robson
6. Rawhide (1951)
41
4
Rawhide
41
4
Role:
Vinnie Holt
Starring:
Dean Jagger, Tyrone Power, Edgar Buchanan, Hugh Marlowe
Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
7. Beau Geste (1939)
25
7
Beau Geste
TV-PG
25
7

Beau, John and Digby are three adventurous and inseparable brothers who were adopted and raised by the wealthy Lady Brandon. All three of them join the French Foreign Legion, but things get complicated when John is separated from the other two. Beau and Digby are both put under the command of Sergeant Markoff, a sadistic and ruthless officer.

Role:
Isobel Rivers
Starring:
Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston
Directed By:
William A. Wellman
8. The President's Lady (1953)
34
3
The President's Lady
34
3

Based on a novel of the same name, this film revolves around the life of President Andrew Jackson, the seventh US President. The film follows his life from his early teenage years, when he meets and marries Rachel Donaldson Robards, to help her get out of a troubled marriage. This, however, leads to several controversies. 

Role:
Rachel Donelson
Starring:
Charlton Heston, John McIntire, Fay Bainter, Whitfield Connor
Directed By:
Henry Levin
10. The Lusty Men (1952)
25
7
The Lusty Men
25
7
Role:
Louise Merritt
Starring:
Robert Mitchum, Frank Faylen, Arthur Hunnicutt, Arthur Kennedy
Directed By:
Robert Parrish, Nicholas Ray
11. I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
34
6
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
34
6

William Thompson moves to a rural town in Georgia, with his wife Mary Elizabeth. However, they face various problems while adjusting to their new lifestyle. 

Role:
Mary Elizabeth Eden Thompson
Starring:
Rory Calhoun, Gene Lockhart, William Lundigan, Barbara Bates
Directed By:
Henry King
12. Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947)
35
2
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
35
2

Night club singer, Angie Evans, marries struggling singer, Ken Conway, giving up her own career and becoming a mother. Ken achieves success and an insecure Angie resorts to alcoholism. When Ken has an affair with secretary Martha and asks for a divorce, Angie kidnaps their child, leading to harrowing consequences. 

Role:
Angelica 'Angie' 'Angel' Evans Conway
Starring:
Eddie Albert, Carl Esmond, Marsha Hunt, Lee Bowman
Directed By:
Stuart Heisler
13. Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
29
2
Reap the Wild Wind
29
2
Starring:
Paulette Goddard, Cecil B. DeMille, John Wayne, Ray Milland, Raymond Massey
Directed By:
14. Canyon Passage (1946)
24
1
Canyon Passage
TV-PG
24
1
Role:
Lucy Overmire
Starring:
Lloyd Bridges, Ward Bond, Brian Donlevy, Dana Andrews
Directed By:
Jacques Tourneur
15. I Married a Witch (1942)
21
5
I Married a Witch
21
5

Jennifer is a 300 year old witch living in the 20th century, who decides to torture a politician named Wallace Wooley, as he is a descendant of the very family that used to persecute witches centuries ago. Wallace is unhappily engaged, and Jennifer decides to make things even more miserable for him, by making him fall for her with the help of a love potion. However, things take a hilarious turn when she ends up taking the potion herself.

Role:
Estelle Masterson
Starring:
Fredric March, Robert Benchley, Cecil Kellaway, Veronica Lake
Directed By:
René Clair
16. Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
28
4
Demetrius and the Gladiators
28
4
Role:
Messalina
Starring:
Victor Mature, Ernest Borgnine, Anne Bancroft, Michael Rennie
Directed By:
Delmer Daves
17. They Won't Believe Me (1947)
19
5
They Won't Believe Me
19
5
Role:
Verna Carlson
Starring:
Robert Young, Rita Johnson, Jane Greer, Tom Powers
Directed By:
Irving Pichel
18. Ada (1961)
26
3
Ada
26
3

Bo Gillis, an honest but naive gubernatorial candidate marries Ada Dallas, whom he has met shortly before his election, eventually beginning their life as the state’s first couple. But very soon, Bo finds that he is being fully controlled by his corrupt campaign manager. Things become even more complicated when Ada makes it known that she wants to be named as the new lieutenant governor.

Role:
Ada Gillis
Starring:
Dean Martin, Ralph Meeker, Martin Balsam, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Directed By:
Daniel Mann
19. Garden of Evil (1954)
24
3
Garden of Evil
24
3
Role:
Leah Fuller
Starring:
Richard Widmark, Rita Moreno, Gary Cooper, Cameron Mitchell, Hugh Marlowe
Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
20. The Lost Moment (1947)
19
3
The Lost Moment
19
3

Publisher Lewis Venable wants to acquire some love letters between late poet, Jeffrey Ashton, and Juliana Bordereau. On learning Juliana is still alive, he takes up lodgings at her house. But things take a turn for the worse when he discovers Juliana’s schizophrenic granddaughter, Tina, is obsessed with Asthon, at times believing she is Juliana. 

Role:
Tina Bordereau
Starring:
Agnes Moorehead, Robert Cummings, Eduardo Ciannelli, Joan Lorring
Directed By:
Martin Gabel
21. Tap Roots (1948)
21
1
Tap Roots
21
1

The Dabneys, who are plantation owners in rural Mississippi, decide to remain neutral during the Civil War, but they find themselves caught in the crossfire. Hoab Dabney finds support from a local newspaperman named Keith Alexander, who eventually falls in love with Morna, Hoab’s daughter. However, Morna’s fiancé Clay, who is part of the Confederate Army, is planning to punish the citizens who has decided to stay neutral.

Role:
Morna Dabney
Starring:
Julie London, Boris Karloff, Van Heflin, Whitfield Connor
Directed By:
George Marshall
22. Deadline at Dawn (1946)
22
2
Deadline at Dawn
22
2
Role:
June Goffe
Starring:
Paul Lukas, Joseph Calleia, Osa Massen, Bill Williams
Directed By:
William Cameron Menzies, Harold Clurman
23. The Forest Rangers (1942)
16
1
The Forest Rangers
16
1

Don Stuart is a forest ranger who is in pursuit of a forest arsonist. Meanwhile, he also develops a romance with a socialite.

Role:
Tana 'Butch' Mason
Starring:
Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard, Lynne Overman, Albert Dekker
Directed By:
George Marshall
24. Untamed (1955)
29
1
Untamed
29
1

Set in 1847, during the Great Famine, the film revolves around Katie O’Neill, and her husband, who immigrates to a troubled South Africa, where the former runs into an old flame. 

Role:
Katie O'Neill Kildare
Starring:
Rita Moreno, Agnes Moorehead, Tyrone Power, Richard Egan
Directed By:
Henry King
25. The Saxon Charm (1948)
21
3
The Saxon Charm
21
3
Role:
Janet Busch
Starring:
Robert Montgomery, John Payne, Harry Morgan, Audrey Totter
Directed By:
Claude Binyon
26. The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
29
2
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
TV-PG
29
2
Role:
Helen
Starring:
Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Leo G. Carroll, Hildegard Knef
Directed By:
Roy Ward Baker, Henry King
27. The Fighting Seabees (1944)
22
3
The Fighting Seabees
22
3
Role:
Constance Chesley
Starring:
William Frawley, John Wayne, Dennis O'Keefe, Leonid Kinskey
Directed By:
Edward Ludwig
28. The Honey Pot (1967)
14
4
The Honey Pot
14
4
Role:
Mrs. Sheridan
Starring:
Maggie Smith, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Rex Harrison
Directed By:
29. The Sisters (1938)
13
7
The Sisters
13
7
Starring:
Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp
Directed By:
Anatole Litvak
30. Where Love Has Gone (1964)
23
3
Where Love Has Gone
23
3
Role:
Valerie Hayden Miller
Starring:
Bette Davis, Mike Connors, Joey Heatherton, Jane Greer
Directed By:
Edward Dmytryk
31. Skirmish on the Home Front (1944)
9
2
Skirmish on the Home Front
9
2
Role:
Molly Miller
Starring:
Alan Ladd, Betty Hutton, William Bendix
32. Adam Had Four Sons (1941)
18
2
Adam Had Four Sons
18
2

When Adam Stoddard’s wife dies, it falls upon their governess Emile to mother his four children  and keep the family together. But soon Adam’s fortune is also lost and he has to send the boys to boarding school and Emile away. Years later, he recoups his financial standing and summons Emile, whom he has always loved. But by then, one of his sons has married a scheming woman.

Role:
Hester Stoddard
Starring:
Ingrid Bergman, Richard Denning, Warner Baxter, Fay Wray
Directed By:
Gregory Ratoff
33. And Now Tomorrow (1944)
10
2
And Now Tomorrow
10
2

Dr. Merek Vance, who has developed a serum to cure deafness, tries it on Emily Blair, who is rich but deaf. However, it doesn’t prove effective. Meanwhile, Emily’s sister Janice is having an affair with Emily’s fiancé, Jeff. Emily insists on trying Merek’s new serum, but falls in coma. Now, will Emily get over her deafness and marry the man she loves? 

Role:
Janice Blair
Starring:
Elinor Donahue, Loretta Young, Alan Ladd, Beulah Bondi, Cecil Kellaway
Directed By:
Irving Pichel
34. Soldier of Fortune (1955)
22
1
Soldier of Fortune
22
1

Jane Hoyt reaches Hong Kong to rescue her thrill-seeking photojournalist husband Louis who has been captured by Communist China and is being held in a prison in Canton. She seeks the help of cunning shipping magnate Hank Lee and the two start falling in love.  

Role:
Mrs. Jane Hoyt
Starring:
Clark Gable, Michael Rennie, Gene Barry, Alexander D'Arcy
Directed By:
Edward Dmytryk
35. I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951)
14
3
I Can Get It for You Wholesale
14
3
Role:
Harriet Boyd
Starring:
Sam Jaffe, George Sanders, Dan Dailey, Randy Stuart
Directed By:
Michael Gordon
36. Comet Over Broadway (1938)
9
2
Comet Over Broadway
TV-G
9
2

Comet Over Broadway is an American drama film which tells the story of Eve Appleton, who is the wife of a small-town garage owner, but hopes to become a theatrical star some day. When her husband is sent to prison for accidentally killing an actor, she decides to go away and pursue her dreams.   

Starring:
Donald Crisp, Ian Hunter, Kay Francis, Minna Gombell, John Litel
Directed By:
37. The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
10
3
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
10
3
Starring:
Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Donald Crisp, Allen Jenkins
Directed By:
Anatole Litvak
38. Summer Flight (1963)
16
1
Summer Flight
16
1
Role:
Laura Pember
Starring:
Paul Rogers, Michael Craig, Diane Baker, Edward Judd
Directed By:
Daniel Petrie
39. David and Bathsheba (1951)
26
3
David and Bathsheba
26
3
Role:
Bathsheba
Starring:
Gregory Peck, James Robertson Justice, Raymond Massey, Kieron Moore
Directed By:
Henry King
40. Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
9
2
Star Spangled Rhythm
9
2

A musical made during WWII to entertain troops, raise funds and boost morale. Silent Era-Star, Billy Webster is now a gateman at Paramount studios. However, his Navy serviceman son, Johnny, thinks he is a studio executive. As Johnny is arriving with his shipmates, to preserve his illusion, Billy takes help of studio switchboard-operator, Polly, to put up a show with Hollywood’s mega-stars.

Starring:
Bob Hope, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Bing Crosby, Cecil B. DeMille, Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland
Directed By:
George Marshall, A. Edward Sutherland
41. Tulsa (1949)
19
1
Tulsa
19
1
Role:
Cherokee Lansing
Starring:
Robert Preston, Chill Wills, Pedro Armendáriz, Lloyd Gough
Directed By:
Stuart Heisler
42. Sis Hopkins (1941)
9
1
Sis Hopkins
9
1
Role:
Carol Hopkins
Starring:
Charles Butterworth, Judy Canova, Jerry Colonna, Bob Crosby
Directed By:
Joseph Santley
43. Hollywood Hotel (1937)
11
1
Hollywood Hotel
11
1

Ronny Bowers is a saxophone player and singer, who wins a talent contest, after which he is signed to a ten-week contract with a film studio. On the first evening, he is supposed to go with actress Mona Marshall, the studio’s star, to a movie premiere. However, when she refuses, her boss sends Virginia, a double. The charade works and Ronny and Virginia begin to develop feelings for one another. However, when Mona reads about this in the newspaper, she forces the studio to end Ronny’s contract.   

Starring:
Lola Lane, Hugh Herbert, Dick Powell, Ted Healy,
Directed By:
Busby Berkeley
44. Woman Obsessed (1959)
17
1
Woman Obsessed
17
1
Role:
Mary Sharron
Starring:
Theodore Bikel, Barbara Nichols, Stephen Boyd, Dennis Holmes
Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
45. Valley of the Dolls (1967)
24
2
Valley of the Dolls
PG-13
24
2

Based on a best-selling novel, this musical drama film revolves around three young women, Anne, Neely and Jennifer, who are in the show business. The film chronicles their lives starting from their rise to fame, to their downfall. 

Starring:
Sharon Tate, Lee Grant, Richard Dreyfuss, Dionne Warwick, Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Paul Burke
Directed By:
Mark Robson
46. Among the Living (1941)
11
2
Among the Living
11
2

Paul Raden, mentally unstable identical twin brother of John, is kept in a room in their family mansion. John returns home after 25 years for father’s funeral, and is shocked to learn about Paul, who he thought was dead. Paul escapes while his caretaker is found strangled. After another similar death, the town’s people are terrified and suspect John as the murderer.   

Role:
Millie Pickens
Starring:
Frances Farmer, Harry Carey, Gordon Jones, Albert Dekker
Directed By:
Stuart Heisler
47. I Thank a Fool (1962)
17
2
I Thank a Fool
17
2

I Thank a Fool is a crime drama mystery film, which tells the story of a doctor who is prosecuted for mercy killing by a district attorney. However, he also hires the same doctor to care for the victim's mentally-ill wife.

Role:
Christine Allison
Starring:
Peter Finch, Diane Cilento, Cyril Cusack, Kieron Moore
Directed By:
Robert Stevens
48. White Witch Doctor (1953)
17
1
White Witch Doctor
17
1

This adventure film takes us to 1907 in the Belgian Congo, where a missionary nurse, arrives to work for a missionary doctor. When she needs to attend to a local chief’s injured son, she asks a big-game hunter to accompany her, and the two eventually embark on a journey of adventure and romance. 

Role:
Ellen Burton
Starring:
Robert Mitchum, Walter Slezak, Mashood Ajala, Joseph C. Narcisse
Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
49. Top Secret Affair (1957)
14
3
Top Secret Affair
14
3

When an Army General is about to be appointed as the chairman of an atomic energy committee, a female tycoon is disappointed. Therefore, she invites the former to her country estate, in an attempt to entrap him as well as ruin his reputation. 

Role:
Dorothy 'Dottie' Peale
Starring:
Kirk Douglas, Paul Stewart, Jim Backus, John Cromwell
Directed By:
H.C. Potter
50. The Hairy Ape (1944)
12
1
The Hairy Ape
12
1
Role:
Mildred Douglas
Starring:
John Loder, Roman Bohnen, Dorothy Comingore, William Bendix
Directed By:
Alfred Santell
51. The Revengers (1972)
15
1
The Revengers
PG
15
1

After a rancher’s family is massacred by a gang of outlaws, he decides to pay a team of convicts in order to take revenge against them. 

Starring:
William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Roger Hanin, Woody Strode
Directed By:
Daniel Mann
52. The Marriage-Go-Round (1961)
15
3
The Marriage-Go-Round
15
3

Paul Delville who is a professor at a Florida college, and his wife, are expecting visitors from Sweden, who are their former colleagues. However, they are surprised to see that their young and beautiful daughter Katrin has arrived alone. Things get even more complicated when Katrin announces that she wants Paul to have a baby with her, as she wishes an offspring with both brains and beauty.   

Role:
Content Delville
Starring:
James Mason, June Clayworth, Robert Paige, Julie Newmar
Directed By:
Walter Lang
53. Our Leading Citizen (1939)
8
1
Our Leading Citizen
8
1
Role:
Judith Schofield
Starring:
Elizabeth Patterson, Bob Burns, Gene Lockhart, Joseph Allen
Directed By:
Alfred Santell
54. A Letter from Bataan (1942)
12
2
A Letter from Bataan
12
2
Role:
Mrs. Mary Lewis
Starring:
Richard Arlen, Joe Sawyer, Jimmy Lydon, Keith Richards
Directed By:
William H. Pine
55. $1000 a Touchdown (1939)
8
2
$1000 a Touchdown
8
2
Role:
Betty McGlen
Starring:
Joe E. Brown, Eric Blore, Martha Raye, John Hartley
Directed By:
James P. Hogan
56. Young and Willing (1943)
9
2
Young and Willing
9
2

Six struggling young actors share an apartment to make their ends meet. Their landlady soon provides them a play that was left long ago by an evicted tenant. However, soon it turns out that he is now a successful theater producer and is trying to rewrite his first play. Therefore, when the young actors come to know about this, they try to sell his own play to him.

Role:
Kate Benson
Starring:
William Holden, Robert Benchley, Martha O'Driscoll, Eddie Bracken
Directed By:
Edward H. Griffith
57. Thunder in the Sun (1959)
14
2
Thunder in the Sun
14
2
Role:
Gabrielle Dauphin
Starring:
Carl Esmond, Blanche Yurka, Jeff Chandler, Jacques Bergerac
Directed By:
Russell Rouse
58. Hit Parade of 1943 (1943)
10
1
Hit Parade of 1943
10
1

This romantic musical film tells the story of a songwriter who discovers that a nightclub singer has been stealing some of her hit songs. Despite this, she starts to develop feelings for him.

Role:
Jill Wright
Starring:
Dorothy Dandridge, Gail Patrick, John Carroll, Melville Cooper, Eve Arden
Directed By:
Albert S. Rogell
59. Girls on Probation (1938)
9
3
Girls on Probation
9
3
Starring:
Henry O'Neill, Sheila Bromley, Jane Bryan, Anthony Averill,
Directed By:
William C. McGann
60. Jack London (1943)
9
2
Jack London
9
2
Role:
Charmian Kittredge
Starring:
Harry Davenport, Frank Craven, Osa Massen, Michael O'Shea
Directed By:
Alfred Santell
61. Campus Cinderella (1938)
6
2
Campus Cinderella
6
2

Campus Cinderella is a musical sports comedy short film which takes us to Darford College, where its President focuses on academics rather than sports. Things take a turn when The Board of Trustees threaten to fire him, if he doesn’t improve the college in the field of sports. In order to help her father, his daughter Marge tries to lure a star basketball player to their college. However, problem is that he fails to meet the academic requirements.  

Starring:
Sidney Bracey, Johnnie Davis, Penny Singleton, Anthony Averill,
Directed By:
Noel M. Smith
62. The Conqueror (1956)
12
6
The Conqueror
12
6
Role:
Bortai
Starring:
Patrick Wayne, Agnes Moorehead, John Wayne, John Hoyt, Pedro Armendáriz
Directed By:
Dick Powell

TV Movie(s)

1. Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972)
24
4
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole
TV-PG
24
4
Role:
Dr. Maggie Cole
Starring:
Dane Clark, Darren McGavin, Michael Constantine, Michele Nichols
Directed By:
Jud Taylor
2. Heat of Anger (1972)
21
4
Heat of Anger
21
4
Role:
Jessie Fitzgerald
Starring:
Lee J. Cobb, Bettye Ackerman, Fritz Weaver, James Stacy
Directed By:
Don Taylor

Susan Hayward Awards

Academy Awards
I Want to Live! Best Actress in a Leading Role 1959
Golden Globe Awards
I Want to Live! Best Actress - Drama 1959
With a Song in My Heart Best Actress - Comedy or Musical 1953
Winner World Film Favorite - Female 1953