Gregory Peckhad a film career that lasted almost half a century, with roles in dozens of movies in that time. Those performances could be found in a wide variety of genres, too, with Peck seemingly able to do a little bit of everything while remaining exceptionally popular and reliable as an actor. He was consistently praised and awarded Oscars-wise, too, with five nominations and one win for Best Actor.
There was a timelessness to his acting style and screen presence that ensures Gregory Peck is still worth celebrating as an actor, even though he was active so many decades ago now. Thefollowing films encompass the very best he ever starred in, selected both for the quality of the performance he gives in each respective one, and for how good the rest of the film is overall.
10’The Guns of Navarone' (1961)
Director: J. Lee Thompson
The Guns of Navaroneis aneffective blend of war, adventure, and thriller genres, and also jumps out instantly because of the strength of its main cast, with Peck being joined byDavid NivenandAnthony Quinn. Narratively, the whole thing concerns a dangerous mission undertaken during World War II that involves saboteurs having to infiltrate an island filled with Nazi forces to destroy two pieces of large-caliber artillery (the titular guns of Navarone).
It’snot necessarily a slow movie, but it is a methodical one, taking its time to introduce characters, set up a plan, and establish stakes, all before seeing the main attraction – the mission – get underway.The Guns of Navaronesatisfies and mostly earns its rather long runtime, which ends up falling just 20 minutes shy of three hours.
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9’How the West Was Won' (1962)
Directors: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall
If you like your Westerns big and epic, and find yourself stumbling acrossHow the West Was Won, then you’ve come to (or tripped over onto) the right place. It’s a film that spans decades, starting in the 1830s and ending near the start of the 20th century. It was a big enough production that it had three different directors, andpotentially too many stars to count,including the likes of John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, and, of course, Gregory Peck.
It’s also a film with an admirably wide aspect ratio, truly allowing the Western landscapes to shine and appear more gigantic and expansive than ever. It’s not the strongest film narratively, but it’s a technical marvel (winning several Oscars for the craft on offer), and it’s additionally fun to see so many Golden Age of Hollywood stars showing up in the one movie.
How the West Was Won
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8’On the Beach' (1959)
Director: Stanley Kramer
On the Beachis almost awar movie, though it looks at the aftermathof a war, to be more specific, and a fictional/hypothetical/potentially sci-fi one at that. The premise is pretty grim,considering it takes place following a devastating nuclear war that decimated most of the planet, except for more isolated areas like Australia.
The problem for the survivors and people taking refuge there, however, is the fact that radiation is spreading throughout the world and could inevitably reach those who had previously made it through the devastation. It’s pretty nakedly about the way that nuclear war would ultimately decimate the planet, finding small amounts of happiness in the lives people live, knowing that their time is particularly finite. A good or bad palate cleanser from the sadness of it all, depending on your sense of humor,might well beDr. Strangelove.
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7’Cape Fear' (1962)
A meticulously well-crafted thriller that shows how timeless building good suspense can be,Cape Fearmight be slightly more well-known nowadays because of the1991Martin Scorsesefilm of the same name. Both are admirably intense and have very similar premises, though in the Scorsese version, it’s about a released prisoner stalking the lawyer he blames for his imprisonment, while in the 1962 version, the released prisoner stalks and torments a key witness in his trial.
The films are also tied by the fact that Gregory Peck andRobert Mitchum–the stars of the original – also have small roles in the Scorsese version. Still, for as good as that one is, it’s probably the 1962 version ofCape Fearthat trumps it, being just a little snappier pacing-wise and perhaps being more effective at getting under one’s skin because it has to imply a good deal of the horrific moments, rather than outright showing them.
Sam Bowden witnesses a crime committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and his family but is always clever enough not to violate the law.
6’The Gunfighter' (1950)
Director: Henry King
Anyone who watched and enjoyedHow the West Was Wonbut thought it needed a little more Gregory Peck will be glad to know that it was far from his only Western, and some of his other good ones gave him more substantial parts. TakeThe Gunfighter, for instance, which he’s the clear star of, much in the same way thatHigh Noon– released a couple of years later – basically belongs toGary Cooper.
The Gunfightertells a very direct story in under 90 minutes, following the consequences of having a reputation as being the fastest gunman in the West: every up-and-coming rebel, cowboy, or outlaw wants to outgun you and become the next champion, so to speak.It’s a thoughtful and leisurely-paced Westernthat’s stronger on character than narrative, with Peck being more than up to the task of grounding the film overall and ensuring its emotional moments hit hard.
The Gunfighter
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5’The Big Country' (1958)
Director: William Wyler
In contrast toThe Gunfighter, one of Peck’sWesterns released later that decade,The Big Country, potentially stands as his very best in the genre, and it can also be compared toHow the West Was Wonin terms of its length. Broadly, it’s about a land dispute in a particularly prosperous part of the Old West, with the film exploring how this conflict affects a large family.
That makes it a little comparable to something likeGiant, which starredJames Dean, and, funnily enough, actressCarroll Bakerplayed a supporting role in both (and, for what it’s worth, she was one of many people inHow the West Was Won, too).The Big Countryalso starsCharlton HestonandJean Simmons, but it’s Gregory Peck whogets the lead role and the most time to shine, matching the size of the movie overall with an undeniably confident performance.
The Big Country
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4’Spellbound' (1945)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Gregory Peck’s first feature film acting credit was in 1944, makingSpellboundone of his very first movies, and arguably his very first that’s still quite well-known today. A good part of that is because it was directed byAlfred Hitchcock, and it paired Peck with another legend of the silver screen,Ingrid Bergman, who was only one year older than her co-star, but had been in considerably more movies up until that point (one of them being, of course,Casablanca).
The narrative involves murder, mystery, amnesia, and potentially confused identities, all things that are very much in Hitchcock’s wheelhouse.It might not be his very best thriller, but it is an undeniably strong one with some very bold and memorable sequences, and two excellent central performances, courtesy of Bergman and Peck.
3’Roman Holiday' (1953)
Roman Holidayis pretty muchas good as romance movies get, with it having a sort of effortless charm and breeziness to it that makes it just as much fun to watch today as itwould’ve been for audiences back in the 1950s. The premise is simple, with Gregory Peck playing an American reporter looking for a story in Rome, then finding it – and more – when he comes across a strange woman who turns out to be a princess who’s temporarily run away from her duties.
It’s also worth mentioning thatRoman Holidayis one of thebest filmsAudrey Hepburnever starred in, with the chemistry between her and Peck being one of the things that makes it work so well. It’s one of those older films that’s worth showing to people who don’t usually like older films, becauseit’s great enough, funny enough, and romantic enough that it might well convert themto the films of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Roman Holiday
2’The Omen' (1976)
Director: Richard Donner
LikeThe Exorcist,The Omenwasa religious horror movie released in the 1970sthat rather surprisingly kicked off a series that’s continued to have installments into the 2020s, though with both series (or franchises, at this point?), no follow-ups ever topped the original.1976’sThe Omenstands particularly tallover its sometimes interesting but often disappointing sequels, telling a fantastic slow-burn story about a young child whose vibes, to put it mildly, are off.
It’s probably not too much of a secret what ends up happening inThe Omen, but just in case you don’t know, no more will be said about the plot here. What can be said is that it’s a very engaging and eventually emotionally intense movie about faith, parenthood, marriage, and destiny. It wasn’t one of Peck’s last movies by any means, but it was perhaps the final classic he played the lead role in, and he’s excellent as a desperate father/husband placed in an increasingly difficult situation.The Omenisa great dramaon top of being a very strong horror movie, and Peck is key to giving the whole thing that admirably grounded quality.
Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil’s own son?
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1’To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962)
Director: Robert Mulligan
Thecourtroom drama to which all others are compared,To Kill a Mockingbirdisa no-brainer when it comes to selecting the greatest film Gregory Peck ever starred in. Maybe it’s boring to put it at #1, but also, come on; it’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It was the film Peck won an Oscar for, and he did it playing one of the morememorable heroes of all 20th-century literature/cinema: Atticus Finch.
It was one of the very best films ofits year (an overall strong one for cinema), and unpacks racial prejudice in a small town, with Finch being the only lawyer willing to defend a black man who’s on trial and claims he’s innocent. It’s also a coming-of-age film alongside being an ever-interesting and moving look at crime and justice in America, and stands as a winner all around… not to mention also being a very effective adaptation of a classic novel.
