Every Cary Grant Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Based on the stage play of the same name, "Enter Madame" may be Cary Grant's "worst" film, but it's worth noting that even this one has its charms. One of them is Grant himself, who plays Gerald Fitzgerald, an obsessed fan of opera and of singer Madame Lisa Della Robbia (Elissa Landi) in particular. When an accident strikes during one of her performances, Fitzgerald comes to her rescue, and the two quickly fall in love and marry. After their rapid courtship, Madame Della Robbia is due for a tour of Europe, and the doting Fitzgerald goes along for the ride.

When Madame Della Robbia decides to remain on tour instead of returning to America to spend time with her new husband, it spells trouble. Though Fitzgerald is supportive, his time alone allows them to grow apart and for him to spark a romance with another woman, a former flame called Flora (Sharon Lynn). When Madame Della Robbia discovers his affair, she concludes that she hasn't been attentive enough to keep him faithful, and she is determined to win Fitzgerald back. 

Three big Hollywood stars came together for "The Pride and the Passion," a 1957 war movie with Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, Grant appears as Captain Anthony Trumbull, a British Royal Navy ordnance officer on a mission to find a large artillery cannon abandoned by the Spanish and now at risk of falling into French hands. Superstar crooner Sinatra co-stars as Miguel, leader of a band of Spanish rebels, with young starlet Loren playing Juana, Miguel's mesmerizing mistress. She gets caught between the two men in a passionate love triangle.

Miguel and his men offer to help Trumbull recapture the massive cannon, but in exchange, he wants their help in shelling a fort occupied by the French. The film follows their attempts to take control of the cannon, while the villainous General Jouvet (Theodore Bikel) has his own designs on the weapon. While it has a compelling premise and an incredible cast, the movie would become much more famous for the affair that took place between the married Grant and the engaged Loren. The film itself was not one for the history books.

In 1953's "Dream Wife," a woman named Effie (Deborah Kerr) breaks things off with her husband Clemson (Cary Grant), who is clearly not happy with her new independent streak. Clemson is looking for a woman who is a bit more traditional, and he finds his perfect match in a visiting foreign princess named Tarij (Betta St. John), whose country has a more old-fashioned take on gender roles. While in America on business, Tarij is assigned a diplomatic escort by the State Department, and it just so happens to be Effie.

With Effie's help, Tarij soon learns that she doesn't have to stick to outdated attitudes when it comes to relationships. It's not long before the princess comes to embrace American feminist ideas. A clash of cultures leads to a number of comical misunderstandings, and Tarij helps Effie loosen up a little bit, too. In the end, everyone learns a lesson, but "Dream Wife" is still a film very much of its time — this rather unremarkable romcom is full of tired clichés and old Hollywood sexism.

Though there had been several silent film versions of the original play, the 1932 feature film "Madame Butterfly" was the first in the sound era, and to this day remains the only Hollywood adaptation (David Cronenberg's "M. Butterfly" is based on a semi-related play by David Henry Hwang). Starring Cary Grant opposite Sylvia Sidney in the title role, it tells the story of Cho-Cho San, a beautiful Japanese woman who falls deeply in love with an American Lieutenant named Pinkerton. Though they marry, Pinkerton has no intention of committing to her. He intends to return to America, where he plans to marry another woman. 

As she raises their son, Cho-Cho San waits patiently for the husband she thinks will one day return. With the help of the American consulate, she gets word to Pinkerton. But when he comes to visit, it's not a happy reunion. Though a relatively faithful adaptation, it's an unusual role for Grant, who rarely played such a scurrilous and cold-hearted man. The overall production looks nice, and Giacomo Puccini's original score is used to good effect, but it otherwise leaves a lot to be desired.

An epic adventure film, 1935's "The Last Outpost" takes place during World War I. British officer Michael Andrews (Cary Grant) is caught by Kurdish forces and sentenced to death. He gets saved by an undercover spy named John Stevenson (Claude Rains) and the two soon become close allies, making their way out of the region before being separated. Andrews and Rosemary (Gertrude Michael), a young nurse who helps with his recovery, fall in love. Rosemary reveals that she is married, leaving Andrews heartbroken. Little does he know that Rosemary is actually the wife of his friend and savior, John Stevenson.

Later, while Andrews is serving in Sudan, Stevenson learns of the affair and demands a confrontation. However, an impending battle at the fort where Andrews is stationed may mean he'll have to help fight off enemy forces alongside his love rival before he can have it out with him. "The Last Outpost" may delight old-time movie buffs, but the love triangle (complicated by a confusing war story) isn't that compelling. This one simply doesn't stack up against other better movies of its type.

A high profile biopic of superstar composer Cole Porter, 1946's "Night and Day" had Hollywood's biggest leading man in the starring role. The film follows the musician's career from his early days at Yale and his years serving in World War II to his tragic horse-riding accident and its aftermath as he resurrected his career. It also chronicles his courtship, romance, and marriage to Linda Lee Porter, though because it was produced nearly a decade before Porter's death (and was made with his full cooperation), it is heavily fictionalized in favor of the musician.

Though a decent enough family film, it ultimately does not give a full picture of the life of Porter, winding up a cheery musical rather than an earnest dramatic look at the life of a star. As a contemporary account it does not touch on his marriage being an arrangement of convenience in an era when his homosexuality would have blacklisted him, or his final years of despair after he finally had one of his legs amputated.

The first of four features to partner Cary Grant with Katharine Hepburn, 1935's "Sylvia Scarlett" follows the title character (Hepburn), a charming con artist on the run with her father. To stay one step ahead of French authorities, Scarlett is forced to disguise herself as a man and take the name Sylvester. Scarlett's father befriends the charming cockney scoundrel Jimmy Monkley (Grant), who allies with the father-daughter duo and takes part in their con games. Together they go on a number of devious misadventures, scamming unsuspecting people.

Notorious for being the box office flop that briefly destroyed Hepburn's career, "Sylvia Scarlett" is known for its behind-the-scenes controversies more than anything else. Reportedly, Hepburn was so well aware of how bad the movie was that she and others offered to make another movie for the studio for free if they'd never release it. Still, it can be appreciated for Grant's impressive performance, which set him up as an emerging leading man.

In 1936's "Wedding Present," Cary Grant plays an absent-minded reporter named Charlie, who, alongside his partner Monica "Rusty" Fleming, does whatever he can for a story. Their tactics are unorthodox and unconventional, and they're constantly clashing with their editor, but they get the job done. Rusty's ultimate goal is to marry her partner, something Charlie seemingly has no interest in. After returning from a vacation, Rusty finds Charlie has been promoted to editor, and is now the very thing they used to fight against: A demanding, strict, and by-the-book boss.

This leaves Rusty spurned, and she immediately takes off for New York, leaving Charlie behind to take over the role. When the newly minted editor comes to his senses and finally follows her to get her back, he learns that Rusty has found a new man. Can the oddball win the heart of his former flame, or will he be forced to watch her marry someone else? A bit of a slog, "Wedding Present" is far from the best film in Grant's catalog, proving almost as scatterbrained as its lead character.

In 1934's "Ladies Should Listen," we meet Anna Mirelle (Frances Drake), a telephone operator that works in an apartment building that's also home to handsome executive Julian De Lussac (Cary Grant). Through her brief interactions with De Lussac over the phone, Anna becomes smitten with him and learns as much as she can about every aspect of his life, despite never meeting him in person. When he returns from a business trip to South America, De Lussac is happily involved with a woman named Marguerite. It turns out she's actually the wife of a devious thief named Ramon Cintos and has seduced him in an attempt to gain control of his business dealings.

Fortunately, Anna's obsession with Julian has led her to listen in on his calls and she learns the truth about the criminal conspiracy. We get some twists and turns (there's a third admirer, a devious double cross, and a jealous friend), but "Ladies Should Listen" is a less than satisfying screwball comedy with a bit too much going on. Grant is good as always, but this film probably would have been better off as a more straightforward romance.

Cary Grant and Betsy Drake, the two stars of 1948's "Every Girl Should Be Married, tied the knot about a year after the film's release. They star as Dr. Madison Brown and Anabel Sims in this romcom, the story of a woman who wants a husband and a man who doesn't want to become one. Dr. Brown is happily single and not in any way eager to change that fact, but Sims wants a husband and she has set her sights on him.

Not afraid to plot and scheme her way to what she wants, Sims begins a campaign to win over the dashing doctor. In one ploy, she uses her boss in the hope of making Brown jealous, but all this does is make her boss actually fall for her. A series of mishaps and hijinks ensue, with a third suitor (an old flame named Joe) trying to win her back at one point. But, despite the fact that Brown can see right through her games, she still winds up in his arms by the end.

Cary Grant leads the line in 1936's "Suzy," a World War I drama in which he plays a French pilot named Andre Charville. But, as the title suggests, the movie isn't about the flying ace. This is the story of Susanne Trent (Jean Harlow), a showgirl seeking a man of wealth and status. She finds one in Terry Moore (Franchot Tone), an Irish pilot, and the two quickly marry. But before they can start their life together, Moore is shot by an unknown woman. Suzy fears she'll be blamed and goes on the run, relocating to Paris. She meets Charville, a charming French soldier and pilot, just as World War I is breaking out. 

It's not long before Suzy and Charville tie the knot, but their wedded bliss is anything but, as the pilot regularly cavorts with friends and other women. The real trouble breaks out when her "deceased" husband Moore turns up very much alive and Suzy discovers the identity of the woman who shot him. Fearing the mystery woman may be an enemy agent, she'll have to sort things out with the two men before she can stop the assassin from striking again.

Cary Grant stars as a cocky tough guy in 1944's "None But the Lonely Heart." Ernie Mott is a troubled wanderer who wants nothing more than to leave his hometown and find a new adventure somewhere else. Just before he's due to leave, he learns that his mother is stricken with cancer, and opts to stay to care for her. His spirits are lifted when he falls for a young local woman named Ada, but he ends up in the employ of a local gangster. The law comes after him when he's suspected of stealing cars.

Ada begs him to leave his life of crime and start a new one with her, but Ernie insists he can't leave his ailing mother's side. Tragically, one of Ernie's next scores gets his mother in trouble with police and she ends up behind bars. A dark melodrama, "None But the Lonely Heart" would net Grant an Academy Award nomination for best actor.

The 1960 romantic comedy "The Grass Is Greener" is set in England, where Victor (Cary Grant), the Earl of Rhyall, lives with his wife, Lady Hilary (Deborah Kerr). Times are tough for them, so the couple open sections of their considerable estate to the public, with tourist visitors coming and going from time to time. One such visitor happens to be Charles Delacro (Robert Mitchum), an American oil baron who bumps into Hilary during his visit and becomes enamored with her.

Interestingly, Victor doesn't get jealous about the attention the American gives his wife, even inviting Charles to join them for a fishing trip — along with his former flame, Hattie Durant (Jean Simmons). They proceed to fight for each other's attention, but, in the end, it all leads to a climactic duel between Charles and Victor for Hilary's love. This is a run-of-the-mill story about a woman torn between two men, but the charming and delightful cast elevate it in places.

"Houseboat" stars Cary Grant opposite Sophia Loren. The gossip around Hollywood was that Grant's affair with the Italian beauty caused the end of his marriage to Betsy Drake, who was originally supposed to co-star in this picture. Grant plays Tom Winters, a U.S. State Department lawyer who suddenly finds himself a single father to three young children when his wife dies. Looking for help in raising the kids, he hires a young Italian woman visiting Washington named Cinzia Zaccardi (Loren) to be his maid and caretaker. 

When the kids want to move out of Washington D.C. and into the country, Winters takes Cinzia with them. When they get there, they learn the house was destroyed, and they're left to stay in a rundown, beat-up houseboat. Meanwhile, Tom's former sister-in-law Carolyne is romancing him, having been in love with him for years. But just as things start to get serious between them, Tom realizes that it's Cinzia he is really meant to be with. 

In what would be Cary Grant's final role, he played British business executive William Rutland in the 1966 film "Walk, Don't Run." Set during the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, there's a housing shortage when Rutland comes to town and is forced to rent a room from the uneasy Christine Eastman, who would have preferred a woman as a renter. But before she knows it, Rutland is moved in and even sublets his own space to an American competitor in the games named Steve Davis. He also takes on the role of fatherly mentor and tries to give advice to the reluctant Eastman. 

Rutland thinks that Eastman can do better than her current boyfriend, a dull English diplomat. Attempting to play matchmaker, Rutland puts Eastman and Davis together, hoping sparks will fly. Though it didn't exactly send Grant out on a high note, "Walk, Don't Run" is an easygoing, lightweight comedy that you don't have to pay much attention to in order to enjoy. Retiring at just 59, Grant withdrew from the screen to spend time with his family. Some would try to lure him back with enticing roles in major movies, but Grant wouldn't appear in another film.

A comical romantic caper, "Thirty Day Princess" stars Cary Grant in the early part of his career, playing a media magnate named Porter Madison III. It also stars a young Sylvia Sidney in dual roles. The film follows the affairs of Zizzi Catterina (Sidney), a princess from the fictional Kingdom of Taronia who pays a visit to New York in an effort to secure a loan of $50 million for her impoverished nation. The loan hangs in the balance when Catterina is struck with the mumps soon after arriving in the city and must remain in quarantine for thirty days.

With the princess out of action, Richard Gresham (Edward Arnold) — the banker who is backing the deal — recruits the services of a struggling actor named Nancy Lane (also Sidney) to play the part of the princess. If she can successfully negotiate with the man who stands in the way of the deal, Grant's publishing tycoon Porter Madison III, she stands to collect a cash payout. Madison (rather predictably) falls in love with Lane, but he has no idea she's not really a princess.

A late romantic comedy from Cary Grant, 1958's "Indiscreet" reunited the actor with his "Notorious" co-star Ingrid Bergman. The film follows Anna Kalman, a disillusioned actress in London searching for a husband. She meets a dashing economist named Philip Adams, and the chemistry between them is electric and instant. Philip soon reveals that he can never make their relationship more serious, as he is still legally married and unable to divorce, breaking Anna's heart. Still, she can't let go of her love, and the two continue their relationship until Philip gets a new assignment that will send him to New York for several months.

Prior to his departure,  Anna learns that Philip has been lying to her all along and is not actually married at all. Deeply apprehensive about commitment, he made the whole thing up so that their relationship never had to go to that next level. But just as Anna is plotting to get her payback and convince him she's been unfaithful, Philip has a change of heart and decides to propose marriage, leading to a comical mix-up as he walks in on Anna with another man. It's got some flaws, but it's far from Grant's worst romcom.

No relation to the 1931 Marx Brothers classic of the same name, the 1952 screwball comedy "Monkey Business" stars Cary Grant and two of Hollywood's brightest stars, Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe. Acting against type at the start of the film, Grant takes the role of the archetypal absent-minded professor. Dr. Barnaby Fulton is working for a pharmaceutical company in search of a youth-ifying drug. A monkey gets doused in a mixture of chemicals during a lab accident and he discovers the perfect concoction by chance. Fulton soon realizes that his miracle drug is far more than just an energizing elixir, however.

When he and his wife Edwina both try some themselves, Fulton suddenly has the vigor of a young man again, with the hormones to match. He's soon pursuing his boss' bombshell of a secretary (Monroe). Edwina, meanwhile, starts chasing a former flame named Frank. Those around them have no idea that their behavior is the result of Fulton's experiment, and can't quite understand why they're both acting like carefree young adults all of a sudden.

The 1949 wartime comedy "I Was a Male War Bride" stars Cary Grant as Captain Henri Rochard, a French officer serving in Allied-occupied Germany just after World War II. There he meets a young American army nurse, Lieutenant Catherine Gates. While at first the two have a contentious relationship, they soon fall in love, but circumstances conspire to keep them apart, and much of the film entails their misadventures trying to get some time alone together. After finally marrying, Gates receives orders to return to the United States, and the newlyweds find themselves utilizing the "War Bride" act, which allows foreigners to gain a visa if they return as the spouse of an American serviceman.

Unfortunately, this act is used almost exclusively by women, and thus nobody is buying Rochard's story as he looks for passage to the States. Deciding that his only course of action is to impersonate a woman, Richard gets aboard a ship bound for American shores, but he is discovered and threatened with prison. It's not until the film's final moments that he and his new bride finally get some private time.

Not to be confused with the 1950 western of the same name, the 1933 war drama "The Eagle And The Hawk" dropped a young Cary Grant right into World War I alongside Fredric March as a pair of fighter pilots in Britain's renowned Royal Flying Corps. Grant plays upstart gunner Lieutenant Henry Crocker, who is recruited by Lieutenant Jerry Young (March) after his co-pilot and gunner is killed in combat. The two get off to a rocky partnership, but soon become close, before Crocker takes notice of Young's jaded weariness in the cockpit. 

When Jerry is sent back home to get help for combat fatigue, Crocker's recklessness surfaces and gets his new flying partner killed, and Jerry is given clearance to return to the front. But back in action, Jerry is haunted when he's forced to kill a young German pilot, sending him into a downward spiral. Worried for the legacy of his friend, Crocker makes one final attempt to ensure he'll be remembered a hero.

1943's "Mr. Lucky" stars Cary Grant as a devious scoundrel, a longtime con artist named Joe Adams. It's set just before America's entrance into World War II. Joe cons his way out of the draft by stealing the identity of a dead friend who'd been deemed unfit to serve, then he hatches a plan to help pay off old debts. To do it, he charms a pair of women into hosting a charity event where proceeds are said to benefit war relief efforts. In reality, Joe and his pals have an elaborate plan to rob the patrons and make off with a major payday.

A letter from the mother of the man whose identity he has stolen makes him rethink his priorities. Unfortunately, Joe's co-conspirators have had no such crisis of faith and force him into going along with the daring scam. Now Joe must somehow find a way to turn the tables on his fellow con artists and win back the heart of Dorothy (Laraine Day), who believes he's stolen all of their money.

Inspired by the true story of Anna Perrot Rose, Cary Grant and Betsy Drake (who were husband and wife at the time) star as Anna and George Rose in "Room for One More." They already have three kids but they want more and agree to foster a young troubled girl named Jane. After some initial struggles, she eventually becomes a part of the family, and George offers her the chance to stay for good. Later, Anna and George foster a young boy named Jimmy-John, whose disability requires leg braces. With a wild temper, Jimmy-John has a hard time fitting in, and it's later revealed that the young boy cannot read.

The story follows Jane and Jimmy-John as they overcome their struggles and grow into valued members of the family. George helps Jane overcome her shyness, while Jimmy-John joins the Boy Scouts and learns to read with Anna's help, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. A celebrated and beloved family film about love, faith, and belonging, "Room for One More" would be adapted into a short-lived sitcom starring Andrew Duggan and Peggy McKay in 1962.

An epic Hollywood adventure film, 1939's "Gunga Din" is based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play a trio of goofy British sergeants serving in the Corps of Royal Engineers in India. They are sent on a mission alongside Gunga Din (Sam Jaffee), a water-bearer with big dreams of serving the Queen. What they find is a ruthless cult that controls the region.

When Gunga Din says he's found a temple made of gold, the three sergeants set out to find it, but run into the cult and are taken captive before they can warn their superiors. Gunga Din, the underdog and comic relief, proves more courageous than anyone, and may have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his friends. Though on the surface it may seem like a dark and serious war story, it's more of a pulpy adventure flick, and a memorable one at that.

The 1948 comedy "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" reunited Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, who star as Jim and Muriel Blandings. This married couple with two children live in a small New York apartment but have grand aspirations of home ownership. Following an ill-fated attempt to renovate their own apartment they finally agree to relocate to Connecticut, where they are promptly swindled into buying a fixer-upper. After paying far more than the ramshackle place is worth, the needed repairs quickly start to pile up, and so does the trouble.

Before they know it they have to tear the place down and start from scratch, and every subsequent step in the build sets them back even further. To make matters worse, Jim suspects Muriel of infidelity, and problems at work make him fear for his job. It's a timeless tale about a family man's quest to live the American dream, one that was retold (poorly, in the opinion of critics) in 1986's "The Money Pit," starring Tom Hanks, and 2007's "Are We Done Yet?," starring Ice Cube.

Starring Cary Grant and real-life wife Irene Dunne, 1940's "My Favorite Wife" is a zany romantic comedy and classic battle of the sexes. Grant's Nick Arden is pit against Dunne's Ellen, Nick's former wife. She had been lost at sea seven years before the movie begins. It's been almost a decade since anyone has seen or heard from Ellen, and so she is finally declared legally dead by the courts, leaving Nick free to marry his new love Bianca (Gail Patrick). Just as they're embarking on their honeymoon, Ellen turns up very much alive, having been rescued from the deserted island where she had been shipwrecked for all that time. 

Nick is unable to break the news to Bianca, who questions his sudden unwillingness to consummate their new union, even having a psychiatrist examine him. But Ellen has her own problems. As Nick soon discovers, she was not alone on the island, and the man who was with her all those years (Randolph Scott) may still be in love with her. A wild comic misadventure, "My Favorite Wife" was famously the subject of an unfinished remake starring Marilyn Monroe. She died before the film was completed.

The debonair Cary Grant took on an unusual role for the 1954 film "Father Goose," playing a disheveled beach bum named Walter Eckland. Under pressure from a friend, the anti-social Eckland reluctantly agrees to help the Allies in the war effort. He's sent to an isolated island and told to look out for Japanese aircraft, being promised a bottle of whiskey for every enemy fighter he spots. But trouble comes for Eckland when he goes to rescue the stranded coast watcher who's set to replace him. Instead of finding the man meant to take over the job he never wanted, he's forced to give shelter to a group of stranded girls led by the haughty Catherine Freneau, who confirms that his replacement was killed in a raid.

This enjoyable romantic comedy kicks into gear with fireworks between Freneau and Eckland, polar opposites who don't get along to begin with. Eckland cannot stand the French woman's pretentious attitude, while she is utterly disgusted by his boorish ways. But when Eckland reveals himself to be a noble, caring man who does everything in his power to help the girls, sparks begin to fly. Eckland must embrace the role of a hero if he wants to marry the woman he loves.

1942's "The Talk of the Town" stars Cary Grant in the role of Leopold Dilg, who goes on the run after being wrongly accused of arson and murder. While that may not seem like a strong starting point for a romantic comedy, that's exactly what this film is. Dilg escapes during his trial and takes refuge with Nora Shelley, played by Jean Arthur. A longtime school friend, Dilg has harbored a secret love for the beautiful and charming Shelley for years. She keeps Dilg safe from both the law and the prying eyes of her neighbor, legal scholar Michael Lightcap.

Posing as Shelley's gardener, Dilg and Lightcap eventually form an unlikely friendship as they debate the finer points of American law, all while they both spar for the hand of Shelley. Lightcap is assigned to investigate the allegations against Dilg, and starts to see that he may be innocent. With Lightcap's help, Dilg must find the real killer, and Shelley must decide which man she loves.

Cary Grant's first outing with Irene Dunne, the 1937 screwball comedy "The Awful Truth" follows married couple Jerry and Lucy Warriner. As events unfold, both begin to suspect that they are being cheated on. They file for divorce and have 90 days until it's finalized, but neither can wait to start seeing other people. While Jerry begins dating a showgirl named Dixie, Lucy goes out with her parents' neighbor Dan, and each tries to sabotage the other's new partnership.

A brief reconciliation between the couple sours when Lucy is found with a man sneaking around in her apartment, and soon Jerry falls into the arms of snobby socialite Barbara (Molly Lamont). While both are adamant that they want nothing to do with each other, they're still very much in love. It just takes a little time — and plenty of nutty antics — for them to arrive at the awful truth of it all. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, with helmer Leo McCarey taking home the Oscar for best director.

The 1957 romantic drama "An Affair to Remember" is among the best films from the later part of Cary Grant's long career. Here he stars as Nickie Ferrante opposite Deborah Kerr as Terry McKay, two spoken-for cruise line passengers who meet aboard the ship. After sparks fly, they agree to reunite in six months atop the Empire State Building in New York City, should they both find themselves single and wanting to pursue a romance together.

Tragedy strikes when Terry is involved in an automobile accident that leaves her wheelchair-bound. Luckily, the two have a chance encounter years later and prove that nothing can stand in the way of true love. The film placed fifth on AFI's list of the greatest love stories ever told, bested only by the likes of "Casablanca" and "West Side Story." It was up for four Academy Awards, though Grant himself didn't receive a nomination.

Alfred Hitchcock's third film with Cary Grant, 1955's "To Catch a Thief" paired the Hollywood leading man with Grace Kelly, another regular Hitchcock collaborator. Kelly was just a few years away from her shocking retirement at the age of 26 (her final big film, oddly enough, was the musical "High Society," a remake of Grant's "The Philadelphia Story"). A romantic thriller, "To Catch a Thief" opens with a retired jewel thief named John Robie (nicknamed "The Cat") enjoying easy living in a French villa. But, despite having left the game for good, Robie finds himself drawn back into his old ways when a series of copycat burglaries hit the countryside and he becomes the prime suspect.

Out to clear his name, Robie goes on the run and investigates the burglaries himself. As he closes in on his suspect he meets Frances, the daughter of a wealthy tycoon. The two fall in love as they work together to ensnare the new master thief and prove that Robie is innocent. A taut and gripping crime caper with all the Hitchcock hallmarks, "To Catch a Thief" delighted audiences and critics alike and remains a beloved film for its unpredictable story and stylish production.

The final film to feature Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, "The Philadelphia Story" is also their best, landing in 1940 to rave reviews. A comeback of sorts for Hepburn, whose box office draw had been called into question following a string of failures, "The Philadelphia Story" follows her in the role of Tracy Lord, an egotistical socialite. Tracy has just divorced her husband C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant) and is already on the verge of nuptials with her new man George Kittredge. Intrepid reporter Mike Cooper (James Stewart) wants to cover the high profile wedding, and, with Dexter's help, he secures an invitation. He intends to write a disparaging expose on the family, but things don't go to plan.

With Mike now in the mix, Tracy finds herself torn between the affections of three dashing men. A star-studded cast on top form helped this romantic comedy become a big hit with critics. The New York Times found it a refreshing return to form, saying, "It has been a long time since Hollywood has spent itself so extravagantly, and to such entertaining effect, upon a straight upper-crust fable." This is yet another Cary Grant film with a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Alfred Hitchcock recruited Cary Grant a second time for 1946's "Notorious," a film that stands out as a high point in both of their careers. Alongside Claude Rains and Ingrid Bergman, Grant stars as American spy T.R. Devlin. Following World War II, a group of Nazi agents have fled to Brazil, and Devlin sets out to bring them in. To do it, he enlists the aid of Alicia Huberman (Bergman), the daughter of a prominent German war criminal who now sits in prison.

Alicia's assignment is to infiltrate the Nazi group overseas by winning the heart of one of her father's confidantes, but it's complicated when she and Devlin fall in love. This is one of the best spy movies of all time according to Esquire, and it's one of Grant's best as well. In the era before James Bond, the actor proved the perfect cinematic secret agent, exuding a romantic charm and suave charisma that few have been able to match.

1959's "North by Northwest" was the fourth and final collaboration between Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock, and the duo were clearly saving the best for last. One of the greatest thriller films ever made, it stars Grant as New York City ad man Roger O. Thornhill, a mild-mannered executive who becomes the target of a shadowy figure named Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). In a case of mistaken identity, Vandamm believes that Thornhill is an intelligence agent. He will stop at nothing to take him down to ensure the success of his latest operation.

The quintessential chase movie, "North by Northwest" sends Grant on a harrowing trek across the country from one location to another in an attempt to stay one step ahead of his pursuers. Featuring some of the most famous action sequences in cinema history (including the iconic scene in which Grant runs away from an oncoming plane), this film has made a big impression on pop culture and proved an enormous crowd-pleaser over the years. Grant made some fantastic films in his time, but "North by Northwest" is easily his best.