Hollywood icon, John Wayne is universally recognized for his Western films, such as Rio Bravo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Shootist. Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne gained notoriety after his breakout role in John Ford's 1939 movie, Stagecoach, and soon became one of the most popular leading men on the silver screen. While Wayne is considered to be a pioneer of the Western genre, he also starred in a series of classic non-Western films, including The Long Voyage Home and Sands of Iwo Jima.

Today, Wayne and his films continue to be favorites among classic cinephiles and have also had a major impact on the work of notable filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. From The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance to The Sons of Katie Elder, these are 10 of the Duke's highest-rated movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

10 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Lee Marvin and John Wayne talking while Jimmy Stewart stands behind them in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Image via Paramount Pictures

When Senator Ransom Stoaddard (James Stewart) returns home to attend the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon (Wayne), questions arise about the two men's past and their involvement with a ruthless outlaw, Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) who used to terrorize the town. Stoddard recalls when he first arrived in town as a young lawyer and the events leading up to his showdown with Valance, revealing that there's much more to the now-local legend.

John Ford's classic Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, is considered to be one of the greatest Westerns of all time with captivating performances by Wayne, Stewart, and Marvin. The movie features costumes by the legendary, Edith Head, and is one of the few Westerns to have earned an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. Despite being a success at the box office, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance earned mixed reviews, but it has since been credited as one of Ford and Wayne's finest films.

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9 'Rio Bravo' (1959)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

John Wayne sitting and Walter Brennan standing next to him in Rio Bravo
Image via Warner Bros.

When Sheriff John Chance arrests the son of a wealthy ranch owner, Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), for murder, his brother (John Russell) and his men are prepared to break Joe out of jail. With the help of a recovering alcoholic (Dean Martin), a young cowboy (Ricky Nelson), and an elderly spitfire (Walter Brennan), Chance defends his post and fights the outlaws off long enough until reinforcements arrive.

Regarded as one of director Howard Hawks' finest films, Rio Bravo is a slow-burning Western noted for its extended opening scene with no dialogue and excellent performances by the overall cast. Director and avid Hawks admirer, Quentin Tarantino ranks Rio Bravo as his favorite Wayne Western and describes the film as a "hang-out" movie, which served as inspiration for the director's 1997 heist movie, Jackie Brown.

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8 'El Dorado' (1966)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

James Caan standing next to John Wayne in El Dorado
Image via Paramount Pictures

Land tycoon, Bart Jason (Edward Asner) recruits a group of men to force the MacDonald family out of town to claim their land. The local sheriff, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), is too deep in a bottle to help the family, and when word about the incident reaches his friend and gunslinger, Cole Thornton, Thornton and his partner, Mississippi (James Caan) travel to El Dorado to help Harrah shape up in time to fight Jason's group of thugs.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave Hawks' El Dorado three-and-a-half out of four stars, calling it "a successful Western that was effortlessly pulled off by three pros of the genre; Wayne, Mitchum, and Hawks." The movie is the second of Hawks, which focuses on a sheriff defending his post against ruthless bandits, coming after Rio Bravo and before Rio Lobo, all featuring Wayne in the same similar role.

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7 'Stagecoach' (1939)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne and John Carradine standing next to each other looking at someone in Stagecoach
Image via United Artists

A group of strangers in Arizona board a stagecoach headed to New Mexico when a notorious outlaw known as the Ringo Kid escapes from prison. With a dangerous criminal on the run, U.S. Marshal Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft) accompanies the stagecoach. Along the way, he finds Ringo, but instead of finding a ruthless gunslinger, he discovers a man who is worthy of a second chance when he helps the marshal protect the stagecoach and its passengers.

Wayne delivers his riveting breakthrough performance in Ford's wild Western, Stagecoach, which earned several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, marking Ford's second nomination. The movie ended up winning Best Musical Score and Best Supporting Actor for Thomas Mitchell, who was the first male actor to earn the Triple Crown of Acting.

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6 'The Long Voyage Home' (1940)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne, John Qualen and Thomas Mitchell looking up at the sky on a ship in The Long Voyage Home (1940)
Image via United Artists

During World War II, the crew (Wayne, Ian Hunter, Thomas Mitchell, Barry Fitzgerald) of an English cargo ship are on a voyage from the West Indies to Baltimore where they are instructed to pick up a load of dynamite. While the dangerous cargo and the treacherous sea puts some of the men on edge, their concerns worsen when they learn that a Nazi spy is potentially among them.

The Long Voyage Home marked the second collaboration between Wayne and Ford and features several stars from the director's stock company. Film critic, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called Ford's high sea adventure a gratifying "modern Odyssey," and a powerful atonement to genuine human nature at a time of fear and war. The Long Voyage Home earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

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5 'Fort Apache' (1948)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne standing alone looking to the side in Fort Apache
Image via RKO Pictures

After the Civil War, Kirby York and his men think he will replace the outgoing commander of Fort Apache, but to their surprise, his replacement is a former general and an arrogant West Point graduate, Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda). Thursday arrives at the fort with his daughter (Shirley Temple), but his ignorance towards the American Indians and desire to reclaim his former glory days cause him to clash with Kirby and his new company.

Fort Apache is another top-tier Western directed by Ford and widely regarded as one of the first films to portray an authentic and sympathetic view of Native Americans. Wayne delivers a captivating performance as the tough but empathetic York and provides an alluring perspective on the details that embody a true hero. The movie is also the first installment in Ford's Cavalry Trilogy, which also includes She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande, both starring Wayne.

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4 'Red River' (1948)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne as Thomas Dunson and Montgomery Clift as Matthew Garth sitting next to each other on the ground looking forward in Red River
Image via United Artists

Thomas Dunson owns a cattle ranch in Texas, and when he needs money after the Civil War, he plans to take his cattle to Missouri, where he can get a better price. With the help of his faithful ranch hand, Groot (Brennan), and his young protégé, Matt (Montgomery Clift), they lead the cattle to their destination, but the strenuous and exhausting journey starts to take a toll on them.

Red River is another Western directed by Hawks, who made a total of five movies with Wayne. While Ford directed Wayne in some of the greatest Westerns, the director was blown away by his performance in Red River and jokingly commented, "I didn't know the big son-of-a-b*tch could act!" Footage from Red River was also used in Wayne's final film, The Shootist, to establish his character's backstory.

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3 'Sands of Iwo Jima' (1949)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne looking to the side while sitting next to a man laying down in the grass in Sands of Iwo Jima-1

During World War II, a group of Marines stationed in the Pacific resent their commanding officer, Sergeant John Stryker (Wayne), and his brutal training methods and coarse attitude. As the fighting progresses, the Marines realize Stryker has been preparing them for the terrifying reality of combat and if they expect to survive what would become one of the war's worst battles, they must follow Stryker and his strategic battle tactics.

Wayne gives an intense performance in the historical war drama, Sands of Iwo Jima, which is based on one of the bloodiest battles of World War II; the Battle of Iwo Jima. The movie features three surviving Marines, including Navy corpsman John Bradley, who was the subject of his son's book, Flags of Our Fathers. In 2006, the book was adapted into a film and directed by Western icon Clint Eastwood.

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2 'The Comancheros' (1961)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne and Lee Marvin standing next to each other in The Comancheros
Image via 20th Century

Texas Ranger, Jake Cutter (Wayne), is tasked with finding a gambler, Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman), who manages to escape a date at the gallows and return him to Louisiana. Cutter can track Regret down and take him into custody, but along the way, they cross paths with a group of outlaws known as the Comancheros forcing Cutter and Regret to work together to stop the lawless gunslingers.

Directed by Michael Curtiz, The Comancheros is based on the 1952 novel by Paul Wellman and features Wayne in a tailor-made Western role, which lines up perfectly with the actor's easy-going but stern persona. The movie earned a majority of positive reviews, including Variety, calling it a "big, brash and uninhibited," wild film that checks off every characteristic of a classic, old-school Western.

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1 'The Sons of Katie Elder' (1965)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

John Wayne and Dean Martin standing with a few men talking to a man in a horse and carriage in The Sons of Katie Elder
Image via Paramount 

Four brothers (Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson Jr.) return home to attend their mother's funeral and discover that their father had gambled away the family's ranch. The brothers agree to avenge their father and win back their home, but the situation quickly takes a deadly turn into serious trouble with the local sheriff and a rival family, The Hastings.

Wayne reunited with Martin six years after Rio Bravo for The Sons of Katie Elder, which also stars Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy, and Jeremy Slate. Before filming, Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery to remove one of his lungs and two of his ribs. Despite the dire diagnosis and intense operation, the Duke insisted on performing his own stunts.

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NEXT: The Best John Wayne Movies of All Time, Ranked