George Clooney’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

The best George Clooney movies and TV shows feature some Oscar-winning films and one of the most successful medical dramas in television history. Clooney became one of the biggest stars to fit the mold of a Hollywood actor in many years. However, before he got his start on the big screen, he made his name on television. As a young actor, he gained his first attention on the sitcom The Facts of Life, but he enjoyed his breakout on the long-running medical drama ER, where casting agents took notice concerning his movie career.

His work on ER attracted the attention of directors such as Quentin Tarantino (From Dusk Till Dawn), Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight), and Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin). That led to Clooney becoming one of Hollywood’s most successful actors for over a decade. He has starred in box office success stories, such as the Ocean’s Eleven movies, while earning eight Oscar nominations for his more critically acclaimed work, including four for his work as an actor, two as a writer, one as a director, and a Best Picture win for producing Argo.

10

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Seth Gecko

Quentin Tarantino helped George Clooney make his jump from television to the big screen when he and Robert Rodriguez cast him in Fron Dusk Till Dawn. Tarantino directed the portion of the movie, which played out like a crime thriller, with Clooney and Tarantino starring as the Gecko Brothers, who were on the run from the police and found a bar on the Mexican border to hide out. Rodriguez then directed the film’s second half, which turned into a vampire horror story where the bar was a vampire hangout and the humans were victims.

Clooney was playing against type, as the cool, yet evil Seth Gecko, someone who could charm anyone and then put a bullet in someone in the blink of an eye. It was a nice introduction for him to big-budget Hollywood movies and helped lead to other crime dramas in the future, like Out of Sight and Ocean’s Eleven. While the movie was only a minor box-office success and received mixed reviews, it remains a cult classic. Clooney won Best Actor at the Fangoria and Saturn Awards and a Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Movie Awards.

9

ER (1994-2000)

Dr. Doug Ross

ER

Release Date

1994 – 2008

Showrunner

Michael Crichton

Directors

Michael Crichton

In 1994, George Clooney had worked on television for a decade, including in the sitcoms E/R and The Facts of Life. However, he signed on for a lead role in the ensemble medical drama series ER, making him a megastar. Clooney starred as Dr. Doug Ross, along with Anthony Edwards, Shery Stringfield, Noah Wyle, and Eriq La Salle. Clooney was the second major cast member to leave the show, departing after the fifth season (Stringfield left in Season 3 before returning in Season 8).

Related

ER: Why George Clooney Refused To Return For Anthony Edwards’ Exit

George Clooney didn’t return for the ER finale because he didn’t want to overshadow his former ER cast members – but he was asked to return.

Unlike many departing cast members from medical dramas like ER and Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Ross didn’t die; he instead resigned from his position and moved out of state. During his five seasons on the show, Clooney earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations (1995, 1996) and three Golden Globe nominations (1995, 1997, 1998). Clooney left ER so he could try his luck in Hollywood, which was the best decision of his career.

8

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (2002)

Jim Byrd

In 2002, George Clooney made his directorial debut with the biopic crime film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The film was based on the bizarre story of Chuck Barris, the game show host from The Dating Game and The Gong Show, who claimed in his biography that he was also a CIA assassin. The CIA has always denied this, and Barris never expanded on it. However, this movie supposes it was true and created a story based on what the biography claimed happened over his career as an entertainer and assassin.

Clooney proved with the movie to be a very talented director, while Sam Rockwell turned in an amazing performance as Barris. Rockwell won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Clooney was nominated for the Golden Bear for directing. Clooney also appeared in the movie as Jim Byrd, the CIA agent who recruited him to be an assassin for the organization. Clooney used his star power to bring in names like Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, and many more.

7

Three Kings (1999)

Archie Gates

Three Kings

Release Date

September 27, 1999

Runtime

114 minutes

Director

David O. Russell

Writers

John Ridley, David O. Russell

In 1999, George Clooney took part in one of the most controversial moments of his career. He joined the movie cast of Three Kings, but things didn’t go well behind the scenes. David O. Russell was taking on his biggest movie after successful indies, but his filmmaking style clashed with Clooney, who reportedly punched his director on set while standing up for the crew. However, the controversy did not affect the film’s quality as Three Kings ended up a critically acclaimed film with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Related

10 Best Movies About The Gulf War, Ranked

The best Gulf War films of all time provide a gritty, realistic view of war and its personal, political, and historical effects.

The movie stars Clooney, Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg, and Spike Jonze as four American soldiers who decide to undertake a gold heist after the end of the First Gulf War during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. However, when they find people who need protection from the Iraqi Republican Guard, and while the United States has disavowed any protection for the innocents in the middle of the battle, these four soldiers have to decide whether to take their gold and run or stand and fight.

6

Up In The Air (2009)

Ryan Bingham

Up In The Air

Release Date

December 23, 2009

Runtime

109 minutes

Director

Jason Reitman

Writers

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

George Clooney stars in the Jason Reitman drama Up in the Air as Ryan Bingham, a consultant who travels around the country performing layoffs on behalf of companies who work for his firm. Along the way, he picks up a protégé named Natalie (Anna Kendrick) and starts a casual relationship with Alex (Vera Farmiga). The movie’s theme is simply about a man who has been traveling almost his entire life, has never found a home, and has no idea where he is supposed to end up.

Critics praised the film, and specifically Clooney and Kendrick’s performances. For Kendrick, it was her major breakout, and she earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance. Clooney and Farmiga also earned Oscar nominations, as did Reitman for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Finally, the film also received a Best Picture nomination, although it didn’t win any of the awards. Reitman did win Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes Awards.

5

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Ulysses Everett McGill

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Release Date

February 2, 2001

Runtime

107 Minutes

Director

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Writers

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Homer

George Clooney has done several movies with the Coen Brothers, but the best of the best is O Brother, Where Art Thou? Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, this film follows three escaped convicts searching for hidden treasure in the Deep South while a sheriff pursues them. George Clooney stars as Ulysses Everett McGill, one of the escaped convicts, along with John Turturro as Pete and Tim Black Helson as Delmar.

Related

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Cast & Characters

The 2000 comedy-drama is one of the Coen Brothers’ best films, and here’s a quick guide to O Brother, Where Art Thou’s? cast and characters.

Critics praised the movie, with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes score. The film received two Oscar nominations, one for Best Adapted Screenplay and the second for Best Cinematography. However, what really stands out about the movie is its soundtrack. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, it included bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and Southern folk music. The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Clooney didn’t sing, though, as Dan Tyminski dubbed his songs.

4

Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)

Fred Friendly

Good Night, And Good Luck is another George Clooney-directed film. In this release, David Strathairn stars in the movie as Edward R. Murrow, the famed journalist who had a very public conflict with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Communist Scare and blacklisting with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Clooney also appears in the film as Fred W. Friendly, who co-produced the Murrow news show See it Now. Thanks to a low budget, the film was a box-office success.

Critics praised Clooney’s direction, which involved using his actors to portray iconic characters and adding stock footage of the real McCarthy. They also praised Strathairn’s performance, and the movie received six Oscar nominations. Clooney was nominated for Best Director and shared the Best Original Screenplay nomination with Grant Heslov. It was also nominated for Best Picture, while Strathairn was nominated for Best Actor.

3

Syriana (2005)

Bob Barnes

Syriana

Release Date

November 23, 2005

Runtime

128 Minutes

Director

Stephen Gaghan

Writers

Stephen Gaghan, Robert Baer

George Clooney starred in Syriana in 2005 as part of a larger ensemble cast. Directed by Stephen Gaghan, Syriana tells interconnected stories about the United States and its relationship with foreign powers concerning the oil industry. The movie was set on five different continents and follows meetings with oil owners, government assassinations, and the relationship between lobbyists and politicians when forming government policy. Clooney stars as Bob Barnes, a veteran CIA officer trying to stop illegal arms trafficking in the Middle East.

Syriana received positive reviews, with critics praising its ambitious script and storytelling. Some critics complained that the storyline was confusing, but others said that was the point, as the main characters also went through the story in a state of confusion as well. At the 2006 Academy Awards, Clooney earned three nominations – two for Good Night, And Good Luck (Best Director, Best Original Screenplay) and one for Best Supporting Actor. He won the latter award for Syriana.

2

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Danny Ocean

Ocean’s Eleven

Release Date

December 7, 2001

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Ted Griffin

Most of George Clooney’s movies have been awards-caliber offerings, but in 2001, he starred in his most popular mainstream movie release. Interestingly, this is also the case for director Steven Soderbergh, who spent most of his career making interesting and often experimental indie films, only to make a huge box office blockbuster with Ocean’s Eleven. Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, a thief who gets out of jail and immediately puts together a team to pull off a massive heist at a Las Vegas casino.

The movie was a remake of a classic Rat Pack movie starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., which resulted in a film that was better than the original in every way. Clooney was joined by a huge cast of great actors, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and more. The film was a monster success, making $450.7 million on an $85 million budget. Two sequels followed the film, and then an all-female spinoff with Sandra Bullock playing Danny’s sister.

1

Out Of Sight (1998)

Jack Foley

Out of Sight

Release Date

June 26, 1998

Runtime

123 minutes

Writers

Elmore Leonard, Scott Frank

After his role in From Dusk Till Dawn, George Clooney tried his hand at Batman in Barman & Robin. However, that was a disaster that Clooney has constantly apologized for. After that, he needed a big hit, and he found that in Out of Sight. In that film, Clooney stars as Jack Foley, a bank robber who breaks out of prison and sets out to find a cache of uncut diamonds that a white-collar criminal he served time with brags he has hidden in his home. Meanwhile, seeking to catch the escaped convicts is Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez).

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on the Elmore Leonard novel, Out of Sight is a sexy action comedy with Clooney and Lopez sizzling as the U.S. Marshal and the escaped convict she is chasing. Critics loved the film, awarding it a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling this a star-making turn for George Clooney. Out of Sight earned two Oscar nominations and this was the film that launched Clooney from a promising actor to a full-fledged movie star.