6 Best Ava Gardner Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 25, 2026

Ava Gardner became one of the great screen beauties of the studio era, and her smoky, world-weary presence anchored acclaimed dramas of the 1950s and 1960s. The Night of the Iguana has a disgraced minister leading a tour group in Mexico, The Barefoot Contessa has a Spanish dancer’s rise shadowed by sadness, and Mogambo has a hunter caught between two women. The Sun Also Rises, Show Boat and The Killers round out the list.

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Ava Gardner features in this drama about a disgraced former minister leading a tour group in Mexico who confronts a personal crisis.

Directed by John Huston · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Sun Also Rises (1957)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Ava Gardner features in this adaptation about a group of disillusioned expatriates who drift between Paris and Spain after the First World War.

Directed by Henry King · 2h 10m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Ava Gardner plays a Spanish dancer whose rise to Hollywood stardom is shadowed by tragedy.

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz · 2h 08m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mogambo (1953)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A big-game hunter's life in Africa is complicated by two very different women vying for his affection.

Directed by John Ford · 1h 56m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Show Boat (1951)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 81%

A Mississippi showboat's performers navigate love, gambling and racial injustice across decades.

Directed by George Sidney · 1h 47m · Rated NR

Nominated for 2 Oscars4 wins & 4 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: TCM · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Killers (1946)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Ava Gardner appears as an insurance investigator uncovers the doomed romance behind a former boxer's murder by hitmen.

Directed by Robert Siodmak · 1h 43m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Ava Gardner Movies

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

The Sun Also Rises (1957)

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Mogambo (1953)

Show Boat (1951)

The Killers (1946)

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