BEST MOVIES OF PIPER ALL TIME

The 10 Best Piper Laurie Movies and Shows, Ranked 

The late Piper Laurie was among the few actresses to earn an Oscar nomination for a horror picture. 

 had a remarkably lengthy career acting in film and television, with her earliest credits dating back to the 1950s and her final roles in the late 2010s. She passed away at the age of 91 in October 2023, leaving a considerable acting legacy and appearing in a huge variety of genres. Her awards success is also notable, with three Academy Award nominations, one Golden Globe from four nominations, and one Primetime Emmy Award from nine nominations. 

The following titles represent some of her most notable performances in both TV and film, taking into account both how good the films are overall and how prominently Laurie was featured. They represent her acting versatility and talent and are worth seeking out for anyone looking to celebrate her life and legacy. 

10'The Faculty' (1998) ImageImage via Miramax Films 

 exploded onto the filmmaking scene with - appropriately enough, explosive action movies like the down-and-dirty 

. Following these, he explored the horror genre to decent success, making cult favourites like 1996's 

It's the latter that Piper Laurie appears in, playing a teacher at a school that appears to have been taken over by aliens, with mysterious forces controlling the teachers and making them do terrifying things. It's an outlandish but enjoyable film that screams 1990s, mixing sci-fi with horror and keeping viewers engaged. 

9'Inherit the Wind' (1999) Image via Showtime 

 is a 1955 play that dramatises a legal case from the 1920s that's come to be known as the Scopes Trial. It revolves around an educator teaching human evolution to his students in a state-funded school, which was a no-go at the time. However, the play and the famous 1960 film adaptation use this real-life case to 

Though not as well-known as the 1960 version, another adaptation of 

was released as a TV movie in 1999, with Piper Laurie in a supporting role. She plays Sarah Brady, the wife of a man working for the prosecution of the central trial. She appears alongside a surprisingly good cast for a TV movie, including 

8'The Thorn Birds' (1983) Image via ABC 

An ambitious miniseries that saw Laurie get Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, 

 runs for four episodes. It follows several generations of the Cleary family, spanning decades and showing their lives in the Australian outback, working in and around a sheep station. 

 might not be particularly appealing nowadays, but it was enormously successful when it first aired in viewership and award recognition. 

 tells the kind of story that the miniseries format was essentially created for. It's more purposeful and direct than traditional television and tells too epic a narrative to be condensed into a single movie. 

7'Tim' (1979) ImageImage via Greater Union Film Distributors 

isn't quite as well-known. It's expected, given this is a low-key drama about a surprising romance blossoming between two people, which might not be as immediate or eye-catching as a revenge story told in a dystopian setting. 

Gibson plays the titular Tim, a gardener who falls in love with his employer, a widowed older woman played by Laurie. 

follows all the sorts of familiar beats expected from a romantic drama and does it fairly well, largely succeeding because Gibson and Laurie are solid and share a surprisingly intense chemistry. 

6'Twin Peaks' (1990–1991) Image via ABC 

TV series that ranks among the all-time greats

 is an iconic and highly influential part of 90s television. It starts as a murder mystery in a small town, combining this central story with increasingly soapy subplots and surreal horror elements. 

 bizarre would be an understatement, but it's also entirely engrossing. It benefits from the creative voices of its showrunners—David

 its immensely talented and huge cast. Laurie's role as Catherine Martell is one of many great performances and characters in the show, with Martell's entertaining rivalry with Ben Horne (

5'Days of Wine and Roses' (1958) Image via CBS 

uneasy yet vital exploration of alcoholism

 might be best known from the 1962 film that starred Jack Lemmon and 

 and Laurie in the lead roles - ultimately paved the way for the higher-budgeted 1962 adaptation. 

 revolves around an alcoholic man marrying a woman and getting her to drink as frequently as he does, making them both grapple with the trials and tribulations that come from addiction. It's bleak and not at all fun, feeling brutally honest by 1950s standards. However, it shouldn't be, considering it touches on a delicate and all-too-important subject. 

4'The Crossing Guard' (1995) ImageImage via Miramax Films 

 follows a man waiting to avenge his daughter, who died in a hit-and-run incident. The culprit is released from prison, and the vengeful father tells him that, in a week, he will be dead for what he's done. 

Typical of any movie directed by Sean Penn, it's aggressively blunt, but the performances undoubtedly shine through. Laurie plays the culprit's mother and helps sell the difficult and intensely emotional moments throughout the film, confirming her reputation as one of cinema's all-time greats. 

3'Children of a Lesser God' (1986) ImageImage via Paramount Pictures 

Piper Laurie received her third Oscar nomination for her performance in the romantic drama 

. The film revolves around a young woman who's deaf and her unexpected romance with a new teacher who arrives at the school for deaf people where she works. 

, who made her debut here and won an Oscar for it, and 

lead the film, with Laurie playing Matlin's character's mother. It's a well-made and exceptionally acted movie, perhaps feeling less impressive when it comes to those non-acting elements. Alas, Matlin, Hurt, and Laurie all give performances worth appreciating. 

2'The Hustler' (1961) Image via 20th Century Fox 

 and Piper Laurie two of their most legendary roles. Newman stars as pool hustler Fast Eddie, who challenges a more experienced player to a high-stakes match. Laurie co-stars as his girlfriend, Sarah Packard. 

 more than just a sports movie; it includes a healthy dose of drama to balance the story. Laurie earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination, her first and only mention in the leading category. The actress is the perfect companion for Newman's suave character, standing as one of the pillars upon which this timeless film rises. 

1'Carrie' (1976) ImageImage via United Artists 

Combining psychological drama and horror with dark coming-of-age elements, 

 is a classic and one of the great horror movies of the 1970s. The titular character, played by 

, faces bullying at school and an oppressive life at home thanks to her overbearing mother, eventually leading her to snap and seek revenge using her telekinetic powers on those who wronged her. 

, and the two lead actresses - Spacek and Laurie, are at their best. 

unforgettable—a remains chilling and unforgettable, a rabid and terrifying religious fanatic who drives much of the film's conflict. Laurie shines brightly, with her portrayal of Margaret White easily standing as the best work she ever did. 

The Best R-rated Horror Movies of All Time, 

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Jeremy is an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet. He'll gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU—well, maybe not the Disney+ shows. 

His favourite directors include Martin Scorsese, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, John Woo, Bob Fosse, Fritz Lang, Guillermo del Toro, and Yoji Yamada. He's also very proud of the fact that he's seen every single Nicolas Cage movie released before 2022, even though doing so often feels like a tremendous waste of time. He's plagued by the question of whether or not The Room is genuinely terrible or some kind of accidental masterpiece, and it has been for more than 12 years (and a similar number of viewings). 

When he's not writing lists—and the occasional feature article—for Collider, he also likes to upload film reviews to his Letterboxd profile (username: Jeremy Urquhart) and Instagram account.

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