Do You Remember These Westerns Starring Kurt Russell?
Kurt Russell turns 75 on March 17, 2026, and he is not slowing down, as he is starring in the new Taylor Sheridan drama The Madison with his 1988 Tequila Sunrise costar Michelle Pfeiffer. Now is a perfect time to look back on his impressive career, more specifically a few of the Western movies he excelled in. Russell has spent decades playing action heroes and tough guys, and the Western genre in particular seems to fit him best. Early in his career, he had roles in numerous TV Westerns, including The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Gunsmoke, The Virginian and Laredo. He also starred in a short-lived 1976 TV series called The Quest, alongside Tim Matheson, which was about two brothers who were separated after a Cheyenne Indian attack on their family and searched for their missing sister after they were reunited. There were also two made-for-TV movies starring the pair, The Quest and The Longest Drive.
Everett Collection
Surprisingly, though, his big-screen Western resumé is smaller than you might think, but the films he did make range from cult classics to one of the most beloved modern Westerns ever put onscreen. In honor of his newest Western show and milestone birthday, let’s go over some of his best movie Westerns:
Guns of Diablo (1965)
Everett Collection
Long before Russell became a leading man in films like Tombstone, he appeared in a Western as a child actor. Guns of Diablo, released in 1965, featured young Russell alongside Charles Bronson and Susan Oliver in only his second feature film. The movie has an unusual origin: It was expanded from the final episode of the short-lived television series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, in which Russell played the title role. For the movie version, additional scenes were filmed and released theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Russell’s character, Jaimie McPheeters, travels west with his father as part of a wagon train heading into frontier territory. The story focuses on wagon train master Linc Murdock, played by Bronson, who encounters an old flame, Maria, and her husband, Rance Macklin. The situation quickly turns tense because Murdock and Macklin share a violent past, one that resulted in Macklin losing his right arm during a gunfight. Russell’s role is smaller than Bronson’s, but the film remains a notable early chapter in his long career.
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
Everett Collection
Released in 1968 by Walt Disney Productions, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is a comedy musical set on the American frontier during the 1888 presidential election. The story follows the Bower family, a musically talented group, as they move to the Dakota Territory and become involved in local political tensions surrounding the election and the territory’s push for statehood. Russell plays Sidney Bower, one of the children in the large family band. The cast also includes Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Lesley Ann Warren, John Davidson and Janet Blair. The film started as a planned two-part television special based on Laura Bower Van Nuys’ memoir about her family’s real-life frontier band. Walt Disney eventually decided the story worked better as a musical feature film and brought in the Sherman Brothers to write the songs. The movie premiered at Radio City Music Hall in March 1968, though critics were generally not enthusiastic and felt the story lacked strong dramatic conflict. Even so, the film remains notable for another reason. While making it, Russell first met future longtime partner Goldie Hawn, who appears briefly as a dancing girl credited as Goldie Jeanne Hawn. The two would reconnect years later during rehearsals for Swing Shift and eventually begin the long relationship that has made them one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples.
Tombstone (1993)
John Bramley/Buena Vista Pictures/Everett Collection
Of all Russell’s Westerns, Tombstone is the clear standout. Released on Dec. 25, 1993, the film stars Russell as Wyatt Earp and follows the events leading up to and following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It was loosely based on real events in Arizona during the 1880s and also features Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, along with Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Dana Delany and Charlton Heston. It was a box office success, earning $73.2 million worldwide on a $25 million budget, and reviews were generally positive. Over time, it has only grown in reputation and is now widely seen as a cult favorite. He recently told The Hollywood Reporter his feelings on the film after a director change, budget problems and 22 pages of script having to be cut: “I’ll never make peace with that. [Tombstone] could have been way better. It’s considered one of the great Westerns, right? It could have been considered one of the great movies,” Russell said. “The impact of Tombstone is very strong, and that’s nice. That’s great. But could it have been a lot better? Yes.”
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
RLJ Entertainment/Everett Collection
Released in 2015, Bone Tomahawk gave Russell one of his most unusual Western roles. He plays Sheriff Franklin Hunt, the leader of a rescue party trying to recover three captives taken from the town of Bright Hope. The setup sounds like a traditional Western, but the film moves into horror territory as the group heads into a remote valley inhabited by a cannibalistic clan. Written and directed by S. Craig Zahler in his feature directorial debut, the film also stars Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins and Lili Simmons. It was made on a relatively small budget, about $1.8 million, and shot in California over 21 days. Russell won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actor, and his performance is a big reason the movie has built such a strong cult reputation.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein Company/Everett Collection
Released on Dec. 25, 2015, The Hateful Eight gave Russell another major Western role in the same year as Bone Tomahawk, but the movie is very different. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, it is less of a traditional Western than a mystery thriller in a Western setting. Russell plays bounty hunter John “The Hangman” Ruth, who arrives at a stagecoach stopover during a blizzard while transporting fugitive Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Once the characters are trapped together in Minnie’s Haberdashery, the movie becomes a tense standoff. The cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Demián Bichir and Bruce Dern.
Let us know in the comments which one is your favorite and why!
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