When people think ofWestern movies, they typically think of ruthless outlaws and heroic cowboys, but there is a fair share of female characters in hit titles such asGiant,Calamity Jane, andCat Ballou, who are some of the best in the West. From being a major support for a lone gunman to knowing her way around a pistol, Westerns feature a wide variety of heroines, including Jill McBain fromOnce Upon a Time in the WestandAnnie Get Your Gun’s Annie Oakley, who deserve just as much recognition as their male counterparts.
Since the Western genre is typically male-dominated, the heroines in these tall tales require certain qualities such as wit, strength, and ambition to survive in the Old West, and while there are plenty of worthy candidates, there are some who make the cut more than others. With modern female sharpshooters like The Lady fromThe Quick and the Deadto classic Western heroines such as Mattie Ross fromTrue Gritand ViennainJohnny Guitar, these are the ten best Western movie heroines ranked.
10Annie Oakley in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ (1950)
Played by Betty Hutton
Inspired by the real-life sharpshooter, Annie Oakley,Annie Get Your Gunis a musical Western starringBetty Huttonas the feisty, famous Oakley, who is known for being one of the best shots in the Wild West. When Oakley catches the attention of a fellow sharpshooter, Frank Butler (Howard Keel), she’s immediately smitten with Butler and becomes determined to join his traveling showBuffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and also win him over in the process.
Hutton delivers an upbeat, animated performance as Oakley, but aside from the musical numbers, Oakley is essentially recognized for becoming one of the first females to dominate the spectacle of sharpshooting, making her a unique and solid Western movie heroine.While Oakley manages to successfully hold her own against Butler and other gun-wielding men, she is not without genuine kindness and a sense of selflessness that elevates her overall likability and timeless legacy.
Annie Get Your Gun
The story of the great sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who rose to fame while dealing with her love/professional rival, Frank Butler.
Buy on Amazon
9Jill McBain in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)
Played by Claudia Cardinale
In the classic Western film,Once Upon a Time in the West,Claudia Cardinalegives a stunning performance as the newlywed, Jill McBain, who arrives in the town of Sweetwater only to discover that her new husband and his children have been murdered by a vicious gunman, Frank (Henry Fonda). Despite the horrific crimes, Mrs. McBain refuses to be run out of town and is determined to help save the town as well as build the water station her husband had intended.
McBain might have a turbulent past, but she is as kind as she is beautiful and has no trouble finding helpful allies in her new town.Unlike most wives in Western films, McBain faces the fight head-on and doesn’t sit around and wait for trouble to find her.She knows her place but also doesn’t always abide by it, and she isn’t someone who will idly stand by while others fight her battles without her, making her one of the best Western movie heroines.
Once Upon a Time in the West
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
Watch on Paramount+
Played by Maureen O’Hara
In the Western film,The Redhead from Wyoming,Maureen O’Haraplays a showgirl and saloon owner, Kate Maxwell, who has a checked past but a heart of gold. As new settlers begin to arrive in the Wyoming territory, tensions flare between the newcomers and established cattle ranchers in the area, setting the stage for a potential range war. When Maxwell is recruited to help run a cattle business for a local politician, Jim Averell (William Bishop), the sheriff (Alex Nicol) warns her of the risk she is taking and soon finds herself in the middle of the fight.
O’Hara isone of the biggest stars ofJohn Ford’s stock companyand is no stranger to the Western genre. While she is known to play tough female roles in the genre,her character inThe Redhead from Wyomingis one of the fiercest who clearly doesn’t want any trouble but is also unwilling to surrender to it and any man who brings it to her doorstep. She may appear to be a gentle desert flower who is both beauty and grace, but she knows how to defend herself with a powerful shotgun and isn’t afraid to use it.
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7Sister Sara in ‘Two Mules for Sister Sara’ (1970)
Played by Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLainestars withClint EastwoodinTwo Mules for Sister Saraas a fugitive wanted for shooting a French lieutenant, Sara, who decides to pose as a nun as a means of protection. When she’s rescued by a former soldier, Hogan (Eastwood), from a group of bandits, the two head towards a camp of Mexican revolutionaries where they intend to help fight against the invading French army.
Sara is an intriguing character who adds a bit of humor to the intensity of the film as a woman of God who just happens to be able to hold her liquor and handle a gun.Even though it becomes obvious that there’s something off about MacLaine’s character, it’s an amusing source of entertainment, and when she finally reveals her identity and ditches the habit, her true colors of being a genuine no-nonsense badass fly high, adding even more appeal to her character.
Two Mules for Sister Sara
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6Calamity Jane in ‘Calamity Jane’ (1953)
Played by Doris Day
Doris Day, who wasone of Warner Bros. biggest contract players, stars as the titular character in the Western musical,Calamity Jane, who is another spitfire sharpshooter who was famous for her knack for storytelling and exploits throughout the Old West. When the local saloon is in need of female performers, Jane volunteers to bring back renowned singer, Adelaide Adams from Chicago, but many are doubtful that she will be able to keep her promise.
Jane is known for telling some tall tales and exaggerating some details of her adventures, but she is still a rough-riding, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed woman who isn’t afraid to take on any challenge, or any man for that matter.Underneath the dirt and ragged clothes, Day’s character transforms into a stunning beautiful woman for a local ball, but despite the fine fabric and pretty ribbons, she still can’t hide who she truly is deep down, which is what makes her such a fun and all-around phenomenal Western movie heroine.
Rent on Amazon Prime
5Vienna in ‘Johnny Guitar’ (1954)
Played by Joan Crawford
In the underrated Western film,Johnny Guitar, Hollywood icon,Joan Crawfordtakes on the role of a hard-nosed saloon owner, Vienna, whose establishment is known for serving the riffraff in the area. When a group of locals tries to push Vienna out for catering to outlaws and supporting a new railway, she faces them armed and receives a bit of help from a newcomer, Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden).
Crawford’s Vienna is an absolute force to be reckoned with who is known to live recklessly on the edge, never afraid of being against the majority.She never sugarcoats or hesitates to speak her mind and even when she’s looking down the barrel of a gun, she firmly stands her ground. Although she knows how to handle a pistol, Vienna is a master manipulator who is highly skilled in verbal confrontations with an uncanny ability to sway even the toughest men into backing down and retreating.
Watch on Pluto TV
Played by Sharon Stone
In Sam Raimi’s modern Western,The Quick and the Dead,Sharon Stonestars as a gunfighter, Ellen or The Lady, who arrives in the town of Redemption to enter a sharpshooting contest. She is a woman of few words with a mysterious presence, but as the competition gets underway, her true reason for her visit begins to unravel, revealing a lifetime goal of revenge against the town’s corrupt mayor (Gene Hackman).
Stone delivers an astounding performance as Ellen, who is an excellent marksman who doesn’t let her emotions get the best of her. Through immense patience and tact, she successfully convinces the townspeople she’s just a skilled shooter looking to collect the hefty cash prize and never loses her impeccable poker face.While Ellen initially appears to be in way over her head with this group of gunfighters, she quickly puts any doubts to rest with incredible ease, making her a top-notch Western movie heroine.
The Quick and the Dead
The Quick and the Dead: In a lawless town ruled by a notorious gunman, a mysterious woman arrives to participate in a quick-draw elimination tournament. As competitors face off in lethal duels, her true motives and secrets gradually unfold, amidst a tense atmosphere of rivalry and retribution.
Watch on Netflix
3Catherine Ballou in ‘Cat Ballou’ (1965)
Played by Jane Fonda
Jane Fondastars inone of her best movies,Cat Ballou, as an aspiring young school teacher, Catherine “Cat” Ballou, who returns home to discover a local development company is threatening to take her family’s ranch and hires a gunman, Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin), to protect her father. When her father is murdered and the townspeople refuse to bring the killer to face justice, Catherine sets out to find the man herself, turning to a life of crime and becoming a revenge-seeking outlaw known as Cat Ballou.
Cat Ballouis considered to be one of Fonda’s signature roles and delivers a strong but comedic performance as the wanted outlaw.While she resorts to unethical measures to avenge her father, the law inevitably fails her, which is why she gets a pass on being labeled as a genuine outlaw.Undoubtedly, she is an anti-heroine, but she means well, and, while some of her actions are questionable, the man Cat is after is one that, if gone, would essentially make the world a much better place.
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou follows a young schoolteacher who turns to an unlikely gang of outlaws to seek justice for her murdered father. As she transforms into a notorious train robber, her quest for vengeance leads to a series of comedic and unexpected challenges in the American West.
2Mattie Ross in ‘True Grit’ (1969)
Played by Kim Darby
In the epic Western classic,True Grit,Kim Darbytakes on the role of the fierce and brave Mattie Ross who hires a washed-up U.S. marshal, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne), to help her find the man, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) who murdered her father and bring him to justice. When they are joined by a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell), who is also after Chaney, the trio finds that he’s met up with one of the most notorious outlaws, Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall).
Most Western movie heroines are grown adults, but Mattie is only fourteen years old and easily one of the boldest female characters in any Western film.While the movie centers around Cogburn redeeming himself as a man of true grit, Mattie also falls into this category, proving to be a woman of incredible grit who isn’t afraid of the danger of the journey or the ultimate showdown with Chaney and Pepper. Between Mattie’s resilience and unwavering sense of bravery and loyalty, she is without question one of the best Western movie heroines in cinematic history.
A determined young girl enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger to track down her father’s murderer in Indian Territory. As the unlikely trio ventures into dangerous lands, their quest for justice is complicated by their differing motives and the harsh realities of the Wild West.
1Leslie Benedict in ‘Giant’ (1956)
Played by Elizabeth Taylor
The epic Western classic,Giant, starsElizabeth Tayloras the refined Leslie Lynnton who marries wealthy Texas rancher, Jordan “Bick” Benedict (Rock Hudson), and initially struggles to adapt to her new male-dominated surroundings, but eventually establishes her place as the matriarch of the Benedict family. Through the years, the Benedict family grows and is faced with various ups and downs, notably a lengthy rivalry between Bick and his former ranch hand, Jett Rink (James Dean),who is secretly in love with Leslie.
Giantis considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, and while the overall cast give stellar performances, Taylor knocks it out of the park as the strong-willed, independent Leslie Benedict. She might not be a sharpshooter or a free-spirited outlaw, but throughout the film, Leslie overcomes a series of intense obstacles and stubborn individuals with such grace and humility that it’s impossible not to admire her.As Leslie is faced with every challenge thrown her way, she stands tall with her head held high, knowing she is a crucial support for not only her family but also her community, making her the best Western movie heroine of all time.
