Cary Grant was a gifted actor, his career spanning decades and included such hits as Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Charade (in which Audrey Hepburn also starred), The Philadelphia Story and more. He forever made an impression in the film industry for being a versatile actor, able to be both deadly serious and hilariously witty, switching between the two easily and smoothly.
He was handsome and classy, and popular among audiences. He made several films in his lifetime, and it's difficult to narrow down his best, so Rotten Tomatoes was consulted.
His Girl Friday (98%)
Walter (Grant) is an editor that refuses to let go of his ex-wife, and reporter, Hildy (Rosalind Russell) in this classic film. Hildy is set to marry another man, but Walter prevents her from settling down by enticing her with one last juicy story of a wrongly convicted man. That, and he keeps setting up her husband-to-be, which lands him in jail on more than one occasion, to delay Hildy's departure. It works a little too well, but it ensures a happy ending, reuniting Walter and Hildy.
Notorious (98%)
Grant played T.R. Devlin, a government agent, in this 1946 Alfred Hitchcock film. Devlin recruits the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy to aid him in an operation. The two fall in love, but it unfortunately doesn't last, as she marries a man part of the group of Nazis she was to infiltrate to begin with, after informing Devlin of the man's proposal. However, things are mended between them when she is poisoned by her husband, and Devlin gets her away from her treacherous significant other, leaving him behind to be dealt with by his fellow Nazis.
North By Northwest (99%)
This popular film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, finds Grant playing advertising man Roger Thornhill, who becomes caught up in a wild adventure after being mistaken for another man. Thornhill is nearly killed but survives, and fails to convince anyone that he's in danger and people wish him harm, at least initially.
He ends up on the run from the police, and aids government agent Eve (Eva Marie Saint) in taking down the villains, eventually finding his happy ending with her on a train after an intense scene on Mt. Rushmore.
Only Angels Have Wings (100%)
Geoff Carter (Grant) has his fair share of problems in this memorable 1939 film. Geoff is a pilot, working for a small airline in South America. Geoff's boss faces a possible government contract if he does well in a six-month trial, and on the last day, bad weather inconveniently appears. Geoff ends up not able to go, as Bonnie (Jean Arthur), who is taken with him, has accidentally shot him when she was trying to convince him not to take on the assignment. Between his work and Bonnie, Geoff has his hands full.
In Name Only (100%)
It takes illness for true love to be united in this 1939 rom-com. Grant is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Maida (Kay Francis), who only remains with Grant for his social status and money. Grant, meanwhile, falls in love with a widow named Julie (Carole Lombard), but their happiness is blocked by Maida's refusal to give Grant a divorce. That is, until Grant becomes seriously ill, and the truth comes out, finally allowing for him to be with Julie.
Mr. Lucky (100%)
Grant plays Joe Adams, a gambler, who steals the identity of one of his subordinates who has recently passed away, to avoid being drafted into the military for World War 2. However, he comes to change his underhanded ways thanks to Dorothy (Laraine Day), and a letter from the mother of the man Grant has stolen the identity of, which gets him to reconsider his life.
The film's plot is primarily told in a flashback, and contains a happy ending.
People Will Talk (100%)
Grant's character, Noah, is quite busy in People Will Talk. The title is suiting for the film's plot, as Noah, a doctor with unconventional methods, comes under fire by a colleague who has him investigated, and who turns up some secrets in Noah's life. Not only that, but Noah helps, and falls in love with, a woman named Deborah who is experiencing an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and feels ashamed about it. Noah is in no way traditional, and because of that, people certainly judge him for it.
Indiscreet (100%)
Grant plays Philip Adams, a man who is commitment-shy until he meets actress Anna (Ingrid Bergman). The two come to fall in love, but their rhythm is interrupted when Anna discovers Philip has lied to her about being married and comes up with a wild plan to exact her revenge. However, Philip has changed his mind and wants to propose marriage, just in time to witness Anna's scheme and think she is with another man. Luckily, the misunderstandings on both sides are cleared up so they can continue with their happily ever after.
Holiday (100%)
This love story is somewhat backwards, but it ends the right way. Grant plays Johnny Case, a man set to marry into a wealthy family, and finds himself attracted to his bride-to-be's sister, Linda, played by Katharine Hepburn. Linda however resists her feelings towards Case, out of love for her sister, and tries to help the engaged couple.
Johnny however finds that married life with Julia (Doris Nolan) just wouldn't work, and the feeling is mutual, allowing Johnny to be free to be with Linda and to take the holiday he wanted to all along.
The Philadelphia Story (100%)
Grant plays C.K. Dexter Haven, the ex-husband of the protagonist, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). The two are shown to have a mutual disdain for each other in the film's beginning, but when Dexter crashes her upcoming wedding, alongside a reporter (played by James Stewart) and a photographer, it brings the two together once more, and interestingly enough, the two have changed for the better in the time they've been apart, allowing for them to give their relationship one more try.