Off the top of my head, I would throw in:

1) 3.10 to Yuma (not the remake)

2) Any/all of Ford's Cavalry triology

3) The Searchers

4) The Gunfighter

5) Lonely are the Brave

6) Seven Men From Now

7) The Tall T

Yellow Sky

9) The Fastest Gun Alive

10) Zulu (a British Western)

@mikesiva

Yeah, it has little to do with westerns per se. I expect the elderly Caribbean folks like stupidjones to lap up that nonsense as they grew up not knowing better. But by now they should be able to rethink what they were clapping and bawling for each time an evil Native American was slaughtered.

Self hate is a helluva drug.

Bullying on a grand scale gets turned into heroic storytelling. They come in, take their land, OUR land. Then they control the narrative to make it look justified. Resistance then becomes the crime.

Same bullying manifests itself today in the misfits’ orange god and his puppet master in Israel. Yet we support that mindset. Them white conquerors great. natives bad.

I doubt Bob could have expected that today it would still be so difficult to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.

@VIX

In Westerns, the enemy isn't Nazis, monsters, or space invaders. usually Is the local people defending their own homes.

In my experience, Injuns are a minority feature in Western films. Sometimes they're just part of the backdrop, but USUALLY (to coin a word) they're absent. By the 1940s, when Hollywood was taking the Western more seriously (big budgets and its biggest stars) what impresses is the wide variety of themes and tropes - the lawman vs outlaws; the range war; cattlemen vs homesteaders, the Civil War and its aftermath, the hero/anti-hero stranger in town. Like police/detective films, the genre had the great advantage that little or no scene-setting or backstory was required - you could start off with a bank hold-up or train robbery and nobody would bat an eyelid. I haven't even started on the aesthetics - horses, gunplay, cowboy gear, Western scenery, and all populated by Hollywood's best looking men. Did I mention the dancing girls?

@KTom

Did I mention the dancing girls?😳

He was only interested in Randolph Scott

@sgtdjones

Scott was a beautiful man - ask Cary Grant - but the older and meaner he got, the better.

@KTom

He wouldn't understand the subtle connotations.😂

From the above lists, it's evident that practically all Hollywood's leading men starred in Westerns - in fact, it's difficult to think of one from the 1940s to 1960s who didn't. My first thought was Bogart, but he did The Treasure of Sierra Madre, which I think definitely counts both as a Western and a top film.

But I've a soft spot for Western regulars, too. If Rod Cameron, Audie Murphy or Rory Calhoun are in the cast, I'm watching regardless.

As for character actors, Walter Brennan, John Carradine, John McIntire, George Gabby Hayes were rootin' tootin' amazing.

@KTom

If you enjoy Audie Murphy's "everyman" hero or his focused, low-budget Westerns, these actors often filled similar niches:

James Stewart: He shared Murphy’s "relatable" quality but often played more neurotically intense characters. They starred together in Night Passage (1957), where Murphy played Stewart's outlaw brother.

Lee Marvin: A real-life war hero like Murphy, Marvin often appeared in Westerns with him (such as The Duel at Silver Creek) before becoming a major star known for his rugged toughness.

Charles Bronson was another veteran-turned-actor who shared Murphy's "quiet strength" and stoic demeanour in numerous "B" and mainstream Westerns.

Dan Duryea: A frequent co-star and foil for Murphy (appearing in Ride Clear of Diablo and Six Black Horses), known for playing charismatic but often sleazy villains that highlighted Murphy's principled characters. 

Rory Calhoun was a quintessential Western icon, often described as having "wolfish, Black-Irish good looks." His career spanned over 80 films and 1,000 television episodes, where he specialized in playing stoic, principled, yet morally complex cowboys and gunslingers. He spent time in reform schools and federal prison for stealing cars and robbing jewelry stores before being discovered while horseback riding in the Hollywood Hills by actor Alan Ladd

Yul Brynner (Chris Adams): The shaved-headed leader dressed entirely in black. He brought a "cool, dangerous authority" that anchored the group.

Eli Wallach (Calvera): While not one of the seven, he delivered one of the all-time outstanding villain performances as the charismatic but ruthless bandit leader.

Henry Fonda (Clay Blaisedell): A freelance "town tamer" who is melancholy, laconic, and efficient with his gold-handled colts.

Richard Widmark (Johnny Gannon): A reformed outlaw who becomes the deputy sheriff, playing the role with "sincerity and spunk."

Anthony Quinn (Tom Morgan): Fonda’s club-footed, devoted assistant. Critics have noted the intense, almost "homoerotic" devotion his character has for Blaisedell.

Kirk Douglas (Matt Morgan): An intense U.S. Marshal on a relentless mission to bring his wife’s killer to justice.

Robert Mitchum: Known for his "effortless cool" and world-weary gaze. Like Calhoun, he had a rebellious streak in real life, having spent time in a chain gang as a teenager before becoming a defining star of film noir and Westerns like River of No Return.

Lee Marvin: A decorated Marine who served in WWII, Marvin brought a genuine, gritty intensity to the screen. He often played complex anti-heroes or "vicious characters" in 1950s Westerns before winning an Oscar for his dual role in Cat Ballou.

Charles Bronson: One of 15 children born to a struggling immigrant coal miner, he worked in the mines himself before serving in WWII. His "weather-beaten" features and stoic intensity made him the archetypal screen tough guy in classics like The Magnificent Seven and Once Upon a Time in the West

Joel McCrea: A real-life rancher who shared a love of roping with Will Rogers. He was beloved for playing calm, principled characters with a "straightforward demeanour" and "quiet integrity" both on and off screen.

Gary Cooper: "Coop" was synonymous with the rugged, honourable American hero. His tall stature and "understated acting style" in films like High Noon (1952) set the standard for the strong, silent Western lead

Iconic Leading Ladies

Maureen O'Hara: Often called the "Queen of Technicolour," she was a favourite of John Ford and starred in classics like Rio Grande, McLintock!, and Big Jake.

Barbara Stanwyck: A versatile powerhouse who starred in numerous Westerns, including Forty Guns, Cattle Queen of Montana, and the long-running TV series The Big Valley.

Jane Russell: She gained instant fame in the controversial film The Outlaw and later starred alongside Bob Hope in the popular comedy-western The Paleface.

Grace Kelly: Before becoming a princess, she played the Quaker wife of Gary Cooper in Noon, one of the most celebrated Westerns ever made. She was wow, wow, and more wow

Brigitte Bardot: The French "sex kitten" ventured into the genre in the comedic Western Shalako. 

Yvonne De Carlo: Known for Frontier Gal and McLintock!, she later became famous as Lily Munster

Natalie Wood: Played the abducted niece in the legendary film The Searchers.

Raquel Welch: She brought a fierce presence to "Spaghetti Westerns" like 100 Rifles and Hannie Caulder, where she played a woman seeking revenge.

Side kicks

Walter Brennan: Known for his roles as the grizzled, often toothless old-timer, winning multiple Supporting Actor Oscars.

George "Gabby" Hayes: The quintessential 1930s-40s sidekick, recognized for his whiskered, comedic, and loyal characters.

Strother Martin was famous for character roles in the latter part of his career; he brought a distinct flavour to Westerns.

Edgar Buchanan: Known for his gravelly voice and roles in both film and TV Westerns.

Jack Elam: Often played memorable, tough, or eccentric villains and sidekicks.

Woody Strode: A former NFL star and decathlete, Strode became a powerhouse in the genre. He is most renowned for the title role in John Ford's Sergeant Rutledge (1960), where he played a Black cavalry sergeant. He also appeared as one of the four leads in The Professionals (1966) and had a memorable cameo in the opening of Once Upon a Time in the West (196.

I have over 150 westerns, all owing to my grandfather's love of such movies.