The Shootist is a 1976 Western film directed by Don Siegel and starring John Wayne in his final film role.
Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout[2] with a screenplay by Miles Hood Swarthout (the son of the author) and Scott Hale, the film is about a dying gunfighter who spends his last days looking for a way to die with the least pain and the most dignity.[3]
The film co-stars Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Harry Morgan, and James Stewart. In 1977, The Shootist received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction (Robert F. Boyle, Arthur Jeph Parker), a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Actress (Lauren Bacall), and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Ron Howard), as well as the National Board of Review Award as one of the Top Ten Films of 1976.[4]


Upon its theatrical release in June 1976, The Shootist was a minor success, grossing $13,406,138 domestically,[1] $6 million of which was earned as US theatrical rentals.[10] It received fair-to-excellent reviews, with enormous praise given to Wayne by many critics. It was named one of the Ten Best Films of 1976 by the National Board of Review, along with Rocky, All the President's Men and Network. Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times ranked the The Shootist #10 on his list of the 10 best films of 1976.[11] The film was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA film award, and a Writers Guild of America award. The film currently has a 93% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.