I disagree with your description of Jack Lemon. In Cowboy, he was an Eastern hotel clerk who found himself on a cattle drive -- a greenhorn completely over his head on both skills and social levels. He played the role very well.

Johnny Depp as Tonto in "The Lone Ranger" should have been on this list.

Apparently you have never read any Louis L'Amour westerns if you can't accept Sean Connery, in a western. A good number of his protagonists were from foreign countries or were raised there, which I would assume, cause them to talk with an accent.

As for Raymond Burr, he was great as Captain Lee Quince in the western radio series "Fort Laramie".

I mostly agree with your list. Exceptions : Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers and Sgt. Rutledge and White Feather. Also He might not have liked acting in it but Jack Lemmon was great in Cowboy.

Big Arnie is the most outcasted actor in the Westerns. Can't even imagine watching him in that role.

Pretty good list but a few I just can’t agree with: Connery in “Shalako,” nothing wrong with a Scotsman in the west, particularly if you’ve read the novel; Lemmon in “Cowboy,” again, if you’ve read the source novel, his casting and charactization are both fine despite (or maybe because of) his personal discomfort in the role; Jeffrey Hunter - good casting and acting in “The Searchers,” but cast in some substandard features at Fox that few could’ve done well in. Agree with Crawford, Wagner, and most others, Bogart especially!

John Cleese was a lousy sheriff,I kept expecting the Monty python team as deputies.

I think perceived mismatches are due to a combination of reasons: 1. You hit the nail on the head with your Raymond Burr comment -- if you see an actor in a famous series/type or role, it's hard to watch him in another (even though those may have come before the series, as in Burr's case). I had that problem with Fred McMurray -- grew up on My Three Sons and his Disney films, had to swallow hard when I first saw Double Indemnity. But he really pulled that off (same in The Apartment). 2. True mismatches, when Hollywood tries to take advantage of a 'star' in another medium (Elvis, Frankie, etc.) 3. Mistaken mismatches -- there were indeed British in the Old West (google it), who either owned ranches or came for the climate. So Ray/Sean work OK for me. Noticed you didn't mention Richard Harris :) Thanks for the stimulating speculations!

Cagney was great in the westerns he made.Cagney was always great.

Wrangler; This might have been your best list. Wagner and Bogart are the first two that come to mind. Here are a few more: The first three very obscure and 1 & 2 had Gary Cooper to save the these silent films. 1; Ronald Colman ( Winning of Barbara Worth). 2: William Powell ( Nevada) 3: Myrna Loy ( The Great Divide). 4: Veronica Lake ( Ramrod) 5 John Mills ( Chuka ) 6: Leslie Howard ( Gone With The Wind): 7: Rock Hudson ( see Robert Wagner) 8; Sophia Loren ( Heller In Pink Tights) 9: Mickey Rooney ( My Outlaw Brother) 10: Dustin Hoffman ( Little Big Man) One thing about the list is it allows me to mention three of my favorite actresses: Sophia, Veronica & Myrna on a westerns list: Only Myrna as a half Mexican gives a good performance

Matt Damon in the True Grit remake

Actually, a lot of Cowboys and Scouts probably sounded like Arnie and Sean.

Wrangler, so many and so bad! Broderick Crawford was especially miscast…so many times. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your take on the genre I love (my wife, not so much 😊)

Perfect list, wouldn’t change a thing 😊

Glen Campbell did a good job in True Grit.

Will Smith in anything.

You nailed it. Great observation.

Dana Delany is an excellent and versatile actress and she was the leading lady in a big western, but I found her a bit contemporary.

Broderick Crawford and Raymond Burr played villainous parts in films noirs in that era. If the character in a Western is a heel, what's the big diff? Lust For Gold, that picture with Gig Young and Ida Lupino, is really a film noir anyway, it's just set in Phoenix in the 1880's.

Code of the West: tip your hat to a lady, hammer down on an empty, kiss your horse goodnight, never trust a scallywag. THAT'S the Code of the West.

I won't call it mismatched but bad casting in some of movies you have mentioned, example Sean Connery in shalako,glen Campbell i true grit etc,etc,I don't if some actors were uncomfortable in working in westen movies but i personally felt uncomfortable waching some actors in a western movie for example Montgomery Clift in classic "Red River"i could never covunce my self Clift has cowhand and against the towering figure of John Wayne clift looked like a toddler in a cradle and i felt the same for Robert Redford in "Jeremiah Johnson? as rough and rugged mountain man maybe he was far to good-looking for such role i don't know,this is just my personal opinion.

John Cleese in Silverado, cringeworthy.

Arnold, Connery, Burr,Smith Elvis, Avalon, Reeves is a no way Jose kinda thing.

What about Bobby Darin in Gunfight in Abilene? 😬🫢

What about Sid James in carry on cowboy 🤠😂