My Top 100 Directors

1. Steven Spielberg

One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...

1941 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Amistad Catch Me If You Can Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Hook Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Jaws Minority Report Raiders of the Lost Ark Saving Private Ryan Schindler's List The Color Purple The Sugarland Express The Terminal Twilight Zone: The Movie War of the Worlds West Side Story

2. Herbert Ross

Director | The Turning Point

Herbert Ross was born on May 13, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Turning Point (1977), The Goodbye Girl (1977) and The Secret of My Success (1987). He was married to Lee Radziwill and Nora Kaye. He died on October 9, 2001 in New York ...

Boys on the Side Footloose Funny Lady Nijinsky Protocol Steel Magnolias The Goodbye Girl The Owl and the Pussycat The Secret of My Succe$s The Turning Point True Colors

3. Martin Scorsese

Producer | Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later ...

After Hours Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Casino New York, New York Raging Bull Shutter Island Taxi Driver The Age of Innocence The King of Comedy The Last Temptation of Christ

4. Blake Edwards

Writer | The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Blake Edwards' stepfather's father J. Gordon Edwards was a silent screen director, and his stepfather Jack McEdward was a stage director and movie production manager. Blake acted in a number films, beginning with Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) and wrote a number of others, beginning with ...

10 Breakfast at Tiffany's Days of Wine and Roses Micki + Maude Operation Petticoat Skin Deep Switch That's Life The Great Race Victor/Victoria Victor/Victoria (Original Broadway Cast)

5. Arthur Hiller

Director | Love Story

Arthur Hiller was born on November 22, 1923 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was a director and producer, known for Love Story (1970), The Hospital (1971) and See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989). He was married to Gwen Hiller. He died on August 17, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Hawaii Love Story Making Love Married to It Outrageous Fortune Teachers The In-Laws

6. Vincente Minnelli

Director | An American in Paris

Born Lester Anthony Minnelli in Chicago on February 28 1903, his father Vincent was a musical conductor of the Minnelli Brothers' Tent Theater. Wanting to pursue an artistic career, Minelli worked in the costume department of the Chicago Theater, then on Broadway during the depression as a set ...

A Matter of Time An American in Paris Brigadoon Meet Me in St. Louis On a Clear Day You Can See Forever The Band Wagon The Clock The Courtship of Eddie's Father The Pirate Till the Clouds Roll By

7. Woody Allen

Writer | Annie Hall

Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.

Allen ...

Broadway Danny Rose Everyone Says I Love You "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*But Were Afraid to Ask" Hannah and Her Sisters Husbands and Wives Interiors Manhattan Murder Mystery The Purple Rose of Cairo Zelig

8. John Carpenter

Writer | The Fog

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...

Assault on Precinct 13 Christine Escape From New York Halloween In the Mouth of Madness Prince of Darkness Starman The Fog They Live Village of the Damned

9. Francis Ford Coppola

Producer | Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated ...

Apocalypse Now Dementia 13 Gardens of Stone Jack Supernova The Cotton Club The Godfather Part II The Godfather Part III The Outsiders The Rainmaker

10. Sidney Lumet

Director | 12 Angry Men

Sidney Lumet was a master of cinema, best known for his technical knowledge and his skill at getting first-rate performances from his actors -- and for shooting most of his films in his beloved New York. He made over 40 movies, often complex and emotional, but seldom overly sentimental. Although ...

Critical Care Deathtrap Dog Day Afternoon Equus Fail Safe Garbo Talks Murder on the Orient Express Prince of the City The Morning After

11. Alfred Hitchcock

Director | Psycho

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and ...

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Dial M for Murder North by Northwest Rear Window Rope The Birds The Man Who Knew Too Much Vertigo

12. John Badham

Director | WarGames

English-born "Army brat" John Badham is the son of English actress Mary Hewitt and the stepson of an American Army general. Raised in Alabama and schooled at Yale, he cut his teeth producing and directing for TV before making his feature debut with The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor ...

Another Stakeout Bird on a Wire Nick of Time Point of No Return Saturday Night Fever Short Circuit Stakeout The Hard Way WarGames Whose Life is It Anyway?

13. Mike Nichols

Director | The Graduate

He, along with the other members of the "Compass Players" including Elaine May, Paul Sills, Byrne Piven, Joyce Hiller Piven and Edward Asner helped start the famed "Second City Improv" company. They used the games taught to them by fellow cast mate, Paul Sills 's mother, Viola Spolin. He later ...

Biloxi Blues Carnal Knowledge Postcards From the Edge Primary Colors Silkwood The Birdcage Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Wolf

14. Joel Schumacher

Director | The Phantom of the Opera

Joel Schumacher was an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and fashion designer from New York City. He rose to fame in the 1980s for directing the coming-of-age drama "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985), and the vampire-themed horror film "The Lost Boys" (1987). In the 1990s, he worked on two ...

A Time to Kill Dying Young Falling Down Flatliners St. Elmo's Fire The Incredible Shrinking Woman The Lost Boys The Number 23 Tigerland

15. Alan Parker

Director | Evita

The son of Elsie Ellen, a dressmaker, and William Leslie Parker, a house painter, Alan Parker was a London advertising copywriter in the 1960s and early 1970s with Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP), an ad agency. He formed a partnership with David Puttnam as his producer (Puttnam had been a ...

Angel Heart Birdy Evita Fame Midnight Express The Commitments The Life of David Gale The Road to Wellville

16. Ridley Scott

Producer | The Martian

Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom ...

Alien Blade Runner G.I. Jane Gladiator Legend The Martian Thelma and Louise White Squall

17. Wes Craven

Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.

Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...

Music of the Heart My Soul to Take Scream Scream 2 Scream 3 Shocker Swamp Thing The Hills Have Eyes The Serpent and the Rainbow

18. Brian De Palma

Director | Body Double

Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American ...

Blow Out Carrie Casualties of War Dressed to Kill Phantom of the Paradise Scarface Sisters The Fury

19. Tim Burton

Producer | Edward Scissorhands

Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was ...

Batman Returns Beetlejuice Ed Wood Mars Attacks! Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Pee-wee's Big Adventure Planet of the Apes Sleppy Hollow Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Wednesday

20. William Branden Blinn

Director | Thirteen or So Minutes

Branden Blinn is a content creator who has written, directed, and produced over 30 short films and episodic web form content, most of it for YouTube. His YouTube channel has garnered over 100,000 subscribers and over 40,000,000 worldwide views, mostly by word of mouth and without advertising. When ...

A la Carte He She We Never or Now Thirteen or So Minutes Toeing the Line Truth or Dare

21. Norman Jewison

Director | Jesus Christ Superstar

Norman Jewison was an award-winning, internationally acclaimed filmmaker who produced and directed some of the world's most memorable, entertaining and socially important films, exploring controversial and complicated subjects and giving them a universal accessibility. Some of his most well-known ...

...And Justice for All Agnes of God Best Friends Fiddler on the Roof Moonstruck Only You The Hurricane The Thrill of It All

22. John Waters

Writer | Pecker

Growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s, John Waters was not like other children; he was obsessed by violence and gore, both real and on the screen. With his weird counter-culture friends as his cast, he began making silent 8mm and 16mm films in the mid-'60s; he screened these in rented Baltimore ...

Cecil B. Demented Cry-Baby Female Trouble Hairspray Pecker Pink Flamingos Polyester Serial Mom

23. Richard Donner

Director | Superman

Richard Donner was born on April 24, 1930 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Superman (1978), Ladyhawke (1985) and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980). He was married to Lauren Shuler Donner. He died on July 5, 2021 in Los Angeles, ...

Assassins Ladyhawke Lethal Weapon Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3 The Goonies The Omen

24. Randal Kleiser

Director | Grease

Randal Kleiser has been an internationally known film director since the release of his first feature, Grease (1978). Other features include The Blue Lagoon (1980) with Brooke Shields, Summer Lovers (1982) starring Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah, Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) with Jamie Lee Curtis, ...

Grease Honey, I Blew Up the Kid It's My Party Summer Lovers The Blue Lagoon The Boy in the Plastic Bubble White Fang

25. Barry Levinson

Director | Rain Man

Barry Lee Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Violet (Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in furniture and appliance. He is of Russian Jewish descent. Levinson graduated from high school in 1960, attended college at American University in Washington, DC. He did well, but decided he ...

Avalon Diner Disclosure Rain Man Sleepers The Natural You Don't Know Jack

26. Frank Oz

Actor | The Muppet Show

Frank Richard Oznowicz was born in Hereford, England to puppeteers Frances and Isidore Oznowicz. His family moved to Montana in 1951, eventually settling in Oakland, California. As a teenager, he worked as an apprentice puppeteer at Children's Fairyland amusement park. He is one of the primary ...

Bowfinger Housesitter In & Out Little Shop of Horrors The Muppet's Take Manhattan The Score The Stepford Wives What About Bob?

27. Robert Altman

Director | Gosford Park

Robert Altman was born on February 20th, 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri, to B.C. (an insurance salesman) and Helen Altman. He entered St. Peters Catholic school at the age six, and spent a short time at a Catholic high school. From there, he went to Rockhurst High School. It was then that he started...

A Wedding Beyond Therapy Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Cookie's Fortune MASH Short Cuts Streamers

28. Tony Scott

Producer | Domino

Tony Scott was a British-born film director and producer. He was the youngest of three brothers, one of whom is fellow film director Ridley Scott. He was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England to parents Jean and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. As a result of his father's career in the British...

Beverly Hills Cop II Crimson Tide Days of Thunder Deja Vu The Taking of Pelham 123 The Hunger True Romance

29. Bob Fosse

Director | Cabaret

Bob Fosse was born on June 23, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Cabaret (1972), All That Jazz (1979) and Lenny (1974). He was married to Gwen Verdon, Joan McCracken and Mary Ann Niles. He died on September 23, 1987 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

All That Jazz Cabaret Lenny Liza with a Z Star 80 Sweet Charity

30. George Cukor

Director | My Fair Lady

George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.

In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of...

A Bill of Divorcement A Star is Born Born Yesterday The Blue Bird The Philadelphia Story What Price Hollywood?

31. Ken Russell

Director | The Devils

Ken Russell tried several professions before choosing to become a film director; he was a still photographer and a dancer and he even served in the Army, but film was his destiny. He began by making several short films which paved the way for his brilliant television films of the 1960s that are ...

Altered States Gothic Savage Messiah The Music Lovers Tommy Valentino

32. Chris Columbus

Producer | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ohio, Chris Columbus was first inspired to make movies after seeing "The Godfather" at age 15. After enrolling at NYU film school, he sold his first screenplay (never produced) while a sophomore there. After graduation Columbus tried to sell his fourth script, "...

Adventures in Babysitting Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Home Alone Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Mrs. Doubtfire Only the Lonely Rent

33. Sydney Pollack

Director | Tootsie

Sydney Pollack was an Academy Award-winning director, producer, actor, writer and public figure, who directed and produced over 40 films.

Sydney Irwin Pollack was born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, to Rebecca (Miller), a homemaker, and David Pollack, a professional boxer turned pharmacist...

Out of Africa Random Hearts The Firm The Way We Were They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Tootsie

34. John Landis

Director | The Blues Brothers

John Landis began his career in the mail room of 20th Century-Fox. A high-school dropout, 18-year-old Landis made his way to Yugoslavia to work as a production assistant on Kelly's Heroes (1970). Remaining in Europe, Landis found work as an actor, extra and stuntman in many of the Spanish/Italian "...

Amazon Women on the Moon An American Werewolf in London Dream On National Lampoon's Animal House Trading Places Twilight Zone: The Movie

35. Wolfgang Petersen

Director | Das Boot

A controversial film maker, Wolfgang Petersen has at once been lauded for his professionalism and attention to detail and decried for turning out a string of standard commercial Hollywood blockbusters. The son of a naval officer, Petersen held a lifelong fascination with the sea and naval subjects....

Air Force One Das Boot Enemy Mine In the Line of Fire Outbreak Shattered Troy

36. John G. Avildsen

Director | Rocky

John G. Avildsen was born on December 21, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He was a director and editor, known for Rocky (1976), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and Rocky V (1990). He was married to Tracy Brooks Swope and Marie Olga Maturevich. He died on June 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, ...

Lean on Me Rocky Slow Dancing in the Big City The Karate Kid The Karate Kid Part II The Power of One

37. Robert Aldrich

Director | Emperor of the North Pole

Robert Aldrich entered the film industry in 1941 when he got a job as a production clerk at RKO Radio Pictures. He soon worked his way up to script clerk, then became an assistant director, a production manager and an associate producer. He began writing and directing for TV series in the early ...

Emperor of the North Pole Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte The Dirty Dozen The Longest Yard What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

38. Ron Howard

Producer | Arrested Development

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is one of this generation's most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995) to the hit comedies Parenthood (1989) and Splash (1983), he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films.

Howard ...

Angels & Demons Apollo 13 Cocoon Night Shift Parenthood Ransom

39. Paul Verhoeven

Director | RoboCop

Paul Verhoeven graduated from the University of Leiden, with a degree in math and physics. He entered the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he began his film career by making documentaries for the Navy and later for TV. In 1969, he directed the popular Dutch TV series, Floris (1969), about a medieval ...

Hollow Man Robocop Soldier of Orange Starship Troopers The 4th Man Total Recall

40. Rob Reiner

Actor | All in the Family

Robert Reiner was born in New York City, to Estelle Reiner (née Lebost) and Emmy-winning actor, comedian, writer, and producer Carl Reiner.

As a child, his father was his role model, as Carl Reiner created and starred in The Dick Van Dyke Show. Estelle was also an inspiration for him to become a ...

Ghosts of Mississippi Misery Stand By Me The American President The Bucket List When Harry Met Sally

41. Jack Arnold

Director | Creature from the Black Lagoon

Jack Arnold reigns supreme as one of the great directors of 1950s science-fiction features. His films are distinguished by moody black and white cinematography, solid acting, smart, thoughtful scripts, snappy pacing, a genuine heartfelt enthusiasm for the genre and plenty of eerie atmosphere.

Arnold...

Creature From the Black Lagoon Gilligan's Island The Brady Bunch The Incredible Shrinking Man The Mouse That Roared This Island Earth

42. Vincent McEveety

Director | The Untouchables

Vincent McEveety was born on August 10, 1929 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for The Untouchables (1959), Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) and Star Trek (1966). He was married to Mary Ann O'Dell. He died on May 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California...

Diagnosis Murder In the Heat of the Night Murder She Wrote The Strongest Man in the World The Watcher in the Woods

43. Milos Forman

Director | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Milos Forman was born Jan Tomas Forman in Caslav, Czechoslovakia, to Anna (Svabova), who ran a summer hotel, and Rudolf Forman, a professor. During World War II, his parents were taken away by the Nazis, after being accused of participating in the underground resistance. His father died in ...

Amadeus Hair One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ragtime The People vs Larry Flynt

44. Mark Rydell

Actor | The Long Goodbye

Mark Rydell was born on March 23, 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and actor, known for The Long Goodbye (1973), On Golden Pond (1981) and Hollywood Ending (2002). He was previously married to Esther Jacobs and Joanne Linville.

For the Boys On Golden Pond The Reivers The River The Rose

45. Ivan Reitman

Producer | Up in the Air

Canadian producer and director Ivan Reitman created many of American cinema's most successful and best loved feature film comedies and worked with Hollywood's acting elite. Reitman produced such hits as the ground-breaking sensation National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), which ...

Dave Evolution Ghostbusters Kindergarten Cop My Super Ex-Girlfriend Twins

46. Taylor Hackford

Producer | Ray

In addition to helming the iconic feature hits An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Against All Odds (1984), Ray (2004), and the cult thriller The Devil's Advocate (1997), Taylor Hackford has directed the films Dolores Claiborne (1995), Everybody's All-American (1988), and Proof of Life (2000). ...

Against All Odds An Officer and a Gentleman Dolores Claiborne Everybody's All-American The Devil's Advocate White Nights

47. Oliver Stone

Director | JFK

Oliver Stone has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary film maker. His films are filled with a variety of film angles and styles, he pushes his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, and despite his failures, has always returned to success.

William Oliver Stone was ...

Born on the Fourth of July JFK Natural Born Killers Platoon The Hand Wall Street

48. Stephen Herek

Director | Critters

Stephen Herek was born on November 10, 1958 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Critters (1986), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995).

101 Dalmatians Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Mr. Holland's Opus The Mighty Ducks The Three Musketeers

49. Robert Stevenson

Director | Mary Poppins

Robert Stevenson was born on March 31, 1905 in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Mary Poppins (1964), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Nine Days a Queen (1936). He was married to Ursula Henderson, Frances Holyoke Howard, Anna Lee and Cecilie L Leslie. He ...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks Mary Poppins The Love Bug The Absent Minded Professor The Misadventures of Merlin Jones The Monkey's Uncle

50. Michael Bay

Producer | Armageddon

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won...

Armageddon Pearl Harbor The Island The Rock Transformers Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

51. Sam Raimi

Director | Spider-Man

Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making ...

Darkman Drag Me to Hell Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 3 The Evil Dead The Gift

52. Clyde Geronimi

Director | Cinderella

Clyde Geronimi was born on June 12, 1901 in Chiavenna, Lombardy, Italy. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). He died on April 24, 1989 in Newport Beach, California, USA.

Bambi Cinderella Lady and the Tramp One Hundred and One Dalmatians Sleeping Beauty

53. James Cameron

Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water

James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...

Aliens Avatar The Terminator Titanic True Lies

54. Curtis Hanson

Director | L.A. Confidential

After small films like The Bedroom Window (1987) and Sweet Kill (1972), Curtis Hanson went on to direct major features including The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The River Wild (1994) and the Academy Award-winning L.A. Confidential (1997). Setting his sights on another city, Hanson was ...

Bad Influence The Bedroom Window The Hand That Rocks the Cradle The River Wild Wonder Boys

55. George A. Romero

Writer | Land of the Dead

George A. Romero never set out to become a Hollywood figure; by all indications, though, he was very successful. The director of the groundbreaking "Living Dead" films was born February 4, 1940 ,in New York City to Ann (Dvorsky) and Jorge Romero. His father was born in Spain and raised in Cuba, and...

Creepshow Knightriders Monkey Shines Night of the Living Dead The Dark Half

56. Bill Condon

Director | Dreamgirls

Bill Condon was born on October 22, 1955 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Dreamgirls (2006), Gods and Monsters (1998) and Kinsey (2004).

Dreamgirls Gods and Monsters Kinsey The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two

57. James Wan

Writer | Saw

James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010)...

Dead Silence Death Sentence Insidious Saw The Conjuring

58. Richard Fleischer

Director | Soylent Green

Richard firmly established his credentials with such epics as The Vikings (1958) , 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Barabbas (1961) and also proved to be a master of intimate drama with Compulsion (1959) , which won Cannes Festival awards for the male stars. He won an Academy Award for one ...

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Doctor Dolittle Mandingo Soylent Green The Boston Strangler

59. Michael Winner

Director | Death Wish

Winner was an only child, born in Hampstead, London, England, to Helen (née Zlota) and George Joseph Winner (1910-1975), a company director. His family was Jewish; his mother was Polish and his father of Russian extraction. Following his father's death, Winner's mother gambled recklessly and sold ...

Death Wish Death Wish 3 The Nightcomers The Sentinel Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

60. Daniel Petrie

Director | The Bay Boy

Daniel Petrie was born on November 26, 1920 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a director and producer, known for The Bay Boy (1984), A Raisin in the Sun (1961) and The Assistant (1997). He was married to Dorothea G. Petrie. He died on August 22, 2004 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Cocoon: The Return Fort Apache the Bronx Resurrection Sybil The Dollmaker

61. Tony Bill

Director | Flyboys

He graduated in 1962 from the University of Notre Dame with majors in English and Art. Tony began his career in the film industry as an actor. His acting years were distinguished by the quality of the directors who chose him for their films, including Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. Tony...

Crazy People Five Corners My Bodyguard Six Weeks Untamed Heart

62. Wolfgang Reitherman

Director | The AristoCats

Wolfgang Reitherman was a German-born American animator who was one of Disney's Nine Old Men.

He began working for Disney in 1933, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. The three worked together on a number of classic Disney shorts.

Reitherman directed several Disney animated ...

One Hundred and One Dalmatians Sleeping Beauty The Fox and the Hound The Jungle Book The Rescuers

63. George Miller

Producer | Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and former medical doctor. He is best known for his Mad Max franchise, with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) being hailed as amongst the greatest action films of all time. Aside from the Mad Max ...

Lorenzo's Oil Mad Max 2 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome The Witches of Eastwick Twilight Zone: The Movie

64. Adrian Lyne

Director | Jacob's Ladder

Adrian Lyne (Director/Writer/Producer) is the creative force behind some of the most talked-about movies of our time, among them, Fatal Attraction (1987), 9½ Weeks (1986) and Indecent Proposal (1993).

Born in Peterborough, England and raised in London, Lyne attended the Highgate school, where...

Fatal Attraction Flashdance Foxes Indecent Proposal Nine 1/2 Weeks

65. Gene Kelly

Soundtrack | Singin' in the Rain

Eugene Curran Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the third son of Harriet Catherine (Curran) and James Patrick Joseph Kelly, a phonograph salesman. His father was of Irish descent and his mother was of Irish and German ancestry.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was the largest and most powerful studio in...

Hello, Dolly! On the Town Singin' in the Rain That's Entertainment, Part II The Cheyenne Social Club

66. Hamilton Luske

Director | Cinderella

Hamilton Luske was an American animator and film director from Chicago, who spend most of his career at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He served as the supervising director of several of Disney's films. He was also the supervising animator for the character of Snow White in the feature film "...

Cinderella Lady and the Tramp One Hundred and One Dalmatians Pinocchio Sleeping Beauty

67. Joe Dante

Director | Innerspace

Joe Dante is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art. After a stint as a film reviewer, he began his filmmaking apprenticeship in 1974 as trailer editor for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. He made his directorial debut in 1976 with Hollywood Boulevard (1976) (co-directed with Allan Arkush)...

Amazon Women on the Moon Gremlins Matinee The Howling Twilight Zone: The Movie

68. Gus Van Sant

Director | Elephant

Gus Green Van Sant Jr. is an American filmmaker, painter, screenwriter, photographer and musician from Louisville, Kentucky who is known for directing films such as Good Will Hunting, the 1998 remake of Psycho, Gerry, Elephant, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Milk, Last Days, Finding Forrester, ...

Feud Good Will Hunting Milk My Own Private Idaho Psycho To Die For

69. Tobe Hooper

Director | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Honored with many awards for his films and achievement in the horror genre, Tobe Hooper is truly one of the Masters of Horror (2005).

Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, to Lois Belle (Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper, who owned a theater in San Angelo. He spent the 1960s as a college ...

Lifeforce Mortuary Poltergeist The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Venom

70. M. Night Shyamalan

Producer | Lady in the Water

Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.

He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil ...

Knock at the Cabin Signs Split The Happening Unbreakable

71. Robert Zemeckis

Writer | Back to the Future

A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...

Back to the Future Back to the Future Part II Beowulf Contact Romancing the Stone

72. Neil Jordan

Writer | The Crying Game

Neil Jordan was born on February 25, 1950 in Sligo, Ireland. He is a writer and producer, known for The Crying Game (1992), Greta (2018) and Breakfast on Pluto (2005). He has been married to Brenda Rawn since June 30, 2004. They have two children. He was previously married to Vivienne Shields.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles The Brave One The Company of Wolves The Crying Game The End of the Affair

73. John Huston

Director | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

An eccentric rebel of epic proportions, this Hollywood titan reigned supreme as director, screenwriter and character actor in a career that endured over five decades. The ten-time Oscar-nominated legend was born John Marcellus Huston in Nevada, Missouri, on August 5, 1906. His ancestry was English,...

Annie Prizzi's Honor The African Queen The Misfits

74. Stanley Donen

Director | Charade

Inspired by Fred Astaire's dancing in Flying Down to Rio (1933), Stanley Donen (pronounced 'Dawn-en') attended dance classes from the age of ten. He later recalled that the only thing he wanted to be was a tap dancer.

He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Helen Pauline (Cohen) and Mordecai ...

Lucky Lady On the Town Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Singin' in the Rain The Pajama Game

75. Edward Zwick

Producer | The Last Samurai

Zwick moves deftly between the roles of writer, director and producer. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his direction of the 1989 critically acclaimed Civil War drama, Glory. He received his second Golden Globe nomination as a director for Legends of the Fall. Zwick received an Academy Award...

About Last Night... Courage Under Fire Glory Legends of the Fall Special Bulletin

76. Joseph Ruben

Director | Dreamscape

Joseph Ruben was born on May 10, 1950 in Briarcliff, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Dreamscape (1984), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) and The Stepfather (1987).

Dreamscape Money Train The Good Son The Stepfather True Believer

77. Ang Lee

Director | Wo hu cang long

Born in 1954 in Pingtung, Taiwan, Ang Lee has become one of today's greatest contemporary filmmakers. Ang graduated from the National Taiwan College of Arts in 1975 and then came to the U.S. to receive a B.F.A. Degree in Theatre/Theater Direction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ...

Brokeback Mountain Sense and Sensibility The Ice Storm Xi yan

78. Michael Ritchie

Director | The Golden Child

Michael Ritchie was born on November 28, 1938 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Golden Child (1986), The Island (1980) and Fletch (1985). He was married to Jimmie Brown and Georgina Tebrock. He died on April 16, 2001 in New York City, New York, USA.

Cops and Robbersons The Bad News Bears The Couch Trip The Island Wildcats

79. Don Siegel

Director | Dirty Harry

Don Siegel was educated at Cambridge University, England. In Hollywood from the mid-'30s, he began his career as an editor and second unit director. In 1945 he directed two shorts (Hitler Lives (1945) and Star in the Night (1945)) which both won Academy Awards. His first feature as a director was ...

Dirty Harry Escape from Alcatraz Invasion of the Body Snatchers Jinxed! Two Mules for Sister Sara

80. Victor Fleming

Director | Gone with the Wind

Victor Fleming entered the film business as a stuntman in 1910, mainly doing stunt driving - which came easy to him, as he had been a mechanic and professional race-car driver. He became interested in working on the other side of the camera, and eventually got a job as a cameraman on many of the ...

A Star is Born Captains Courageous Joan of Arc The Wizard of Oz

81. Lawrence Kasdan

Writer | The Big Chill

Lawrence Kasdan is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He directed Body Heat, Grand Canyon, The Big Chill, Silverado and Dreamcatcher. He wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Bodyguard, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens and Solo: A Star Wars Story. He is ...

Grand Canyon Silverado The Accidental Tourist The Big Chill

82. James Bridges

Writer | The China Syndrome

James Bridges was born on February 3, 1936 in Paris, Arkansas, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The China Syndrome (1979), Perfect (1985) and The Paper Chase (1973). He died on June 6, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Perfect The China Syndrome The Paper Chase Urban Cowboy

83. William Wyler

Director | The Best Years of Our Lives

William Wyler was an American filmmaker who, at the time of his death in 1981, was considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema. The winner of three Best Director Academy Awards, second again only to Ford's four, Wyler's reputation has unfairly suffered as the...

Ben-Hur Funny Girl Jezebel The Children's Hour

84. Frank Capra

Director | It's a Wonderful Life

One of seven children, Frank Capra was born on May 18, 1897, in Bisacquino, Sicily. On May 10, 1903, his family left for America aboard the ship Germania, arriving in New York on May 23rd. "There's no ventilation, and it stinks like hell. They're all miserable. It's the most degrading place you ...

Arsenic and Old Lace It's a Wonderful Life Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

85. Stanley Kramer

Producer | Judgment at Nuremberg

Stanley Kramer was born on September 29, 1913 in Hell's Kitchen [now Clinton], Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) and Inherit the Wind (1960). He was married to Karen Sharpe, Anne P. ...

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Judgment at Nuremberg Pressure Point

86. Barbra Streisand

Actress | Yentl

Barbra Streisand is an American singer, actress, director and producer and one of the most successful personalities in show business. She is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards,...

Barbra: The Concert Streisand: Live in Concert The Prince of Tides Yentl

87. Michael Apted

Director | Amazing Grace

Michael Apted was born on February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for Amazing Grace (2006), Gorillas in the Mist (1988) and Rome (2005). He was married to Paige Simpson, Dana Stevens and Jo Apted. He died on January 7, 2021 in Los Angeles,...

Coal Miner's Daughter Extreme Measures Nell Thunderheart

88. Renny Harlin

Producer | Driven

Born in 15 March 1959 as Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola, he is the most successful Finnish film director in the history of Hollywood.

Harlin started his career in film business in the beginning of 1980s when he was directing commercials and company films for companies like Shell. Later he worked as a ...

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master Deep Blue Sea Die Hard 2 Prison The Long Kiss Goodnight

89. Peter Yates

Director | Krull

Having seen Robbery (1967) and Bullitt (1968), it comes as no surprise that Peter Yates started out as a professional racing car driver and team manager - albeit briefly - before turning his attention to film. The son of a military man, he was educated at Charterhouse School and trained at RADA, ...

An Innocent Man Breaking Away Eyewitness The Deep

90. John Frankenheimer

Director | The Manchurian Candidate

Born in New York and raised in Queens, John Frankenheimer wanted to become a professional tennis player. He loved movies and his favorite actor was Robert Mitchum. He decided he wanted to be an actor but then he applied for and was accepted in the Motion Picture Squadron of the Air Force where he ...

Birdman of Alcatraz Grand Prix Playhouse 90 The Burning Season

91. Joe Johnston

Director | Captain America: The First Avenger

Joseph Eggleston Johnston II is an American film director from Texas who is known for directing the cult classic film The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Wolfman, October Sky, The Pagemaster, Jurassic Park III and Captain America: The First Avenger. He was an art director for ...

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Jumanji October Sky The Rocketeer The Wolfman

92. Tom Holland

Writer | Fright Night

Tom Holland is an American director and screenwriter of horror and thriller films. His early writing projects include Class of 1984 (1982) and the Robert Bloch- inspired Psycho II (1983), the latter starring Anthony Perkins as the menacing psychopath, Norman Bates.

Tom gained more notoriety, however...

Child's Play Fatal Beauty Fright Night The Langoliers Thinner

93. Baz Luhrmann

Writer | Moulin Rouge!

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian writer, director and producer with projects spanning film, television, opera, theater, music and recording industries. He is regarded by many as a contemporary example of an auteur for his distinctly recognizable style and deep involvement in the writing, directing, ...

Australia Moulin Rough! Romeo + Juliet Strictly Ballroom

94. Mel Brooks

Actor | Spaceballs

Mel Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York. He served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to ...

Blazing Saddles History of the World: Part 1 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Silent Movie

95. Arthur Penn

Director | Bonnie and Clyde

Arthur Penn was born on September 27, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Little Big Man (1970) and The Miracle Worker (1962). He was married to Peggy Maurer. He died on September 28, 2010 in Manhattan, New York City, New York,...

Bonnie and Clyde Dead of Winter Little Big Man The Miracle Worker

96. Paul Mazursky

Actor | An Unmarried Woman

Paul Mazursky was born on April 25, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for An Unmarried Woman (1978), Harry and Tonto (1974) and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969). He was married to Betsy Mazursky. He died on June 30, 2014 in Beverly Grove, ...

An Unmarried Woman Harry and Tonto Moscow on the Hudson Next Stop, Greenwich Village

97. Adam Shankman

Producer | Hairspray

Adam Shankman was born on November 27, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Hairspray (2007), A Walk to Remember (2002) and Disenchanted (2022).

Bedtime Stories Hairspray Prop 8: The Musical The Pacifier

98. Robert Wise

Director | West Side Story

Robert Earl Wise was born on September 10, 1914 in Winchester, Indiana, the youngest of three sons of Olive R. (Longenecker) and Earl Waldo Wise, a meat packer. His parents were both of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) descent. At age nineteen, the avid moviegoer came into the film business through an ...

Audrey Rose The Andromeda Strain The Sound of Music West Side Story

99. Stanley Kubrick

Director | 2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Sadie Gertrude (Perveler) and Jacob Leonard Kubrick, a physician. His family were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Romania, and Russia). Stanley was considered intelligent, despite poor grades at school. Hoping that a change of scenery would ...

A Clockwork Orange Barry Lyndon Full Metal Jacket The Shining

100. David O. Russell

Director | American Hustle

David Owen Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer, known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds. His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and ...

Flirting with Disaster I Heart Huckabees The Fighter Three Kings