Almost Directed

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, ...

White Lightning Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies California Split The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Lucky Lady The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings King Kong The Spy Who Loved Me MacArthur Jaws 2 Superman Moonraker Star Trek: The Motion Picture Cruising For Your Eyes Only Something Wicked This Way Comes Return of the Jedi Three Amigos Big Rain Man Batman Cape Fear Last Action Hero Doctor Who Men in Black The Truman Show Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Inspector Gadget Meet the Parents Shrek Jurassic Park III Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Spider-Man Phone Booth Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Collateral Wicker Park The Phantom of the Opera Memoirs of a Geisha The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Oldboy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Interstellar Exodus: Gods and Kings American Sniper Star Wars: The Force Awakens Thank You for Your Service The Trial of the Chicago 7 The Little Things Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Fantastic Four Superman

2. Zack Snyder

Director | 300

Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...

S.W.A.T. X-Men: The Last Stand Dragonball Evolution X-Men Origins: Wolverine Green Lantern 300: Rise of an Empire Star Wars: The Force Awakens Superman

3. 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, ...

Serpico Saturday Night Fever Rocky II

4. Joe Carnahan

Writer | Smokin' Aces

Joe Carnahan is an American film director and screenwriter. He was born in Michigan in 1969, and was raised in California. He attended Fairfield High School in Fairfield, California. He graduated in 1987, at the age of 18. He first attended the San Francisco State University, and later transferred ...

Mission Impossible III Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball The Avengers Death Wish Gemini Man Bad Boys for Life

5. Shawn Levy

Producer | Free Guy

Shawn Levy was born on July 23, 1968 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a producer and director, known for Stranger Things (2016), Real Steel (2011), and the Night at the Museum franchise. He is the founder and principal of 21 Laps Entertainment. He is married to Serena Levy and they have four ...

The Pink Panther 2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Shazam! Uncharted The Flash

6. Ruben Fleischer

Director | Zombieland

Ruben Fleischer was born on October 31, 1974 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Zombieland (2009), Gangster Squad (2013) and Venom (2018). He has been married to Holly Shakoor Fleischer since November 10, 2012.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Ant-Man Ghostbusters Thor: Ragnarok The Mule The Suicide Squad Venom: Let There Be Carnage

7. John Moore

Director | Max Payne

John Moore was born in Dundalk, Ireland in 1970, a small town situated about 60 miles from the country's capital Dublin. Moore attended a technical college in Dublin where he studied filmmaking and after completing the school he went on to direct and write a series of short films all produced in ...

X-Men: The Last Stand Friday the 13th

8. Christopher Nolan

Writer | Tenet

Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...

Troy Man of Steel Transcendence Spectre Star Wars: The Force Awakens Justice League No Time to Die

9. Colin Trevorrow

Producer | Safety Not Guaranteed

Born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, Colin Trevorrow started making short films when he was 12 years old. He studied film and dramatic writing at New York University. After graduation, he wrote and directed "Home Base" a digital short that became one of the early viral successes on the ...

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

10. Justin Lin

Producer | Better Luck Tomorrow

Justin Lin is a Taiwanese-American film director whose films have grossed $2 billion worldwide. He is best known for his work on Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious 3-6 and Star Trek Beyond. He is also known for his work on television shows like Community and the second season of True ...

A Good Day to Die Hard The Wolverine Furious 7 Terminator Genisys Space Jam: A New Legacy Fast X Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley

11. 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 5: The Dream Child Alien 3 Speed Die Hard with a Vengeance GoldenEye A Sound of Thunder Superman Returns 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded

12. 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, ...

Damien: Omen II Omen III: The Final Conflict Superman III Never Say Never Again Superman IV: The Quest for Peace The Lost Boys Die Hard Batman The Last Boy Scout Memoirs of an Invisible Man Alien 3 Forever Young The Sandlot Dave Jurassic Park Last Action Hero Wild Wild West X-Men Rambo

13. 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 ...

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Flowers In The Attic A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master The Beast Batman The Haunting Pulse Doctor Strange Scream Scream VI

14. Jonathan Hensleigh

Writer | Armageddon

One of the most prolific screenwriters in the action/adventure genre, Jonathan started his career writing episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) for George Lucas and ABC. He wrote Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), re-conceived from his original spec script "Simon Says". He followed ...

Hulk Punisher: War Zone Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Gemini Man

15. Albert Pyun

Director | Cyborg

Albert Pyun was an award-winning US filmmaker best known for his contributions to the science-fiction and action genres. He is credited with pioneering the cyborg sub-genre and is considered to be a maverick and renegade in independent genre cinema. With over 50 titles to his name, he has enjoyed a...

Total Recall Kickboxer 3: The Art of War Cyborg 2 Redemption: Kickboxer 5 Spider-Man Superman Returns Nemesis 5: The New Model

16. George Lucas

Writer | Star Wars

George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...

Superman Hair More American Graffiti Apocalypse Now The Empire Strikes Back Dragonball Evolution Star Wars: The Force Awakens

17. Guillermo del Toro

Writer | El laberinto del fauno

Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist (1973)) and worked on making his ...

The Fly II The Count of Monte Cristo Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Chronicles Of Riddick Alien vs. Predator Seed of Chucky Blade: Trinity The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe X-Men: The Last Stand Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix I Am Legend Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Thor The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Man of Steel The Wolverine The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Maleficent Godzilla Pan Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Legend of Tarzan Doctor Strange Kong: Skull Island Beauty and the Beast Pacific Rim: Uprising Hellboy Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark The Witches Haunted Mansion

18. 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 ...

Silent Night, Deadly Night The Fly II Batman The Guardian Last Action Hero The Shadow Batman Forever Scream The Devil's Advocate The Truman Show Jack Frost End of Days Planet of the Apes Robin Hood Thor The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Evil Dead Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Warcraft Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Shazam! The Outpost The Flash

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 ...

Gremlins After Hours The Fly Dick Tracy The Addams Family Drop Dead Fred Stay Tuned Jurassic Park The Nightmare Before Christmas Cabin Boy Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Batman Forever Mary Reilly Spawn The Truman Show X-Men How the Grinch Stole Christmas Spider-Man Catwoman A Series of Unfortunate Events Superman Returns Charlotte's Web Watchmen Maleficent The Seventh Son Alice Through the Looking Glass Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

20. 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 ...

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace The Chamber Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace D-Tox Inside Man The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Captain Phillips The Dark Tower Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

21. Joss Whedon

Producer | Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Joss Whedon is the middle of five brothers - his younger brothers are Jed Whedon and Zack Whedon. Both his father, Tom Whedon and his grandfather, John Whedon were successful television writers. Joss' mother, Lee Stearns, was a history teacher and she also wrote novels as Lee Whedon. Whedon was ...

X-Men Batman Begins X-Men: The Last Stand Iron Man Star Wars: The Force Awakens Wonder Woman Avengers: Infinity War Black Widow Fantastic Four

22. Tim Story

Director | Fantastic Four

Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.

The Losers Fant4stic

23. 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...

Starman Fatal Attraction Batman Thelma and Louise Beverly Hills Cop III Money Train From Dusk till Dawn Beautiful Girls The Rock Spider-Man Die Another Day S.W.A.T. Taking Lives Hancock Quantum of Solace Man of Steel Gemini Man Top Gun: Maverick

24. Roland Emmerich

Writer | Independence Day

Roland Emmerich is a German film director and producer of blockbuster films like The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Godzilla (1998), Independence Day (1996) and The Patriot (2000). Before fame, he originally wanted to be a production designer, but decided to be a director, after watching the original ...

Universal Soldier: The Return Planet of the Apes Spider-Man Die Another Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Alien vs. Predator Fantastic Four Transformers Transformers: Age of Extinction

25. John McTiernan

Director | Die Hard

John McTiernan was born on January 8, 1951 in Albany, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Die Hard (1988), Rollerball (2002) and Last Action Hero (1993). He has been married to Gail Sistrunk since 2012. He was previously married to Kate Harrington, Donna Dubrow and Carol Land.

Commando Batman Die Hard 2 Predator 2 Patriot Games Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Tombstone Speed Batman Forever Mission Impossible Star Trek: First Contact X-Men Die Another Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines John Carter Killing Season

26. 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...

Speed Universal Soldier: The Return Planet of the Apes Red Dragon Phone Booth Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines S.W.A.T. Man on Fire Van Helsing King Arthur Superman Returns I Am Legend Watchmen Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Men in Black 3 Bumblebee Bad Boys for Life Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley

27. Mel Gibson

Actor | Braveheart

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York, USA, as the sixth of eleven children of Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Anne Patricia (Reilly) Gibson (who died in December of 1990). His mother was Irish, from County Longford, while his American-born father is ...

Assassins Good Will Hunting Phone Booth The Expendables 3 The Suicide Squad

28. Patty Jenkins

Director | Wonder Woman

Patty Jenkins is a writer/director best known for directing Wonder Woman, the Warner Bros./DC Comics blockbuster of 2017, and her debut feature Monster. Patty also works in television where she is best known for the pilot and finale episode of AMC's hit show The Killing.

Patty began her career as a ...

Thor: The Dark World Barbie

29. Jonathan Liebesman

Director | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Jonathan Liebesman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on September 15, 1976. He would remain in his home country, studying filmmaking at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, until 1996; that year, he traveled to New York City to visit his cousin who was ...

Friday the 13th Man of Steel Terminator Genisys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

30. 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, ...

Spider-Man Die Another Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Mission Impossible III The Incredible Hulk State of Play Terminator Genisys Spectre

31. David Fincher

Director | Se7en

David Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Marin County, California. When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at Korty Films in Mill Valley. He subsequently worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) from 1981-1983. Fincher left ILM to direct TV commercials...

Madonna: Truth or Dare Blade 8MM Hannibal The Mexican Spider-Man Catch Me If You Can Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Batman Begins Mission Impossible III The Black Dahlia Street Kings The Time Traveler's Wife The Amazing Spider-Man Steve Jobs Star Wars: The Force Awakens Bohemian Rhapsody

32. 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 ...

One-Eyed Jacks The Exorcist 2010: The Year We Make Contact American Psycho A.I. Artificial Intelligence The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

33. Rob Cohen

Director | DragonHeart

Rob Cohen is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. One of the 1970's "baby moguls", he built a thriving career as a producer, before concentrating full time on directing from the 1990's, with high adrenaline action blockbusters such as xXx (2002) and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (...

2 Fast 2 Furious S.W.A.T. XXX: State of the Union XXX: Return of Xander Cage The Fate of the Furious

34. 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 ...

Conan the Barbarian The Hunger Dune Aliens Lethal Weapon Batman Jacob's Ladder Point Break Alien 3 Doctor Who Star Trek: First Contact Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Alien vs. Predator Perfume: The Story of a Murderer The Golden Compass The Wolf of Wall Street Blade Runner 2049 Bohemian Rhapsody The Batman

35. John Singleton

Writer | Boyz n the Hood

Son of Danny Singleton, a mortgage broker, and Sheila Ward, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and raised in separate households by his unmarried parents, John Singleton attended the Film Writing Program at USC, after graduating from high school in 1986. While studying there, he won three ...

The A-Team Black Panther Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley

36. Roger Spottiswoode

Writer | 48 Hrs.

Roger Spottiswoode was born on January 5, 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is a director and producer, known for 48 Hrs. (1982), The 6th Day (2000) and Shoot to Kill (1988). He was previously married to Holly Palance.

GoldenEye The World is Not Enough S.W.A.T.

37. John D. Hancock

Director | Bang the Drum Slowly

John D. Hancock was born on February 12, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). He was previously married to Dorothy Tristan and Ann Arensberg.

Jaws 2

38. Ishirô Honda

Director | Gojira

Influential Japanese film director born May 7th, 1911, often credited as being the father of Godzilla. His name is a combination of "I" (or Ino), meaning "boar", and "shirô," meaning fourth son in the family. Originally, the young Honda had aspirations of becoming an artist; however, as he entered ...

Throne of Blood Godzilla Raids Again The Return of Godzilla

39. David S. Goyer

Writer | Dark City

David S. Goyer was born on December 22, 1965 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Dark City (1998), The Dark Knight (2008) and Flashforward (2009). He is married to Marina Black. They have two children. He was previously married to Jessika Borsiczky.

The Avengers Hellboy Thor X-Men: First Class Green Lantern Deadpool Wonder Woman The Suicide Squad The Flash

40. 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 ...

Bright Lights, Big City Final Analysis And the Band Played On The Devil's Advocate X-Men Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Runaway Jury S.W.A.T. Wicker Park Batman Begins Brokeback Mountain Lost Boys: The Tribe On the Road The Call Flatliners A Star is Born The Crowded Room

41. Jan de Bont

Director | Speed

Jan de Bont was one of 17 children born into a Roman Catholic Dutch family in Eindhoven on 22 October 1943. Credited with being creative and having a good mentality for camera techniques, he became a popular cinematographer. He worked on a huge number of films before finding himself on the ...

Godzilla Universal Soldier: The Return Jurassic Park III Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Spider-Man Minority Report The Meg

42. Louis Leterrier

Director | The Incredible Hulk

Louis Leterrier is a French film director and producer. He notably directed the first two Transporter films, Unleashed, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me, Tower of Strength and The Brothers Grimsby. He also directed episodes of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix ...

Iron Man Transporter 3 Captain America: The First Avenger Wrath of the Titans The Avengers Transformers: Age of Extinction Now You See Me 2 The Fate of the Furious 47 Meters Down Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley

43. Jon Favreau

Producer | Chef

Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.

The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...

Transformers Captain America: The First Avenger John Carter The Avengers Iron Man 3 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

44. Andrew Davis

Director | The Fugitive

Director/Producer/Writer) Andrew Davis is a filmmaker with a reputation for directing intelligent thrillers, most notably the Academy Award-nominated box-office hit The Fugitive (1993), starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film received seven Academy Award nominations including Best ...

The Running Man Universal Soldier Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

45. Matthew Vaughn

Producer | Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director. He is known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) and for directing the crime thriller, Layer Cake (2004), the fantasy epic, Stardust (2007), the superhero comedy, Kick-Ass (2010), and the ...

X-Men: The Last Stand Casino Royale Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Thor Man of Steel Kick-Ass 2 X-Men: Days of Future Past Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Flash Fantastic Four Superman

46. Brad Bird

Writer | The Incredibles

Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor, known for both animated and live-action films. Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of four children of Marjorie A. (née Cross) and Philip Cullen Bird. His father worked in...

Maleficent Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Trek Beyond Fantastic Four

47. J.J. Abrams

Producer | Lost

Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990)....

Superman Returns Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Terminator Genisys Star Trek Beyond The Dark Tower Star Wars: The Last Jedi Killers of the Flower Moon Wicked Fantastic Four Superman

48. Tim Miller

Producer | Love, Death & Robots

Tim Miller is an American animator, film director, creative director and visual effects artist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the work on his short animated film Gopher Broke. He made his directing debut with Deadpool. Miller is also famous for creating ...

Deadpool 2 Deadpool & Wolverine

49. Darren Aronofsky

Writer | Pi

Darren Aronofsky was born February 12, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Darren was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. After high school, Darren went to Harvard University to study film (both live-action and animation). He won ...

Batman Begins Æon Flux X-Men: The Last Stand Watchmen Man of Steel The Wolverine RoboCop

50. Ben Affleck

Producer | Argo

Benjamin Géza "Ben" Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to mother Chris Anne (Boldt), a school teacher, and father Timothy Byers "Tim" Affleck, a social worker. Ben has a younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, who was born in 1975...

Man of Steel Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Stand The Batman Superman The Brave and the Bold

51. Paul W.S. Anderson

Writer | Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Paul W.S. Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping (1994) (which he also wrote), starring Jude Law and Sean Pertwee in a story about thieves who steal by ramming a car into storefronts. The film was banned in some cinemas in England, ...

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Alien: Resurrection Resident Evil: Apocalypse Death Race 2

52. Quentin Tarantino

Writer | Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.

In January of...

True Romance Speed Natural Born Killers Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Get Shorty Scream Men in Black Battlefield Earth The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 8 Mile Die Another Day Casino Royale Iron Man Green Lantern The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Deadpool 2

53. Antoine Fuqua

Producer | The Magnificent Seven

Antoine Fuqua is an American film director, known for his work in the film Training Day as well as The Replacement Killers, Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest, Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer.

He has directed music videos for such artists as Arrested Development, Prince, ...

S.W.A.T. Man on Fire American Gangster The Wolverine Escape Plan London Has Fallen Morbius Bullet Train Blade

54. Brett Ratner

Director | Red Dragon

Brett Ratner is one of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers. His diverse films resonate with audiences worldwide and, as director, his films have grossed over $2 billion at the global box office. Brett began his career directing music videos before making his feature directorial debut at 26 years...

X-Men Ocean's Eleven Die Another Day Paycheck Be Cool Memoirs Of A Geisha Superman Returns The Golden Compass Dragonball Evolution X-Men Origins: Wolverine Conan the Barbarian The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley

55. 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 ...

Batman Alien 3 Godzilla Planet of the Apes Spider-Man Solaris Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines The Amazing Spider-Man Star Wars: The Force Awakens Alita: Battle Angel Alien: Romulus

56. Michael Mann

Producer | The Insider

As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...

The Godfather Part III Good Will Hunting S.W.A.T. The Aviator Hancock

57. Spike Lee

Director | Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

Tougher Than Leather Ali Street Kings 42 Get On Up Inside Man: Most Wanted Spinning Gold

58. Marcus Nispel

Director | Friday the 13th

Marcus Nispel was born on May 26, 1963 in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. He is a director and producer, known for Friday the 13th (2009), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Pathfinder (2007).

End of Days S.W.A.T. Alice in Wonderland

59. John Woo

Director | Ying hung boon sik

Born in southern China, John Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for Shaw Brothers Studios. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before A Better Tomorrow ...

Rapid Fire GoldenEye Die Another Day TMNT Live Free or Die Hard The Expendables 3

60. David Leitch

Producer | Bullet Train

David Leitch is a billion dollar film director, actor, stuntman, writer, producer, and stunt coordinator. He co-directed John Wick (2014) with Chad Stahelski, on which he also served as producer. David directed Atomic Blonde (2017) starring Charlize Theron. David also directed the box office smash ...

John Wick: Chapter 2 Bloodshot Fast X Deadpool & Wolverine Blade

61. 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 ...

Breakfast at Tiffany's Jaws 2 The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper First Blood Men of War Exorcist: The Beginning

62. 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....

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone The Sum of All Fears Ender's Game Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice The Old Man & the Gun

63. Lilly Wachowski

Writer | The Matrix

Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she ...

Batman Begins V for Vendetta Conan the Barbarian Justice League The Matrix Resurrections

64. Lana Wachowski

Writer | The Matrix

Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight ...

Batman Begins V for Vendetta Conan the Barbarian Justice League

65. David Yates

Director | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

David Yates was born on October 8, 1963 in St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Maleficent Transformers: Age of Extinction Fant4stic Spectre The Stand

66. 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 ...

Superman Malcolm X

67. Richard Stanley

Writer | Color Out of Space

Richard Stanley is the award-winning South African-born filmmaker, who made a name of himself with his first feature film, the sci-fi movie Hardware (1990). A low budget movie about a mad-dog android loose in an apartment was released in 1990. Critics slammed it as a Terminator rip-off, yet the ...

Judge Dredd The Island of Dr. Moreau Spice World

68. Guy Ritchie

Director | Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK on September 10, 1968. After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as a child, Guy realized that what he wanted to do was make films. He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and ...

Layer Cake Suicide Squad Spectre The Suicide Squad

69. 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, "...

Home Alone 3 Planet of the Apes Spider-Man Daredevil Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Fantastic Four Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Twilight Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Five Nights at Freddy's

70. Gareth Edwards

Visual_effects | Monsters

Gareth James Edwards was born on June 1, 1975 in the English town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Growing up, he admired movies such as the 1977 classic "Star Wars", and went on to pursue a film career. He even cites George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his biggest influences. Edwards studied BA (Hons) ...

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

71. Edgar Wright

Director | Shaun of the Dead

Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his comedic Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy consisting of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), made with recurrent collaborators Simon Pegg...

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Ant-Man Star Trek: Beyond

72. Stephen Norrington

Director | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Stephen Norrington is a British filmmaker from London who is known for directing the Marvel vampire film Blade starring Wesley Snipes and the 20th Century Fox action fantasy film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen starring Sean Connery. He provided visual effects for several films. After League ...

Blade II Freddy vs. Jason Blade: Trinity Superman Returns Ghost Rider Clash of the Titans Doctor Strange Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings The Crow

73. Neil Burger

Director | Divergent

Neil Burger is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Most recently, he wrote and directed Voyagers (2021), starring Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, and Lily-Rose Depp. He is also known for The Upside (2017), Divergent (2014), Limitless (2011), and The Illusionist (2006). For ...

The Divergent Series: Insurgent Uncharted

74. 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 ...

The Honeymoon Killers The Godfather Part II Beverly Hills Cop Witness Little Shop of Horrors Batman The Grifters Night And The City Schindler’s List Clockers Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Inspector Gadget American Psycho Die Another Day Collateral Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Frost/Nixon Joker The Winter of Frankie Machine

75. Gary Ross

Writer | The Hunger Games

Gary Ross is an American writer, director and actor born November 3rd, 1956 in Los Angeles, California. His father was screenwriter Arthur A. Ross (1920 - 2008). After writing for television series The Hitchhiker (1983) in 1986, Ross broke through by penning the Tom Hanks hit Big (1988), his first ...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Hunger Games: Catching Fire The Legend of Tarzan Venom

76. Woo-Ping Yuen

Stunts | Wo hu cang long

Woo-Ping Yuen was born on January 1, 1945 in Guangzhou, China. He is a director and actor, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Fearless (2006) and The Grandmaster (2013).

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

77. 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 ...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Spider-Man Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Batman Begins Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Life of Pi Terminator Genisys

78. William Malone

Director | House on Haunted Hill

Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, William Malone was inspired by films during weekly trips to the Lucian Theater to see the latest releases of horror films. By age 14 he was making home movies with an 8mm camera and designing monster masks for himself and friends to wear for Halloween.

Malone ...

Universal Soldier: The Return

79. Chloé Zhao

Director | Nomadland

Chloé Zhao or Zhao Ting (born March 31, 1982) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her debut feature film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Her second feature film, The Rider (2017), was critically acclaimed and received several accolades ...

Black Widow

80. Paul Greengrass

Director | United 93

Paul Greengrass started his filmmaking career with a super 8 camera he found in his art room in secondary school. Those short movies were animation horror films he made using old dolls, artist dummies, and the general art room clutter.

After studying in Cambridge University he got into Granada ...

Watchmen The Bourne Legacy Rush Steve Jobs The Stand The Trial of the Chicago 7

81. Peyton Reed

Director | Ant-Man

Peyton Reed is an American film director, screenwriter and producer who is known for directing Bring It On, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He also directed Yes Man, Down with Love and The Break-Up. He directed episodes of The Mandalorian and Back to the Future.

Fantastic Four Guardians Of The Galaxy Fantastic Four

82. 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 ...

Halloween II Firestarter Top Gun Armed And Dangerous The Golden Child Santa Claus: The Movie Fatal Attraction Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Batman The Exorcist III Tombstone Godzilla Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Mutant Chronicles Zombieland Sonic the Hedgehog

83. Walter Hill

Writer | 48 Hrs.

Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has ...

The Shootist The Gauntlet Alien Batman Dick Tracy Alien 3 The Fugitive The Magnificent Seven

84. 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 ...

American Sniper Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Uncharted

85. Bob Peterson

Actor | Up

Bob Peterson was born in Wooster, Ohio, USA, in 1961. He studied mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University, where he took computer graphics courses and graduated in 1983. He continued his studies in mechanical engineering at Purdue University where he earned a master's degree in 1986. ...

The Good Dinosaur

86. Guy Hamilton

Director | Live and Let Die

Typically British stiff-upper-lip war dramas and action adventure laced with moments of sophisticated comedy were Guy Hamilton's trademark. The son of a British diplomat, he spent most of his youth with his family in France, seemingly destined to be groomed for a career in the diplomatic service. ...

Dr. No Thunderball Superman Superman II For Your Eyes Only Batman

87. David Cronenberg

Actor | The Fly

David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early...

Flashdance Return of the Jedi Beverly Hills Cop Top Gun RoboCop The Fly II Batman Total Recall Alien: Resurrection The Truman Show American Psycho The Singing Detective The Chronicles Of Riddick The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

88. John Lasseter

Writer | Toy Story 2

Although born in Hollywood, John and his twin sister Johanna were raised in Whittier near Los Angeles. His parents were Jewell Mae (Risley), an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. His mother's profession contributed to his interest in animation and ...

The Brave Little Toaster Toy Story 3 Cars 3 Toy Story 4

89. Alan Taylor

Director | Game of Thrones

Alan Taylor is an American film and television director from San Francisco known for directing episodes of HBO shows such as The Sopranos, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, and Sex in the City. He directed the feature films Thor: The Dark World, Palookaville, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Many Saints of ...

Thor: Ragnarok Terminator: Dark Fate

90. 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 ...

The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi The Unbearable Lightness of Being Die Hard RoboCop 2 The Silence of the Lambs Godzilla Universal Soldier: The Return The Road to El Dorado Dinosaur

91. David Ayer

Producer | End of Watch

David Ayer is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. David Ayer was born in Champaign, Illinois and grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Bethesda, Maryland, where he was kicked out of his house by his parents as a teenager. Ayer then lived with his cousin in Los Angeles, ...

The Suicide Squad

92. Yoshimitsu Banno

Producer | Godzilla

Yoshimitsu Banno studied at Toho under such directors as Hiromichi Horikawa, Mikio Naruse, Kengo Furusawa and Seiji Maruyama. By 1970 Toho was ready to promote him to full director, and the resulting project, Birth of the Japanese Islands (1970) played at Osaka's Expo 70, attracting record-breaking...

Godzilla vs. Gigan Godzilla

93. Rian Johnson

Producer | Knives Out

Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...

Terminator Genisys Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

94. Bryan Singer

Director | X-Men

Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....

The Devil's Own Alien: Resurrection The Truman Show Fight Club Confessions of a Dangerous Mind I, Robot X-Men: The Last Stand Milk X-Men Origins: Wolverine Robin Hood X-Men: First Class Man of Steel The Wolverine Prisoners King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Dark Phoenix Red Sonja

95. Barry Sonnenfeld

Director | Men in Black

Barry Sonnenfeld was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from New York University Film School in 1978. He started work as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated In Our Water (1982). Then Joel Coen and Ethan Coen hired him for Blood Simple (1984). This film began his collaboration...

Forrest Gump The Truman Show Be Cool Fun with Dick and Jane The Heartbreak Kid Men in Black: International

96. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | Zero Dark Thirty

A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...

X-Men Paycheck Rise of the Planet of the Apes The Amazing Spider-Man Terminator Genisys Wonder Woman Tomb Raider Triple Frontier

97. David Lynch

Writer | Twin Peaks

Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married Peggy Lynch and then fathered future ...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Return of the Jedi Enemy Mine Manhunter

98. 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 ...

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie The French Connection Live And Let Die Jaws King Kong The Wild Geese Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection Captain America Death Wish V: The Face of Death Death Sentence

99. Peter Jackson

Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III Child's Play 3 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Alien: Resurrection I Still Know What You Did Last Summer The World Is Not Enough Planet of the Apes Freddy vs. Jason The Chronicles of Riddick Exorcist: The Beginning Star Wars: The Force Awakens Aquaman Dune

100. 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 ...

Cocoon Batman Last Action Hero Waterworld Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Transformers John Carter Man of Steel Steve Jobs The Flash