Best directors / Directors to see

1. Michael Moore

Michael Francis Moore was born in Flint, Michigan on April 23, 1954, and was raised in its Davison suburb. He is the son of Helen Veronica (Wall), a secretary, and Francis Richard Moore, who worked on an auto assembly line. He has Irish, as well as English and Scottish, ancestry.

Moore studied ...

Last Movie: Fahrenheit 11/9, 2018

Movies AVG: 7.6 (10 Movies) Final Score: 8.08 Best Film: Bowling For Columbine, Sicko (9)

2. Edward Zwick

Producer | Thirtysomething

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...

Last Movie: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, 2016 Movies AVG: 7.41 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.93 Best Film: Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai (10)

3. 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 ...

Last Movie: Hacksaw Ridge, 2016

Movies AVG: 8.4 (5 Movies) Final Score: 7.72 Best Film: Braveheart (10)

4. Lars von Trier

Writer | Dancer in the Dark

Probably the most ambitious and visually distinctive filmmaker to emerge from Denmark since Carl Theodor Dreyer over 60 years earlier, Lars von Trier studied film at the Danish Film School and attracted international attention with his very first feature, The Element of Crime (1984). A highly ...

Last Movie: The House That Jack Build, 2018

Movies AVG: 7.08 (13 Movies) Final Score: 7.67 Best Film: Dogville (9)

5. Steven Spielberg

Producer | Schindler's List

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, ...

Last Movie: West Side Story, 2022 Movies AVG: 6.82 (32 Movies) Final Score: 7.66 Best Film: AI, Schidler's List, Indiana Jones, The Color Purple (9)

6. Clint Eastwood

Actor | Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, the son of Clinton Eastwood Sr., a bond salesman and later manufacturing executive for Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and Ruth Wood (née Margret Ruth Runner), a housewife turned IBM clerk. He had a comfortable, middle-class upbringing in nearby ...

Last Movie: Richard Jewell, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.68 (41 Movies) Final Score: 7.64 Best Film: Letters From Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby, The Bridges Of Madison County (9)

7. Christopher Nolan

Producer | Tenet

Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed writer-director Christopher Nolan was born on July 30, 1970, in London, England. Over the course of 15 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the biggest blockbusters ever made.

...

Last Movie: Tenet, 2020 Movies AVG: 7.02 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.61 Best Film: Memento (9)

8. Tony Kaye

Director | Detachment

Tony Kaye was born in London, United Kingdom. He has made several well-known music videos, including the video for "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum, which won a Grammy Award, "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "What God Wants" by Roger Waters, and "Help Me" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by ...

Last Movie: Detachment, 2011

Movies AVG: 9 (2 Movies) Final Score: 7.6 Best Film: American History X (10)

9. James Cameron

Writer | Avatar

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 ...

Last Movie: Avatar, 2010

Movies AVG: 8.0 (8 Movies) Final Score: 7.6 Best Film: Avatar, Titanic, Terminator 2, Alien (9)

10. 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 ...

Last Movie: Snowden, 2012

Movies AVG: 6.84 (20 Movies) Final Score: 7.57 Best Film: Born On The 4th Of July (10)

11. 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 ...

Last Movie: Dumbo, 2021

Movies AVG: 6.94 (17 Movies) Final Score: 7.55 Best Film: Alice In Wonderland, Big Fish, Sleepy Hollow (9)

12. Terry Gilliam

Writer | Brazil

Terry Gilliam was born near Medicine Lake, Minnesota. When he was 12 his family moved to Los Angeles where he became a fan of MAD magazine. In his early twenties he was often stopped by the police who suspected him of being a drug addict and Gilliam had to explain that he worked in advertising. In ...

Last Movie: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.93 (14 Movies) Final Score: 7.54 Best Film: The Holy Grail, Life Of Bryan (9)

13. Fatih Akin

Director | Aus dem Nichts

Fatih Akin was born in 1973 in Hamburg of Turkish parentage. He began studying Visual Communications at Hamburg's College of Fine Arts in 1994. His collaboration with Wueste Film also dates from this time. In 1995, he wrote and directed his first short feature, "Sensin - You're The One!" ("Sensin -...

Last Movie: In The Fade, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.9 (10 Movies) Final Score: 7.52 Best Film: Head-On, The Cut (8)

14. 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 ...

Last Movie: Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

Movies AVG: 6.85 (13 Movies) Final Score: 7.48 Best Film: Full Metal Jacket, Shining, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, Paths Of Glory (8)

15. 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 ...

Last Movie: LBJ, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.84 (19 Movies) Final Score: 7.47 Best Film: The Bucket List, Stand By Me (10)

16. 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 (1984), he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films.

Howard ...

Last Movie: Thirteen Lives, 2022

Movies AVG: 6.7 (26 Movies) Final Score: 7.46 Best Film: A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 (9)

17. 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 ...

Last Movie: Rifkin's Festival, 2021

Movies AVG: 6.42 (48 Movies) Final Score: 7.44 Best Film: Midnight In Paris (9)

18. Costa-Gavras

Director | Z

Costa-Gavras was born on February 12, 1933 in Loutra-Iraias, Greece. He is a director and writer, known for Z (1969), Missing (1982) and Amen. (2002). He has been married to Michèle Ray-Gavras since 1968. They have two children.

Last Movie: Adults In The Room, 2019

Movies AVG: 6.76 (17/19 Movies) Final Score: 7.41 Best Film: The Confession, Mad City, Amen (9)

19. Jim Sheridan

Producer | In America

Jim Sheridan is the father of Irish Actress Amira Sheridan . Following a distinguished career in the theatre between the 1960s and the 1980s, Jim Sheridan wrote and directed his first critically acclaimed feature My Left Foot in 1989. The film was nominated for two European Film Awards. He followed...

Last Movie: Dream House, 2011

Movies AVG: 7.0 (9 Movies) Final Score: 7.4 Best Film: In The Name Of The Father (9)

20. Denis Villeneuve

Director | Dune: Part One

Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...

Last Movie: Blade Runner 2019, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.7 (10 Movies) Final Score: 7.36 Best Film: Incendies, Dune (8)

21. 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 ...

Last Movie: The Hobbit, 2014

Movies AVG: 6.67 (13 Movies) Final Score: 7.34 Best Film: Lord Of The Rings (9)

22. 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 previously married to Lauren Shuler Donner. He died on July 5, 2021 in Los Angeles...

Last Movie: 16 Blocks, 2006

Movies AVG: 6.53 (20 Movies) Final Score: 7.33 Best Film: Scrooged (9)

23. Asghar Farhadi

Writer | Forushande

Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. He became interested in cinema in his teenage years and started his filmmaking education by joining the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986 where he made 8mm and 16mm short films. He received his Bachelors in Theater from University of Tehran's School of...

Last Movie: Everybody Knows, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.89 (9 Movies) Final Score: 7.31 Best Film: Many (8)

24. Marc Forster

Producer | World War Z

Marc Forster is a German-born filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004), Stay (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), The Kite Runner (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), and World War Z (2013).

His breakthrough film was Monster's...

Last Movie: Christopher Robin, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.34 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.31 Best Film: Machine Gun Preacher, Kite Runner, Stranger Than Fiction, Finding Neverland (8)

25. 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). ...

Last Movie: The Comedian, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.62 (12 Movies) Final Score: 7.3 Best Film: Blood In, Blood Out, (9)

26. Martin Scorsese

Director | Taxi Driver

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 ...

Last Movie: Silence, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.47 (25 Movies) Final Score: 7.28 Best Film: Goodfellas, Casino (9)

27. Tim Robbins

Actor | Mystic River

Born in West Covina, California, but raised in New York City, Tim Robbins is the son of former The Highwaymen singer Gil Robbins and actress Mary Robbins (née Bledsoe). Robbins studied drama at UCLA, where he graduated with honors in 1981. That same year, he formed the Actors' Gang theater group, ...

Last Movie: Cradle Will Rock, 1999

Movies AVG: 8.33 (3 Movies) Final Score: 7.26 Best Film: Dead Man Walking (9)

28. 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 ...

Last Movie: News Of The World, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.55 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.24 Best Film: Bloody Sunday (9)

29. Sergio Leone

Writer | Once Upon a Time in America

Sergio Leone was virtually born into the cinema - he was the son of Roberto Roberti (A.K.A. Vincenzo Leone), one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and actress Bice Valerian. Leone entered films in his late teens, working as an assistant director to both Italian directors and U.S. directors working in ...

Last Movie: Once Upon A Time In America, 1984

Movies AVG: 7.29 (7 Movies) Final Score: 7.23 Best Film: Once Upon A Time In America, The Good The Bad And The Ugly (9)

30. 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 ...

Last Movie: House Of Gucci, 2022

Movies AVG: 6.41 (27 Movies) Final Score: 7.23 Best Film: Kingdom Of Heaven (9)

31. 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 ...

Last Movie: The Life Of David Gale, 2003

Movies AVG: 6.54 (13 Movies) Final Score: 7.23 Best Film: Mississippi Burning (9)

32. Frank Darabont

Writer | The Shawshank Redemption

Three-time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont was born in a refugee camp in 1959 in Montbeliard, France, the son of Hungarian parents who had fled Budapest during the failed 1956 Hungarian revolution. Brought to America as an infant, he settled with his family in Los Angeles and attended Hollywood High ...

Last Movie: The Mist, 2007

Movies AVG: 8.0 (4 Movies) Final Score: 7.2 Best Film: The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption (9)

33. 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 ...

Last Movie: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, 2007

Movies AVG: 6.35 (23/42 Movies) Final Score: 7.18 Best Film: Many (8)

34. Jean-Jacques Annaud

Director | Der Name der Rose

Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for directing Quest for Fire (1981), The Name of the Rose (1986), The Lover (1992), Seven Years in Tibet (1997) and Wolf Totem (2015). Annaud has received numerous awards for his work, including four César Awards, ...

Last Movie: The Last Wolf, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.46 (13 Movies) Final Score: 7.17 Best Film: The Name Of The Rose (9)

35. 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.

Last Movie: Basic, 2003

Movies AVG: 6.45 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.16 Best Film: Predator, The Hunt Of Red October, Medicine Man, 13th Warrior (8)

36. 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...

Last Movie: Mank, 2021

Movies AVG: 6.45 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.16 Best Film: Seven (9)

37. 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...

Last Movie: Unstoppable, 2010

Movie AVG: 6.44 (16 Movies) Final Score: 7.15 Best Film: Top Gun, Man Of Fire (8)

38. 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 ...

Last Movie: Blackhat, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.4 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.12 Best Film: The Insider, The Last Of The Mohicans (9)

39. Thomas Vinterberg

Director | Druk

With Last Round (1993) (Last Round), his graduation short from The National Film School of Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg got an early taste of critical success. He received the Jury's and Producers' Awards at the International Student Film Fest in Munich and won the 1st Prize at the Tel Aviv Film Fest...

Last Movie: Another Round, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.4 (10/11 Movies) Final Score: 7.12 Best Film: Festen (8)

40. 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 ...

Last Movie: Mother, 2018

Movies AVG: 7.14 (7 Movies) Final Score: 7.11 Best Film: Requiem For A Dream (9)

41. Alejandro Amenábar

Writer | The Others

Is the son of a Spanish mother and a Chilean father. His family moved back to Spain when he was 1 year old, and he grew up and studied in Madrid. He wrote, produced and directed his first short film La cabeza at the age of 19, and he was 23 when he directed his feature debut Thesis (1996). His film ...

Last Movie: While At War, 2019

Movies AVG: 7.14 (7 Movies) Final Score: 7.11 Best Film: Agora (9)

42. Terry Jones

Writer | Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the son of Dilys Louisa (Newnes), a homemaker, and Alick George Parry Jones, a bank clerk. His older brother is production designer Nigel Jones. His grandparents were involved in the entertainment business, having managed the local Amateur Operatic ...

Last Movie: Absolutely Anything, 2015 Movies AVG: 7.14 (7 Movies) Final Score: 7.11 Best Film: The Holy Grail, Life Of Brian (9)

43. James Mangold

Producer | Logan

James Mangold is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. Films he has directed include Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005), which he also co-wrote, the 2007 remake 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Wolverine (2013), and Logan (2017).

Mangold also wrote and directed Cop...

Last Movie: Ford V Ferrari, 2019

Movies AVG: 6.36 (11 Movies) Final Score: 7.09 Best Film: Copland (9)

44. 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....

Last Movie: Poseidon, 2006

Movies AVG: 6.36 (11/12 Movies) Final Score: 7.09 Best Film: Das Boot, Outbreak (8)

45. Juan José Campanella

Writer | El secreto de sus ojos

Juan José Campanella was born on July 19, 1959 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a writer and director, known for The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), The Man of Your Dreams (2011) and The Weasel's Tale (2019).

Last Movie: Avellaneda's Moon, 2004

Movies AVG: 7.6 (5/6 Movies) Final Score: 7.08 Best Film: Avellaneda's Moon, The Secret In Their Eyes, Son Of The Bride (8)

46. 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 ...

Last Movie: Dead for a Dollar, 2022

Movies AVG: 6.23 (22 Movies) Final Score: 7.08 Best Film: Crossroads (8)

47. Akira Kurosawa

Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin

After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater...

Last Movie: Madadayo, 1993

Movies AVG: 6.1 (30 Movies) Final Score: 7.08 Best Film: Many (8)

48. Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Producer | Biutiful

Alejandro González Iñárritu (ih-nyar-ee-too), born August 15th, 1963, is a Mexican film director.

González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the Directors Guild of America for Best Director. He is also the first Mexican-born ...

Last Movie: The Revenant, 2016

Movies AVG: 7.33 (6 Movies) Final Score: 7.07 Best Film: Biutiful (9)

49. Jason Reitman

Producer | Up in the Air

Jason Reitman is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who notably directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air, Young Adult and Tully. He produced Chloe and Jennifer's Body, two films that advanced Amanda Seyfried's career for adult oriented roles. He is the son of Ivan...

Last Movie: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, 2021

Movies AVG: 6.56 (9 Movies) Final Score: 7.05 Best Film: Many (7)

50. 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 ...

Last Movie: American Hustle, 2013

Movies AVG: 6.56 (9 Movies) Final Score: 7.05 Best Film: Many (7)

51. Tom Tykwer

Writer | Lola rennt

Director, writer, producer and composer Tom Tykwer was born in 1965 in Wuppertal, Germany. He showed an interest in film-making from childhood, making super 8 films from the age of 11. Among his first jobs was working at a local art-house cinema. Tykwer eventually relocated to Berlin, first working...

Last Movie: A Hologram For The King, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.56 (9/11 Movies) Final Score: 7.04 Best Film: Perfume, The International (10)

52. Peter Berg

Actor | Chicago Hope

Peter Berg is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. His first role was in the Adam Rifkin road movie Never on Tuesday (1988). He went on to star in the World War 2 film A Midnight Clear (1992). Roles in Fire in the Sky (1993) and Cop Land (1997) followed, and the Tom Cruise films ...

Last Movie: Mile 22, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.3 (10 Movies) Final Score: 7.04 Best Film: The Kingdom (8)

53. 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 ...

Last Movie: Charlie Wilson's War, 2007

Movies AVG: 6.3 (17 Movies) Final Score: 7.04 Best Film: Silkwood (8)

54. Steven Soderbergh

Director | Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Steven Andrew Soderbergh was born on January 14, 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the second of six children of Mary Ann (Bernard) and Peter Soderbergh. His father was of Swedish and Irish descent, and his mother was of Italian ancestry. While he was still at a very young age, his family moved to ...

Last Movie: Kimi, 2022

Movies AVG: 6.14 (29 Movies) Final Score: 7.02 Best Film: The Good German, Ocean's Eleven, Eric Brockovich, Kafka (8)

55. Sam Mendes

Producer | 1917

Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam was just 5-...

Last Movie: 1917, 2019

Movies AVG: 7.0 (7 Movies) Final Score: 7.0 Best Film: American Beauty (9)

56. 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 ...

Last Movie: Welcome To Marwen, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.25 (16 Movies) Final Score: 7.0 Best Film: Forrest Gump (9)

57. 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 ...

Last Movie: Benedetta, 2021

Movies AVG: 6.24 (17 Movies) Final Score: 6.98 Best Film: Flesh+Blood (9)

58. Joel Coen

Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...

Last Movie: The Traggedy Of Macbeth, 2022

Movies AVG: 6.22 (18 Movies) Final Score: 6.98 Best Film: The Big Lebowski (9)

59. Richard Linklater

Director | Waking Life

Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. ...

Last Movie: Last Flag Flying, 2017

Movies AVG: 6.21 (19 Movies) Final Score: 6.97 Best Film: Before Sunrise (9)

60. Brad Anderson

Director | Session 9

Brad Anderson was born in 1964 in Madison, Connecticut, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Session 9 (2001), Transsiberian (2008) and The Machinist (2004).

Last Movie: Beirut, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.2 (10 Movies) Final Score: 6.96 Best Film: The Machinist, Session 9, Happy Accidents, The Call, Eliza Graves, Beirut (7)

61. 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...

Last Movie: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, 2019

Movies AVG: 6.19 (11 Movies) Final Score: 6.95 Best Film: Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs (8)

62. David Lean

Director | The Bridge on the River Kwai

An important British filmmaker, David Lean was born in Croydon on March 25, 1908 and brought up in a strict Quaker family (ironically, as a child he wasn't allowed to go to the movies). During the 1920s, he briefly considered the possibility of becoming an accountant like his father before finding ...

Last Movie: A Passage To India, 1984

Movies AVG: 6.18 (17 Movies) Final Score: 6.94 Best Film: Lawrence Of Arabia, The Bridge On The River Kwai (9)

63. Michael Caton-Jones

Director | Memphis Belle

Michael Caton-Jones was born on October 15, 1957 in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Memphis Belle (1990), Basic Instinct 2 (2006) and City by the Sea (2002).

Last Movie: Urban Hymn, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.17 (12 Movies) Final Score: 6.94 Best Film: Shooting Dogs (9)

64. Roman Polanski

Director | Chinatown

Roman Polanski is a Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few truly international filmmakers. Roman Polanski was born in Paris in 1933.

His parents returned to Poland from France in 1936, three years ...

Last Movie: An Officer And A Spy, 2019

Movies AVG: 6.05 (22 Movies) Final Score: 6.94 Best Film: The Pianist (9)

65. Stephen Frears

Director | Dangerous Liaisons

Stephen started off in a career in the legal profession before switching to work as an assistant stage manager at London's Royal Court which led to work as an assistant director on films by Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson He directed his first short in 1967 and his feature debut, Gumshoe, in 1971....

Last Movie: Victoria & Abdul, 2017

Movies AVG: 6.13 (15/25 Movies) Final Score: 6.91 Best Film: Dirty Pretty Things, Philomena (8)

66. 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 ...

Last Movie: Brother's Keeper, 2002

Movies AVG: 6.13 (16 Movies) Final Score: 6.91 Best Film: WarGames (8)

67. Iain Softley

Director | Backbeat

Softley was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing, London, and Queens' College, Cambridge University, where he was a member of the college's dramatic society, the BATS, and directed a number of highly-praised theatrical productions. He worked for Granada TV and the BBC before becoming a director...

Last Movie: Curve, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.63 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.9 Best Film: K-PAX (9)

68. Walter Salles

Director | Central do Brasil

Walter Salles was born on April 12, 1956 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a director and producer, known for Central Station (1998), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and Foreign Land (1995). He is married to Maria Klabin. They have one child.

Last Movie: On The Road, 2012

Movies AVG: 6.63 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.9 Best Film: Abril Despedaçado, Diaros De Motocicleta (8)

69. Alexander Payne

Director | Nebraska

Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents, Peggy (Constantine) and George Payne, ran a Greek restaurant. His father is of Greek and German ancestry, and his mother is of Greek descent; the family name was originally Papadopoulos. He is the youngest...

Last Movie: Nebraska, 2013

Movies AVG: 6.63 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.9 Best Film: About Schmidt, Nebraska (8)

70. 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 ...

Last Movie: Paterno, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.0 (26 Movies) Final Score: 6.9 Best Film: Rain Man (9)

71. Andrew Niccol

Writer | Gattaca

New Zealand-born screenwriter-director Andrew Niccol began his career in London, successfully directing TV commercials before moving to Los Angeles in order to make films "longer than 60 seconds." He interested high-powered producer Scott Rudin in his The Truman Show (1998) script, but Rudin was not...

Last Movie: In Time, 2011

Movies AVG: 6.86 (7 Movies) Final Score: 6.89 Best Film: Lord Of War, In Time (9)

72. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | The Hurt Locker

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 ...

Last Movie: Zero Dark Thirty, 2012

Movies AVG: 6.12 (10 Movies) Final Score: 6.89 Best Film: K-19, Detroit (7)

73. 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 ...

Last Movie: The Shape Of Water, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.35 (9/10 Movies) Final Score: 6.88 Best Film: El Laberinto Del Fauno, El Espinazo Del Diablo, Cronos, The Shape Of Water (7)

74. 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)...

Last Movie: Burying The Ex, 2014

Movies AVG: 6.09 (11 Movies) Final Score: 6.87 Best Film: Gremlins, Innerspace (8)

75. Luc Besson

Writer | The Fifth Element

Luc Besson spent the first years of his life following his parents, scuba diving instructors, around the world. His early life was entirely aquatic. He already showed amazing creativity as a youth, writing early drafts of The Big Blue (1988) and The Fifth Element (1997), as an adolescent bored in ...

Last Movie: Anna, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.07 (14 Movies) Final Score: 6.86 Best Film: Leon, The Fifth Element, Lucy (8)

76. Danny Boyle

Director | 127 Hours

Daniel Francis Boyle is a British filmmaker, producer and writer from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. He is known for directing 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Millions, Shallow Grave, The Beach, Yesterday, and Steve Jobs. He won many awards for ...

Last Movie: Yesterday, 2019

Movies AVG: 6.07 (14 Movies) Final Score: 6.86 Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting (8)

77. 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 ...

Last Movie: The Ward, 2010

Movies AVG: 6.06 (18 Movies) Final Score: 6.85 Best Film: Mouth Of Madness, Escape From New York, The Fog (8)

78. Oliver Hirschbiegel

Director | Das Experiment

Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1957. In his teens he left high school and worked as a cooker in a boat.

Then he studied painting and graphism in the Academy of arts in Hamburg where he also started experimenting with video and photography. Those experimental movies attracted the attention of some ...

Last Movie: Elser, 2015

Movies AVG: 7.0 (6 Movies) Final Score: 6.8 Best Film: Downfall, The Experiment (8)

79. Alfonso Cuarón

Producer | Gravity

Alfonso Cuarón Orozco was born on November 28th 1961 in Mexico City, Mexico. From an early age, he yearned to be either a film director or an astronaut. However, he did not want to enter the army, so he settled for directing. He didn't receive his first camera until his twelfth birthday, and then ...

Last Movie: Roma, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.5 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.8 Best Film: Children Of Men (9)

80. Joe Wright

Director | Pride & Prejudice

Joe Wright is an English film director. He is best known for Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), Anna Karenina (2012), and Darkest Hour (2017).

Wright always had an interest in the arts, especially painting. He would also make films on his Super 8 camera as well as spend time in the evenings...

Last Movie: Darkest Hour, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.5 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.8 Best Film: Atonement (8)

81. Bryan Singer

Director | X-Men

Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start by directing The Usual Suspects. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which kick-started the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels. He went to direct Superman Returns, a revival of the Superman ...

Last Movie: X-Men: Apocalypse, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.0 (10 Movies) Final Score: 6.8 Best Film: Usual Suspects (10)

82. 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 ...

Last Movie: Trespass, 2011

Movies AVG: 5.87 (23 Movies) Final Score: 6.8 Best Film: The Number 23, 8MM, A Time To Kill, Falling Down (8)

83. Kevin Macdonald

Director | The Mauritanian

Kevin Macdonald was born on October 28, 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Mauritanian (2021), The Last King of Scotland (2006) and How I Live Now (2013). He has been married to Tatiana Macdonald since July 2, 1999. They have three children.

Last Movie: Black Sea, 2015

Movies AVG: 6.71 (7 Movies) Final Score: 6.77 Best Film: The Last King Of Scotland (8)

84. Penny Marshall

Actress | Laverne & Shirley

Penny Marshall was born Carole Penny Marshall on October 15, 1943 in Manhattan. The Libra was 5' 6 1/2", with brown hair and green eyes. She was the daughter of Marjorie (Ward), a tap dance teacher, and Anthony "Tony" Marshall, an industrial film director. She was the younger sister of filmmakers ...

Last Movie: Capitalism: Maleficent, 2014

Movies AVG: 6.71 (7 Movies) Final Score: 6.77 Best Film: Awakenings (8)

85. 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 ...

Last Movie: Star Wars III, 2005

Movies AVG: 7.2 (6 Movies) Final Score: 6.76 Best Film: Star Wars IV (9)

86. Sean Penn

Actor | Mystic River

Sean Penn is a powerhouse film performer capable of intensely moving work, who has gone from strength to strength during a colourful film career, and who has drawn much media attention for his stormy private life and political viewpoints.

Sean Justin Penn was born in Los Angeles, California, the ...

Last Movie: The Last Face, 2016

Movies AVG: 7.2 (5 Movies) Final Score: 6.76 Best Film: Into The Wild (10)

87. Alex Proyas

Director | Dark City

Alex Proyas has moved effortlessly between helming TV commercials and music videos to feature films. Born to Greek parents in Egypt, Proyas relocated to Australia with his family when he was three years old. He began making films at age ten and went on to attend the Australian Film Television and ...

Last Movie: Gods Of Egypt, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.69 (7 Movies) Final Score: 6.75 Best Film: I Robot, Dark City (8)

88. 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, ...

Last Movie: Billy Lynn, 2016

Movies AVG: 5.92 (13 Movies) Final Score: 6.74 Best Film: Life Of Pi (8)

89. Doug Liman

Producer | Edge of Tomorrow

Douglas Eric Liman is a Jewish-American filmmaker and producer who directed Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Chaos Walking, Jumper, Go, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fair Game, Locked Down, Edge of Tomorrow, The Wall and American Made. He executive produced the Bourne sequels except The Bourne Legacy, The ...

Last Movie: Chaos Walking, 2021

Movies AVG: 5.91 (11 Movies) Final Score: 6.73 Best Film: American Made, Edge Of Tomorrow, Fair Game (7)

90. George Clooney

Actor | The Ides of March

George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nina Bruce (née Warren), a former beauty pageant queen, and Nick Clooney, a former anchorman and television host (who was also the brother of singer Rosemary Clooney). He has Irish, English, and German ancestry. Clooney ...

Last Movie: Suburbicon, 2017

Movies AVG: 6.38 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.7 Best Film: The Ides Of March (8)

91. Roberto Benigni

Actor | La vita è bella

Roberto Benigni was born on October 27, 1952 in Manciano La Misericordia, Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Life Is Beautiful (1997), The Tiger and the Snow (2005) and Down by Law (1986). He has been married to Nicoletta Braschi since December 26, 1991.

Last Movie: The Tiger And The Snow, 2005

Movies AVG: 6.38 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.7 Best Film: The Tiger And The Snow, Life Is Beautiful (9)

92. David Ayer

Writer | 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, ...

Last Movie: The Tax Collector, 2020

Movies AVG: 6.38 (8 Movies) Final Score: 6.7 Best Film: Fury, End Of Watch (8)

93. Icíar Bollaín

Director | Maixabel

Born in Madrid, Iciar Bollain has worked as an actress in films such El Sur (1983), directed by Víctor Erice; Sublet (1991) directed by Chus Gutiérrez, Malaventura (1988) directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón; El Mejor de los Tiempos (1990) and Un Paraguas para Tres (1992) directed by Felipe Vega, ...

Last Movie: Yuli, 2018

Movies AVG: 6.37 (8/10 Movies) Final Score: 6.7 Best Film: Take My Eyes, Even The Rain, Maixabel (8)

94. Peter Weir

Director | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Peter Weir was born on August 21, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Way Back (2010) and Witness (1985). He has been married to Wendy Stites since 1966. They have two children.

Last Movie: The Way Back, 2010

Movies AVG: 5.87 (14 Movies) Final Score: 6.7 Best Film: Dead Poets Society (10)

95. Kevin Reynolds

Director | Waterworld

Raised as an Air Force brat, Kevin Reynolds' love for cinema inspired him to forsake his law school degree and move to Los Angeles to enroll in the University of Southern California's legendary film school. Reynolds' graduate thesis film "Proof" became the basis for "Fandango" starring Kevin ...

Last Movie: Risen, 2016

Movies AVG: 6.11 (9 Movies) Final Score: 6.69 Best Film: The Beast Of War (8)

96. Robert Redford

Actor | The Natural

Legendary movie star Robert Redford was born during the depression on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, to Charles Robert Redford, a Rhode Island native, who was a milkman-turned-accountant for Standard Oil, and his Texan wife, Martha W. (Hart). He was naturally gifted at athletics and ...

Last Movie: The Company You Keep, 2012

Movies AVG: 6.1 (9 Movies) Final Score: 6.69 Best Film: The Company You Keep, The Conspirator (7)

97. 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 ...

Last Movie: The Upside, 2017

Movies AVG: 6.83 (6 Movies) Final Score: 6.67 Best Film: ALL (7)

98. Michael Haneke

Writer | Caché

A true master of his craft, Michael Haneke is one of the greatest film artists working today and one who challenges his viewers each year and work goes by, with films that reflect real portions of life in realistic, disturbing and unforgettable ways. One of the most genuine filmmakers of the world ...

Last Movie: Amour, 2013

Movies AVG: 5.83 (12 Movies) Final Score: 6.67 Best Film: Amour (8)

99. Robert Benton

Writer | Kramer vs. Kramer

Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter and filmmaker from Waxahachie, Texas who is known for screenwriting Bonnie & Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer and Superman. He won two Academy Awards for writing and directing Kramer vs. Kramer. He directed other feature films including Twilight, Bad ...

Last Movie: Feast Of Love, 2007

Movies AVG: 5.82 (11 Movies) Final Score: 6.66 Best Film: Kramer Vs. Kramer (7)

100. 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 ...

Last Movie: Draft Day, 2014

Movies AVG: 5.82 (17 Movies) Final Score: 6.66 Best Film: Ghost Busters, Kindergarten Cop (8)