Best Directors of All Time

1. Billy Wilder

Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid. He broke into films as a screenwriter in 1929 and wrote scripts for many ...

Filmography: 15/25

Sunset Blvd. (1950) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Apartment (1960) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Double Indemnity (1944) ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Witness for the Prosecution (1957) -------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Some Like It Hot (1959) -------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Lost Weekend (1945) ------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Ace in the Hole (1951) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Stalag 17 (1953) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Sabrina (1954) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 One, Two, Three (1961) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Irma la Douce (1963) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 The Front Page (1974) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Seven Year Itch (1955) ----------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Fortune Cookie (1966) ------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

2. 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 ...

Filmography: 11/11

The Dark Knight (2008) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Memento (2000) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Inception (2010) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Interstellar (2014) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Prestige (2006) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Batman Begins (2005) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Dunkirk (2017) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Tenet (2020) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Following (1998) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 The Dark Knight Rises (2012) ---------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Insomnia (2002) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10

3. 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...

Filmography: 10/10

Pulp Fiction (1994) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019) ---------------------------------------- 10/10 Django Unchained (2012) ----------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Reservoir Dogs (1992) -------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Inglourious Basterds (2009) -------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) --------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Jackie Brown (1997) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) --------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Death Proof (2007) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5/10 The Hateful Eight (2015) ------------------------------------------------------------ 5/10

4. 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 ...

Filmography: 11/13

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Paths of Glory (1957) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 A Clockwork Orange (1971) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 The Shining (1980) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Killing (1956) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Full Metal Jacket (1987) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Spartacus (1960) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Barry Lyndon (1975) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Killer's Kiss (1955) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) -- 7/10 Fear and Desire (1952) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

5. 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 ...

Filmography: 31/48

Annie Hall (1977) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Manhattan (1979) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Love and Death (1975) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) ------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) ---------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Broadway Danny Rose (1984) -------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Husbands and Wives (1992) ----------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) -------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Midnight in Paris (2011) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Blue Jasmine (2013) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Another Woman (1988) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Sleeper (1973) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Radio Days (1987) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Stardust Memories (1980) ------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Sweet and Lowdown (1999) ----------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Interiors (1978) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Zelig (1983) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Take the Money and Run (1969) ------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Match Point (2005) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Melinda and Melinda (2004) ----------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Whatever Works (2009) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex ---------------------------------- 7/10 Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) ---------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Bananas (1971) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Bullets Over Broadway (1994) --------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Café Society (2016) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Deconstructing Harry (1997) ----------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) ------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Wonder Wheel (2017) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10 To Rome with Love (2012) ------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Magic in the Moonlight (2014) --------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

6. 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, ...

Filmography: 17/33

Schindler's List (1993) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ----------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Jaws (1975) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Catch Me If You Can (2002) ---------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Saving Private Ryan (1998) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) ------------------------------------------ 9/10 Jurassic Park (1993) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Fabelmans (2022) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Ready Player One (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Minority Report (2002) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) -------------------------------------------- 8/10 Duel (1971) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Terminal (2004) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Bridge of Spies (2015) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Lincoln (2012) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 The Post (2017) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

7. 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 ...

Filmography: 14/26

Taxi Driver (1976) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Raging Bull (1980) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Goodfellas (1990) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) ------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The King of Comedy (1982) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 The Departed (2006) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Casino (1995) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Irishman (2019) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Aviator (2004) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Shutter Island (2010) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 After Hours (1985) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Hugo (2011) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Color of Money (1986) ------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Mean Streets (1973) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

8. Alfred Hitchcock

Director | Psycho

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

Filmography: 13/54

Psycho (1960) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Rear Window (1954) ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Dial M for Murder (1954) --------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Vertigo (1958) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Rope (1948) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Notorious (1946) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Rebecca (1940) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Strangers on a Train (1951) ------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 North by Northwest (1959) -------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Birds (1963) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Shadow of a Doubt (1943) --------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Lady Vanishes (1938) --------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The 39 Steps (1935) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

9. 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. ...

Filmography: 11/19

Waking Life (2001) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Before Sunrise (1995) -------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Before Sunset (2004) --------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Before Midnight (2013) -------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Me and Orson Welles (2008) -------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Dazed and Confused (1993) -------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Tape (2001) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 School of Rock (2003) ---------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) --------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Boyhood (2014) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Slacker (1990) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

10. 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...

Filmography: 8/11

Fight Club (1999) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Se7en (1995) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Gone Girl (2014) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Social Network (2010) ----------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) --------------------------------------- 8/10 Mank (2020) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Zodiac (2007) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Panic Room (2002) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

11. 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 ...

Filmography: 6/11

Mulholland Dr. (2001) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Straight Story (1999) ------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Blue Velvet (1986) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Lost Highway (1997) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10 The Elephant Man (1980) ------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Eraserhead (1977) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

12. Paul Thomas Anderson

Director | Punch-Drunk Love

Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...

Filmography: 8/9

The Master (2012) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Boogie Nights (1997) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Sydney (1996) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Magnolia (1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Licorice Pizza (2021) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Punch-Drunk Love (2002) -------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 There Will Be Blood (2007) ------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10 Inherent Vice (2014) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

13. 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 ...

Filmography: 7/8

Black Swan (2010) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Requiem for a Dream (2000) ------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Whale (2022) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Wrestler (2008) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Pi (1998) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Mother! (2017) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 The Fountain (2006) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

14. 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 ...

12 Angry Men (1957) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Network (1976) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Serpico (1973) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Running on Empty (1988) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) ----------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Verdict (1982) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) ---------------------------------------- 7/10 The Wiz (1978) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3/10

15. Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Director | 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 ...

Filmography: 5/6

The Revenant (2015) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 21 Grams (2003) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Babel (2006) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Amores perros (2000) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) ------------------------ 8/10

16. 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 ...

and Ethan Coen.

Filmography: 13/18

No Country for Old Men (2007) ----------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Big Lebowski (1998) ------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Fargo (1996) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Blood Simple (1984) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Burn After Reading (2008) ----------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) ------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Barton Fink (1991) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) -------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Miller's Crossing (1990) -------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Intolerable Cruelty (2003) ----------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) ---------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 A Serious Man (2009) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 True Grit (2010) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

17. Hayao Miyazaki

Writer | Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking visuals in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan.

Miyazaki started his career in 1963 as an animator at the ...

Filmography: 6/13

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) --------------------------------------------- 9/10 Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986) ----------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Tonari no Totoro (1988) ------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Mononoke-hime (1997) ------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004) ------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984) --------------------------------------------------- 7/10

18. 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 ...

Filmography: 5/7

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966) ------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) ---------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Per un pugno di dollari (1964) ------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Once Upon a Time in America (1984) ----------------------------------------------- 9/10 C'era una volta il West (1968) ------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

19. Denis Villeneuve

Director | Dune

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), ...

Filmography: 6/10

Prisoners (2013) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Arrival (2016) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Sicario (2015) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Blade Runner 2049 (2017) --------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Enemy (2013) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Incendies (2010) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

20. 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...

Ikiru (1952) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Shichinin no samurai (1954) ------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Tengoku to jigoku (1963) ---------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Rashômon (1950) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Yôjinbô (1961) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Kumonosu-jô (1957) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Ran (1985) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

21. Charles Chaplin

Writer | The Great Dictator

Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the ...

Filmography: 6/18

The Great Dictator (1940) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 City Lights (1931) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Modern Times (1936) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Gold Rush (1925) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Kid (1921) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 The Circus (1928) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

22. 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 ...

Filmography: 2/4

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ----------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Green Mile (1999) ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10

23. Damien Chazelle

Writer | La La Land

Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American director and screenwriter. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, is an American-Canadian writer and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. His father, Bernard Chazelle, is a French-American Eugene Higgins...

Filmography: 3/4

Whiplash (2014) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 La La Land (2016) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 First Man (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

24. 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-...

Filmography: 6/8

American Beauty (1999) ----------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 1917 (2019) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Revolutionary Road (2008) ---------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Road to Perdition (2002) ------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Skyfall (2012) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Jarhead (2005) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

25. 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 ...

Filmography: 5/10

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) ------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Aliens (1986) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Terminator (1984) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Avatar (2009) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 True Lies (1994) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

26. 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 ...

Filmography: 4/13

127 Hours (2010) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Slumdog Millionaire (2008) --------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Trainspotting (1996) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Steve Jobs (2015) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

27. Jim Jarmusch

Director | Paterson

Moved to New York City at the age of seventeen from Akron, Ohio. Graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in English, class of '75. Without any prior film experience, he was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts, New York.

Filmography: 5/13

Down by Law (1986) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Paterson (2016) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Stranger Than Paradise (1984) ------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Broken Flowers (2005) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) --------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

28. Frank Capra

Director | It's a Wonderful Life

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

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) -------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 It Happened One Night (1934) ----------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) -------------------------------------------- 10/10 You Can't Take It with You (1938) -------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) -------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

29. Bong Joon Ho

Writer | Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean filmmaker. The recipient of three Academy Awards, his filmography is characterized by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts. He first became known to audiences and achieved a cult following with his directorial debut film, the ...

Gisaengchung (2019) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Salinui chueok (2003) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Gwoemul (2006) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Snowpiercer (2013) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

30. Ingmar Bergman

Writer | Smultronstället

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born July 14, 1918, the son of a priest. The film and T.V. series, The Best Intentions (1992) is biographical and shows the early marriage of his parents. The film Sunday's Children (1992) depicts a bicycle journey with his father. In the miniseries Private Confessions (...

Smultronstället (1957) ------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Persona (1966) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Det sjunde inseglet (1957) --------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Nattvardsgästerna (1963) ---------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Fanny och Alexander (1982) ------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

31. Gaspar Noé

Director | Enter the Void

Gaspar Noé is an Argentinian filmmaker and screenwriter who lives in France. He is the son of Luis Felipe Noé, an Argentinian artist. He directed I Stand Alone, Irréversible, Enter the Void, Love, Climax, Carne, Lux Æterna, Sodomites and Vortex. His films are known for having a sensory overload ...

Enter the Void (2009) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Climax (2018) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Irréversible (2002) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

32. Orson Welles

Actor | Citizen Kane

His father, Richard Head Welles, was a well-to-do inventor, his mother, Beatrice (Ives) Welles, a beautiful concert pianist; Orson Welles was gifted in many arts (magic, piano, painting) as a child. When his mother died in 1924 (when he was nine) he traveled the world with his father. He was ...

Citizen Kane (1941) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Touch of Evil (1958) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Le procès (1962) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

33. James Wan

Writer | Saw

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

Filmography: 8/10

The Conjuring (2013) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Conjuring 2 (2016) -------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Fast & Furious 7 (2015) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Saw (2004) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Dead Silence (2007) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10 Insidious (2010) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) --------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Aquaman (2018) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

34. John Huston

Director | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

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

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) ------------------------------------------ 10/10 The Maltese Falcon (1941) ---------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Key Largo (1948) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The African Queen (1951) ------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10

35. Isao Takahata

Director | Hotaru no haka

Isao Takahata was born on October 29, 1935 in Ise, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Pom Poko (1994) and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013). He died on April 5, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.

Hotaru no haka (1988) -------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Omohide poro poro (1991) ----------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

36. Clint Eastwood

Actor | Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, to 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 grew up in nearby Piedmont. At school Clint took interest in ...

Million Dollar Baby (2004) ---------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Gran Torino (2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Unforgiven (1992) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Richard Jewell (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Sully (2016) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Mystic River (2003) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) ------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Changeling (2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Flags of Our Fathers (2006) --------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

37. 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 ...

Chinatown (1974) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Pianist (2002) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Rosemary's Baby (1968) ------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

38. Francis Ford Coppola

Producer | Apocalypse Now

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

The Godfather (1972) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Godfather Part II (1974) ------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Apocalypse Now (1979) ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Conversation (1974) ------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

39. 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 ...

Gladiator (2000) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Martian (2015) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Alien (1979) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 American Gangster (2007) ---------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Blade Runner (1982) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Body of Lies (2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10 All the Money in the World (2017) -------------------------------------------------- 6/10

40. 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 ...

Ocean's Eleven (2001) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) ------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Erin Brockovich (2000) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Traffic (2000) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Side Effects (2013) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Contagion (2011) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Unsane (2018) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Logan Lucky (2017) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10 The Laundromat (2019) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

41. 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 ...

Into the Wild (2007) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10

42. Fritz Lang

Actor | Le mépris

Fritz Lang was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1890. His father managed a construction company. His mother, Pauline Schlesinger, was Jewish but converted to Catholicism when Lang was ten. After high school, he enrolled briefly at the Technische Hochschule Wien and then started to train as a painter. ...

M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931) ---------------------------------------- 10/10 The Woman in the Window (1944) ------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Metropolis (1927) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

43. Victor Fleming

Director | Gone with the Wind

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

The Wizard of Oz (1939) ------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Gone with the Wind (1939) ---------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

44. George Roy Hill

Director | The Sting

George Roy Hill was never able to 'hit it off' with the critics despite the fact that 2 of his films - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and The Sting (1973) - had remained among the top 10 box office hits by 1976. His work was frequently derided as 'impersonal' or lacking in stylistic ...

The Sting (1973) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) --------------------------------------- 7/10

45. Andrew Stanton

Writer | WALL·E

Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative he currently oversees all shorts and feature projects at the ...

Finding Nemo (2003) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 A Bug's Life (1998) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 WALL·E (2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10

46. Pete Docter

Writer | Up

Pete Docter is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Up," and "Inside Out," and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He is currently directing Pixar's feature film "Soul" with producer Dana Murray, which is set to release June 19, 2020.

Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the ...

Monsters, Inc. (2001) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Up (2009) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Inside Out (2015) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

47. Lee Unkrich

Editor | Coco

Lee Unkrich is an Academy Award-winning director at Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently directed Disney.Pixar's critically-acclaimed "Coco", which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Song.

As the director of Disney.Pixar's "Toy Story 3," Lee was also awarded an ...

Toy Story 3 (2010) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Coco (2017) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10

48. Milos Forman

Director | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) ------------------------------------------ 10/10 Amadeus (1984) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10

49. 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 ...

Forrest Gump (1994) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Back to the Future (1985) ------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Flight (2012) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Polar Express (2004) ------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10

50. 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 ...

When Harry Met Sally... (1989) ----------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Stand by Me (1986) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 The Princess Bride (1987) ------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 A Few Good Men (1992) -------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 This Is Spinal Tap (1984) ------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10

51. 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 ...

Rush (2013) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 A Beautiful Mind (2001) -------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Cinderella Man (2005) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

52. Spike Jonze

Producer | Her

Spike Jonze made up one-third (along with Andy Jenkins and Mark Lewman) of the triumvirate of genius minds behind Dirt Magazine, the brother publication of the much lamented ground-breaking Sassy Magazine. These three uncommon characters were all editors for Grand Royal Magazine as well, under the ...

Her (2013) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Adaptation. (2002) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Being John Malkovich (1999) -------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

53. Gus Van Sant

Director | Elephant

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

Good Will Hunting (1997) ----------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Milk (2008) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

54. Elia Kazan

Director | On the Waterfront

Known for his creative stage direction, Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazantzoglou on September 7, 1909 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He ...

On the Waterfront (1954) ----------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) -------------------------------------------------- 10/10 East of Eden (1955) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10

55. Otto Preminger

Actor | Stalag 17

Otto Ludwig Preminger was born in Wiznitz, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary. His father was a prosecutor, and Otto originally intended to follow his father into a law career; however, he fell in love with the theater in his 20's and became one of the most imaginative stage producers and directors. He was ...

Laura (1944) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Anatomy of a Murder (1959) -------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) ----------------------------------------------- 8/10 Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) ---------------------------------------------------- 8/10

56. 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 ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) ---------------------------- 10/10 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) ------------------------ 10/10 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) ------------------------------------- 9/10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) -------------------------------------- 6/10 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) ---------------------------------------- 6/10

57. David Lean

Director | Lawrence of Arabia

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 ...

Brief Encounter (1945) -------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ----------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) ------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Doctor Zhivago (1965) --------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Great Expectations (1946) ----------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

58. Stanley Kramer

Producer | Judgment at Nuremberg

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

Inherit the Wind (1960) ------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) --------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) --------------------------------------------- 9/10

59. Louis Malle

Director | Au revoir les enfants

Louis Malle, the descendant of a French nobleman who made a fortune in beet sugar during the Napoleonic Wars, created films that explored life and its meaning. Malle's family discouraged his early interest in film but, in 1950, allowed him to enter the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies ...

My Dinner with Andre (1981) ------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Au revoir les enfants (1987) --------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958) --------------------------------------------------- 8/10

60. Nicholas Ray

Director | Rebel Without a Cause

Nicholas Ray was born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle in 1911, in small-town Galesville, Wisconsin, to Lena (Toppen) and Raymond Joseph Kienzle, a contractor and builder. He was of German and Norwegian descent. Ray's early experience with film came with some radio broadcasting in high school. He left the ...

In a Lonely Place (1950) ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Rebel Without a Cause (1955) -------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

61. Howard Hawks

Director | Rio Bravo

What do the classic films Scarface (1932), Twentieth Century (1934), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), Sergeant York (1941), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Rio Bravo (1959) have in...

His Girl Friday (1940) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 The Big Sleep (1946) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Rio Bravo (1959) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Bringing Up Baby (1938) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

62. Makoto Shinkai

Writer | Suzume no Tojimari

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese director, writer, producer, animator, editor, cinematographer, voice actor, manga artist and former graphic designer. Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. In 1999, Shinkai ...

Kimi no na wa. (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Byôsoku 5 senchimêtoru (2007) ------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Tenki no ko (2019) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

63. 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 Shape of Water (2017) ----------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 El laberinto del fauno (2006) --------------------------------------------------------- 6/10

64. Peter Bogdanovich

Director | The Last Picture Show

Peter Bogdanovich was conceived in Europe but born in Kingston, New York. He is the son of immigrants fleeing the Nazis, Herma (Robinson) and Borislav Bogdanovich, a painter and pianist. His father was a Serbian Orthodox Christian, and his mother was from a wealthy Austrian Jewish family. Peter ...

The Last Picture Show (1971) ------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Paper Moon (1973) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

65. Federico Fellini

Writer | Le notti di Cabiria

The women who both attracted and frightened him and an Italy dominated in his youth by Mussolini and Pope Pius XII - inspired the dreams that Fellini started recording in notebooks in the 1960s. Life and dreams were raw material for his films. His native Rimini and characters like Saraghina (the ...

8½ (1963) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 La dolce vita (1960) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 La strada (1954) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Le notti di Cabiria (1957) ------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

66. 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 ...

Twelve Monkeys (1995) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) ----------------------------------------------- 8/10 Brazil (1985) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/10 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) ---------------------------------------------- 3/10

67. 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 ...

The Avengers (2012) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) ------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

68. 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 ...

Ed Wood (1994) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Big Fish (2003) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) --------------------------- 6/10

69. John Ford

Director | The Quiet Man

John Ford came to Hollywood following one of his brothers, an actor. Asked what brought him to Hollywood, he replied "the train". He became one of the most respected directors in the business, in spite of being known for his westerns, which were not considered "serious" film. He won six Oscars, ...

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) ---------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 The Searchers (1956) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Stagecoach (1939) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) ------------------------------------------- 7/10

70. Kar-Wai Wong

Director | Yi dai zong shi

Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1956) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylised, emotionally resonant work, including Ah fei zing zyun (1990), Dung che sai duk (1994), Chung Hing sam lam (1994), Do lok tin si (1995), Chun gwong ...

Fa yeung nin wah (2000) -------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Chung Hing sam lam (1994) ---------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

71. William Wyler

Director | The Best Years of Our Lives

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

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) -------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Roman Holiday (1953) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Ben-Hur (1959) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10

72. Thomas Vinterberg

Director | Jagten

With Sidste omgang (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 ...

Jagten (2012) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Festen (1998) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10

73. Brian De Palma

Director | Body Double

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

Scarface (1983) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Carlito's Way (1993) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 The Untouchables (1987) -------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

74. Robert Mulligan

Director | To Kill a Mockingbird

Robert Mulligan was born on August 23, 1925 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Summer of '42 (1971) and The Other (1972). He was married to Sandy Levy and Jane Sutherland. He died on December 20, 2008 in Lyme, ...

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) ---------------------------------------------------------- 10/10 Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) ------------------------------------------------- 9/10

75. Masaki Kobayashi

Director | Seppuku

Masaki Kobayashi was born on February 14, 1916 in Hokkaido, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Harakiri (1962), Samurai Rebellion (1967) and The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961). He died on October 4, 1996 in Tokyo, Japan.

Seppuku (1962) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10

76. George Cukor

Director | My Fair Lady

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

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

The Wizard of Oz (1939) ------------------------------------------------------------ 10/10 Gone with the Wind (1939) ---------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 The Philadelphia Story (1940) ------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Gaslight (1944) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

77. 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...

Baby Driver (2017) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Shaun of the Dead (2004) ------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10 Hot Fuzz (2007) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10

78. Noah Baumbach

Writer | The Squid and the Whale

Born in Brooklyn in 1969 Noah Baumbach is the son of two film critics, Georgia Brown and Jonathan Baumbach (also a writer). His studies at Vassar College were the subject of his first film (made as he was 26 years old), Kicking and Screaming (1995). His second major picture, made ten years later, ...

Marriage Story (2019) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Frances Ha (2012) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10 The Squid and the Whale (2005) ----------------------------------------------------- 7/10 The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) --------------------------------- 7/10

79. Harmony Korine

Director | Gummo

Harmony Korine was born in 1973 in Bolinas, California. His family moved to the east coast of the United States when he was five, and he spent his early years in Nashville, Tennessee, and New York. At the age of nineteen, he wrote the critically acclaimed screenplay Kids (1995) for director Larry ...

The Beach Bum (2019) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10 Gummo (1997) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10 Spring Breakers (2012) --------------------------------------------------------------- 4/10 Trash Humpers (2009) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 4/10

80. 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...

Ford v Ferrari (2019) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10 Logan (2017) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10 Walk the Line (2005) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 3:10 to Yuma (2007) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 Identity (2003) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10

81. John Cassavetes

Actor | Rosemary's Baby

John Cassavetes was a Greek-American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is considered a pioneer of American independent film, as he often financed his own films.

Cassavetes was born in New York City in 1929 to Nicholas John Cassavetes (1893-1979) and his wife, Katherine Demetre (1906-1983). ...

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) ------------------------------------------------- 9/10 Shadows (1958) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10 A Child Is Waiting (1963) -------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10

82. Wim Wenders

Director | Der Himmel über Berlin

Wim Wenders is an Oscar-nominated German filmmaker who was born Ernst Wilhelm Wenders on August 14, 1945 in Düsseldorf, which then was located in the British Occupation Zone of what became the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany, known colloquially as West Germany until ...

Paris, Texas Wings of Desire

83. Park Chan-wook

Director | Oldeuboi

Park Chan-wook was born on August 23, 1963 in Seoul, South Korea. He is a producer and director, known for Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022). He is married to Eun-hee Kim. They have one child.

Oldboy Handmaiden

84. 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...

85. Robert Eggers

Director | The Lighthouse

Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker and production designer. He is best known for writing and directing the historical horror films The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), as well as directing and co-writing the historical fiction epic film The Northman (2022). His films are noted ...

The Lighthouse The Northman The VVitch

86. Ari Aster

Director | Hereditary

Ari Aster is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for writing and directing the A24 horror films Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019). Aster was born into a Jewish family in New York City on July 15, 1986, the son of a poet mother and musician father. He has a ...

Hereditary Midsommar

87. Oriol Paulo

Writer | El cuerpo

Oriol Paulo studied audiovisual communication at Pompeu Fabra University and film at the Los Angeles Film School.

As a scriptwriter, he wrote screenplays for small screen films such as Ecos (2006) and Codi 60 (2011), but is best known for his work in series such as Absolute majority (2004) and The ...

The Invisible Guest The Body