Top Directors
by cinefilikos | created - 18 Apr 2011 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicRated 8+. Including directors with at least three 8+.
1. 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 ...
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - 10
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - 10
3. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - 10
4. Spartacus (1960) - 9
5. Full Metal Jacket (1987) - 9
6. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - 9
7. Paths of Glory (1957) - 9
8. The Shining (1980) - 9
9. The Killing (1956) - 9
10. Barry Lyndon (1975) - 9
11. Killer's Kiss (1955) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Lolita (1962) - 7.7
2. 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...
1. Pulp Fiction (1994) - 10 2. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 10 3. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) - 9 4. Reservoir Dogs (1992) - 9 5. Django Unchained (2012) - 9 6. The Hateful Eight (2015) - 9 7. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019) - 8 8. Death Proof - 8 9. Jackie Brown (1997) - 8
3. 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 ...
1. The Dark Knight (2008) - 10 2. Interstellar (2014) - 10 3. Inception (2010) - 10 4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - 10 5. Dunkirk (2017) - 10 6. Oppenheimer (2023) - 9 7. Memento (2000) - 9 8. Tenet (2020) - 9 9. Batman Begins (2005) - 8 10. The Prestige (2006) - 8 11. Following (1998) - 8
4. 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 ...
1. Taxi Driver (1976) - 10
2. Raging Bull (1980) - 9
3. Goodfellas (1990) - 9
4. Mean Streets (1973) - 9
5. Casino (1995) - 9
6. The Departed (2006) - 9
7. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - 8
8. Shutter Island (2010) - 8
9. The Irishman (2019) - 8
10. The King of Comedy (1982) - 8
11. The Aviator (2004) - 8
12. Cape Fear (1991) - 8
13. After Hours (1985) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) - 7.4
2. The Age of Innocence (1993) - 7.2
3. New York, New York (1977) - 6.7
4. New York Stories (1989) (segment "Life Lessons") - 6.4
5. 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...
1. There Will Be Blood (2007) - 10 2. Magnolia (1999) - 10 3. Boogie Nights (1997) - 9 4. The Master (2012) - 9 5. Phantom Thread (2017) - 8 6. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - 8 7. Licorice Pizza (2021) - 8
6. 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. ...
1. Dazed and Confused (1992) - 10
2. Before Sunrise (1995) - 10
3. Waking Life (2001) - 9
4. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) - 9
5. Boyhood - 9
6. Before Sunset (2004) - 9
7. Before Midnight (2013) - 9
8. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022) - 8
9. Last Flag Flying (2017) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Bernie (2011) - 6.8
2. Me and Orson Welles (2008) - 6.8
7. 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 ...
1. The Godfather (1972) - 10
2. Apocalypse Now (1979) - 10
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974) - 10
4. The Godfather: Part III (1990) - 8
5. The Conversation (1974) - 8
6. Dracula (1992) - 8
7. Tetro (2009) - 8
8. Rumble Fish (1983) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Rain People (1969) - 7.0
2. Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) - 6.9
3. The Cotton Club (1984) - 6.5
4. New York Stories (1989) (segment "Life without Zoe") - 6.4
5. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) - 6.3
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 ...
1. Psycho (1960) - 10
2. North by Northwest (1959) - 9
3. The Birds (1963) - 9
4. Notorious (1946) - 9
5. Rear Window (1954) - 8
6. Rope (1948) - 8
7. Vertigo (1958) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Frontline: Memory of the Camps (1985) (S03E18) - 8.4
2. Dial M for Murder (1954) - 8.2
3. Rebecca (1940) - 8.2
4. Strangers on a Train (1951) - 8.1
5. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - 8.0
6. The Lady Vanishes (1938) - 8.0
7. Lifeboat (1944) - 7.8
8. The 39 Steps (1935) - 7.8
9. Spellbound (1945) - 7.7
10. Foreign Correspondent (1940) - 7.6
11. Frenzy (1972) - 7.5
12. The Wrong Man (1956) - 7.5
13. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - 7.5
14. To Catch a Thief (1955) - 7.5
15. Suspicion (1941) - 7.5
9. 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...
1. Fight Club (1999) - 10
2. Se7en (1995) - 9
3. The Social Network (2010) - 9
4. The Game (1997) - 8
5. The Killer (2023) - 8
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - 8
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 8
8. Gone Girl (2014) - 8
9. Zodiac (2007) - 8
Extra:
1. Mindhunter (2017) (series) - 8
10. 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 ...
1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - 10
2. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - 10
3. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - 9
4. For a Few Dollars More (1965) - 9
5. A Fistfull of Dollars (1964) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Duck, You Sucker (1971) - 7.7
11. 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 ...
1. Children of Men (2006) - 10
2. Gravity (2013) - 10
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - 8
4. Roma (2018) - 8
Watchlist:
1. A Little Princess (1995) - 7.7
2. Great Expectations (1998) - 6.8
12. Terrence Malick
Writer | Days of Heaven
Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. His family subsequently lived in Oklahoma and he went to school in Austin, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy in 1965.
A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he attended Magdalen ...
1. The Tree of Life (2011) - 9 2. The Thin Red Line (1998) - 9 3. The New World (2005) - 9 4. Badlands (1973) - 8
13. Wes Anderson
Director | Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an ...
1. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - 9 2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - 8 3. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - 8 4. Bottle Rocket (1996) - 8 5. Rushmore (1998) - 8 6. The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - 8 7. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - 8 8. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) - 8
14. 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 ...
1. Blue Velvet (1986) - 9
2. Mulholland Drive (2001) - 9
3. Lost Highway (1997) - 8
4. Eraserhead (1977) - 8
5. The Elephant Man (1980) - 8
6. Wild at Heart (1990) - 8
Extra:
1. Twin Peaks (1990) (series) - 9
Watchlist:
1. Lumière and Company (1995) (segment "Premonition Following An Evil Deed") - 6.9
2. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "Absurda") - 6.8
15. 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, ...
1. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - 10
2. Schindler's List (1993) - 10
3. Jaws (1975) - 9
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - 9
5. Jurassic Park (1993) - 8
6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - 8
7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - 8
8. Minority Report (2002) - 8
9. Duel (1971) - 8
10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - 8
11. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - 8
12. Catch Me If You Can (2002) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Sugarland Express (1974) - 6.8
2. Always (1989) - 6.4
3. 1941 (1979) - 5.9
16. 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 ...
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - 9 2. Titanic (1997) - 9 3. Avatar (2009) - 9 4. Aliens (1986) - 9 5. The Terminator (1984) - 8 6. The Abyss (1989) - 8 7. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - 8
17. 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 ...
1. Steve Jobs (2015) - 9
2. Trainspotting (1996) - 9
3. 127 Hours (2010) - 8
4. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 8
5. 28 Days Later... (2002) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Shallow Grave (1994) - 7.4
2. Yesterday (2019) - 6.8
3. A Life Less Ordinary (1997) - 6.4
18. 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 ...
1. The Revenant (2015) - 9
2. Birdman (2014) - 9
3. Amores Perros (2000) - 8
4. 21 Grams (2003) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Biutiful (2010) - 7.5
2. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "Anna") - 6.8
19. 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 ...
& Ethan Coen
1. The Big Lebowski (1998) - 9
2. Miller's Crossing (1990) - 9
3. Fargo (1996) - 8
4. Barton Fink (1991) - 8
5. No Country for Old Men (2007) - 8
6. Blood Simple. (1984) - 8
7. Raising Arizona (1987) - 8
8. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) - 8
Watchlist:
1. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "World Cinema") - 6.8
20. 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 ...
1. Scarface (1983) - 10
2. The Untouchables (1987) - 9
3. Carlito's Way (1993) - 9
4. Carrie (1976) - 8
5. Dressed to Kill (1980) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Phantom of the Paradise (1974) - 7.4
2. Casualties of War (1989) - 7.1
3. Sisters (1973) - 7.0
4. Obsession (1976) - 6.8
5. Body Double (1984) - 6.7
6. The Fury (1978) - 6.4
7. Femme Fatale (2002) - 6.3
21. 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...
1. La La Land (2016) - 9 2. Whiplash (2014) - 8 3. First Man (2018) - 8 4. Babylon (2022) - 8
22. Yorgos Lanthimos
Director | The Lobster
Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens, Greece. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. He has directed a number of dance videos in collaboration with Greek choreographers, in addition to TV commercials, music videos, short films and theater plays. Kinetta,...
1. Dogtooth (2009) - 8 2. Poor Things (2023) - 8 3. The Lobster (2015) - 8 4. The Favourite (2018) - 8
23. 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), ...
1. Incendies (2010) - 9
2. Dune: Part Two (2024) - 8
3. Dune (2021) - 8
4. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - 8
5. Prisoners (2013) - 8
6. Arrival (2016) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Maelstrom (2000) - 6.9
24. 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 ...
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 10
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - (2002) - 10
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - 10
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - 8
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - 8
6. Braindead (1992) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Forgotten Silver (1995) - 7.6
25. 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 ...
1. The Pianist (2002) - 10
2. Chinatown (1974) - 9
3. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - 8
4. Repulsion (1965) - 8
5. The Tenant (1976) - 8
6. Frantic (1988) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Knife in the Water (1962) - 7.6
2. Macbeth (1971) - 7.5
3. An Officer and a Spy (2019) - 7.3
4. Death and the Maiden (1994) - 7.3
5. Tess (1979) - 7.3
6. Cul-de-sac (1966) - 7.2
7. Venus in Fur (2013) - 7.2
8. Bitter Moon (1992) - 7.1
9. Oliver Twist (2005) - 6.9
10. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "Cinéma Erotique") - 6.8
11. Pirates (1986) - 6.1
26. 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 ...
1. Requiem for a Dream (2000) - 10 2. Black Swan (2010) - 9 3. mother! (2017) - 8 4. The Wrestler (2008) - 8 5. Pi (1998) - 8
27. 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 ...
1. City Lights (1931) - 9
2. The Great Dictator (1940) - 9
3. Modern Times (1936) - 8
4. The Circus (1928) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Limelight (1952) - 8.1
2. Monsieur Verdoux (1947) - 8.0
3. Shoulder Arms (1918) - 7.3
28. 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 ...
1. Blade Runner (1982) - 9
2. Gladiator (2000) - 9
3. Alien (1979) - 9
4. American Gangster (2007) - 8
Watchlist:
1. All the Invisible Children (2005) (segment "Jonathan") - 7.6
2. All the Money in the World (2017) - 6.8
3. White Squall (1996) - 6.6
4. Black Rain (1989) - 6.6
29. 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 ...
1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) - 9
2. Heat (1995) - 9
3. The Insider (1999) - 8
4. Manhunter (1986) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Jericho Mile (1979) - 7.5
2. Thief (1981) - 7.4
30. 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-...
1. American Beauty (1999) - 10
2. 1917 (2019) - 9
3. Road to Perdition (2002) - 8
4. Revolutionary Road (2008) - 8
5. Jarhead (2005) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Away We Go (2009) - 7.1
31. 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 ...
1. Brazil (1985) - 10 2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - 9 3. Twelve Monkeys (1995) - 8 4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - 8
32. 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 ...
1. 12 Angry Men (1957) - 10
2. Network (1976) - 8
3. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - 8
4. Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - 8
5. The Hill (1965) - 8
6. Serpico (1973) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Fail-Safe (1964) - 8.0
2. The Verdict (1982) - 7.8
3. The Pawnbroker (1964) - 7.8
4. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) - 7.8
5. Running on Empty (1988) - 7.7
6. Prince of the City (1981) - 7.5
7. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) - 7.3
33. 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 ...
1. Edward Scissorhands (1990) - 9
2. Ed Wood (1994) - 8
3. Batman (1989) - 8
4. Big Fish (2003) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - 7.0
2. Hansel and Gretel (1982) - 7.0
34. Steve McQueen
Director | 12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen was born on October 9, 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.
1. 12 Years a Slave (2013) - 9 2. Hunger (2008) - 8 3. Shame (2011) - 8
35. Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Director | Un long dimanche de fiançailles
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a self-taught director who was very quickly interested by cinema, with a predilection for a fantastic cinema where form is as important as the subject. Thus he started directing TV commercials and video clips (such as Julien Clerc in 1984). At the same time he met designer/...
1. Amélie (2001) - 9
2. The City of Lost Children (1995) - 8
3. A Very Long Engagement (2004) - 8
4. Delicatessen (1991) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013) - 7.1
36. 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 ...
1. JFK (1991) - 9
2. Platoon (1986) - 9
3. Born on the Fourth of July (1989) - 8
4. The Doors (1991) - 8
5. U Turn (1997) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Salvador (1986) - 7.5
2. Wall Street (1987) - 7.4
3. Talk Radio (1988) - 7.3
4. Nixon (1995) - 7.1
5. Any Given Sunday (1999) - 6.8
6. Heaven & Earth (1993) - 6.8
7. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) - 6.3
37. 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 ...
1. Unforgiven (1992) - 9
2. Changeling (2008) - 8
3. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - 8
4. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Bridges of Madison County (1995) - 7.5
2. Bird (1988) - 7.2
3. The Mule (2018) - 7.0
4. Breezy (1973) - 7.0
5. Play Misty for Me (1971) - 7.0
6. Jersey Boys (2014) - 6.9
7. Heartbreak Ridge (1986) - 6.8
8. Absolute Power (1997) - 6.7
9. White Hunter Black Heart (1990) - 6.7
10. True Crime (1999) - 6.6
11. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) - 6.6
12. Sudden Impact (1983) - 6.6
13. Honkytonk Man (1982) - 6.6
38. 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,...
1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) - 9
2. The Maltese Falcon (1941) - 8
3. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Key Largo (1948) - 7.8
2. The African Queen (1951) - 7.7
3. Prizzi's Honor (1985) - 6.7
39. 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 ...
1. Spirited Away (2001) - 9 2. Princess Mononoke (1997) - 8 3. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - 8
40. 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 ...
1. Forrest Gump (1994) - 10
2. Back to the Future (1985) - 8
3. Back to the Future Part II (1989) - 8
4. Cast Away (2000) - 8
5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Tales from the Crypt: And All Through the House (1989) (S01E02) - 7.9
2. Amazing Stories: Go to the Head of the Class (1986) (S02E08) - 7.8
3. Tales from the Crypt: You, Murderer (1995) (S06E15) - 7.6
4. Tales from the Crypt: Yellow (1991) (S03E14) - 7.6
5. I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) - 6.9
6. Used Cars (1980) - 6.8
7. What Lies Beneath (2000) - 6.6
41. 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 ...
1. Captain Phillips (2013) - 9 2. United 93 (2006) - 8 3. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - 8
42. Spike Lee
Director | Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...
1. 25th Hour (2002) - 9
2. Do the Right Thing (1989) - 8
3. Summer of Sam (1999) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Freak (1998) - 8.1
2. All the Invisible Children (2005) (segment "Jesus Children of America") - 7.6
3. Crooklyn (1994) - 6.9
4. Lumière and Company (1995) - 6.9
5. Get on the Bus (1996) - 6.8
6. Da 5 Bloods (2020) - 6.5
43. 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 ...
1. Dogville (2003) - 10
2. Breaking the Waves (1996) - 8
3. Dancer in the Dark (2000) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Europa (1991) - 7.7
2. Medea (1988) - 7.2
3. The Element of Crime (1984) - 6.9
4. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "Occupations") - 6.8
44. Franklin J. Schaffner
Director | Planet of the Apes
Franklin J. Schaffner was one of the most innovative creative minds in the early days of American network television, utilizing a moving camera in the days when most television directors kept the camera static. His eye for visuals was developed in the dozens of live television programs he directed ...
1. Papillon (1973) - 9
2. Patton (1970) - 9
3. Planet of the Apes (1968) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Boys from Brazil (1978) - 7.0
45. Billy Wilder
Writer | The Apartment
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 ...
1. Sunset Blvd. (1950) - 9
2. Some Like It Hot (1959) - 8
3. Double Indemnity (1944) - 8
4. Ace in the Hole (1951) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - 8.4
2. One, Two, Three (1961) - 8.0
3. The Lost Weekend (1945) - 8.0
4. Sabrina (1954) - 7.7
5. The Major and the Minor (1942) - 7.6
6. A Foreign Affair (1948) - 7.5
7. Five Graves to Cairo (1943) - 7.5
46. 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 ...
1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - 10
2. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - 8
3. It Happened One Night (1934) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - 8.1
2. You Can't Take It With You (1938) - 8.0
3. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - 8.0
4. Lost Horizon (1937) - 7.8
5. Meet John Doe (1941) - 7.7
47. Howard Hawks
Director | Red River
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...
1. The Big Sleep (1946) - 8
2. Rio Bravo (1959) - 8
3. Scarface (1932) - 8
Watchlist:
1. His Girl Friday (1940) - 7.9
2. Bringing Up Baby (1938) - 7.9
3. Red River (1948) - 7.8
4. To Have and Have Not (1944) - 7.8
5. Ball of Fire (1941) - 7.8
6. Sergeant York (1941) - 7.7
7. Only Angels Have Wings (1939) - 7.7
8. El Dorado (1967) - 7.6
48. 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 ...
1. On the Waterfront (1954) - 8
2. East of Eden (1955) - 8
3. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - 8
Watchlist:
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - 8.2
2. A Face in the Crowd (1957) - 8.2
3. America America (1963) - 7.9
4. Splendor in the Grass (1961) - 7.8
5. Wild River (1960) - 7.7
49. 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 ...
1. The Thing (1982) - 8
2. Halloween (1978) - 8
3. Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Masters of Horror: John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005) (S01E08) - 7.7
2. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) - 7.4
3. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - 7.2
4. Elvis (1979) - 7.1
5. Starman (1984) - 7.0
6. The Fog (1980) - 6.8
7. Someone's Watching Me! (1978) - 6.8
8. Prince of Darkness (1987) - 6.7
9. Christine (1983) - 6.7
10. Dark Star (1974) - 6.5
11. Body Bags (1993) (segments "The Gas Station", "Hair") - 6.2
12. Vampires (1998) - 6.1
13. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) - 6.0
14. Escape from L.A. (1996) - 5.7
50. 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 ...
1. Rush (2013) - 8
2. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - 8
3. Willow (1988) - 8
4. Cinderella Man (2005) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Parenthood (1989) - 7.0
2. The Paper (1994) - 6.6
3. Cocoon (1985) - 6.6
4. The Missing (2003) - 6.5
5. Far and Away (1992) - 6.5
6. Night Shift (1982) - 6.5
51. 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 ...
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - 9
2. The Green Mile (1999) - 9
3. The Mist (2007) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Majestic (2001) - 6.9
52. Zack Snyder
Director | 300
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...
1. 300 (2006) - 9 2. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - 8 3. Watchmen (2009) - 8
53. 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 ...
1. The Princess Bride (1987) - 9
2. Stand by Me (1986) - 8
3. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Spinal Tap: The Final Tour (1998) (short) - 8.2
2. The Sure Thing (1985) - 7.0
3. The American President (1995) - 6.8
54. 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.
1. Die Hard (1988) - 9
2. Predator (1987) - 8
3. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - 6.8
2. Basic (2003) - 6.5
55. Matt Reeves
Producer | The Batman
Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...
1. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - 8 2. Cloverfield (2008) - 8 3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - 8
56. Martin McDonagh
Writer | In Bruges
Martin McDonagh was born on March 26, 1970 in Camberwell, London, England, UK. He is a writer and director, known for In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - 8 2. In Bruges (2008) - 8 3. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - 8
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 ...
1. Total Recall (1990) - 8
2. Starship Troopers (1997) - 8
3. RoboCop (1987) - 8
4. Flesh+Blood (1985) 8
Watchlist:
1. Soldier of Orange (1977) - 7.8
2. The Fourth Man (1983) - 7.3
3. Turkish Delight (1973) - 7.1
4. Elle (2016) - 7.1
5. Basic Instinct (1992) - 6.9
6. Showgirls (1995) - 4.6
58. John Boorman
Producer | Hope and Glory
John Boorman attended Catholic school (Salesian Order) although his family was not, in fact, Roman Catholic. His first job was for a dry-cleaner. Later, he worked as a critic for a women's journal and for a radio station until he entered the television business, working for the BBC in Bristol. ...
1. Deliverance (1972) - 8
2. Point Blank (1967) - 8
3. Excalibur (1981) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The General (1998) - 7.3
2. Hope and Glory (1987) - 7.3
3. Lumière and Company (1995) - 6.9
4. The Emerald Forest (1985) - 6.9
5. Zardoz (1974) - 5.9
59. 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 ...
1. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - 8
2. The Fighter (2010) - 8
3. American Hustle (2013) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Flirting with Disaster (1996) - 6.8
60. 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 ...
1. Finding Nemo (2003) - 8 2. Toy Story 3 (2010) - 8 3. Toy Story 2 (1999) - 8
61. J.J. Abrams
Producer | Lost
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990)....
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - 8 2. Star Trek (2009) - 8 3. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - 8
62. 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 ...
1. Midnight Express (1978) - 8
2. Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) - 8
3. Angel Heart (1987) - 8
Watchlist:
1. The Commitments (1991) - 7.6
2. Angela's Ashes (1999) - 7.3
3. Birdy (1984) - 7.3
4. Shoot the Moon (1982) - 7.0
5. Bugsy Malone (1976) - 6.9
7. Evita (1996) - 6.3
63. Robert Rodriguez
Producer | El mariachi
Robert Anthony Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA, to Rebecca (Villegas), a nurse, and Cecilio G. Rodríguez, a salesman. His family is of Mexican descent.
Of all the people to be amazed by the images of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi parable, Escape from New York (1981), none ...
1. Sin City (2005) - 9
2. Planet Terror (2007) - 8
3. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - 8
Watchlist:
1. El mariachi (1992) - 6.9
2. Roadracers (1994) - 6.7
64. Matthew Vaughn
Producer | Kick-Ass
Matthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director. He is known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) and for directing the crime thriller, Layer Cake (2004), the fantasy epic, Stardust (2007), the superhero comedy, Kick-Ass (2010), and the ...
1. Kick-Ass (2010) - 9 2. X-Men: First Class (2011) - 8 3. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) - 8
65. Lana Wachowski
Writer | The Matrix
Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight ...
& Lilly Wachowski
1. The Matrix (1999) - 10
2. Bound (1996) - 8
3. Cloud Atlas (2012) - 8
4. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - 8
5. The Matrix Revolutions (2003) - 8
66. Robert Aldrich
Director | Emperor of the North Pole
Robert Aldrich entered the film industry in 1941 when he got a job as a production clerk at RKO Radio Pictures. He soon worked his way up to script clerk, then became an assistant director, a production manager and an associate producer. He began writing and directing for TV series in the early ...
1. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) - 8
2. The Dirty Dozen (1967) - 8
3. Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - 8
Watchlist:
1. Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) - 7.7
2. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) - 7.6
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