The 50 Greatest Directors of All Time
Filmsite.org‘s Tim Dirks spotlights the top 50 directors in Hollywood history. Which one is your favorite?
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1Alfred Hitchcock
A master of suspense and gallows humor, he turned out classic after classic, including Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds.493530291
A master of suspense and gallows humor, he turned out classic after classic, including Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds.493530291
2Charlie Chaplin
He was a genius of silent comedy and one of its first stars. The Tramp and Modern Times are still comic icons.359214158
He was a genius of silent comedy and one of its first stars. The Tramp and Modern Times are still comic icons.359214158
3Orson Welles
Larger than life, he debuted with the dazzling Citizen Kane, then he saw studios hack up The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil.312012718
Larger than life, he debuted with the dazzling Citizen Kane, then he saw studios hack up The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil.312012718
4Stanley Kubrick
He made science trippy in 2001, Cold War politics slapstick in Dr. Strangelove, and Roman slaves au courant in Spartacus.297530669
He made science trippy in 2001, Cold War politics slapstick in Dr. Strangelove, and Roman slaves au courant in Spartacus.297530669
5Woody Allen
In Sleeper, Annie Hall, and Manhattan, he invited moviegoers to laugh at urban neurotics, then got serious in Interiors.289910055
In Sleeper, Annie Hall, and Manhattan, he invited moviegoers to laugh at urban neurotics, then got serious in Interiors.289910055
6John Ford
The quintessential Westerner, he made icons of Monument Valley and John Wayne in the classics Stagecoach and The Searchers.25047122
The quintessential Westerner, he made icons of Monument Valley and John Wayne in the classics Stagecoach and The Searchers.25047122
7Frank Capra
Sentimental but not sappy, his best movies (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life) wrap dark themes in happy endings.24646434
Sentimental but not sappy, his best movies (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life) wrap dark themes in happy endings.24646434
8Billy Wilder
His wit and unflinching eye for hypocrisy produced Sunset Blvd. and Ace in the Hole along with the gender-bending Some Like It Hot.24546888
His wit and unflinching eye for hypocrisy produced Sunset Blvd. and Ace in the Hole along with the gender-bending Some Like It Hot.24546888
9Martin Scorsese
You talkin' to him? No one captures alienated men on the edge the way he's done in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Departed.226919005
You talkin' to him? No one captures alienated men on the edge the way he's done in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Departed.226919005
10Francis Ford Coppola
Part of the first generation of film-school directors, he went from Dementia 13 to epics (The Godfather) and small gems (Rumble Fish).213011808
Part of the first generation of film-school directors, he went from Dementia 13 to epics (The Godfather) and small gems (Rumble Fish).213011808
11Roman Polanski
In Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, this international moviemaker probed dark passions and destructive desires.20827432
In Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, this international moviemaker probed dark passions and destructive desires.20827432
12David Lean
From Lawrence of Arabia to Doctor Zhivago, his movies proved that no desert is as deep or wide as the landscape of the human heart.202510743
From Lawrence of Arabia to Doctor Zhivago, his movies proved that no desert is as deep or wide as the landscape of the human heart.202510743
13Steven Spielberg
He reworked the genre crowd-pleasers of his youth into the modern blockbusters Jaws, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark.195522557
He reworked the genre crowd-pleasers of his youth into the modern blockbusters Jaws, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark.195522557
14William Wyler
His elegant storytelling made dramas (The Best Years of Our Lives), romances (Roman Holiday), and epics (Ben-Hur) sparkle.18014915
His elegant storytelling made dramas (The Best Years of Our Lives), romances (Roman Holiday), and epics (Ben-Hur) sparkle.18014915
15Howard Hawks
Funny, tough, and funny-tough, he went from Scarface to His Girl Friday and from To Have and Have Not to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.17514909
Funny, tough, and funny-tough, he went from Scarface to His Girl Friday and from To Have and Have Not to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.17514909
16Quentin Tarantino
A brilliant pop-culture collagist, he thrilled movie lovers with Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and the Kill Bill series.173618120
A brilliant pop-culture collagist, he thrilled movie lovers with Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and the Kill Bill series.173618120
17John Huston
Artistic, macho, and intellectual, Huston had a career spanning four decades, from The Maltese Falcon to Prizzi's Honor.16545210
Artistic, macho, and intellectual, Huston had a career spanning four decades, from The Maltese Falcon to Prizzi's Honor.16545210
18Elia Kazan
In A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, this controversial director made gritty psychological dramas with resonance.12995203
In A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, this controversial director made gritty psychological dramas with resonance.12995203
19Fritz Lang
Metropolis still defines the future, and thrillers like The Woman in the Window and The Big Heat probed America's past.12004482
Metropolis still defines the future, and thrillers like The Woman in the Window and The Big Heat probed America's past.12004482
20George Cukor
Wit and class distinguish his sophisticated pictures, which star Katharine and Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo.10393689
Wit and class distinguish his sophisticated pictures, which star Katharine and Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo.10393689
21John Cassavetes
An actor turned pioneering moviemaker, he paved the way for cinema verite with Shadows and A Woman Under the Influence.9423796
An actor turned pioneering moviemaker, he paved the way for cinema verite with Shadows and A Woman Under the Influence.9423796
22Mike Nichols
Trained in improv theater, he specializes in character-driven comedies and dramas -- The Graduate, Silkwood, and Closer.9213719
Trained in improv theater, he specializes in character-driven comedies and dramas -- The Graduate, Silkwood, and Closer.9213719
23Mel Brooks
Never sacrificing a laugh to good taste, Brooks made the sublimely rude Blazing Saddles, Producers, and Young Frankenstein.9095229
Never sacrificing a laugh to good taste, Brooks made the sublimely rude Blazing Saddles, Producers, and Young Frankenstein.9095229
24Robert Altman
Countercultural attitudes, intersecting stories, and overlapping dialogue distinguish his movies, notably MASH and Nashville.9084170
Countercultural attitudes, intersecting stories, and overlapping dialogue distinguish his movies, notably MASH and Nashville.9084170
25Preston Sturges
His witty, sophisticated comedies -- The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story -- are still sharply funny, six decades later.9083574
His witty, sophisticated comedies -- The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story -- are still sharply funny, six decades later.9083574
26David Lynch
His nightmarish Eraserhead paved the way for increasingly surreal movies in mainstream-thriller guises, from Blue Velvet to Mulholland Dr.8497081
His nightmarish Eraserhead paved the way for increasingly surreal movies in mainstream-thriller guises, from Blue Velvet to Mulholland Dr.8497081
27Clint Eastwood
The TV actor turned spaghetti-Western star became an A-list director with Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.82014750
The TV actor turned spaghetti-Western star became an A-list director with Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.82014750
28Tim Burton
Inspired by Halloween and Johnny Depp, this visual stylist made Beetle Juice, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.8127564
Inspired by Halloween and Johnny Depp, this visual stylist made Beetle Juice, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.8127564
29Cecil B. DeMille
He was the first master of big-budget event movies, with two Ten Commandments films and The Greatest Show on Earth.7463736
He was the first master of big-budget event movies, with two Ten Commandments films and The Greatest Show on Earth.7463736
30Ridley Scott
A TV-commercial star turned stylish auteur, he made the cool, slick Alien, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise.72610416
A TV-commercial star turned stylish auteur, he made the cool, slick Alien, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise.72610416
31Joseph L. Mankiewicz
From the weepie A Letter to Three Wives to the bitch-fest All About Eve, his movies are articulate and wickedly entertaining.7213251
From the weepie A Letter to Three Wives to the bitch-fest All About Eve, his movies are articulate and wickedly entertaining.7213251
32Brian De Palma
A seventies film-school prodigy, he made Carrie and Scarface but specialized in Hitchcockian thrillers like Dressed to Kill and Body Double.7174625
A seventies film-school prodigy, he made Carrie and Scarface but specialized in Hitchcockian thrillers like Dressed to Kill and Body Double.7174625
33D.W. Griffith
The father of modern moviemaking, he pioneered film language in such milestones as The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance.7073885
The father of modern moviemaking, he pioneered film language in such milestones as The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance.7073885
34Arthur Penn
After the Freudian Western The Left Handed Gun, he made New Hollywood classics Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, and Night Moves.6993341
After the Freudian Western The Left Handed Gun, he made New Hollywood classics Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, and Night Moves.6993341
35Joel Coen
Joel and Ethan Coen are smart alecks with heart, combining dark humor, violence, and potent themes in movies like Fargo and True Grit.6978409
Joel and Ethan Coen are smart alecks with heart, combining dark humor, violence, and potent themes in movies like Fargo and True Grit.6978409
36Michael Curtiz
He made Casablanca and Elvis Presley's King Creole, along with dozens of movies in every genre, from action to horror to melodrama.6503292
He made Casablanca and Elvis Presley's King Creole, along with dozens of movies in every genre, from action to horror to melodrama.6503292
37Vincente Minnelli
He dissected show business in both musicals (An American in Paris) and melodramas (The Bad and the Beautiful).6453517
He dissected show business in both musicals (An American in Paris) and melodramas (The Bad and the Beautiful).6453517
38Ernst Lubitsch
Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not to Be have a unique Continental style that defies remaking.6203248
Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not to Be have a unique Continental style that defies remaking.6203248
39Michael Powell
The U.K. screenwriter-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger made popular art movies like Black Narcissus and Peeping Tom.5863636
The U.K. screenwriter-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger made popular art movies like Black Narcissus and Peeping Tom.5863636
40Douglas Sirk
He brought a European darkness to the American melodramas Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, and Imitation of Life.5623468
He brought a European darkness to the American melodramas Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, and Imitation of Life.5623468
41Robert Zemeckis
He used new technologies to seamlessly combine reality and fantasy in movies like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.4404694
He used new technologies to seamlessly combine reality and fantasy in movies like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.4404694
42Peter Jackson
This New Zealand-born movie buff started small with the low-budget Bad Taste and worked his way up to the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy.3678067
This New Zealand-born movie buff started small with the low-budget Bad Taste and worked his way up to the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy.3678067
43Spike Lee
This African-American filmmaker provoked discussion via Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Summer of Sam.3166420
This African-American filmmaker provoked discussion via Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Summer of Sam.3166420
44Terrence Malick
Malick's brooding, intellectual anti-Hollywood masterpieces include Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The Thin Red Line.2204476
Malick's brooding, intellectual anti-Hollywood masterpieces include Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The Thin Red Line.2204476
45Otto Preminger
After the film noir Laura, he challenged movie censors with drug abuse, in The Man With the Golden Arm, and rape, in Anatomy of a Murder.873217
After the film noir Laura, he challenged movie censors with drug abuse, in The Man With the Golden Arm, and rape, in Anatomy of a Murder.873217
46George Lucas
Not only did he create the Star Wars mythos, but he drove the development of widely used sound and special-effects technology.727020
Not only did he create the Star Wars mythos, but he drove the development of widely used sound and special-effects technology.727020
47James Cameron
He escaped the low-budget likes of Piranha Part Two to make the sci-fi spectacles Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar.209542
He escaped the low-budget likes of Piranha Part Two to make the sci-fi spectacles Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar.209542
48Oliver Stone
Provocative, bombastic, and politically contrarian, he's courted controversy in Midnight Express, Natural Born Killers, and JFK.-6395505
Provocative, bombastic, and politically contrarian, he's courted controversy in Midnight Express, Natural Born Killers, and JFK.-6395505
49Sam Peckinpah
He upped onscreen violence in his controversial Westerns and dramas, including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.-6643628
He upped onscreen violence in his controversial Westerns and dramas, including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.-6643628
50Sam Raimi
The cult-movie king from Michigan gave us the Evil Dead trilogy (and Bruce Campbell), A Simple Plan, and the blockbuster Spider-Man movies.-6914705
The cult-movie king from Michigan gave us the Evil Dead trilogy (and Bruce Campbell), A Simple Plan, and the blockbuster Spider-Man movies.-6914705
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