Top 30 Directors
by rmgallerani | created - 17 May 2011 | updated - 01 Jul 2012 | PublicThis is not a list of the 30 greatest directors of all time. These are just my personal favorites. Honorable mentions include Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Sam Mendes, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Kevin Smith, Terrence Malick, Milos Forman, Roman Polanski, Sergio Leone, William Friedkin and John Hughes.
1. 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...
The Best: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Inglorious Basterds
The Undervalued: Jackie Brown
The Worst: Death Proof (Which is actually okay)
2. 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, ...
The Best: Saving Private Ryan, Jaws, Jurassic Park
The Undervalued: Hook
The Worst: 1941
3. 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 ...
The Best: Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink
The Undervalued: The Man Who Wasn't There
The Worst: Intolerable Cruelty
4. 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 ...
The Best: Inception, The Dark Knight, Memento
The Undervalued: Insomnia
The Worst: Following (Which is pretty good)
5. Martin Scorsese
Producer | Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later ...
The Best: The Departed, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver
The Undervalued: Bringing Out the Dead, Shutter Island
The Worst: New York, New York
6. 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...
The Best: Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network
The Undervalued: The Game
The Worst: Alien 3
7. 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 ...
The Best: Alien, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down
The Undervalued: Hannibal
The Worst: A Good Year
8. 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 ...
The Best: Platoon, Wall Street, JFK
The Undervalued: Natural Born Killers
The Worst: Alexander
9. 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 ...
The Best: Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, The Shining
The Undervalued: The Killing
The Worst: 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. 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 ...
The Best: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 12 Monkeys, Brazil
The Undervalued: The Fisher King
The Worst: Tideland
11. 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 ...
The Best: The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The Undervalued: Bottle Rocket
The Worst: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (decent)
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...
The Best: There Will be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights
The Undervalued: Punch-Drunk Love
The Worst: Hard Eight (Good movie, btw).
13. 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 ...
The Best: Aliens, Terminator 2, Avatar
The Undervalued: The Abyss
The Worst: Pirahna II: The Spawning
14. 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 ...
The Best: Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire
The Undervalued: Shallow Grave, Sunshine
The Worst: The Beach
15. 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 ...
The Best: Mystic River, Unforgiven, Letters from Iwo Jima
The Undervalued: Space Cowboys
The Worst: Breezy
16. 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 Best: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, Heavenly Creatures
The Undervalued: Bad Taste
The Worst: Meet the Feebles
17. David Cronenberg
Actor | The Fly
David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early...
The Best: A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, The Fly
The Undervalued: Spider
The Worst: Fast Company
18. 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 ...
The Best: Psycho, North by Northwest, Rear Window
The Undervalued: Rope, The 39 Steps
The Worst: Topaz
19. Michael Mann
Producer | The Insider
As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...
The Best: Collateral, Heat, The Insider
The Undervalued: Ali, Public Enemies
The Worst: The Keep
20. 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 ...
The Best: Traffic, Ocean's 11, Out of Sight
The Undervalued: Solaris, The Informant!
The Worst: Full Frontal
21. 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 ...
The Best: Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands
The Undervalued: Big Fish
The Worst: Planet of the Apes
22. 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 Best: The Godfather part I, The Godfather part II, Apocalypse Now
The Undervalued: The Outsiders, The Rainmaker
The Worst: Jack
23. 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 ...
The Best: The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, A Few Good Men
The Undervalued: Ghosts of Mississippi
The Worst: North
24. 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 ...
The Best: Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The Undervalued: Contact
The Worst: Death Becomes Her
25. 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 ...
The Best: 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Undervalued: Q & A, Running on Empty
The Worst: The Wiz
26. 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 ...
The Best: Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13
The Undervalued: Willow
The Worst: How The Grinch Stole Christmas
27. Peter Weir
Director | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Peter Weir was born on August 21, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Way Back (2010) and Witness (1985). He has been married to Wendy Stites since 1966. They have two children.
The Best: Dead Poet's Society, The Truman Show, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The Undervalued: Fearless
The Worst: The Cars That Ate Paris
28. Sam Raimi
Director | Spider-Man
Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making ...
The Best: Spider-Man 2, A Simple Plan, Evil Dead II
The Undervalued: Army of Darkness, The Quick and the Dead
The Worst: For Love of the Game
29. 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 ...
The Best: The Untouchables, Scarface, Carlito's Way
The Undervalued: Mission: Impossible
The Worst: The Bonfire of the Vanities
30. 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 ...
The Best: The Thing, Halloween, Escape From New York
The Undervalued: The Fog, In the Mouth of Madness
The Worst: Ghosts of Mars
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