Top Directors

1. Damien Chazelle

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...

8.6 La La Land: 10/10 First Man: 8/10 Whiplash: 8/10

2. Tom Hooper

Director | Cats

Tom Hooper was educated at one of England's most prestigious schools, Westminster. His first film, Runaway Dog, was made when he was 13 years old and shot on a Clockwork 16mm Bolex camera, using 100 feet of film. At age 18, he wrote, directed and produced the short film Painted Faces (1992), which ...

8.5 The King's Speech: 7/10 Lés Misérables: 10/10

3. 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 ...

8.5 Birdman: 10/10 The Revenant: 7/10

4. J.A. Bayona

Director | La sociedad de la nieve

Juan Antonio García Bayona is a Spanish film director. He directed the 2007 horror film The Orphanage, the 2012 drama film The Impossible, and the 2016 fantasy drama film A Monster Calls. Bayona's latest film is the 2018 science fiction adventure film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the fifth ...

8.5 Lo imposible: 9/10 A Monster Calls: 8/10

5. Rian Johnson

Producer | Knives Out

Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...

8.5 Looper: 9/10 Knives Out: 8/10

6. Cameron Crowe

Writer | Almost Famous

Certainly idiosyncratic as a writer, Cameron Crowe has created a series of scripts that, while liked by the critics, were considered offbeat and difficult to market.

Cameron Bruce Crowe was born in Palm Springs, California, to Alice Marie Crowe (née George), a teacher and activist, and James A. ...

8.3 Vanilla Sky: 10/10 We bought a Zoo: 9/10 Almost Famous: 9/10 Jerry Maguire: 8/10 Aloha: 6/10 Singles: 8/10

7. Zal Batmanglij

Writer | The East

Zal Batmanglij was born on April 28, 1981. He is a writer and producer, known for The East (2013), Sound of My Voice (2011) and The OA (2016).

8.3 The East: 8/10 Sound of My Voice: 7/10 The OA: 10/10

8. 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), ...

8.16 Prisoners: 8/10 Sicario: 8/10 Arrival: 8/10 Enemy: 9/10 Blade Runner 2049: 9/10 Dune: Part One: 7/10

9. 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 ...

8.0 Let Me In: 9/10 Cloverfield: 9/10 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: 7/10 The Batman: 7/10

10. Nacho Vigalondo

Writer | Los cronocrímenes

Nacho Vigalondo was born in 1977 in Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria, Spain. He is a writer and actor, known for Timecrimes (2007), Colossal (2016) and Extraterrestrial (2011).

8.0 Los cronocrímenes: 8/10 Colossal: 9/10 Open Windows: 7/10

11. Neill Blomkamp

Director | District 9

Neill Blomkamp is a South African-Canadian film director and screenwriter who is known for the science fiction films District 9, Elysium and Chappie. He also directed the supernatural horror film Demonic and the 2007 short film Halo: Landfall, based on the Microsoft science fiction video game ...

8.0 District 9: 10/10 Elysium: 7/10 Chappie: 7/10

12. Justin Chadwick

Director | Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Justin Chadwick was born on December 1, 1968 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK. He is a director and actor, known for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), The First Grader (2010) and Bleak House (2005).

8.0 The Other Boleyn Girl: 7/10 The First Grader: 9/10

13. James Watkins

Director | Eden Lake

James Watkins was born in 1978 in the UK. He is a director and writer, known for Eden Lake (2008), Bastille Day (2016) and McMafia (2018).

8.0 The Woman In Black: 9/10 Eden Lake: 7/10

14. Tom Tykwer

Writer | Lola rennt

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

8.0 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: 8/10 Cloud Atlas: 8/10

15. Mike Cahill

Editor | Another Earth

Mike Cahill was born on July 5, 1979 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He is an editor and director, known for Another Earth (2011), I Origins (2014) and Boxers and Ballerinas (2004).

8.0 Another Earth: 9/10 I Origins: 7/10

16. Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer | The Neon Demon

Writer, director, and producer Nicolas Winding Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1970, to Anders Refn, a film director and editor, and Vibeke Winding (née Tuxen), a cinematographer. Just before he turned 11, in 1981, he moved to New York with his parents, where he lived out his teen years. ...

8.0 Drive: 10/10 The Neon Demon: 6/10

17. 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 ...

7.8 Inception: 10/10 Memento: 8/10 Batman Begins: 8/10 The Dark Knight: 7/10 The Dark Knight Rises: 6/10 The Prestige: 9/10 Interstellar: 9/10 Tenet: 6/10

18. 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...

7.8 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 10/10 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: 10/10 The Social Network: 7/10 The Game: 7/10 Alien 3: 6/10 Se7en: 7/10

19. 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 ...

7.8 The Fighter: 7/10 Silver Linings Playbook: 8/10 American Hustle: 7/10 Joy: 9/10

20. Mike Flanagan

Writer | The Fall of the House of Usher

Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor. He entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix from 2018-2022), and has made feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Netflix and more. ...

7.8 Oculus: 9/10 Ouija: Origin of Evil: 7/10 Hush: 8/10 Doctor Sleep: 7/10

21. Kelly Reichardt

Director | Wendy and Lucy

Kelly Reichardt was born and raised in Miami-Dade Country, Florida, to a family of police officers. She had an interest in photography from a very young age. She started by using her father's camera, which he used for photographing crime scenes. She went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in ...

7.8 Certain Woman: 8/10 Meek's Cutoff: 7/10 Night Moves: 8/10 First Cow: 8/10

22. 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 ...

7.6 Sucker Punch: 9/10 Watchmen: 8/10 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole: 8/10 300: 8/10 Dawn of the Dead: 6/10 Man Of Steel: 7/10

23. 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...

7.6 Inglourious Basterds: 8/10 Django Unchained: 7/10 Kill Bill 2: 6/10 The Hateful Eight: 10/10 Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood: 7/10

24. 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 ...

7.6 Carnage: 9/10 The Ghost Writer: 8/10 Chinatown: 6/10

25. Byron Howard

Director | Zootopia

Byron Howard was born on December 26, 1968 in Misawa, Japan. He is a director and producer, known for Zootopia (2016), Encanto (2021) and Tangled (2010).

7.6 Tangled: 9/10 Bolt: 7/10 Zootopia: 7/10 ~

26. Ben Affleck

Producer | Argo

Benjamin Géza "Ben" Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to mother Chris Anne (Boldt), a school teacher, and father Timothy Byers "Tim" Affleck, a social worker. Ben has a younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, who was born in 1975...

7.6 Argo: 9/10 The Town: 7/10 Gone Baby Gone: 7/10 ~

27. 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 ...

7.6 Where The Wild Things Are: 8/10 Being John Malkovich: 7/10 Her: 8/10

28. 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 ...

7.5 Match Point: 8/10 Vicky Cristina Barcelona: 7/10 Scoop: 8/10 Blue Jasmine: 7/10

29. 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 ...

7.5 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 8/10 Children of Men: 6/10 Gravity: 9/10 Roma: 7/10

30. Wilson Yip

Director | Ip Man

Wilson Yip is known for Ip Man (2008), Kill Zone (2005) and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019).

7.5 Yip Man: 8/10 Yip Man 2: 7/10

31. 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 ...

7.5 John Carter: 6/10 Wall-E: 9/10

32. 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).

7.5 In Bruges: 8/10 Seven Psychopaths: 7/10 ~

33. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | Zero Dark Thirty

A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...

7.5 The Hurt Locker: 7/10 Zero Dark Thirty: 8/10

34. Derek Cianfrance

Writer | Blue Valentine

Derek Cianfrance began making movies at age 13. He later attended The University of Colorado where he studied under avant-garde film legends Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. His first three films, 'Five O'clock Shadow', 'Raw Footage', and Brother Tied (1998), won consecutive Goldfarb Awards for best...

7.5 Blue Valentine: 8/10 The Place Beyond The Pines: 7/10

35. Jeff Nichols

Writer | Take Shelter

Jeff Nichols was born on December 7, 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012) and Midnight Special (2016).

7.5 Take Shelter: 8/10 Mud: 7/10

36. Stephen Daldry

Director | The Reader

In 1989, Stephen Daldry worked as a freelance reader of unsolicited manuscripts for Literary Manager Nicholas Wright in the Scripts Department at the Royal National Theatre. In July of that year, he directed a Dadaist/expressionist production of "Judgement Day," a play by Odon von Horvath, at the ...

7.5

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: 8/10 The Reader: 7/10

37. Morten Tyldum

Director | Hodejegerne

Morten Tyldum was born on May 19, 1967 in Bergen, Norway. He is a director and producer, known for Headhunters (2011), The Imitation Game (2014) and Passengers (2016).

7.5 Hodejegerne: 9/10 Passengers: 6/10

38. Garth Jennings

Director | Sing

Garth Jennings was born on March 4, 1972 in Epping, Essex, England, UK. He is a director and actor, known for Sing (2016), Son of Rambow (2007) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).

7.5 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 6/10 Sing: 9/10

39. Rupert Sanders

Director | Snow White and the Huntsman

Rupert Sanders is a British filmmaker from Westminster, London who is known for directing Snow White and the Huntsman and the live-action film based on Ghost in the Shell. He also directed The Life, an advertising campaign for Halo 3: ODST and the pilot of the Apple TV science fiction show ...

7.5 Snow White and the Huntsman: 8/10 Ghost in the Shell: 7/10

40. 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,...

7.5 The Lobster: 6/10 The Favourite: 9/10

41. Greta Gerwig

Writer | Barbie

Greta Gerwig is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and director. She has collaborated with Noah Baumbach on several films, including Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, and Mistress America (2015). Gerwig made her solo directorial debut ...

7.5 Lady Bird: 7/10 Little Woman: 8/10

42. 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 ...

7.5 Up: 8/10 Soul: 7/10

43. Pablo Larraín

Producer | No

Pablo Larraín was born in Santiago, Chile. He is a director, writer and producer, known for Spencer (2021), Jackie (2016), El Club (2015), NO (2012), among others. Together with his brother Juan de Dios Larraín, they founded Fabula in 2004, one of the most prolific production companies in Latin ...

7.5 Jackie: 8/10 Spencer: 7/10

44. David Bruckner

Director | The Night House

David Bruckner is known for The Night House (2020), The Ritual (2017) and Southbound (2015).

7.5 The Ritual: 8/10 The Night House: 7/10

45. 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 ...

7.5 Solo: A Star Wars Story: 8/10 Thirteen Lives: 7/10

46. Sofia Coppola

Actress | The Godfather Part III

Sofia Coppola was born on May 14, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA as Sofia Carmina Coppola. She is a director, known for Somewhere (2010), Lost in Translation (2003), and Marie Antoinette (2006). She has been married to Thomas Mars since August 27, 2011. They have two daughters, Romy and ...

7.33 Lost In Translation: 10/10 Somewhere: 7/10 Marie Antoinette: 7/10 The Virgin Suicides: 7/10 The Bling Ring: 7/10 The Beguiled: 6/10

47. 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 ...

7.33 Shutter Island: 10/10 Hugo: 9/10 The Aviator: 5/10 Gangs Of New York: 8/10 Silence: 4/10 The Wolf of Wall Street: 8/10

48. 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 ...

7.33 Matchstick Men: 8/10 Prometheus: 7/10 Alien: 6/10 The Martian: 7/10 Blade Runner: 8/10 The Last Duel: 8/10

49. 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 ...

7.2 Monty Python And The Holy Grail: 6/10 Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas: 8/10 Twelve Monkeys: 8/10 The Fisher King: 7/10 The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus: 7/10

50. 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 ...

7.0 Moonrise Kingdom: 8/10 Fantastic Mr. Fox: 8/10 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: 7/10 The Darjeeling Limited: 8/10 The Grand Budapest Hotel: 6/10 Isle of Dogs: 5/10

51. Joe Wright

Director | Pride & Prejudice

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

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

7.0 Hanna: 7/10 Atonement: 9/10 Pride & Prejudice: 8/10 The Soloist: 5/10 Anna Karenina: 6/10 ~

52. 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 ...

7.0 Stardust: 10/10 Kick-Ass: 6/10 X-Men: First Class: 6/10 Layer Cake: 6/10 Kingsman: The Secret Service: 7/10 ~

53. Jean-Marc Vallée

Director | C.R.A.Z.Y.

Jean-Marc Vallée was a Canadian filmmaker, editor and screenwriter from Montreal. He directed Black List, C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria, Wild, Dallas Buyers Club, Los Locos, Loser Love and Café de Flore. He also created the HBO shows Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. He was married to Chantal ...

7.0 The Young Victoria: 8/10 C.R.A.Z.Y.: 5/10 Wild: 8/10

54. 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 ...

7.0 Sin City: 8/10 Machete: 4/10 Alita: Battle Angel: 9/10

55. Paul Feig

Producer | Freaks and Geeks

Paul Feig is an American film director and writer who is known for creating Freaks and Geeks and directing Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and A Simple Favor. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy. He also directed the highly controversial 2016 reboot of ...

7.0 Bridesmaids: 7/10 The Heat: 7/10

56. Jake Schreier

Director | Robot & Frank

Jake Schreier is known for Robot & Frank (2012), Beef (2023) and Paper Towns (2015).

7.0 Robot & Frank: 7/10 Paper Towns: 7/10

57. Tate Taylor

Producer | Get on Up

Tate Taylor was born on June 3, 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Get on Up (2014), The Help (2011) and The Girl on the Train (2016).

7.0 The Help: 9/10 The Girl on the Train: 5/10

58. 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 ...

7.0 Midsommar: 8/10 Hereditary: 6/10

59. 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-...

7.0 Skyfall: 7/10 1917: 7/10

60. David Lowery

Editor | A Ghost Story

David Lowery is an American writer and director. He is best known for The Green Knight (2021), Pete's Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017) and Pioneer (2011). He has been making movies since he was seven years old, but his first work to be widely seen was the short film A Catalog Of Anticipations (...

7.0 A Ghost Story: 5/10 The Green Knight: 9/10

61. David Yates

Director | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

David Yates was born on October 8, 1963 in St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

6.8 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 7/10 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 8/10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: 8/10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: 7/10 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: 7/10 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: 4/10

62. Gore Verbinski

Director | Rango

Gore Verbinski, one of American cinema's most inventive directors who was a punk-rock guitarist as a teenager and had to sell his guitar to buy his first camera, is now the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) which made the industry record for highest opening weekend of ...

6.8 Rango: 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 7/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: 7/10 The Lone Ranger: 4/10 A Cure for Wellness: 7/10

63. 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 ...

6.8 Black Swan: 9/10 The Fountain: 7/10 The Wrestler: 7/10 Requiem for a Dream: 7/10 Mother: 4/10

64. 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...

6.8 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: 6/10 Hot Fuzz: 6/10 The World's End: 7/10 Baby Driver: 7/10 Last Night in Soho: 8/10

65. Bryan Singer

Director | X-Men

Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....

6.8 X-Men: 7 X2: 7 Jack The Giant Slayer: 5/10 Bohemian Rhapsody: 8/10

66. Scott Derrickson

Producer | The Black Phone

Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker who is known for directing horror films such as Deliver Us from Evil, Hellraiser: Inferno, Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He also directed the superhero film Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He decided not to direct Doctor Strange in ...

6.8 The Exorcism of Emily Rose: 9/10 Sinister: 7/10 Deliver Us From Evil: 4/10 Doctor Strange: 7/10 The Black Phone: 7/10

67. Rich Moore

Director | Wreck-It Ralph

Rich Moore was born on May 10, 1963 in Oxnard, California, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

6.7 Wreck-It Ralph: 7/10 Zootopia: 7/10 Ralph Breaks the Internet: 6/10

68. Neil Burger

Director | Divergent

Neil Burger is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Most recently, he wrote and directed Voyagers (2021), starring Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, and Lily-Rose Depp. He is also known for The Upside (2017), Divergent (2014), Limitless (2011), and The Illusionist (2006). For ...

6.7 Limitless: 8/10 The Illusionist: 6/10 Divergent: 6/10

69. 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 ...

6.7 Invictus: 6/10 Letters From Iwo Jima: 8/10 Flags Of Our Fathers: 6/10 Changeling: 7/10

70. Jonathan Levine

Director | 50/50

Jonathan Levine was born on June 18, 1976. He is a producer and director, known for 50/50 (2011), The Wackness (2008) and Warm Bodies (2013).

6.7 50/50: 8/10 The Wackness: 6/10 Warm Bodies: 6/10

71. Jake Kasdan

Producer | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Jake Kasdan was born on October 28, 1974 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and Zero Effect (1998).

6.7 Bad Teacher: 5/10 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: 8/10 Jumanji: The Next Level: 7/10

72. 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...

6.7 A Dangerous Method: 5/10 eXistenZ: 8/10 Crimes of the Future: 7/10

73. Len Wiseman

Writer | Underworld

Filmmaker Len Wiseman's career began through his work in the art department on the blockbuster hits like Godzilla (1998), Men in Black (1997), and Independence Day (1996). His design talents soon got him behind the camera directing commercials for PlayStation, Time Warner, Oracle, Intel, and ...

6.5 Underworld: Evolution: 7/10 Underworld: 6/10

74. 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.

6.5 Hunger: 6/10 Shame: 7/10 ~

75. Shawn Levy

Producer | Free Guy

Shawn Levy was born on July 23, 1968 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a producer and director, known for Stranger Things (2016), Real Steel (2011), and the Night at the Museum franchise. He is the founder and principal of 21 Laps Entertainment. He is married to Serena Levy and they have four ...

6.5 Real Steel: 7/10 Date Night: 6/10

76. John Hillcoat

Director | The Proposition

John Hillcoat was born on August 14, 1961 in Queensland, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for The Proposition (2005), The Road (2009) and Lawless (2012).

6.5 The Road: 7/10 Lawless: 6/10

77. Alexander Payne

Director | Nebraska

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

6.5 The Descendants: 8/10 Sideways: 5/10

78. 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. ...

6.5 Before Sunrise: 6/10 Before Sunset: 7/10

79. Joseph Kosinski

Director | Top Gun: Maverick

Joseph Kosinski is a director whose uncompromising style has quickly made a mark in the filmmaking zeitgeist. His four theatrical releases have grossed $2.2 billion worldwide and been nominated for 7 Academy Awards and 2 Grammys.

His film debut, "Tron: Legacy" for Walt Disney Studios, grossed $400 ...

6.5 Tron: Legacy: 6/10 Oblivion: 7/10

80. John Lasseter

Writer | Toy Story 2

Although born in Hollywood, John and his twin sister Johanna were raised in Whittier near Los Angeles. His parents were Jewell Mae (Risley), an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. His mother's profession contributed to his interest in animation and ...

6.5 Toy Story: 6/10 Toy Story 2: 7/10

81. Lasse Hallström

Director | What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Lasse Hallström inherited his enthusiasm for film from his father, who was an amateur filmmaker. In high school he made his first short film, which was released on Swedish television. Hallström then began working as a director, cameraman and editor for Swedish television. He also made music videos ...

6.5 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: 7/10 Dear John: 6/10

82. 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 ...

6.5 The Magic of Belle Isle: 7/10 The Bucket List: 6/10

83. Baltasar Kormákur

Producer | Mýrin

Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose work spans theater, movies and television. Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, he graduated as an actor from Iceland's National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of...

6.5 Contraband: 7/10 Everest: 6/10

84. Gavin O'Connor

Producer | The Accountant

Gavin O'Connor was born on December 24, 1963 in Huntington, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Accountant (2016), Pride and Glory (2008) and Warrior (2011). He has been married to Brooke Burns since June 22, 2013. They have one child. He was previously married ...

6.5 Warrior: 7/10 The Accountant: 6/10

85. 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.

6.5 The Way Back: 6/10 The Truman Show: 7/10

86. Marc Webb

Director | (500) Days of Summer

Marc Webb is an American film and music video director. He directed over 100 music videos before he made his film directorial debut with 500 Days of Summer, a romantic comedy. He later directed The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. He also directed ...

6.5 (500) Days of Summer: 5/10 Gifted: 8/10

87. Ang Lee

Director | Wo hu cang long

Born in 1954 in Pingtung, Taiwan, Ang Lee has become one of today's greatest contemporary filmmakers. Ang graduated from the National Taiwan College of Arts in 1975 and then came to the U.S. to receive a B.F.A. Degree in Theatre/Theater Direction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ...

6.5 Life of Pi: 7/10 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: 6/10

88. Rob Marshall

Director | Mary Poppins Returns

Rob Marshall was born on October 17, 1960 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Chicago (2002) and Into the Woods (2014).

6.5 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: 6/10 Mary Poppins Returns: 7/10

89. 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 ...

6.5 The Straight Story: 7/10 Eraserhead: 6/10

90. Jay Roach

Director | Trumbo

Jay Roach was born on June 14, 1957 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Trumbo (2015), Bombshell (2019) and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). He has been married to Susanna Hoffs since April 17, 1993. They have two children.

6.5 The Campaign: 5/10 Bombshell: 8/10

91. David Ayer

Producer | End of Watch

David Ayer is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. David Ayer was born in Champaign, Illinois and grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Bethesda, Maryland, where he was kicked out of his house by his parents as a teenager. Ayer then lived with his cousin in Los Angeles, ...

6.5 End of Watch: 8/10 Suicide Squad: 5/10

92. Ilya Naishuller

Director | Hardcore Henry

Ilya Naishuller is a film director, actor, producer, screenwriter and the frontman of indie rock band Biting Elbows, founded in 2008. From 8 to 14 he studied in London, and later graduated from the British International School in Yasenevo. Naishuller dropped out of the Institute of Television and ...

6.5 Hardcore Henry: 7/10 Nobody: 6/10

93. Greg Mottola

Director | Adventureland

Greg Mottola was born on July 11, 1964 in Dix Hills, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Adventureland (2009), The Daytrippers (1996) and Superbad (2007). He is married to Sarah Allentuch. They have three children.

6.3 Adventureland: 7/10 Paul: 7/10 Superbad: 6/10 Keeping Up with the Joneses: 5/10

94. 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...

6.3 Up in the Air: 8/10 Juno: 5/10 Tully: 6/10

95. Phil Lord

Writer | The Lego Movie

Philip A. Lord is an American filmmaker, producer and writer who collaborates with Christopher Miller. They both worked on Clone High, a cult classic animated sci-fi teen comedy show, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Into the Spider-Verse is ...

6.3 21 Jump Street: 6/10 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: 8/10 The Lego Movie: 5/10

96. Christopher Miller

Writer | The Lego Movie

Christopher Miller is an American filmmaker, producer and writer who collaborates with Philip A. Lord. They both worked on Clone High, a cult classic animated sci-fi teen comedy show, The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and Spider-Man: Into the ...

6.3 21 Jump Street: 6/10 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: 8/10 The Lego Movie: 5/10

97. 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 ...

6.3 The Tree of Life: 7/10 The New World: 7/10 To The Wonder: 5/10

98. Lilly Wachowski

Writer | The Matrix

Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she ...

6.3 The Matrix: 8/10 The Matrix Reloaded: 3/10 Cloud Atlas: 8/10

99. 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 ...

6.3 The Matrix: 8/10 The Matrix Reloaded: 3/10 Cloud Atlas: 8/10

100. 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 ...

6.25 Alice In Wonderland 7/10 Dark Shadows 5/10 Big Fish: 8/10 Frankenweenie: 5/10