The Greatest Directors
by celso-rlx | created - 23 Feb 2016 | updated - 1 month ago | Public
1. Akira Kurosawa
Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin
After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater...
Os Sete Samurais - Shichinin no samurai (1954) - 8.7+ Yojimbo - O Guarda-Costas - Yôjinbô (1961) - 8.3+ Sanjuro - Tsubaki Sanjûrô (1962) - 8.2+ O Barba Ruiva - Akahige (1965) - 8.3+
2. Sidney Lumet
Director | 12 Angry Men
Sidney Lumet was a master of cinema, best known for his technical knowledge and his skill at getting first-rate performances from his actors -- and for shooting most of his films in his beloved New York. He made over 40 movies, often complex and emotional, but seldom overly sentimental. Although ...
12 Angry Men - 12 Homens e uma Sentença (1957) - 8.9* The Fugitive Kind - Vidas em Fuga (1960) - 7.2* Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) - 7.8* The Pawnbroker - O Homem do Prego (1964) - 7.8* Fail-Safe - Limite de Segurança (1964) - 8.0* Serpico (1973) - 7.8* Dog Day Afternoon - Um Dia de Cão (1975) - 8.0* Network - Rede de Intrigas (1976) - 8.1* Prince of the City - O Príncipe da Cidade (1981) - 7.7+ The Verdict - O Veredicto (1982) - 7.8* Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) - 7.3*
3. 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 ...
39 Degraus - The 39 Steps (1935) - 7.8+ A Dama Oculta - The Lady Vanishes (1938) - 8.0+ Rebecca, A Mulher Inesquecível - Rebecca (1940) - 8.2+ Correspondente Estrangeiro - Foreign Correspondent (1940) - 7.6+ Suspeita - Suspicion (1941) - 7.5+ Sombra de uma Dúvida - Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - 8.0+ Um Barco e Nove Destinos - Lifeboat (1944) - 7.8+ Quando Fala o Coração - Spellbound (1945) - 7.7+ Interlúdio - Notorious (1946) - 8.1+ Festim Diabólico - Rope (1948) - 8.0+ Pacto Sinistro - Strangers on a Train (1951) - 8.1+ Disque M para Matar - Dial M for Murder (1954) - 8.2+ Janela Indiscreta - Rear Window (1954) - 8.5+ Um Corpo Que Cai - Vertigo (1958) - 8.4+ Intriga Internacional - North by Northwest (1959) - 8.4+ Psicose - Psycho (1960) - 8.5+ Os Pássaros - The Birds (1963) - 7.7+
4. 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 ...
Laços Humanos - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - 8.2+ O Justiceiro - Boomerang! (1947) - 7.3+ A Luz é Para Todos - Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - 7.4+ Pânico nas Ruas - Panic in the Streets (1950) - 7.3+ Uma Rua Chamada Pecado - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - 8.1+ Sindicato de Ladrões - On the Waterfront (1954) - 8.3+ Vidas Amargas - East of Eden (1955) - 8.0+ Boneca de Carne - Baby Doll (1956) - 7.5+ Um Rosto na Multidão - A Face in the Crowd (1957) - 8.2+ Rio Violento - Wild River (1960) - 7.8+ Clamor do Sexo - Splendor in the Grass (1961) - 7.8+ Terra do Sonho Distante - America America (1963) - 7.9+
5. John Ford
Director | The Quiet Man
John Ford came to Hollywood following one of his brothers, an actor. Asked what brought him to Hollywood, he replied "the train". He became one of the most respected directors in the business, in spite of being known for his westerns, which were not considered "serious" film. He won six Oscars, ...
O Homem que Nunca Pecou - The Whole Town's Talking (1935) - 7.4+ O Delator - The Informer (1935) - 7.6+ No Tempo das Diligências - Stagecoach (1939) - 7.9+ A Mocidade de Lincoln - Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) - 7.7+ Vinhas da Ira - The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - 8.1+ Paixão dos Fortes - My Darling Clementine (1946) - 7.8+ Depois do Vendaval - The Quiet Man (1952) - 7.9+ Rastros de Ódio - The Searchers (1956) - 8.0+ O Último Hurra - The Last Hurrah (1958) - 7.5+ O Homem que Matou o Facínora - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - 8.1+
6. 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 ...
O Grande Golpe - The Killing (1956) - 8.1+ Glória Feita de Sangue - Paths of Glory (1957) - 8.5+ Spartacus (1960) - 7.9+ Lolita (1962) - 7.7+ Dr. Fantástico - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - 8.5+ 2001: Uma Odisseia no Espaço - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - 8.3+ Laranja Mecânica - A Clockwork Orange (1971) - 8.4+ Barry Lyndon (1975) - 8.1+ O Iluminado - The Shining (1980) - 8.4+ Nascido Para Matar - Full Metal Jacket (1987) - 8.3+ De Olhos Bem Fechados - Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - 7.3+
7. Clint Eastwood
Actor | Million Dollar Baby
Clinton Eastwood Jr. 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 Margaret Ruth Runner), a housewife turned IBM clerk. He grew up in nearby Piedmont. At school Clint took ...
High Plains Drifter - O Estranho Sem Nome (1973) - 7.6* Bird (1988) - 7.2+ Unforgiven - Os Imperdoáveis (1992) - 8.3* A Perfect World - Um Mundo Perfeito (1993) - 7.5* The Bridges of Madison County - As Pontes de Madison (1995) - 7.5* Mystic River - Sobre Meninos e Lobos (2003) - 8.0* Million Dollar Baby - Menina de Ouro (2004) - 8.1* Flags of Our Fathers - A Conquista da Honra (2006) - 7.1* Letters from Iwo Jima - Cartas de Iwo Jima (2006) - 7.9+ Changeling - A Troca (2008) - 7.8* Gran Torino (2008) - 8.2* Invictus (2009) - 7.4* American Sniper - Sniper Americano - (2014) - 7.3+
8. Milos Forman
Director | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Milos Forman was born Jan Tomas Forman in Caslav, Czechoslovakia, to Anna (Svabova), who ran a summer hotel, and Rudolf Forman, a professor. During World War II, his parents were taken away by the Nazis, after being accused of participating in the underground resistance. His father died in ...
Os Amores de uma Loira - Lásky jedné plavovlásky (1965) - 7.8+ O Baile dos Bombeiros - Horí, má panenko (1967) - 7.7+ Procura Insaciável - Taking Off (1971) - 7.5+ Um Estranho no Ninho - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 8.7+ Hair (1979) - 7.6+ Na Época do Ragtime - Ragtime (1981) - 7.3+ Amadeus (1984) - 8.3+ O Povo Contra Larry Flint - The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) 7.6+ O Mundo de Andy - Man on the Moon (1999) - 7.4+ Sombras de Goya - Goya's Ghosts (2006) 6.9+
9. 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 ...
Os Duelistas - The Duellists (1977) Alien - O Oitavo Passageiro - Alien (1979) Blade Runner, o Caçador de Andróides (1982) Thelma & Louise (1991) Gladiador (2000) Falcão Negro em Perigo - Black Hawk Down (2001) Os Vigaristas -Matchstick Men (2003) Cruzada - Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Um Bom Ano - A Good Year (2006) O Gângster - American Gangster (2007) Rede de Mentiras - Body of Lies (2008) Prometheus (2012) The Vatican (2013) Perdido em Marte (2015) Alien: Covenant (2017)
10. 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 ...
O Poderoso Chefão - The Godfather (1972) - 9.2+ Apocalypse Now (1979) - 8.5+ Vidas Sem Rumo - The Outsiders (1983) - 7.2+ O Selvagem da Motocicleta - Rumble Fish (1983) - 7.3+ Drácula de Bram Stoker (1992) - 7.5+
11. 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 ...
Taxi Driver (1976) - 8.3+ A Última Tentação de Cristo - The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - 7.6+ Os Bons Companheiros - Goodfellas (1990) - 8.7+ Cabo do Medo - Cape Fear (1991) - 7.3+ Cassino - Casino (1995) - 8.2+ Os Infiltrados - The Departed (2006) - 8.5+
12. 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 ...
13. 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, ...
Encurralado - Duel (1971) - 7.7+ Tubarão - Jaws (1975) - 8.1+ Contatos Imediatos do Terceiro Grau - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - 7.7+ Os Caçadores da Arca Perdida - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - 8.5+ E.T. - O Extraterrestre - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - 7.8+ Indiana Jones e o Templo da Perdição - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - 7.6+ A Cor Púrpura - The Color Purple (1985) - 7.8+ Império do Sol - Empire of the Sun (1987) - 7.8+ Indiana Jones e a Última Cruzada - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - 8.3+ Jurassic Park: O Parque dos Dinossauros - Jurassic Park (1993) - 8.1+ A Lista de Schindler - Schindler's List (1993) - 8.9+ Amistad (1997) - 7.2+ O Resgate do Soldado Ryan - Saving Private Ryan (1998) - 8.6+ A.I.: Inteligência Artificial - Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) - 7.1+ Minority Report: A Nova Lei - Minority Report (2002) - 7.7+ Prenda-me Se For Capaz - Catch Me If You Can (2002) - 8.0+ O Terminal - The Terminal (2004) - 7.3+ Munique - Munich (2005) - 7.6+ As Aventuras de Tintim - The Adventures of Tintin (2011) - 7.4+ Lincoln (2012) - 7.4+ Ponte dos Espiões - Bridge of Spies (2015) - 7.7+
14. John Madden
Director | Shakespeare in Love
John Madden was born on April 8, 1949 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and Proof (2005).
15. 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 ...
16. 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...
Seven: Os Sete Crimes Capitais - Se7en (1995) - 8.6+ Vidas em Jogo - The Game (1997) - 7.8+ Clube da Luta - Fight Club (1999) - 8.9+ O Quarto do Pânico - Panic Room (2002) - 6.8+ Zodíaco - Zodiac (2007) - 7.7+ O Curioso Caso de Benjamin Button - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - 7.8+ A Rede Social - The Social Network (2010) - 7.7+ Millennium: Os Homens que Não Amavam as Mulheres - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 7.8+ Garota Exemplar - Gone Girl (2014) - 8.1+
17. Curtis Hanson
Director | L.A. Confidential
After small films like The Bedroom Window (1987) and Sweet Kill (1972), Curtis Hanson went on to direct major features including The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The River Wild (1994) and the Academy Award-winning L.A. Confidential (1997). Setting his sights on another city, Hanson was ...
Uma Janela Suspeita - The Bedroom Window (1987) - 6.4+ A Mão Que Balança o Berço - The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) - 6.5+ Los Angeles: Cidade Proibida - L.A. Confidential (1997) - 8.3+ Garotos Incríveis - Wonder Boys (2000) - 7.4+ 8 Mile: Rua das Ilusões - 8 Mile (2002) - 7.0+ Grande Demais para Quebrar - Too Big to Fail (2011) - 7.4+ Tudo Por Um Sonho - Chasing Mavericks (2012) - 7.2+
18. Gregory Hoblit
Producer | Hill Street Blues
Gregory Hoblit was born in Texas but moved to Northern California at a young age because of his father's job in law enforcement, a hint at what might have attracted the mystery/courtroom plots of his movie/TV credits. After graduating from UCLA, he worked as a TV co-producer with Steven Bochco ...
Primal Fear - As Duas Faces de Um Crime (1996) - 7.7* Fallen - Possuídos (1998) - 7.0* Frequency - Alta Freqüência (2000) - 7.4* NYPD 2069 (2004) - 7.1* Fracture - Um Crime de Mestre (2007) - 7.2* Untraceable - Sem Vestígios (2008) - 6.2*
19. Agnieszka Holland
Director | Pokot
Having graduated from FAMU in Prague film (1971), Agnieszka Holland returned to Poland and began her film career working with Krzysztof Zanussi as assistant director, and Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. Her first feature film was PROVINCIAL ACTORS (1978), one of the flagship pictures of the "cinema of...
20. Yimou Zhang
Director | Ying xiong
Yimou Zhang was born on November 14, 1951 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a director and writer, known for Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He has been married to Ting Chen since December 2011. They have three children. He was previously married to ...
O Caminho para Casa [Wo de fu qin mu qin] (1999) - 7.8+ Nenhum a Menos [Yi ge dou bu neng shao] (1999) - 7.7+ Tempo de Viver [Huo zhe] (1994) - 8.3+ Lanternas Vermelhas [Da hong denglong gaogao gua] (1991) - 8.1+ Amor e Sedução [Ju Dou] (1990) - 7.6+ Sorgo Vermelho [Hong gao liang] (1988) - 7.3+
21. 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 ...
22. John Lee Hancock
Writer | The Blind Side
John Lee Hancock was born on December 15, 1956 in Longview, Texas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Blind Side (2009), Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and The Highwaymen (2019).
23. Oliver Hirschbiegel
Director | Das Experiment
Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1957. In his teens he left high school and worked as a cooker in a boat.
Then he studied painting and graphism in the Academy of arts in Hamburg where he also started experimenting with video and photography. Those experimental movies attracted the attention of some ...
24. Todd Haynes
Director | Far from Heaven
Todd Haynes was always interested in art, and made amateur movies and painted while he was still a child. He attended Brown university and majored in art and semiotics. After he graduated he moved to New York City and made the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987). ...
May December [Segredos de um Escândalo] (2023) - 6.9+ Dark Waters [O Preço da Verdade] (2019) - 7.6+ Carol (2015) - 7.3+ Far from Heaven [Longe do Paraíso] (2002) - 7.3+ Safe [Mal do Século] (1995) - 7.1+
25. F. Gary Gray
Director | Set It Off
Felix Gary Gray is an African-American music video director, film producer and film director from New York City known for directing films such as Friday, Men in Black: International, Be Cool, The Fate of the Furious, Set It Off, The Negotiator, Straight Outta Compton and The Italian Job. He ...
26. James Wan
Writer | Saw
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010)...
27. Destin Daniel Cretton
Director | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker, writer and producer from Haiku, Hawaii. He is known for directing The Glass Castle, I Am Not a Hipster, Short Term 12, Just Mercy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is the second Asian-American filmmaker to direct a Marvel film ...
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