More Great Film Directors
and Their Best Films

Part 1

Greatest Film Directors
(alphabetical)
Introduction, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 , Part 6
More Great Film Directors
(alphabetical)
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

More Great Directors and Their Best Films
Part 1
(Alphabetical Order, Unranked)

ROBERT ALDRICH 1918-1983
Famed for Reworking Classic Action Genres

Suggested Filmography: Apache (1954), Vera Cruz (1954), The Big Knife (1955), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Autumn Leaves (1956), Attack! (1956), The Last Sunset (1961), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah (1962), Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Killing of Sister George (1968), Too Late the Hero (1970), Ulzana's Raid (1972), Emperor of the North Pole (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), Hustle (1975), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), The Frisco Kid (1979).

ALEJANDRO AMENABAR 1972-
Up-and-Coming Young Spanish Director

Suggested Filmography (Mostly Sp.): Tesis (1996, Sp.) (aka Thesis), Abre los Ojos/Open Your Eyes (1997, Sp.), The Others (2001), Mar Adentro (2004, Sp.) (aka The Sea Inside or The Sea Within), Agora (2009), Regression (2015), While at War (2019).

MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI 1912-2007
Italian Modernist Film Director

Suggested Filmography (Mostly It.): Avventura, L' (1960), Notte, La (1961), and Eclisse, L' (1962), Il deserto rosso (Red Desert) (1964), Blowup (1966), Zabriskie Point (1970), The Passenger (1975), Beyond the Clouds (1995).

MICHAEL APTED 1941-2021
British Documentary, TV, and Feature Director

Suggested Filmography: Triple Echo (1973), 21 Up (1977, TV), Agatha (1979), Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Gorky Park (1983), Critical Condition (1987), Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Class Action (1991), Incident at Oglala (1992), Thunderheart (1992), Blink (1994), Nell (1994), Extreme Measures (1996), The World is Not Enough (1999), Enigma (2001), Enough (2002), Amazing Grace (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), Chasing Mavericks (2012), Unlocked (2017).

DARIO ARGENTO 1940-
Italian Shock-Horror Cult Film-maker Known for Originality, Visual and Stylistic Flair and Hitchcockian Themes

Suggested Filmography (US mostly): Deep Red (1985, It.) (aka Profondo Rosso or The Hatchet Murders), Suspiria (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978) (producer), Inferno (1980), Tenebre (1982, It.), Unsane (1982), Phenomena (1985), Opera (1987), Two Evil Eyes (1990) (co-director), The Devil's Daughter (1991), Trauma (1993), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996, It.), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), Sleepless (2001, It.), The Card Player (2004, It.). Giallo (2009), Dracula 3D (2012).

JACK ARNOLD 1916-1992
Known for 50's Sci-Fi B Movies

Suggested Filmography: It Came From Outer Space (1953), This Island Earth (1954) (uncredited), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), Tarantula (1955), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), Monster on the Campus (1958), High School Confidential! (1958), The Space Children (1958), The Mouse That Roared (1959), No Name on the Bullet (1959), Bachelor in Paradise (1961), Hello Down There (1969).

DARREN ARONOFSKY 1969-
Distinctive Director of Riveting Films

Suggested Filmography: Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), Noah (2014), Mother! (2017).

DOROTHY ARZNER 1897-1979
Sole Regularly-Employed Female Director during Hollywood's Golden Age, and the First Woman to Join the Director's Guild of America

Suggested Filmography: Get Your Man (1927), The Wild Party (1929), Working Girls (1931), Merrily We Go to Hell (1932), Christopher Strong (1933), Nana (1934), Craig's Wife (1936), The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) (uncredited), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Dance, Girl, Dance (1940), First Comes Courage (1943).

HAL ASHBY 1929-1988
Meticulous Director/Editor of 70s Comedy-Dramas

Suggested Filmography: Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975), Bound for Glory (1976), Coming Home (1978), Being There (1979), The Slugger's Wife (1985), 8 Million Ways to Die (1986).

SIR RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH 1923-2014
British Director, Actor, and Producer of British/American Films

Suggested Filmography: Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Young Winston (1972), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Magic (1978), Gandhi (1982), A Chorus Line (1985), Cry Freedom (1987), Chaplin (1992), Shadowlands (1993), In Love and War (1996), Grey Owl (1999).

TEX (FRED) AVERY 1908-1980
Influential Animated Film Director at Warners and MGM

Suggested Filmography: Ham-Ateur Night (1939), Thugs with Dirty Mugs (1939), A Wild Hare (1940), Of Fox and Hounds (1940), Porky's Preview (1941), The Heckling Hare (1941), Tortoise Beats Hare (1941), Blitz Wolf (1942), Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), Who Killed Who? (1943), Screwball Squirrel (1944), The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945), Swingshift Cinderella (1945), Northwest Hounded Police (1946), King-Size Canary (1947), Bad Luck Blackie (1949), Little Rural Riding Hood (1949), Symphony in Slang (1951), Magical Maestro (1952), Rock-A-Bye Bear (1952), Deputy Droopy (1955).

JOHN G. AVILDSEN 1935-2017
Uneven Director, Noted for His Rocky and The Karate Kid films

Suggested Filmography: Joe (1970), W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), Rocky (1976), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), For Keeps (1988), Lean on Me (1989), The Karate Kid III (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), A Fine and Private Place (1998), Inferno (1999).

LLOYD BACON 1890-1955
The Forgotten Director of the 30s and 40s

Suggested Filmography: The Singing Fool (1928), 42nd Street (1933), Footlight Parade (1933), Picture Snatcher (1933), Wonder Bar (1934), Here Comes the Navy (1934), Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936), Marked Woman (1937), A Slight Case of Murder (1938), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Invisible Stripes (1939), The Oklahoma Kid (1939), Brother Orchid (1940), Knute Rockne - All American (1940), Footsteps in the Dark (1941), Larceny, Inc. (1942), The Sullivans (1944), Home Sweet Homicide (1946), It Happens Every Spring (1949), Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), The Fuller Brush Girl (1950), The Good Humor Man (1950), The Frogmen (1951).

JOHN BADHAM 1939-
Director of Visually-Striking Films

Suggested Filmography: Saturday Night Fever (1977), Dracula (1979), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), American Flyers (1985), Short Circuit (1986), Stakeout (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Another Stakeout (1993), Nick of Time (1995), Incognito (1997).

BRUCE BERESFORD 1940-
Australian-born American Director

Suggested Filmography: Breaker Morant (1980), Puberty Blues (1981), Tender Mercies (1983), King David (1985), Crimes of the Heart (1986), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Black Robe (1991), Rich in Love (1993), Last Dance (1996), Paradise Road (1997), Double Jeopardy (1999), Evelyn (2002), The Contract (2006), Mao's Last Dancer (2009), Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011), Mr. Church (2016), Ladies in Black (2018).

KATHRYN BIGELOW 1951-
Provocative and Talented Female Film-maker, First Female Best Director Oscar Winner

Suggested Filmography: The Loveless (1982), Near Dark (1987), Blue Steel (1990), Point Break (1991), Strange Days (1995), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Mission Zero (2007), The Hurt Locker (2009), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Detroit (2017).

BUDD BOETTICHER 1916-2001
Brilliant American Director of Westerns and Action-Adventure Films

Suggested Filmography: The Bullfighter and the Lady (1951), The Cimarron Kid (1952), Red Ball Express (1952), The Man From the Alamo (1953), The Magnificent Matador (1955), Seven Men From Now (1956), Decision at Sundown (1957), The Tall T (1957), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Ride Lonesome (1959), Comanche Station (1960), The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), A Time For Dying (1971), Arruza (1972).

PETER BOGDANOVICH 1939-2022
Hot Young Director in the Early 70s

Suggested Filmography: Targets (1968), The Last Picture Show (1971), What's Up, Doc? (1972), Paper Moon (1973), Daisy Miller (1974), At Long Last Love (1975), Nickelodeon (1976), Saint Jack (1979), They All Laughed (1981), Mask (1985), Texasville (1990), Noises Off... (1992), The Thing Called Love (1993), The Cat's Meow (2001), She's Funny That Way (2014).

JOHN BOORMAN 1933-
Versatile English Director

Suggested Filmography: Point Blank (1967), Hell in the Pacific (1968), Deliverance (1972), Zardoz (1974), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Excalibur (1981), The Emerald Forest (1985), Hope and Glory (1987), Where the Heart Is (1990), Beyond Rangoon (1995), The General (1998), The Tailor of Panama (2001), In My Country (2004), The Tiger's Tail (2006), Queen & Country (2014).

MARTIN BREST 1951-
Known for Comedies and Dramas

Suggested Filmography: Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Midnight Run (1988), Scent of a Woman (1992), Meet Joe Black (1998), Gigli (2003).

RICHARD BROOKS 1912-1992
Writer/Director Credited with Literary Adaptations of Novels/Plays

Suggested Filmography: Deadline - U.S.A. (1952), Battle Circus (1953), The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), The Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Catered Affair (1956), The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Elmer Gantry (1960), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), Lord Jim (1965), The Professionals (1966), In Cold Blood (1967), Dollars ($) (1972), Bite the Bullet (1975), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Wrong is Right (1982).

TOD BROWNING 1882-1962
Master of the Macabre and Horror, Collaborator with Lon Chaney During the Silent Era

Suggested Filmography: The Unholy Three (1925), The Unknown, London After Midnight (1927), West of Zanzibar (1928), Dracula (1931), Freaks (1932), Mark of the Vampire (1935), The Devils Doll (1936).

JANE CAMPION 1954-
Noted New Zealand Female Director/Screenwriter of Contemporary Cinema

Suggested Filmography: After Hours (1984), Sweetie (1989), An Angel at My Table (1990), The Piano (1993), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Holy Smoke (1999), In the Cut (2003), The Water Diary (2006), Bright Star (2009).

JOHN CARPENTER 1948-
Famous, Expert Director of Suspenseful Horror, Thriller, and Sci-Fi Films in the Late 70s and 80s

Suggested Filmography: Dark Star (1973), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape From New York (1981), The Thing (1982), Christine (1983), Starman (1984), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Prince of Darkness (1987), They Live (1988), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Village of the Damned (1995), Escape From L.A. (1996), Vampire$ (1998), Ghosts of Mars (2001), The Ward (2010).

WILLIAM CASTLE 1914-1977
Director of Low-Budget Crime and Adventure Films, then Gimmicky Horror Films

Suggested Filmography: The Whistler (1944), Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), Drums of Tahiti (1954), House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Homicidal (1961), Mr. Sardonicus (1961), Strait-Jacket (1964), The Night Walker (1965), The Busy Body (1967), The Spirit is Willing (1967), Project X (1968), Rosemary's Baby (1968) (producer).

MICHAEL CIMINO 1943-2016
Self-Indulgent, Excessive, Controversial Director

Suggested Filmography: Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), The Deer Hunter (1978), Heaven's Gate (1980), Year of the Dragon (1985), The Sicilian (1987), Desperate Hours (1990), The Sunchaser (1996).

GEORGE CLOONEY 1961-
Popular and Versatile Actor-Director

Suggested Filmography: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), Leatherheads (2008), The Ides of March (2011), The Monuments Men (2014), Suburbicon (2017), The Midnight Sky (2020).

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 1958-
Writer and Director of Some of Hollywood's 'A' Films

Suggested Filmography: Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Home Alone (1990), Only the Lonely (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Nine Months (1995), Stepmom (1998), Bicentennial Man (1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Rent (2005), I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Pixels (2015), The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020).

MARTHA COOLIDGE 1946-
Female Director Known for Comedy-Character Studies

Suggested Filmography: Valley Girl (1983), Joy of Sex (1984), Real Genius (1985), Rambling Rose (1991), Lost in Yonkers (1993), Angie (1994), Three Wishes (1995), Out to Sea (1997), The Prince and Me (2004), Material Girl (2006), I'll Find You (2019).

MERIAN C. COOPER 1893-1973
Most Renowned for Producing/Directing the Classic Film - King Kong, and For Producing Numerous John Ford Films

Suggested Filmography As Director: King Kong (1933), The Last Days of Pompeii (1935) (uncredited as director), This is Cinerama (1952).

Suggested Filmography As Producer: The Most Dangerous Game (1932) (producer), Flying Down to Rio (1933) (exec. producer), Little Women (1933) (exec. producer), Morning Glory (1933) (exec. producer), The Son of Kong (1933) (exec. producer), The Lost Patrol (1934) (exec. producer), She (1935) (producer), Dr. Cyclops (1940) (producer), The Fugitive (1947) (producer), Fort Apache (1948) (producer), 3 Godfathers (1948) (producer), Mighty Joe Young (1949) (producer), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) (producer), Rio Grande (1950) (producer), Wagonmaster (1950) (producer), The Quiet Man (1952) (producer), The Sun Shines Bright (1953) (producer), The Searchers (1956) (exec. producer).

SOFIA COPPOLA 1971-
Daughter of Famed Director Francis Ford Coppola, Appeared in Two of His Godfather Films, and The First American Woman Ever Nominated for the Best Director Oscar (the Third Woman in History to be Nominated for a Best Director Academy Award)

Suggested Filmography: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003), Marie Antoinette (2006), Somewhere (2010), The Bling Ring (2013), La Traviata (2017).

WES CRAVEN 1939-2015
Masterful, Manipulative Director of Occult and Macabre Hollywood Horror Films and the Scream series

Suggested Filmography: The Last House on the Left (1972), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Deadly Blessing (1981), Swamp Thing (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Deadly Friend (1986), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Shocker (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991), New Nightmare (1994), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Music of the Heart (1999), Scream 3 (2000), Cursed (2005), Red Eye (2005).

JOHN CROMWELL 1887-1979
Versatile RKO/UA Director

Suggested Filmography: Of Human Bondage (1934), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Algiers (1938), Made For Each Other (1939), In Name Only (1939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), So Ends Our Night (1941), Son of Fury (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), The Enchanted Cottage (1945), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Dead Reckoning (1947), Caged (1950), The Goddess (1958).

ALAN CROSLAND 1894-1936
Famous for Directing Two Landmark, Historically-Important Films

Suggested Filmography: Don Juan (1926), The Beloved Rogue (1927), Old San Francisco (1927), The Jazz Singer (1927).

CAMERON CROWE 1957-
Rolling Stone Writer/Editor Turned Film Director and Screenwriter

Suggested Filmography: Say Anything... (1989), Singles (1992), Jerry Maguire (1996), Almost Famous (2000), Vanilla Sky (2001), Elizabethtown (2005), We Bought a Zoo (2011), Aloha (2015).

ALFONSO CUARON 1961-
Popular Mexican-born Director, Screenwriter, and Producer

Suggested Filmography: A Little Princess (1995), Great Expectations (1998), Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Paris, Je T'aime (segment "Parc Monceau") (2006), Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013), Roma (2018).

STEPHEN DALDRY 1961-
British Director of Many Oscar-Nominated and Winning Performers

Suggested Filmography: Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002), The Reader (2008), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), The Audience (2013), Skylight (2014), Billy Elliot (2014), Trash (2014).

JOE DANTE 1946-
Imaginative, Anarchic, Irreverent, Subversive and Uneven Film-Maker

Suggested Filmography: Piranha (1978), The Howling (1980), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Innerspace (1987), The 'burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), The Hole (2009), Burying the Ex (2014), Nightmare Cinema (segment "Mirari") (2018).

DELMER DAVES 1904-1977
Known for His Effective Westerns

Suggested Filmography: Destination Tokyo (1943), Pride of the Marines (1945), The Red House (1947), Dark Passage (1947), Broken Arrow (1950), Bird of Paradise (1951), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Jubal (1956), The Last Wagon (1956), 3:10 To Yuma (1957), Cowboy (1958), The Hanging Tree (1959), A Summer Place (1959), Parrish (1961), Rome Adventure (1962), Spencer's Mountain (1963).



Previous Page Next Page