1. Todd Tucker (1973)

American Film Director

Production coordinator and manager who has worked on the series Run's House and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. He has also appeared on the latter of those shows as the husband...

2. Len Wiseman (1973)

American Film Director

Producer and director of the Underworld film franchise. He also directed the 2012 remake Total Recall, starring Colin Farrell.

3. Gore Verbinski (1964)

American Film Director

Director of Pirates of the Caribbean and the horror film The Ring.

4. Ti West (1980)

American Film Director

Horror film director, producer, writer and cinematographer whose filmography would include The House of the Devil (2009), The Innkeepers (2011), and, the western, In a Valley of Violence (2016). 

5. John Ford (1894)

American Film Director

Irish-American filmmaker who directed westerns such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Searchers and Stagecoach. His 1941 drama How Green Was My Valley earned five Academy Awards including...

6. Joseph Kane (1894)

American Film Director

He wrote and directed several films, including Melody Trail (1935), In Old Santa Fe (1934), and 1936's The Lawless Nineties, which starred John Wayne.

7. Melville Shyer (1895)

American Film Director

Screenwriter and director, best known for being one of the founders of the Director's Guild of America.

8. Howard Hawks (1896)

American Film Director

Director who was nominated for an Academy Award for the film Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper.

9. Norman Taurog (1899)

American Film Director

Director of films such as Skippy, Boys Town, and G.I. Blues.

10. Leo McCarey (1898)

American Film Director

Directed many films including Duck Soup from 1933, The Awful Truth from 1937, Going My Way from 1944, and An Affair to Remember from 1957.

11. George Cukor (1899)

American Film Director

Director of iconic films like The Philadelphia Story, Little Women, My Fair Lady, and Romeo and Juliet.

12. Mervyn LeRoy (1900)

American Film Director

Filmmaker responsible for many popular American films, including Mister Roberts from 1955 and The Bad Seed from 1956.

13. Ub Iwerks (1901)

American Film Director

Early Disney animator and cartoonist who drew the first images of Mickey Mouse; winner of two Academy Awards. Also famous for his Flip the Frog character that was produced through...

14. Joseph Losey (1909)

American Film Director

Acclaimed director of the 1960s who was heavily influenced by his McCarthy-era blacklisting.

15. Nicholas Ray (1911)

American Film Director

Director of iconic teenage angst films like Johnny Guitar and Rebel Without a Cause. Director Jean-Luc Godard was heavily influenced by his work, especially Bitter Victory.

16. Ollie Johnston (1912)

American Film Director

Animator and was the last surviving member of Disney's Nine Old Men until his death in 2008. He received the National Medal of Arts Award in 2005.

17. Doris Wishman (1912)

American Film Director

Horror and sexploitation screenwriter most recognized for her films Love Toy and Each Time I Kill.

18. Martin Scorsese (1942)

American Film Director

Acclaimed director whose films frequently feature gangsters and focus on the world of crime. His iconic films include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. In 2006, he won his first Academy Award for...

19. Melville Shavelson (1917)

American Film Director

Former President of the Writer's Guild who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay twice: once for Houseboat, and the other for The Seven Little Foys.

20. Jonathan Karsh (1971)

American Film Director

Director and producer who won the Best Director Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for his documentary My Flesh and Blood.

21. Sidney Lumet (1924)

American Film Director

Acclaimed director of the films Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and 12 Angry Men (1957). He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Director across his career....

22. Bud Greenspan (1926)

American Film Director

Sports documentary filmmaker who earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guild of American and National Academy of Television.

23. Stephen Sommers (1962)

American Film Director

Screenwriter who is most recognized for penning the scripts for the super successful Mummy franchise, which starred Brendan Frasier.

24. Stanley Kubrick (1928)

American Film Director

Iconic director, cinematographer and screenwriter who excelled across a number of genres with the 1968 sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the seminal 1980 horror The Shining, the 1971 crime drama A Clockwork...

25. Hal Ashby (1929)

American Film Director

Award-winning director of artistic Hollywood films like Harold and Maude and Being There.

26. Moustapha Akkad (1930)

American Film Director

Syrian American producer and director who produced the original Halloween films and directed the films Mohammad, Messenger of God, and Lion of the Desert.

27. Terry Sanders (1931)

American Film Director

Known for his work on an Academy Award-winning short film titled 'A Time Out of War,' this cinematic director and producer also created such biographical, documentary films as Maya Lin:...

28. David O. Russell (1958)

American Film Director

Director of the films The Fighter, Three Kings, Flirting With Disaster, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and I Heart Huckabees. He has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director...

29. Brett Ratner (1969)

American Film Director

Director whose films included X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour films. He also served as a producer on the Fox series Prison Break.

30. Richard Lester (1932)

American Film Director

Director of the iconic Beatles films Help! and A Hard Day's Night, as well as Superman II and Superman III with Christopher Reeve.

31. Chris Terrio (1976)

American Film Director

Screenwriter best known for his Oscar-winning script for the 2012 film Argo.

32. Bob Rafelson (1933)

American Film Director

Co-writer and director of Five Easy Pieces and one of the creators of the popular TV series The Monkees.

33. F. Gary Gray (1969)

American Film Director

American director best known as the director of financially and critically successful films like 1995's Friday, 2003's The Italian Job and 2015's Straight Outta Compton. He is also a director...

34. Philip Kaufman (1936)

American Film Director

Director and screenwriter of Henry & June, starring Fred Ward, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

35. Stephanie Rothman (1936)

American Film Director

Screenwriter most known for his work on films like Terminal Island, Starhops (1978), and The Working Girls (1974).

36. Colin Trevorrow (1976)

American Film Director

Director of the 2015 blockbuster Jurassic World who also co-wrote and directed the 2012 indie film Safety Not Guaranteed, starring Aubrey Plaza.

37. Joel Schumacher (1939)

American Film Director

Film director who rose to fame in the 1980's for movies such as St. Elmo's Fire and The Lost Boys. He would go on to find box office success with the big budget...

38. Luis Valdez (1940)

American Film Director

Regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the U.S. and director of the films La Bamba and Zoot Suit.

39. George A. Romero (1940)

American Film Director

Director of the iconic horror film Night of the Living Dead and many other horror films that include Dawn of the Dead, Land of the Dead and Creepshow. He was...

40. Henry Jaglom (1941)

American Film Director

London-born director and actor who directed the films Someone to Love and Irene In Time.

41. Sean S. Cunningham (1941)

American Film Director

Director and producer of Friday the 13th and producer of other horror films such as Last House on the Left.

42. Tom Shadyac (1958)

American Film Director

Director of the comedy features Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Nutty Professor (1996), Liar Liar (1997) and Bruce Almighty (2003). He also directed the 1998 drama/comedy Patch Adams and...

43. Christopher Cain (1943)

American Film Director

American screenwriter and director who has worked on various films including The Principal in 1987 and Gone Fishin' in 1997.

44. Tobe Hooper (1943)

American Film Director

Director and screenwriter who is best known for his work on horror films, including the 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the 1982 film Poltergeist. 

45. Victor Salva (1958)

American Film Director

Writer and director of the drama Powder and the horror film Jeepers Creepers, as well as its sequel Jeepers Creepers II.

46. Finn Taylor (1958)

American Film Director

Screenwriter and director, who is best known for the 2002 film, Cherish and 2006 film The Darwin Awards.

47. Lloyd Kaufman (1945)

American Film Director

Co-founder of Troma Entertainment and director of cult classic exploitation films like The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet.

48. Ron Shelton (1945)

American Film Director

Writer and director of primarily sports-related films such as Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump, and Tin Cup.

49. Troy Duffy (1971)

American Film Director

Writer and director of the cult hit The Boondock Saints and its sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day.

50. Paul Schrader (1946)

American Film Director

Director and screenwriter who wrote the Martin Scorsese films Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Bringing Out The Dead.