Famous Directors - List of Famous Directors - page 4

Remember Catch Me If You Can, Schindlers List or even Saving Private Ryan? They are all Directors are the ones who direct the translation of the script into the final movie. They guide the complete process of making of the film starting right from the visualization of the script to the completion of the filming. The role of a director in film making is extremely complex—he is responsible not just for the technical aspects, but also for the dramatization and artistic elements of film production. Direction is a highly creative process; the director has to give a concrete form to the written words in the script by translating them into sounds and visuals. He has to guide the cinematographer in camera placements, selection of shots and staging of the action. He has to manage the flow of film production in a controlled pace by working with the other crew members and guiding them in setups and rehearsals. Film making involves various components which are to be converged into a single complete unit, i.e., the movie. It is the director who coordinates the efforts of the different professionals involved in film making to realize the artistic vision that eventually takes the shape of a film. Read on to know about the life and works of famous directors, through their biographies and timelines, from around the world.

The Most Famous Directors

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Kevin CostnerJanuary 18, 1955AmericanKevin Costner is an American actor, director and singer who is best known for his portrayal of rugged individuals with complex emotions
Michel QissiSeptember 12, 1962Belgian, MoroccanMichel Qissi is a Moroccan-Belgian actor known for his role in the martial arts flick ‘Kickboxer.’
Milo VentimigliaJuly 8, 1977AmericanMilo Ventimiglia is an American actor who became famous for his role as Peter Petrelli on the NBC television series Heroes
Dolph LundgrenNovember 3, 1957SwedishDolph Lundgren is a famous Swedish actor, film-maker, screenwriter and martial artist
Hal HolbrookFebruary 17, 1925AmericanHal Rowe Holbrook Jr
Alfonso RibeiroSeptember 21, 1971AmericanAlfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Sr
Baz LuhrmannSeptember 17, 1962AustralianBaz Luhrmann is an Australian writer, filmmaker, and producer
Mel GibsonJanuary 3, 1956AmericanMel Gibson is an American actor and filmmaker
Tom AckerleyJanuary 1, 1990BritishTom Ackerley is an English film and television director and film producer
Harry HollandFebruary 14, 1999BritishHarry Holland is a British actor, director, and writer
Mervyn LeRoy

Mervyn LeRoy

Mervyn LeRoy was an eminent American film director and producer

AmericanOctober 15, 1900120 views

Gillo Pontecorvo

Gillo Pontecorvo was an Italian film director, best known for the film 'La battaglia di Algeri'

ItalianNovember 19, 1919232 views

Franklin J Schaffner

Franklin J Schaffner was an American director who is fondly remembered for his films such as ‘Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Patton’

AmericanMay 30, 1920145 views

Walter Lang

Walter Lang was an eminent American film director best known for directing a number of the spectacular colorful musicals for Fox Studios during the 1940s

AmericanAugust 10, 1896113 views

Martin Ritt

Martin Ritt was an American director, producer and actor associated with both theater and films

AmericanMarch 2, 1914128 views

Jules Dassin

Jules Dassin was a distinguished American film director, actor, producer and screen writer

AmericanDecember 18, 1911145 views

Carol Reed

Sir Carol Reed was a British film director who won two ‘Academy Awards’ for Best Director

BritishDecember 30, 190699 views

Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet was an American actor, director and film maker

AmericanJune 25, 1924130 views

John Sturges

John Eliot Sturges was an American film director known for his westerns and the taut war movies

AmericanJanuary 3, 1910133 views