Top 10 Most Famous Movie Directors

Many film snobs say that the golden age of “The Big Director” is
over. Everyone is complaining about all the remakes, all the sequels,
and all the cookie-cutter movies being made today. However, there are
still directors (both contemporary and from the past) that are still
widely known. Bring their name up in conversation, and 99 times out
of 100, people will know who you’re talking about.

Here are the 10 most famous movie directors.

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock made so many classic movies. South by
Southwest, Vertigo, Rear Window, Birds. But most famous is his
movie Psycho. Practically every person alive today can picture
the infamous shower scene. Hitchcock still inspires thriller and
horror movie directors of today!

David Fincher

Here’s another director who is extremely skilled at creating
tension in his moves. He directed Fight Club, Seven, The Social
Netwok, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He is famous
for shooting multiple takes of every scene in his films, getting the
absolute best performances from each of his actors. And make no
mistake, when I say “multiple” I don’t mean two or five. More
like at least twenty takes.

James Cameron

Pretty much up until last week, James Cameron was the director of the
top grossing movie of all time (Avatar). It only got beaten by
Avengers: End Game recently. Nevertheless, James Cameron is
still a director everyone knows (or has at least heard of). After
all, he made Titanic, and absolutely everyone knows about
Titanic.

Quentin Tarantino

Here’s every male film student’s first favorite film director!
Quentin Tarantino is what people call an “auteur”. He’s someone
who controls every aspect of their films, from the writing, to
casting, to directing, and even choosing the soundtrack. Quentin
Tarantino is a very skilled writer-director, and many of his films
have become cult classics.

Wes Anderson

When people realize that Quentin Tarantino is problematic, they often
shift their attention to Wes Anderson. He has a very recognizable
style, very meticulously composed and framed shots, and adorable
movies. His best movies (in my humble opinion) are The Royal
Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Grand Budhapest Hotel.

Martin Scorsese

Here’s a director whose movies you might recognize less from their
visual style and more from their subject matter. Many of Scorsese’s
movies are about the “underworld” of our lives, the mafia, the
gangsters, the people who don’t draw too much attention to
themselves, but nevertheless shape the worlds that we live in. His
famous movie Taxi Driver is about a (you guessed it) taxi
driver who decides to become a vigilante. And Wolf of Wall Street
tells the story of a person who really took financial scams to the
next level. If you’re going to watch Scorsese movies, I recommend
starting with these two!

Tim Burton

Here’s someone who has managed to make movies that are
simultaneously creepy and heartwarming (in their own, unusual way).
With hits like Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory, everyone knows what a Tim Burton movie
looks like, even if they’ve never seen one before.

Charlie Chaplin

You might argue that Charlie Chaplin is famous for his roles
and for the character of The Tramp more than he is for his work as I
director, but I would argue that these characters and films come as a
package deal, and that doing visual comedy well requires really
advanced skills as both an actor and a director!

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is like the Volkswagen of film
directors. Maybe not the best metaphor, but let me explain.
He makes quality movies. They’re always good, he’s a very
skilled director, and he consistently manages to use his skills to
make compelling, memorable movies.

Think about it! Jurassic Park, Big Friendly Giant, Saving Pirate
Ryan, Schindlers List! There is so much range to Spielberg as a
director, and he always makes great movies.

They might not be flashy, but they’re great and you can rely on
being satisfied with the experience. Just like driving a Volkswagen
car.

Christopher Nolan

Here’s someone who also doesn’t have a single bad movie in their
filmography. They might not all be your cup of tea. They might not be
the best movies ever made. But you can’t argue that each of
Christopher Nolan’s movies isn’t good.

From his early start with Memento and his latest Dunkirk, Nolan’s signature “move” is to play with the concept of time.