Famous Directors of All Times

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What a lubricant is to an engine, a director is to a film. A film director directs the actors and the film crew throughout the process of the filmmaking. The director determines the camera angles, lighting, lens effects with the help of the cinematographer, and determines the set design with the help of the production designers. In close coordination with the writer, financier, and editor, the director determines the tone and desired output for the target audience. Although all the film directors have some common factors and roles to play,  depending upon their personal traits they may differ in their methodologies. Some like intensive rehearsals while there are others who give more importance to a pleasant environment conducive to work. It is the director who is the primary hiring/firing authority. Directors may earn from $200,000 to $500,000 per annum or even more. Obviously, it is the end result and the box office that ultimately gives them fame or pushes them into abysmal anonymity.

1. Steven Allan Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. He got his early education from Saratoga High School followed by his education at California State University, Long Beach. He is a famous film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. Spielberg’s notable works include: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Jaws, The Adventures of Tintin, and War Horse. He was nominated 14 times for an Academy Award and won 4 of them. He won 3 BAFTA Awards and 1 Chinese Film Festival Award. He won 7 Golden Globes, 2 Critics Choice Awards, and 3 Awards from the Directors Guild of America. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other than these, he has literally numerous other awards not mentioned herein.

2.  Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson

Sir Peter Robert Jackson was born to Joan and William Jackson in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand, on October 31, 1961. He is a famous film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his film trilogy: The Lord of the Rings  adapted from the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. His signs of fame started appearing in his early career with his slapstick and more prominently with Heavenly Creatures when he was nominated for an Academy Award along with his wife, Fran Walsh. He has won three Academy Awards. Peter Jackson has also won a BAFTA award, Golden Globe, and Saturn Award for Best Direction. In 2002, he was made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and was knighted as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in April, 2010.

3. James Cameron

James Cameron
James Cameron

James Francis Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario on August 16, 1954. He is a Canadian film director, editor, screenwriter, producer, and an environmentalist. He was educated at Brea Olinda High School and Fullerton College. His great writing and directing works include; Titanic, The Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, The Abyss, Judgment Day, True Lies, Piranha II: The Spawning, and Dark Angel. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards and won thrice. He received three Oscars. Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar are the highest-grossing films of all time at $1.84 billion.

4. George Lucas

George Lucas
George Lucas

George Lucas was born to Dorothy Ellinore and George Walton Lucas in Modesto, California on May 14, 1944. He is a famous American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the founder of Lucasfilm. His most notable works are: Space Opera, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. He was obsessed with car racing in his high school days and spent lot of his time racing on the underground circuits and visiting garages. He is one of the financially most successful American film directors with a net worth of about $3.2 billion as of 2011. George Lucas was awarded a Life Achievement Award by the American Film Institute on June 9, 2005. He was inducted into the California Hall of Fame on December 1, 2009.

5. William Wyler

William Wyler
William Wyler

William Wyler was born in Mulhausen, Alsace, Germany on July 1, 1902 and died in Los Angeles, California, U.S. He was an American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his works: Ben Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Mrs. Miniver which won Wyler an Academy Award. He was nominated 12 times for Academy Awards and won 4 times. He also won 1 Directors Guild of America Award. He holds the distinction as a three-time winner of the Academy Award for Best Direction of  Ben Hur, The Best Years of our Lives, and Mrs. Miniver.

6. Ernest B. Schoedsack

Ernest B. Schoedsack
Ernest B. Schoedsack

Ernest B. Schoedsack was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, US on June 8, 1893 and died in Los Angeles County, California, U.S. on December 23, 1979 at the age of 86. He is best known for co-directing the film King Kong. His eyesight was severely impaired during World War II, but he continued directing Mighty Joe Young which included the original King Kong team; Cooper, Rose, and O’Brien. Ernest B. Schoedsack directed many films including; Chang, Dr. Cyclops, The Four Feathers, King Kong, The Last Day of Pompeii, Long Lost Father, The Most Dangerous Game, and Rango.

7.  Sir David Lean CBE

David Lean
David Lean

David Lean was born in Croydon, Surrey, England on March 25, 1908 and died in Limehouse, London on April 16, 1991 at the age of 83. He was an English film director and producer. He is best known for his famous works including: Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, A Passage to India, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. Four of his films are on the British Film Institute’s list of Top 100 British Films. He was voted 9th greatest film director of all time in the British Film Institute, Sight & Sound.

8. Wolfgang Reitherman

Wolfgang Reitherman
Wolfgang Reitherman

Wolfgang Reitherman, also known as Woolie Reitherman, was born in Munich, Germany on June 26, 1909 and died in Burbank on May 22, 1985 at the age of 75. He was a director and animator. He attended Pasadena Junior and the Chouinard Art Institute. Reitherman served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross after serving in the South Pacific, China, Africa, and India. Wolfgang Reitherman was a famous Disney animator and was one of’ Disney’s Nine Old Men. He provided voices for Disney characters including Mowgli in The Jungle Book. He won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He was named the ‘Disney Legend.’

9. W. S. Van Dyke

W. S. Van Dyke
W. S. Van Dyke

W. S. Van Dyke was born Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II in San Diego, California, U.S. on March 21, 1889 and died in Los Angles, California on February 5, 1943 at the age of 53. He was a famous motion picture director. As a child actor, he performed on the Vaudeville Circuit. He started as assistant director for the D. W. Griffith picture Intolerance. On account of his agility and smartness at work he was known as ‘one take Woody’ or ‘one take Dyke.’ Woody Van Dyke has a star on the Hollywood walk of Fame in recognition of his contribution to motion pictures.

10. Victor Fleming

Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming

Victor Lonzo Fleming was born to Elizabeth Evaleen and William Alonzo Fleming in Pasadena, California, U.S. on February 23, 1889 and died of a heart attack in Cottonwood, Arizona, U.S. on January 6, 1949 at the age of 59. He was a well-known director, producer, and cinematographer. Victor Fleming worked as the chief photographer for President Woodrow Wilson in Versailles, France. Fleming directed some of MGM’s most prestigious films like: The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and Treasure Island. Flemings’ Joan of Ark was nominated seven times for Academy Awards and won two of them.

Conclusion:

Since its inception, the process of filmmaking requires a director’s best capabilities to attain it. The release of the film and its reception by the audience, followed by the box office response, serve as the acid test to determine if a director had been worth his salt. Behind every great film, there is invariably a great film director.

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