Directors - Anglophone

1. Mark Herman

Mark Herman born in 1954 in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England and is an English film director and screenwriter. He is mostly notable for writing & directing the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Mark Herman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire. He was late entering...

The boy with the striped pyjamas **** 2008 UK (Essex)

2. Anthony Minghella

Writer | The Talented Mr. Ripley

Anthony Minghella was the son of immigrants from Italy, who own an ice-cream factory on the Isle of Wight, where Anthony was born on January 6, 1954. He and his two siblings, Edana Minghella and Dominic Minghella, grew up there, a popular British holiday spot. After graduating from the University of...

Nine screenplay (2009), Breaking and Entering (2006), The Talented Mr Ripley *** (1999), The English Patient (1996), Truly Madly Deeply 1990 - (1954-2008) (Isle of Wight) London UK

3. Ridley Scott

Producer | The Martian

Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom ...

All the money of the world **** 2017, "Matchstick Men" *** 2003, Thelma & Louise 1991 - UK

4. Alan Parker

Director | Evita

The son of Elsie Ellen, a dressmaker, and William Leslie Parker, a house painter, Alan Parker was a London advertising copywriter in the 1960s and early 1970s with Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP), an ad agency. He formed a partnership with David Puttnam as his producer (Puttnam had been a ...

Evita *** 1996, Mississipi burning 1988, Midnight Express 1978 (Listen to movie's music video)

5. Joe Wright

Director | Pride & Prejudice

Joe Wright is an English film director. He is best known for Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), Anna Karenina (2012), and Darkest Hour (2017).

Wright always had an interest in the arts, especially painting. He would also make films on his Super 8 camera as well as spend time in the evenings...

"Atonement" (Επανόρθωση, Εξιλέωση) *** 2007, Pride & Prejudice (Περηφάνεια & Απόρριψη) *** 2005 - UK

6. Stephen Daldry

Director | The Reader

In 1989, Stephen Daldry worked as a freelance reader of unsolicited manuscripts for Literary Manager Nicholas Wright in the Scripts Department at the Royal National Theatre. In July of that year, he directed a Dadaist/expressionist production of "Judgement Day," a play by Odon von Horvath, at the ...

The Reader **** 2008 - Read an article about today's trials of former Nazi Guards - relevant to the story of the movie - Dorset UK

7. Christopher Nolan

Writer | Tenet

Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...

Dunkirk **** 2017, Interstellar 2014, The Prestige 2006, Insomnia 2002, Memento 2000, Following 1997 - London, UK

8. Kevin Macdonald

Director | The Last King of Scotland

Kevin Macdonald was born on October 28, 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Mauritanian (2021) and How I Live Now (2013). He has been married to Tatiana Macdonald since July 2, 1999. They have three children.

How I live now 2014, State of Play (2009) - Glasgow, UK

9. John Schlesinger

Director | Midnight Cowboy

Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger, who was born in London, on February 16, 1926, was the eldest child in a solidly middle-class Jewish family. Berbard Schlesinger, his father, was a pediatrician, and his mother, Winifred, was a musician. He served in the Army in the Far East during World War ...

Far from the madding crowd *** 1967, Midnight Cowboy 1969, Darling, 1965 - (Hampstead), London UK

10. Stephen Frears

Director | Dangerous Liaisons

Stephen started off in a career in the legal profession before switching to work as an assistant stage manager at London's Royal Court which led to work as an assistant director on films by Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson He directed his first short in 1967 and his feature debut, Gumshoe, in 1971....

The Program 2015, Chéri *** 2009, Queen, Liaisons Dangereuses *** 1988, High Fidelity ** 2000 - (Leicestershire) UK

11. Michael Winterbottom

Director | A Mighty Heart

Michael took an English degree at Oxford then trained in film at Bristol and London breaking into television via the cutting room at Thames Television. He made his directorial debut with two documentaries on Ingmar Bergman His production of Love Lies Bleeding won the Silver Award at the 1993 New ...

A trip to Greece 2020, The Wedding guest 2018, The Trip ('10), Genova *** ('08), A mighty heart 2007 ***, Jude 1996 - UK

12. Peter Greenaway

Director | The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Peter Greenaway trained as a painter and began working as a film editor for the Central Office of Information in 1965. Shortly afterwards he started to make his own films. He has produced a wealth of short and feature-length films, but also paintings, novels and other books. He has held several ...

The belly of an Architect (87) - (Wales) UK

13. Sam Mendes

Producer | 1917

Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam was just 5-...

"An American Beauty" 1999 - UK

14. Tom Hooper

Director | Cats

Tom Hooper was educated at one of England's most prestigious schools, Westminster. His first film, Runaway Dog, was made when he was 13 years old and shot on a Clockwork 16mm Bolex camera, using 100 feet of film. At age 18, he wrote, directed and produced the short film Painted Faces (1992), which ...

The King's Speech ('10), The The Danish Girl ('15) - UK

15. Steve McQueen

Director | 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen was born on October 9, 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.

Shame 2011 - (A Review), 12 Years a Slave 2013 - (Anatomy of a Scene) - London, UK

16. Paul Haggis

Writer | Crash

Paul Haggis established himself over twenty years with an extensive career in television, before his big break into features arrived when he became the first screenwriter to garner two Best Film Academy Awards back-to-back for his scripts: "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) directed by Clint Eastwood, ...

Crash - UK

17. Joel Hopkins

Director | Jump Tomorrow

Joel Hopkins was born on September 6, 1970 in London, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Jump Tomorrow (2001), Last Chance Harvey (2008) and The Love Punch (2013).

Love Punch 2013, Last Chance Harvey *** 2009 - UK

18. Duncan Jones

Director | Moon

Duncan Jones was born on May 30, 1971 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011) and Mute (2018). He has been married to Rodene Ronquillo since November 6, 2012. They have two children.

Source Code 2011, Moon 2009 UK

19. Oliver Parker

Director | Johnny English Reborn

Oliver Parker was born on September 6, 1960 in London, England, UK. He is a director and actor, known for Johnny English Reborn (2011), Othello (1995) and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002).

The portrait of Dorian Gray *** (& Screenwriter) 2009 UK

20. Guy Green

Cinematographer | Great Expectations

Guy Green is well known to film audiences. Formerly a cinematographer, he was the first British D.P. to receive an Academy Award for his black-and-white photography on David Lean's Great Expectations (1946). He founded the British Society of Cinematographers together with Freddie Young and Jack ...

Angry Silence 1960 UK

21. John Badham

Director | WarGames

English-born "Army brat" John Badham is the son of English actress Mary Hewitt and the stepson of an American Army general. Raised in Alabama and schooled at Yale, he cut his teeth producing and directing for TV before making his feature debut with The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor ...

Stake out (It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it) 1987 GB (born only)

22. James Marsh

Director | The Theory of Everything

James Marsh was born on April 30, 1963 in Truro, Cornwall, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Theory of Everything (2014), The King (2005) and Shadow Dancer (2012).

Man on wire **** 2008 Biography of French tightrope walker Philippe Petit UK

23. Lewis Gilbert

Director | Alfie

Lewis Gilbert was a British film director, producer and screenwriter best known for Alfie (1966), as well as three James Bond films: You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).

He also directed Reach for the Sky (1956), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Educating Rita (...

Shirley Valentine 1989, Alfie 1966 UK

24. Ken Loach

Director | I, Daniel Blake

Unlike virtually all his contemporaries, Ken Loach has never succumbed to the siren call of Hollywood, and it's virtually impossible to imagine his particular brand of British socialist realism translating well to that context.

After studying law at St. Peter's College, Oxford, he branched out into ...

Jame's Hall 2017, Angel's Share 2012, Route Irish 2010, The Wind that shakes the barely **** 2006 - UK

25. Neil Jordan

Writer | The Crying Game

Neil Jordan was born on February 25, 1950 in Sligo, Ireland. He is a writer and producer, known for The Crying Game (1992), Greta (2018) and Breakfast on Pluto (2005). He has been married to Brenda Rawn since June 30, 2004. They have two children. He was previously married to Vivienne Shields.

The Crying Game ***** 1992 IR

26. Kenneth Branagh

Actor | Henry V

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...

Valkyrie *** 2008, Sleuth **** 2007 (external review) IR

27. John Carney

Director | Sing Street

John Carney was born in 1972 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a director and producer, known for Sing Street (2016), Once (2007) and Flora and Son (2023).

Sing Street 2017 IR

28. Jim Sheridan

Producer | In America

Following a distinguished career in the theatre between the 1960s and the 1980s, Jim Sheridan wrote and directed his first critically acclaimed feature My Left Foot in 1989. The film was nominated for two European Film Awards. He followed this in 1990 with The Field which he also wrote and directed...

My Left Foot 1989 IR

29. Lenny Abrahamson

Director | Room

Lenny Abrahamson was born in Dublin in 1966. He studied physics and philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. While at university he directed short videos with the Trinity Video Society, which he co-founded with Ed Guiney. He graduated in 1991 with first class honours (gold medal). His first short film...

The Room 2015 IR

30. Andrew Haigh

Director | All of Us Strangers

Andrew Haigh is a writer and director. His film work includes Weekend, which premiered at SXSW and won the audience award. 45 Years, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, won 2 Silver Bears, and received an Academy Award nomination for lead actress Charlotte Rampling. Lean on Pete premiered in ...

45 Years 2015 - UK born, US lives

31. Terence Davies

Writer | Distant Voices, Still Lives

Terence Davies was born on November 10, 1945 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was a writer and director, known for Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), The House of Mirth (2000) and Benediction (2021). He died on October 7, 2023 in Mistley, Essex, England, UK.

Deep blue sea 2011, The house of mirth (Το σπίτι της ευθυμίας) 2000 - UK Liverpool

32. Sean Ellis

Director | Metro Manila

Sean Ellis was born in 1970 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Metro Manila (2013) and Anthropoid (2016).

Anthropoid ***** 2016 UK (Brighton Sussex )

33. Mike Newell

Director | Four Weddings and a Funeral

Mike Newell was born on March 28, 1942 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Donnie Brasco (1997). He is married to Bernice Stegers. They have three children.

The Guernsey Literry and Potato Peel Pie Society 2018

34. Mike Leigh

Director | Secrets & Lies

Mike Leigh is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design and the London School of Film Technique. He began his career as a theatre ...

Secrets and Lies *** 1996 (Μυστικά και Ψέματα)

35. Jack Clayton

Producer | The Innocents

Jack Clayton was born on March 1, 1921 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for The Innocents (1961), Our Mother's House (1967) and The Great Gatsby (1974). He was married to Haya Harareet, Katherine Kath and Christine Norden. He died on February 26, 1995 in ...

The Pumpkin Eater, The Great Gatsby 1974 (ง •_•)ง UK (East Essex) Brighton

36. Peter Brook

Director | Lord of the Flies

Born in London, Peter was educated at Westminster, and Magdalen College Oxford. He has staged numerous productions for Birmingham Rep, Stratford Upon Avon and Broadway. In 1962 he was appointed Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a position he held for 2 decades. His most famous stage ...

Meetings with remarkable men (Συναντήσεις με αξιοσημείωτους ανθρώπους) 1979, Mara Sade 1967 (theatrical transfer)

37. Peter Hall

Director | Three Into Two Won't Go

Sir Peter Hall directed his first play while he was still a student. He soon achieved prominence as a stage director. He started his occasional film work in 1968 with Work Is a Four Letter Word (1968). He was the Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon from 1960 - ...

Three into two won't go 1968 UK (Britain's National Theatre)

38. John Madden

Director | Shakespeare in Love

John Madden was born on April 8, 1949 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and Proof (2005).

Shakespeare in Love 2007 UK

39. David Lean

Director | Lawrence of Arabia

An important British filmmaker, David Lean was born in Croydon on March 25, 1908 and brought up in a strict Quaker family (ironically, as a child he wasn't allowed to go to the movies). During the 1920s, he briefly considered the possibility of becoming an accountant like his father before finding ...

The Bridge on the River Kwai **** 1957 #173, Brief Encounter 1948 (ง •_•)ง based on Neil Coward's play, UK

40. Michael Powell

Director | Peeping Tom

The son of Thomas William Powell and Mabel (nee Corbett). Michael Powell was always a self-confessed movie addict. He was brought up partly in Canterbury ("The Garden of England") and partly in the south of France (where his parents ran a hotel). Educated at Kings School, Canterbury and Dulwich ...

Age of Consent 1991 (Let yourself go... they do!)

41. Ken Russell

Director | The Devils

Ken Russell tried several professions before choosing to become a film director; he was a still photographer and a dancer and he even served in the Army, but film was his destiny. He began by making several short films which paved the way for his brilliant television films of the 1960s that are ...

Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in love 1969, Savage Messiah 1972

42. Clive Donner

Director | The Caretaker

British director Clive Donner was born in West Hampstead, London, England. By age 18 he was already working in the film business, as an office clerk at Denham Studios. He eventually became an editor and then graduated to the director's chair. After making a series of TV commercials, he made his ...

Here we go round the mulberry bush 1968, Nothing but the best 1964, The Caretaker 1963 (based on Harold Pinter's play) (ง •_•)ง more about this movie (l. el)

43. Nicolas Roeg

Director | Don't Look Now

When he made his directorial debut in 1970, Nicolas Roeg was already a 23-year veteran of the British film industry, starting out in 1947 as an editing apprentice and working his way up to cinematographer twelve years later. He first came to attention as part of the second unit on David Lean's ...

Don't look now 1973, Walkabout 1971 - St John's Wood, London UK

44. Iain Softley

Director | Backbeat

Softley was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing, London, and Queens' College, Cambridge University, where he was a member of the college's dramatic society, the BATS, and directed a number of highly-praised theatrical productions. He worked for Granada TV and the BBC before becoming a director...

Wings of Love 1997

45. Dominic Savage

Director | I Am...

Dominic Savage was born on November 23, 1962 in Margate, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for I Am... (2019), Close to You (2023) and Love + Hate (2005).

The Escape 2019

46. John N. Smith

Director | Sitting in Limbo

John N. Smith was born on July 31, 1943 in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. He is a director and producer, known for Sitting in Limbo (1986), Revolution's Orphans (1979) and The Boys of St. Vincent (1992).

Dangerous Minds 1994 CA (Québec)

47. James Kent

Director | Testament of Youth

James Kent is known for Testament of Youth (2014), The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (2010) and Stolen Girl.

The Aftermath 2018

48. David McNally

Director | Kangaroo Jack

David McNally is a British film and television director known for his collaborations with film producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He directed the cult classic 2000 film Coyote Ugly starring Adam Garcia and Piper Perabo. He later directed Kangaroo Jack, a 2003 children's crime comedy film starring Jerry ...

Coyote ugly 2000

49. J.B. Williams

Writer | The Chinese Bungalow

J.B. Williams was born on October 22, 1903 in Workington, Cumbria, England, UK. He was a writer and director, known for The Chinese Bungalow (1930), White Cargo (1929) and We Dive at Dawn (1943). He died in 1965 in London, England, UK.

The Chinese bangalow 1930, White Cargo 1929 UK

50. Peter Watkins

Director | The War Game

Peter Watkins began his career in advertising as an assistant producer and turned to amateur filmmaking in the late 1950s. In the mid-'60s he was commissioned by BBC-TV to make two feature-length docudramas incorporating a quasi-newsreel style and nonprofessional actors. The second of these, The ...

"Punishment Park" 1971 UK

51. Vincent Ward

Director | The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey

Vincent Ward has produced, executive produced and/or written and directed feature films including What Dreams May Come (Which won an Oscar and was nominated for 2 Academy Awards), The River Queen (Won best film in Shanghai) and The Last Samurai (4 Academy Award nominations and winner of Best ...

What dreams may come 1998 (ง •_•)ง starring Robin Williams

52. Simon Curtis

Producer | Goodbye Christopher Robin

Simon Curtis began his directing career at the Royal Court Theatre, where he was Deputy Director to Max Stafford Clark and director of the Theatre Upstairs. His many productions there included the world premiere of Jim Cartwright's ROAD, which transferred to the Lincoln Center, New York. He has ...

My week with Marilyn 2011 UK

53. Danny Boyle

Director | 127 Hours

Daniel Francis Boyle is a British filmmaker, producer and writer from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. He is known for directing 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Millions, Shallow Grave, The Beach, Yesterday, and Steve Jobs. He won many awards for ...

Yesterday 2019 UK

54. John Guillermin

Director | The Towering Inferno

John Guillermin was born on November 11, 1925 in London, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Towering Inferno (1974), Death on the Nile (1978) and King Kong (1976). He was married to Maureen Connell and Mary Guillermin. He died on September 27, 2015 in Topanga Canyon, ...

Sheena 1984, Rapture 1965, b. UK, l. US

55. J. Lee Thompson

Director | The Guns of Navarone

J. Lee Thompson was born on August 1, 1914 in Bristol, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). He was married to Penny Thompson, Florence (Bill) Bailey, Lucille Kelly and Joan ...

King Solomon's mines 1984, The guns of Navarone 1961 - Bristol, UK

56. Michael Apted

Director | Amazing Grace

Michael Apted was born on February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for Amazing Grace (2006), Gorillas in the Mist (1988) and Rome (2005). He was married to Paige Simpson, Dana Stevens and Jo Apted. He died on January 7, 2021 in Los Angeles,...

Coal Miner's Daughter 1980 UK

57. Bruce Beresford

Director | Driving Miss Daisy

Bruce Beresford was born in Australia and graduated from Sydney University in 1962. He served as Film Officer for the British Film Institute Production Board from 1966-1971 and as a Film Advisor to the Arts Council of Great Britain. Beresford has also directed several operas including Girl Of The ...

Ladies in Black 2018 AU

58. Chris Noonan

Writer | Babe

Chris Noonan was born on November 14, 1952 in Sydney, Australia. He is a writer and director, known for Babe (1995), Stepping Out (1980) and Miss Potter (2006).

Miss Potter 2006 AU

59. Baz Luhrmann

Writer | Moulin Rouge!

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian writer, director and producer with projects spanning film, television, opera, theater, music and recording industries. He is regarded by many as a contemporary example of an auteur for his distinctly recognizable style and deep involvement in the writing, directing, ...

The Great Gatsby *** 2015 AU

60. Richard Lester

Director | A Hard Day's Night

Richard Lester was one of the most influential directors of the 1960s, and continued his career into the 1970s and early '80s. He is best remembered for the two films he helmed starring The Beatles: A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), the frenetic cutting style of which was seen by many as ...

UK

61. Charles Sturridge

Director | Sanditon

Charles Sturridge was born on June 24, 1951 in London, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Sanditon (2019), MotherFatherSon (2019) and Shackleton (2002). He has been married to Phoebe Nicholls since July 6, 1985. They have three children.

A Handful of Dust 1987 UK

62. Gavin Millar

Director | Dreamchild

Gavin Millar was born in Clydebank, Scotland, to a working class family. The family moved to England when he was nine years old. After school and national service in the Royal Air Force, he studied English at Oxford University. His notable early work as a director was for the BBC in the 1960s. He ...

Scoop 1986 UK

63. Julian Jarrold

Director | Kinky Boots

Julian Jarrold was born on May 15, 1960 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Kinky Boots (2005), Becoming Jane (2007) and Brideshead Revisited (2008).

64. Paul McGuigan

Director | Lucky Number Slevin

Paul is a Bafta and Emmy nominated director known for Sherlock, Lucky Number Slevin, Inside Man and Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool. Born in Bellshill, Scotland he started his professional life as a photographer and then documentary filmmaker. His first film was Acid House in 1998 which is an ...

65. Scott Hicks

Director | Shine

Hicks was born in Uganda and lived in Kenya, just outside Nairobi, until the age of ten. His family then moved, first to England and, when he was 14, on to Adelaide, Australia. Hicks graduated from Flinders University of South Australia (BA Honors) in 1975 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in ...

66. Steven Knight

Writer | Locke

Steven Knight is a British screenwriter and film director. He is best known for screenplays he wrote for the films Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007), and also directed as well as written the film Locke (2013).

Knight is also one of three creators of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...

67. Roger Michell

Director | Notting Hill

Roger Michell was born on June 5, 1956 in Pretoria, South Africa. He was a director and writer, known for Notting Hill (1999), Venus (2006) and Enduring Love (2004). He was married to Anna Maxwell Martin and Kate Buffery. He died on September 22, 2021.

Notting Hill 1999 (ง •_•)ง SA

68. Roland Joffé

Director | The Mission

Roland Joffé was born on November 17, 1945 in London, England, UK. He is a producer and director, known for The Mission (1986), The Killing Fields (1984) and The Great Hunger.

Vatel 2000 UK