Female Directors from Past & Present

1. Lone Scherfig

Writer/director Lone Scherfig graduated from The National Film School of Denmark in 1984. Her first feature film, THE BIRTHDAY TRIP (1990), was selected for Panorama in Berlin, the New Directors section at MOMA in New York and won the Grand Jury Prix in Rouen. Her next film, ON OUR OWN (1998), ...

An Education (2009) One Day (2011)

2. Sam Taylor-Johnson

Director | Nowhere Boy

Sam Taylor-Johnson was born on March 4, 1967 in London, England, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Nowhere Boy (2009), Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and Love You More (2008). She has been married to Aaron Taylor-Johnson since June 21, 2012. They have two children. She was previously ...

Nowhere Boy (2009) Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

3. Lisa Cholodenko

Director | The Kids Are All Right

Lisa Cholodenko earned an MFA at Columbia University Film School where she made an award-winning short film Dinner Party (1997) Her feature High Art (1998) won the National Society of Film Critics award for Ally Sheedy's performance and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting award at Sundance. Both "High Art...

High Art (1998) Laurel Canyon (2002) The Kids Are All Right (2010)

4. Susanna White

Director | Generation Kill

Susanna White is a BAFTA winning British film and television director. She attended Bromley High School and Oxford University before being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study on the MFA Program at UCLA. Her work ranges from the hard-hitting HBO mini-series Generation Kill about the US invasion...

Bleak House (2005) (TV) Jane Eyre (2006) (mini) Nanny McPhee Returns (2010) Our Kind of Traitor (2016)

5. Lynne Ramsay

Director | You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay was born on December 5, 1969 in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK. She is a director and writer, known for You Were Never Really Here (2017), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) and Ratcatcher (1999). She was previously married to Rory Stewart Kinnear.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

6. Jennifer Lee

Writer | Frozen

Jennifer Lee was born on October 22, 1971 in Barrington, Rhode Island, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Frozen (2013), Frozen II (2019) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012). She has been married to Alfred Molina since August 2021. She was previously married to Robert Joseph Monn.

Frozen (2013)

7. Mary Harron

Director | American Psycho

Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her role in writing and directing several independent films, including I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), American Psycho (2000), and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). She co-wrote American Psycho and ...

I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) American Psycho (2000) The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)

8. Valerie Faris

Director | Little Miss Sunshine

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have built an impressive body of work by perpetually seeking innovative projects in a variety of mediums.

After introducing bands such as REM and The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their ground breaking MTV show The Cutting Edge, Jonathan and Valerie continued to work in ...

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Ruby Sparks (2012)

9. Brenda Chapman

Writer | Brave

Brenda Chapman is an American animator, animation film director and writer from Beason, Illinois. She directed the Pixar film Brave and the DreamWorks Animation film The Prince of Egypt. She wrote the storylines of The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is married to Kevin Lima, fellow ...

The Prince of Egypt (1998) Brave (2012)

10. Sarah Smith

Producer | Ron's Gone Wrong

Sarah Smith is known for Ron's Gone Wrong (2021), Arthur Christmas (2011) and The Armando Iannucci Shows (2001).

Arthur Christmas (2011)

11. Ida Lupino

Actress | High Sierra

Ida was born in London to a show business family. In 1932, her mother took Ida with her to an audition and Ida got the part her mother wanted. The picture was Her First Affaire (1932). Ida, a bleached blonde, went to Hollywood in 1934 playing small, insignificant parts. Peter Ibbetson (1935) was ...

Outrage (1950) The Bigamist (1953) The Hitch-Hiker (1953) The Twilight Zone-The Masks (1964) The Trouble with Angels (1966)

12. Amy Heckerling

Writer | Clueless

Amy Heckerling studied Film and TV at New York University and got a Masters Degree in Film from The American Film Institute. Despite this education she couldn't get a break in Hollywood. However, in 1982, she made Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and people started to take notice. In 1985, ...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Johnny Dangerously (1984) National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) Look Who's Talking (1989) Look Who's Talking Too (1990) Clueless (1995) The Carrie Diaries-Hush Hush (2010)

13. Martha Coolidge

Director | Valley Girl

Martha Patterson Coolidge was born on August 17, 1946 in New Haven Connecticut. She studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school. She attended and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she ...

Valley Girl (1983) Real Genius (1985) Rambling Rose (1991) Crazy in Love (1992) (TV) Lost in Yonkers (1993) Angie (1994) Three Wishes (1995) Out to Sea (1997) Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (TV) The Prince & Me (2004) Material Girls (2006)

14. Susan Seidelman

Director | Desperately Seeking Susan

Susan Seidelman was born on December 11, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Sex and the City (1998) and Smithereens (1982).

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) She-Devil (1989)

15. Penny Marshall

Actress | Laverne & Shirley

Penny Marshall was born Carole Penny Marshall on October 15, 1943 in Manhattan. The Libra was 5' 6 1/2", with brown hair and green eyes. She was the daughter of Marjorie (Ward), a tap dance teacher, and Anthony "Tony" Marshall, an industrial film director. She was the younger sister of filmmakers ...

Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) Big (1988) Awakenings (1990) A League of Their Own (1992) The Preacher's Wife (1996)

16. Mary Lambert

Director | Pet Sematary

Mary Lambert was born in 1951 in Helena, Arkansas, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Pet Sematary (1989), Madonna: Like a Prayer (1989) and The in Crowd (2000). She has been married to Jerome Gary since September 28, 1991. They have one child.

Madonna Music Video: Borderline (1984), Like a Virgin (1984), Material Girl (1985), La Isla Bonita (1987), Like a Prayer (1989) Pet Sematary (1989) Tales from the Crypt-Collection Completed (1989) Pet Sematary II (1992) Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001) (TV)

17. Jennifer Lynch

Director | Chained

Jennifer Lynch was born on April 7, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Chained (2012), Boxing Helena (1993) and Surveillance (2008).

Boxing Helena (1993) Teen Wolf (2011) (TV Series)

18. Caroline Thompson

Writer | Edward Scissorhands

Caroline Thompson was born on April 23, 1956 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Addams Family (1991) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). She is married to Steve Nicolaides. She was previously married to Henry ...

Black Beauty (1994) Buddy (1997) Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001)

19. Gillian Armstrong

Director | My Brilliant Career

Gillian Armstrong was born on December 18, 1950 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a director and producer, known for My Brilliant Career (1979), Not Fourteen Again (1996) and Little Women (1994). She is married to John Pleffer. They have two children.

My Brilliant Career (1979) Mrs. Soffel (1984) Little Women (1994) Oscar and Lucinda (1997) Charlotte Gray (2001)

20. Agnieszka Holland

Director | Pokot

Having graduated from FAMU in Prague film (1971), Agnieszka Holland returned to Poland and began her film career working with Krzysztof Zanussi as assistant director, and Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. Her first feature film was PROVINCIAL ACTORS (1978), one of the flagship pictures of the "cinema of...

The Secret Garden (1993) Three Colors: Blue (1993) Total Eclipse (1995) Rosemary's Baby (2014) (mini-series)

21. Nora Ephron

Writer | Julie & Julia

Nora Ephron was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She was an acclaimed essayist (Crazy Salad 1975), novelist (Heartburn 1983), and had written screenplays for several popular films, all featuring strong female characters, such as anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood (Silkwood (1983), ...

This Is My Life (1992) Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Mixed Nuts (1994) Michael (1996) You've Got Mail (1998) Lucky Numbers (2000) Bewitched (2005) Julie & Julia (2009)

22. Kimberly Peirce

Director | Boys Don't Cry

Kimberly Peirce was born on September 8, 1967 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Boys Don't Cry (1999), Stop-Loss (2008) and Carrie (2013).

Boys Don't Cry (1999) Carrie (2013)

23. Vicky Jenson

Director | Shrek

Vicky Jenson's career spans more than two decades in both animation and live action, and crosses the spectrum from TV to feature films to shorts including a commercial campaign for Old Navy of more than 40 spots with Anonymous Content and was at that time the only female feature film director they ...

Shrek (2001) Shark Tale (2004)

24. Gurinder Chadha

Writer | Bend It Like Beckham

Gurinder Chadha was born in Kenya, and grew up in Southall, London, England. She began her career as a news reporter with BBC Radio, directed several award winning documentaries for the BBC, and began an alliance with the British Film Institute (BFI) and Channel Four. In 2001, Chadha set up her own...

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Bride and Prejudice (2005) Paris, je t'aime (2007) Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) Viceroy's House (2017)

25. Callie Khouri

Producer | Thelma & Louise

Raised in Texas and Kentucky by her doctor father and mother. Went to Purdue University to study landscape architecture but switched to drama. Moved to Nashville after college to be with her family before heading to Los Angeles in 1982 to study at the Strasburg Institute. Worked for a commercials ...

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) Mad Money (2008) Nashville (TV Series)

26. Patty Jenkins

Director | Wonder Woman

Patty Jenkins is a writer/director best known for directing Wonder Woman, the Warner Bros./DC Comics blockbuster of 2017, and her debut feature Monster. Patty also works in television where she is best known for the pilot and finale episode of AMC's hit show The Killing.

Patty began her career as a ...

Monster (2003) Wonder Woman (2017) Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

27. Sofia Coppola

Actress | The Godfather Part III

Sofia Coppola was born on May 14, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA as Sofia Carmina Coppola. She is a director, known for Somewhere (2010), Lost in Translation (2003), and Marie Antoinette (2006). She has been married to Thomas Mars since August 27, 2011. They have two daughters, Romy and ...

The Virgin Suicides (1999) Lost in Translation (2003) Marie Antoinette (2006) Somewhere (2010) The Bling Ring (2013) The Beguiled (2017)

28. Niki Caro

Director | Whale Rider

Niki Caro is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter, born in 1967. Caro was born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She was educated first at the Kadimah College in Auckland, and then the Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. The School is a private girls' school, and ranks ...

Whale Rider (2003) North Country (2005) McFarland, USA (2015) The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) Mulan (2020)

29. Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

Director | Dead to Me

Elizabeth (Liz) Allen Rosenbaum is an Emmy Award-winning and DGA Award-nominated director and producer. She is known for "Purple Hearts" starring Sofia Carson, which became the biggest movie opening for Netflix in 2022, Emmy award-winning original musical ""Sneakerella for Disney Plus, and "Ramona ...

Aquamarine (2006) Ramona and Beezus (2010)

30. Adrienne Shelly

Actress | Waitress

The late Adrienne Shelly was born in Queens, New York, to Elaine Langbaum and Sheldon Levine. After graduating Jericho High School in Jericho, New York, she enrolled at Boston University and majored in film production. She dropped out after her junior year and moved to Manhattan, where she made a ...

Waitress (2007)

31. Kelly Reichardt

Director | Wendy and Lucy

Kelly Reichardt was born and raised in Miami-Dade Country, Florida, to a family of police officers. She had an interest in photography from a very young age. She started by using her father's camera, which he used for photographing crime scenes. She went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in ...

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

32. Jane Campion

Writer | Bright Star

Jane Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and now lives in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Having graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, and a BA, with a painting major, at Sydney College of the Arts in 1979, she began filmmaking in the early...

The Piano (1993) Bright Star (2009)

33. Jodie Foster

Actress | The Silence of the Lambs

Jodie Foster started her career at the age of two. For four years she made commercials and finally gave her debut as an actress in the TV series Mayberry R.F.D. (1968). In 1975 Jodie was offered the role of prostitute Iris Steensma in the movie Taxi Driver (1976). This role, for which she received ...

Little Man Tate (1991) Home for the Holidays (1995) The Beaver (2011) Money Monster (2016) Black Mirror (TV Series) (one episode)

34. Barbra Streisand

Actress | Yentl

Barbra Streisand is an American singer, actress, director and producer and one of the most successful personalities in show business. She is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards,...

Yentl (1983) The Prince of Tides (1991) The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

35. Beeban Kidron

Director | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

She came to prominence with the much lauded adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel 'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'. Since then she's directed feature films, television dramas and documentaries. In 2008, she founded the charity called Filmclub with Lindsay Mackie. It has since ...

Used People (1992) To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Jule Newmar (1995) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

36. Betty Thomas

Self | Howard Stern

Betty Thomas was born July 27, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating from Ohio University with a BA in fine arts. Initially sidetracked, Betty first taught school in Chicago but found herself restricted and needing more of an open forum for self-expression than a classroom. She found herself drawn...

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) Doctor Dolittle (1998) John Tucker Must Die (2006) Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squenkquel (2009)

37. Nancy Meyers

Writer | It's Complicated

Nancy Jane Meyers is an American filmmaker. She has written, produced, and directed many critically and commercially successful films including Private Benjamin (1980), Irreconcilable Differences (1984), Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), The Parent ...

The Parent Trap (1998) What Women Want (2000) Something's Gotta Give (2003) The Intern (2015)

38. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | Zero Dark Thirty

A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...

Near Dark (1987) Point Break (1991) Wild Palms (1993) (mini) Strange Days (1995) K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) The Hurt Locker (2008)

39. Sarah Polley

Actress | My Life Without Me

Sarah Polley is an actress and director renowned in her native Canada for her political activism. Blessed with an extremely expressive face that enables directors to minimize dialog due to her uncanny ability to suggest a character's thoughts, Polley has become a favorite of critics for her ...

Away from Her (2007) Take This Waltz (2011)

40. Gabrielle Beaumont

Director | Hill Street Blues

Buckinghamshire-born Gabrielle Amanda Beaumont was the first woman to make a groundbreaking impact in Hollywood as a prolific director of episodic prime-time television. She worked on some of the most popular TV shows of the 80s and 90s, including M*A*S*H (1972), Dynasty (1981), Cagney & Lacey ...

The Godsend (1980) Nightmare Classics: Carmilla (1989)

41. Mira Nair

Director | Salaam Bombay!

Accomplished Film Director/Writer/Producer Mira Nair was born in India and educated at Delhi University and at Harvard. She began her film career as an actor and then turned to directing award-winning documentaries, including So Far From India and India Cabaret. Her debut feature film, Salaam ...

Mississippi Masala (1992) The Perez Family (1995) Monsoon Wedding (2001) Vanity Fair (2004) New York, I Love You (2009) Amelia (2009) Queen of Katwe (2016)

42. Julie Taymor

Director | Frida

Julie Taymor is an Academy Award-nominated director, known for such films as Frida (2002) and Across the Universe (2007).

She was born on December 15, 1952, in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Her father, Melvin Lester Taymor, was a gynecologist. Her mother, Elizabeth Bernstein, was a ...

Titus (1999) Frida (2002) Across the Universe (2007) The Tempest (2010)

43. Nadia Tass

Director | Amy

Awarded the Screen Leader Award for Outstanding Leadership to the Screen Industry, Nadia is one of Australia's most respected and unique filmmakers.

Known for directing Australian classic films "Malcolm" and "The Big Steal", Tass's other feature works include "Rikky and Pete", "Mr Reliable", "Amy", ...

Pure Luck (1991) The Miracle Worker (2000) Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001) Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004) (TV)

44. Patricia Rozema

Director | Into the Forest

Patricia Rozema was born on August 20, 1958 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is a director and writer, known for Into the Forest (2015), Mansfield Park (1999) and Grey Gardens (2009).

Mansfield Park (1999) Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

45. Jessica Sharzer

Producer | Speak

Jessica Sharzer is writer, producer, and director best known for her work on Speak (2004), Nerve (2016), American Horror Story (2011-2015), and the new mystery thriller A Simple Favor (2018). Sharzer has been nominated for 3 Primetime Emmy's for her work on American Horror Story. Sharzer is working...

Speak (2004)

46. Sharon Maguire

Director | Bridget Jones's Baby

Sharon Maguire was born on November 28, 1960 in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Incendiary (2008).

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) Incendiary (2008) Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

47. Sara Sugarman

Director | Vinyl

Sara Sugarman was born in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales, UK. Sara is an actor and director, known for Vinyl (2012), Very Annie Mary (2001) and Sid and Nancy (1986). Sara was previously married to David Thewlis.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)

48. Deborah Kampmeier

Director | The Gilded Age

Deborah Kampmeier was born on November 21, 1964. She is a director and writer, known for The Gilded Age (2022), Harlan Coben's Shelter (2023) and Star Trek: Picard (2020).

Hounddog (2007)

49. Anjelica Huston

Actress | The Grifters

Anjelica Huston was born on July 8, 1951 to director and actor John Huston and Russian prima ballerina Enrica 'Ricki' Soma. Huston spent most of her childhood overseas, in Ireland and England, and in 1968 first dipped her toe into the world of show business, taking on the lead role of her father's ...

Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) (TV) Agnes Browne (1999) Riding the Bus with My Sister (2005) (TV)

50. Lesli Linka Glatter

Director | Homeland

Lesli Linka Glatter is a director of film, network, cable, and premium cable television drama, with both pilots and episodes to her credit. Lesli's TV work includes Homeland (2011), The Newsroom (2012), The Walking Dead (2010), Justified (2010), Ray Donovan (2013), Masters of Sex (2013), Nashville ...

Now and Then (1995) Amazing Stories (TV Series) Twin Peaks (TV Series) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Gilmore Girls (TV Series) The O.C. (TV Series) Grey's Anatomy (TV Series) The West Wing (TV Series) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (TV Series) ER (TV Series) Weeds (TV Series) The Mentalist (TV Series) House M.D. (TV Series) The Good Wife (TV Series) Mad Men (TV Series) Lie to Me (TV Series) The Playboy Club (TV Series) Pretty Little Liars (TV Series) True Blood (TV Series) Nashville (TV Series) The Walking Dead (TV Series) Ray Donovan (TV Series) The Newsroom (TV Series) Masters of Sex (TV Series) Homeland (TV Series)

51. Drew Barrymore

Producer | Charlie's Angels

Since melting audiences' hearts at the age of just six in E.T. (1982), Drew Barrymore has emerged as one of the most beloved and singularly gifted actresses of her generation. Born in Culver City, California to John Drew Barrymore and Jaid Barrymore, the clutches of fame were near inescapable for ...

Whip It (2009)

52. Diane Keaton

Actress | Annie Hall

Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Deanne (Keaton), an amateur photographer, and John Newton Ignatius "Jack" Hall, a civil engineer and real estate broker. She studied Drama at Santa Ana College, before dropping out in favor of the Neighborhood Playhouse in New ...

China Beach-Fever (1990) CBS Schoolbreak Special: The Girl with the Crazy Brother Twin Peaks: Episode #2.15 (1991) Wildflower (1991) (TV) Unstrung Heroes (1995) Hanging Up (2000)

53. Catherine Hardwicke

Director | Twilight

Hardwicke's first film as a director was the Sundance winner THIRTEEN which explored the transition into teenage years with an authenticity that still captures young audiences (1.3 billion Tik Tok engagements.) Hardwicke directed LORDS OF DOGTOWN before she became best known as the director of ...

Thirteen (2003) Lord of Dogtown (2005) The Nativity Story (2006) Twlight (2008) Red Riding Hood (2011) Plush (2013)

54. Christine Jeffs

Director | Sunshine Cleaning

Christine Jeffs was born on January 29, 1963 in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. She is a director and writer, known for Sunshine Cleaning (2008), Rain (2001) and Stroke (1993).

Sylvia (2003) Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

55. Andrea Arnold

Director | American Honey

Andrea Arnold was born on April 5, 1961 in Dartford, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for American Honey (2016), Fish Tank (2009) and Red Road (2006).

Fish Tank (2009) Wuthering Heights (2011)

56. Sally Potter

Director | The Tango Lesson

Sally Potter made her first 8mm film aged fourteen. She has since written and directed seven feature films, as well as many short films (including THRILLER and PLAY) and a television series, and has directed opera (Carmen for the ENO in 2007) and other live work. Her background is in choreography, ...

Orlando (1992) The Man Who Cried (2000) Yes (2004) Ginger & Rosa (2012)

57. Debra Granik

Director | Leave No Trace

Debra Granik (born February 6, 1963) is an American New York City-based independent film and documentary film director and screenwriter. She is most known for 2004's Down to the Bone, which starred Vera Farmiga, 2010's Winter's Bone, which starred Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout performance and ...

Winter's Bone

58. Susanne Bier

Director | Hævnen

Though Academy Award®, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier's work often plays out against a wide-reaching global backdrop, its focus is intimate, carefully exploring the explosive emotions and complexities of familial bonds. This unique combination is part of ...

After the Wedding (2006) Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) The Nanny Diaries (2007) Serena (2014) The Night Manager (2016) (mini)

59. Shari Springer Berman

Director | American Splendor

Shari Springer Berman was born on July 13, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for American Splendor (2003), Things Heard & Seen (2021) and The Nanny Diaries (2007). She has been married to Robert Pulcini since 1994.

American Splendor (2003)

60. Tamara Jenkins

Director | The Savages

Tamara Jenkins was born on May 2, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and writer, known for The Savages (2007), Private Life (2018) and Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). She has been married to Jim Taylor since 2002. They have one child.

Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) The Savages (2007)

61. Randa Haines

Director | Children of a Lesser God

Randa Haines was born on February 20, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Children of a Lesser God (1986), Antwone Fisher (2002) and Something About Amelia (1984).

Hill Street Blues (1981-83) Something About Amelia (1984) (TV) Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Bang! You're Dead! (1985) Children of a Lesser God (1986) The Doctor (1991) Tales from the Crypt: Judy, You're Not Yourself Today (1990) Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993) Dance With Me (1998) The Ron Clark Story (2006) (TV)

62. Madonna

Soundtrack | A League of Their Own

The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops re-inventing herself, Madonna has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film ...

W.E. (2011)

63. Elaine May

Actress | Small Time Crooks

Elaine May (born under the name Elaine Iva Berlin) is an American actress, comedian, film director, playwright, and screenwriter from Philadelphia. Her professional career started in the 1950s and is still ongoing. She has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She ...

A New Leaf (1971) The Heartbreak Kid (1972) Ishtar (1987)

64. Penelope Spheeris

Director | Suburbia

Spheeris is often referred to as a 'rock 'n roll anthropologist'.

In 1974 she formed the first Los Angeles music video production company, ROCK 'N REEL. She concluded her music video work with the Grammy-nominated, "Bohemian Rhapsody" video for "Wayne's World". Spheeris' feature film debut was the ...

Wayne's World (1992) The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) The Little Rascals (1994) Black Sheep (1996) Senseless (1998)

65. Tamra Davis

Director | A Conversation with Basquiat

Began her career directing music videos for acts like Tone Loc, Depeche Mode, Indigo Girls, NWA, Hanson and Sonic Youth and made her first feature in 92 with Guncrazy starring Drew Barrymore. Ms Barrymore received a Golden Globe Nomination. She then went on to direct feature films starring Chris ...

Guncrazy (1992) Billy Madison (1995) Best Men (1998) Skipped Parts (2000) Crossroads (2002)

66. Kasi Lemmons

Director | Harriet

Kasi Lemmons was born on February 24, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Harriet (2019), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Candyman (1992). She has been married to Vondie Curtis-Hall since August 19, 1995. They have two children.

Eve's Bayou (1997) Talk to Me (2007) Black Nativity (2013)

67. Mimi Leder

Producer | The Morning Show

Mimi Leder was born on January 26, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and director, known for The Morning Show (2019), On the Basis of Sex (2018) and Deep Impact (1998). She has been married to Gary Werntz since January 26, 1986. They have one child. She was previously married ...

China Beach (1988-91) ER (1994-2009) The Peacemaker (1997) Deep Impact (1998) Pay It Forward (2000) The West Wing: Election Day: Part I (2006) Shameless (2011-2015) Nashville: Lovesick Blues (2012) Smash: The Workshop (2012) & The Dress Rehearsal (2013)

68. Nanette Burstein

Director | On the Ropes

Nanette Burstein was born on May 23, 1970 in Buffalo, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for On the Ropes (1999), American Teen (2008) and Going the Distance (2010). She is married to Scott Anderson (XV).

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002) Going the Distance (2010)

69. Asia Argento

Actress | Land of the Dead

Asia Argento was born in Rome, Italy, into a family of actors and filmmakers, both occupations which she has herself pursued. She made her debut when she was only nine years old in Sergio Citti's Sogni e bisogni (1985). In 1988 she had the leading role in Cristina Comencini's first film, Zoo (1988)...

the Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)

70. Barbara Kopple

Producer | Harlan County U.S.A.

Barbara Kopple was born on July 30, 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Harlan County U.S.A. (1976), American Dream (1990) and Shut Up & Sing (2006).

Havoc (2005)

71. Clare Kilner

Director | House of the Dragon

Clare Kilner is known for House of the Dragon (2022), The Mosquito Coast (2021) and Snowpiercer (2020). She has been married to Martin Foster since August 29, 2007. They have one child.

How to Deal (2003) The Wedding Date (2005) EastEnders (TV Series) The Middle (TV Series) Krypton (TV Series) Pennyworth (TV Series) The Alienist-Angel of Darkness (2020) (TV Series) (Three episodes) Snowpiercer (TV Series) The Mosquito Coast (TV Series) House of the Dragon (2022) (TV Series) (Three episodes)

72. Rebecca Miller

Writer | Maggie's Plan

Rebecca Miller was born on September 15, 1962 in Roxbury, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Maggie's Plan (2015), Personal Velocity (2002) and Angela (1995). She has been married to Daniel Day-Lewis since November 13, 1996. They have two children.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

73. Anne Fletcher

Director | The Proposal

Anne Fletcher was born on May 1, 1966 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is a director and actress, known for The Proposal (2009), Step Up (2006) and Hairspray (2007).

Step Up (2006) 27 Dresses (2008) The Proposal (2009)

74. Julie Delpy

Actress | Trois couleurs: Blanc

Julie Delpy was born in Paris, France, in 1969 to Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet, both actors.

She was first featured in Jean-Luc Godard's Detective (1985) at the age of fourteen. She has starred in many American and European productions since then, including Disney's The Three Musketeers (1993), ...

2 Days in Paris (2007) The Countess (2009)

75. Marjane Satrapi

Director | Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi was born on November 22, 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She is a director and actress, known for Persepolis (2007), The Voices (2014) and Chicken with Plums (2011). She is married to Mattias Ripa. She was previously married to Reza.

Persepolis (2007)

76. Helen Hunt

Actress | As Good as It Gets

Helen Hunt began studying acting at the age of eight with her father, respected director and acting coach Gordon Hunt. A year later she made her professional debut and afterwards worked steadily in films, theatre and television.

Mad About You (1998-99) Then She Found Me (2007) Californication: At the Movies (2012) Revenge: Retribution (2013)

77. Susannah Grant

Writer | Erin Brockovich

Susannah Grant was born on January 4, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Erin Brockovich (2000), Unbelievable (2019) and The 5th Wave (2016). She has been married to Christopher Henrikson since 1995. They have two children.

Catch and Release (2006)

78. Phyllida Lloyd

Director | Mamma Mia!

Phyllida Lloyd was born on June 17, 1957 in Bristol, England, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Mamma Mia! (2008), The Iron Lady (2011) and Herself (2020).

Mamma Mia! (2008) The Iron Lady (2011) Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

79. Darnell Martin

Director | I Like It Like That

Darnell Martin was born on January 7, 1964 in Bronx, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for I Like It Like That (1994), Cadillac Records (2008) and Do the Right Thing (1989). She is married to Giuseppe Ducrot.

I Like It Like That (1994) Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) (TV) Cadillac Records (2008)

80. Anne Fontaine

Writer | Les innocentes

Anne Fontaine was born on July 15, 1959 in Luxembourg. She is an actress and writer, known for The Innocents (2016), Coco Before Chanel (2009) and Reinventing Marvin (2017). She is married to Philippe Carcassonne. They have one child.

Coco Before Chanel (2009) Adore (2013)

81. Lena Dunham

Writer | Tiny Furniture

New Yorker Lena Dunham is the daughter of a painter, Carroll Dunham and Laurie Simmons, a designer and photographer. Dunham was educated at Oberlin College, Ohio, graduating with a creative writing degree. It was while at Oberlin that she began writing shorts and feature films. In 2009, Dunham ...

Tiny Furniture (2010)

82. Shana Feste

Writer | Dirty Diana

Shana Feste was born on August 28, 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a writer and director, known for Dirty Diana (2020), Endless Love (2014) and The Greatest (2009).

Country Strong (2010) Endless Love (2014)

83. Angelina Jolie

Actress | Maleficent

Angelina Jolie is an Academy Award-winning actress who rose to fame after her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999), playing the title role in the "Lara Croft" blockbuster movies, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), Salt (2010) and Maleficent (2014). Off-screen, Jolie has become ...

In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)

84. Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Director | Kung Fu Panda 2

Jennifer Yuh Nelson was born on May 7, 1972 in South Korea. She is a director, known for Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Love, Death & Robots (2019) and The Darkest Minds (2018).

Spawn (Animated Series) (1997) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) The Darkest Mind (2018)

85. Lynn Shelton

Director | Humpday

Two time Emmy-nominated actress and director Lynn Shelton fell ill and was taken to a Los Angeles, California hospital. During her medical examination it was found that she had been suffering, without diagnosis or any apparent symptoms, from acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood. She died ...

Your Sister's Sister (2011)

86. Lana Wachowski

Writer | The Matrix

Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight ...

Cloud Atlas (2012)

87. Lorene Scafaria

Producer | Hustlers

Lorene Scafaria was born on May 1, 1978 in Holmdel, New Jersey, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Hustlers (2019), Coherence (2013) and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012).

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

88. Joey Soloway

Producer | Transparent

Joey Soloway was born on September 26, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. They are a producer and writer, known for Transparent (2014), Six Feet Under (2001) and United States of Tara (2009). They were previously married to Bruce Gilbert, and for writing and directing the feature Afternoon Delight (...

Afternoon Delight (2013)

89. Nicole Holofcener

Director | Enough Said

Nicole Holofcener was born on March 22, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Enough Said (2013), Friends with Money (2006) and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). She was previously married to Benjamin Allanoff.

Lovely & Amazing (2001) Friends with Money (2006) Enough Said (2013)

90. Tina Gordon

Writer | Praise This

Tina Gordon is known for Praise This (2023), What Men Want (2019) and ATL (2006).

Peeples (2013)

91. Debbie Allen

Producer | Fame

Deborah Kaye Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to African-American parents, Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Debbie, her older brother, Andrew (called Tex), and her older sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, lived in Mexico to ...

Fame (TV Series) (1984-87) Family Ties (1988-89) Polly (1989) (TV) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) Stompin' at the Savoy (1992) (TV) A Different World (1988-93) The Sinbad Show (1993-94) The Jamie Foxx Show (1997-98) The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are on Maple Street (2003) That's So Raven (2004-06) Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006) (TV) All of Us (2003-07) Girlfriends (2005-08) Everybody Hates Chris (2006-09) Hellcats (2010-2011) The Client List (2013) Grey's Anatomy (2010-2013) Scandal (2014) Witches of East End (2014) Jane the Virgin (2014)

92. Deborah Chow

Director | The High Cost of Living

Deborah Chow is known for The High Cost of Living (2010), Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) and The Mandalorian (2019).

Flowers in the Attic (2014) (TV) Beauty and the Beast (TV Series) (one episode) Mr. Robot (TV Series) (one episode) The Vampire Diaries (TV Series) (one episode) Iron Fist (TV Series) (one episode) Reign (2013) (TV Series) Fear the Walking Dead (TV Series) (one episode) Jessica Jones (2015) (TV Series) (one episode) Lost in Space (TV Series) (one episode) American Gods (2017) (TV Series) (one episode) The Mandalorian (2019) (TV Series) Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) (mini)

93. Karen Moncrieff

Director | The Dead Girl

After receiving a B.S. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, Moncrieff moved to California to pursue a career as an actress. She appeared in numerous TV shows and B-movies and was a series regular on Santa Barbara (as Cassandra Lockridge) and Days of Our Lives (as Gabrielle Pascal.)

...

Six Feet Under: The Opening (2003) The Dead Girl (2006) Petals on the Wind (2014) (TV)

94. Lori Petty

Actress | Tank Girl

After this feisty, highly offbeat actress from Chattanooga, Tennessee, broke into TV in the 1980s, she immediately set herself apart from the norm with a prime role as new owner Bud Cort's female friend in the bizarre mini-movie Bates Motel (1987). This rather inauspicious beginning would also set ...

The Poker House (2008)

95. Holly Dale

Director | Mary Kills People

Holly Dale is one of Canada's premiere directors recognized globally for her outstanding, award-winning television and cinema work crafted over the past twenty-five years. Ms Dale has directed movies, entire mini series, pilots and episodic. She has worked in all genres.

Recently, Ms Dale was taped ...

Blood & Donuts (1995) Reign (2013) (TV Series; 6 episodes) Heroes (TV Series) Stargate: Atlantis (TV Series) 1-800-Missing (TV Series) Kyle XY (TV Series) The Dead Zone (TV Series) Blood Ties (TV Series) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TV Series) The Forgotten (TV Series) Cold Case (TV Series) Flashpoint (TV Series) The Gates (TV Series) Being Erica (TV Series) Rizzoli & Isles (TV Series) The Playboy Club (TV Series) The Firm (TV Series) Falling Skies (TV Series) Grimm (TV Series) The Americans (TV Series) Smash (TV Series) Dexter (TV Series) Castle (TV Series) Under the Dome (TV Series) Extant (TV Series) Agents of S.H.E.L.D. (TV Series) Blue Blood (TV Series) NCIS (TV Series) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) The Whisperers (TV Series) Mistresses (TV Series) Limitless (TV Series) Quantica (TV Series) Bull (TV Series) Chicago P.D. (TV Series) Chicago Fire (TV Series) Taken (TV Series) S.W.A.T. (TV Series) The X-Files (TV Series) Timeless (TV Series) Take Two (TV Series) Seal Team (TV Series)

96. Natalie Portman

Actress | Black Swan

Natalie Portman is the first person born in the 1980s to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress (for Black Swan (2010)).

Natalie was born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel. She is the only child of Avner Hershlag, an Israeli-born doctor, and Shelley Stevens, an ...

New York, I Love You (2008)

97. Joyce Chopra

Director | The Lemon Sisters

Joyce Chopra was born on October 27, 1936. She is a director and producer, known for The Lemon Sisters (1989), Smooth Talk (1985) and Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006). She was previously married to Tom Cole.

Smooth Talk (1985) The Lemon Sisters (1989) Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story (1991) (TV) Murder in a Small Town (1999) (TV) The Lady in Question (1999) (TV) Rip Girls (2000) (TV) Blonde (2001) (mini-series) Hollywood Wives: The Next Generation (2003) (TV) An American Girl on the Home Front (2006) (TV)

98. Janice Karman

Writer | Alvin & the Chipmunks

Janice Karman was born on May 21, 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983), The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). She has been married to Ross Bagdasarian Jr. since September 27, 1980. They have two ...

The Chipmunk Adventure (1987)

99. Jennifer Jason Leigh

Actress | The Hateful Eight

Jennifer Jason Leigh was born Jennifer Lee Morrow in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of writer Barbara Turner and actor Vic Morrow. Her father was of Russian Jewish descent and her mother was of Austrian Jewish ancestry. She is the sister of Carrie Ann Morrow and half-sister of actress Mina ...

The Anniversary Party (2001)

100. Julie Dash

Director | Reasonable Doubt

Thirty-one years ago, filmmaker Julie Dash broke racial and gender boundaries with her Sundance award-winning film (Best Cinematography) Daughters of the Dust. She became the first African American woman to have a wide theatrical release of her feature film. The Library of Congress placed Daughters...

Daughters of the Dust (1991) Funny Valentines (1999) The Rosa Parks Story (2002) (TV)