Hollywood directors are practically synonymous with western cinema. While the term Hollywood still refers to one particular neighborhood in Los Angeles, it was about a hundred years ago when it started becoming an encoming metonym for the American movie industry itself. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, new camera technologies gave way to the careers of filmmakers not just from America, but also from , Japan, India, Russia, China, Britain, the Philippines, and other countries where the earliest motion-picture cameras made their way. Through several social, economic, and political factors, early Hollywood directors dominated motion-picture storytelling in the west during most of the 20th century.
Today, for good or bad, Hollywood is unanimously and globally used as a collective term for the mainstream American movie industry. As a result of Hollywood's sheer worldwide fame and notoriety, certain Hollywood directors themselves have become synonymous with the specific styles they most heavily employ in their films. In no particular order of hierarchy, here are 15 Hollywood directors who have undoubtedly made their marks in the art of making movies.
15 The Wachowskis
Lilly and Lana Wachowski may not have a huge filmography to their name, but when it comes to Hollywood, they have significantly redefined how big movies are shot and their relationship to visual effects. Though the Matrix sequels failed to match the original Oscar-winning movie, the first Matrix remains a masterclass not just in seamlessly adapting anime storytelling styles into live-action, but also in successfully inserting high concept sci-fi and philosophy into the Hollywood blockbuster. Much of this can also be observed in their films Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas. Despite the mixed reviews for these latter examples, the Wachowskis remain stalwart Hollywood pillars for how their work forced advances in visual effects and action-driven storytelling.
14 Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo del Toro isn't just one of the best Hollywood directors, but is among the greatest filmmakers of his generation. Combining high fantasy and sci-fi with painfully human elements, del Toro's work is also defined by its visuals, use of practical effects, and the relatable stories underneath fairytale elements. From his earlier work on Hellboy, which helped to further inspire the superhero genre, to his impressive take on the Japanese kaiju genre with Pacific Rim, del Toro's projects are always recognizable. His Oscar award-winning work in The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio are the most notable gems within his filmography.
13 Peter Jackson
While many Hollywood directors have tackled high fantasy, Peter Jackson remains the greatest in the genre for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The trilogy is largely regarded as the greatest movie adaptation of any book ever, thanks to Jackson pushing the capabilities of technology at the time. Apart from using motion capture performances to cast the CGI character Gollum in a pivotal, mainstay role, Jackson's reliance on practical effects and choosing to do as much as possible in-camera created a beautiful array of shots that will last an eternity. However, the Lord of the Rings trilogy aren't the only notable movies in Jackson's filmography. From Tintin and Heavenly Creatures, to They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson's range is quite astounding.
12 Quentin Tarantino
Very few Hollywood directors have successfully remixed the history of filmmaking as much as Quentin Tarantino. While the Kill Bill movies are odes to Chinese and Hong Kong kung-fu movies, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Pulp Fiction are deeply emotional love letters to Hollywood itself. Tarantino is also known for Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, and the Oscar award-winning Django Unchained, films which reimagine historical events in the west. Though typically characterized by sleek, stylish violence, Tarantino also never fails to underscore his movies with worthwhile insights about the human condition, clever nods to the filmmakers who came before him, and the best eclectic soundtracks in movie history.
11 Steven Spielberg
The face of Hollywood directors around the globe, Steven Spielberg is the single most famous and commercially successful movie director of all time. However, Spielberg is not just known for his foundational blockbusters, which include Jaws, the E.T. movies, and the Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park franchises. From his definitive Oscar-winning historical dramas Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List, to subversive sci-fi gems like Minority Report and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Spielberg has literally done it all. Spielberg is also a paradox in that he is both known for popularizing the dynamic single-camera setup style, and for having no single discernible style present throughout his filmography - except maybe for consistently tight fundamentals. The National Film Registry has inducted seven of Steven Spielberg's movies.
10 James Cameron
James Cameron is the director Michael Bay wishes he was. Few Hollywood directors have been compared to Steven Spielberg as much as James Cameron - both in of style and commercial success. Indeed, Cameron is behind three of the highest-grossing movies of all time: Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic, which won a historic 11 Academy Awards back in 1997. A master of large-scale spectacles and epic filmmaking, Cameron is also the director who made the Terminator franchise before other directors took the helm. James Cameron is definitely among the handful of Hollywood directors taking blockbuster movies in the right direction.
9 Martin Scorsese
Another major figure of the New Hollywood era, Martin Scorsese is characterized by psychological studies that break down machismo through the lenses of crime, nihilism, or guilt. Heavily influenced by his Catholic Italian-American upbringing in the 1940s and '50s, Scorsese is famous for the Cannes Palme d'Or award-winning Taxi Driver, and other iconic movies like Raging Bull and Goodfellas. Scorsese is also the director behind Gangs of New York, Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator, Shutter Island, and the Oscar-winning The Departed. Apart from having five films inducted into the National Film Registry, Scorcese is also well-known for having some of the best rock n' roll soundtracks in history.
8 Christopher Nolan
Out of the top Hollywood directors, only Christopher Nolan is defined by his impressive achievements in non-linear storytelling. This is most apparent in Inception, Tenet, Memento, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan is also known for being the first to resurrect Batman stories from a gritty and realistic lens, which led to the creation of the single greatest comic book-inspired live-action movie villain of all time - Heath Ledger's Joker. Few other directors can combine mind-bending and unorthodox storytelling, underlying social commentary, and visceral fight choreography like Nolan can.
7 Alfred Hitchcock
Influential Hollywood directors like Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and George Romero owe much to the groundwork laid by Alfred Hitchcock, old school Hollywood's master of suspense. Though Hitchcock's over 60 movies have garnered only Oscar nominations, his filmography includes such classics as Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window, Saboteur, Dial M for Murder, and Strangers on a Train. Apart from being foundational movies in the mystery, crime, and thriller genres, much of Hitchcock's work continues to be studied for now-fundamental shooting techniques that elicit suspense, properly leverage multiple-camera setups, and make viewers truly feel like they're part of the action.
6 Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick is considered by many to be the greatest filmmaker of the 20th century. His 1968 movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey earned Kubrick his only Oscar, featured unprecedentedly realistic visual effects, and was hailed by Steven Spielberg as the "big bang" of their filmmaking generation. Meanwhile, A Clockwork Orange, which was highly controversial upon release, is just one of the many Kubrick films that have been retroactively critically acclaimed. After being one of the first directors to use the Steadicam when he made the now-iconic horror movie The Shining, the same technology was used to make Full Metal Jacket, arguably the best American Vietnam War movie ever made.
