In the Golden Age of Hollywood, stars were renowned for utilizing their multiple talents. Those such as musical legend Gene Kelly could sing, dance, act, and direct, sometimes simultaneously. Modern Hollywood actors often get a bad rep, viewed as pampered and spoiled, which is for the most part unfair. That Golden Hollywood magic has rubbed off onto many contemporary stars, as evidenced by the actor-directors in this list.
There are a number of Hollywood actors who are also screenwriters, but, equally, there are many stars who have sat in the director's seat. These actors have proven that they are so much more than performers within movies; they can direct high quality motion pictures as well. So, from classics to modern gems, here are 10 great movies directed by actors.
10 'Whip It' (2009) - Directed By Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore is currently taking a break from acting, but based on her directorial debut we would love it if she returned to the director's chair. Whip It stars Elliot Page as a frustrated teenager who joins a roller derby team. It's a sweet and funny coming-of-age movie that highlights Page's versatility as an actor, as well as the film-making talents of Barrymore, who also stars as the comically monikered Smashley Simpson.
9 'Good Night, And Good Luck' (2005) - Directed By George Clooney
George Clooney's second movie as director, Good Night, and Good Luck is set during the height of McCarthyism in the US. Senator Joseph McCarthy was instrumental in blacklisting suspected communists in the 1950s and the film centers on his tensions with broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow, played by David Strathairn. After he broadcasts the story of an Air Force lieutenant who has lost his job due to alleged communist sympathies, Murrow also becomes a target. Filmed in black and white, Clooney expertly captures the sinisterism of the McCarthy era.
8 'The Night Of The Hunter' (1955) - Directed By Charles Laughton
Unfortunately, British actor Charles Laughton only directed once, but the movie he gave us will forever live on as a cinematic masterpiece. Robert Mitchum's Reverend Harry Powell is in pursuit of two young children, as he attempts to unearth $10,000 that was left by their father. Silent movie legend Lillian Gish plays a tough elderly woman determined to protect the children from harm at all costs. The shot of Mitchum's tattooed knuckles with the words 'love' and 'hate' remains one of the most iconic and influential scenes in movie history. Famously, Spike Lee referenced the scene in Do the Right Thing.
7 'Unicorn Store' (2017) - Directed By Brie Larson
Brie Larson's forgotten music career has been the subject of much intrigue, but in addition to being both an actor and a singer, she has also directed a movie, Unicorn Store. The thoughtful Netflix dramedy is based around a topic that doubtlessly resonates with so many viewers: unrealized dreams and potential. In the starring role, Larson plays Kit, a young woman whose aspirations of becoming a successful artist are derailed and she moves back in with her parents. There are a number of fantastical surprises in store thanks to Samuel L. Jackson's salesman who claims that he can give Kit the one thing she always wanted: a pet unicorn.
6 'Stir Crazy' (1980) - Directed By Sidney Poitier
Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier starred in classic movies such as The Defiant Ones, In the Heat of the Night, and Lilies of the Field, for which he became the first African American to win the Oscar for Best Actor. But he is also a prolific director. Stir Crazy stars iconic comedy pairing and real life best friends Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in one of their several on-screen collaborations. The dynamic duo play friends who are given a 125-year prison sentence for a crime they did not commit, and subsequently attempt to escape jail in hilarious fashion.
5 'Booksmart' (2019) - Directed By Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde's directorial debut stars charming duo Beanie Feldstein (sister of Jonah Hill) and Kaitlyn Dever as besties determined to have the time of their lives on their last days of high school. It is an innovative and refreshing twist on the typical high school comedy, as the lead character is an out lesbian and the two friends are simply seeking to have fun during their last days at school, as opposed to seeking validation from boys.
4 'Easy Rider' (1969) - Directed By Dennis Hopper
Directed by Dennis Hopper, who also stars alongside Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider has gained legendary status as a defining movie of the 1960s anti-establishment movement. Hopper and Fonda play two motorcyclists who go on a road trip across America in pursuit of freedom. The soundtrack is a classic slice of 60s counterculture and the movie poses some important questions regarding freedom that are still highly salient today.
3 'Fences' (2016) - Directed By Denzel Washington
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by the prolific August Wilson, this is Denzel Washington's third movie as director. Fences stars Washington as a dissatisfied man who laments the unfulfillment of his youthful dreams. He has a complicated relationship with his aspirational son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), and his wife, Rose, played by the incredible Viola Davis. Washington has since said that he plans to adapt all 10 of Wilson's 'Pittsburgh Cycle' plays.
2 'Lady Bird' (2017) - Directed By Greta Gerwig
Prior to directing Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig was best known for her roles in a variety of indie movies, including those within the 'mumblecore' genre. A poignant coming-of-age drama, Lady Bird is based on Gerwig's teenage years. Central to the movie is Lady Bird's (Saoirse Ronan) tumultuous relationship with her hardworking mother and the class politics that lie therein. The movie provided Gerwig with an unforeseen level of fame as a film-maker and it earned her a nomination for Best Director at the Oscars.
1 'A Quiet Place' (2018) - Directed By John Krasinski
Directed by The Office actor John Krasinski, A Quiet Place is a unique and tense horror movie that also doubles as a family drama. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where no one can make a sound for fear of hypersensitive monsters attacking them, Krasinski plays a father who does all he can to protect his family. The film has been praised for its disability representation, as Millicent Simmonds, who plays Krasinski's daughter, is deaf in real life.