Listed below are the Academy Award winners in the category of Directing (non-winning nominations have been omitted from this list). Click on the name of a film or person in the list to display more information about that film or person. Or, click on a category in the column on the right to display the winners in that category.
(Comedy Picture)
Lewis Milestone for
Two Arabian Knights, The Caddo Company; United Artists.
(Dramatic Picture)
Skippy, Paramount Publix.
Norman Taurog.
Gone with the Wind, Selznick International Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Victor Fleming.
The Best Years of Our Lives, Samuel Goldwyn Productions; RKO Radio.
William Wyler.
The Quiet Man, Argosy Pictures; Republic.
John Ford.
On the Waterfront, Horizon-American Corporation; Columbia.
Elia Kazan.
Marty, Hecht and Lancaster’s Steven Productions; United Artists.
Delbert Mann.
Giant, Giant Production; Warner Bros.
George Stevens.
The Bridge on the River Kwai, A Horizon Pictures Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
David Lean.
Gigi, Arthur Freed Productions, Inc.; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Vincente Minnelli.
Ben-Hur, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
William Wyler.
The Apartment, The Mirisch Company, Inc.; United Artists.
Billy Wilder.
West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists.
Robert Wise and
Jerome Robbins.
Lawrence of Arabia, Horizon Pictures (G.B.), Ltd.-Sam Spiegel-David Lean Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
David Lean.
Tom Jones, Woodfall Production; United Artists-Lopert Pictures. (United Kingdom)
Tony Richardson.
The Sound of Music, Argyle Enterprises Production; 20th Century-Fox.
Robert Wise.
A Man for All Seasons, Highland Films, Ltd. Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
Fred Zinnemann.
The Graduate, Mike Nichols-Lawrence Turman Production; Embassy Pictures Corporation.
Mike Nichols.
Oliver!, Romulus Films, Ltd. Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
Carol Reed.
Midnight Cowboy, Jerome Hellman-John Schlesinger Production; United Artists.
John Schlesinger.
The French Connection, Philip D’Antoni Production in association with Schine-Moore Productions; 20th Century-Fox.
William Friedkin.
Cabaret, ABC Pictures Production; Allied Artists.
Bob Fosse.
The Sting, Universal-Bill/Phillips-George Roy Hill Film Production; Zanuck/Brown Presentation; Universal.
George Roy Hill.
The Godfather Part II, Coppola Company Production; Paramount.
Francis Ford Coppola.
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fantasy Films Production; United Artists.
Milos Forman.
Rocky, Robert Chartoff-Irwin Winkler Production; United Artists.
John G. Avildsen.
Annie Hall, Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe Production; United Artists.
Woody Allen.
The Deer Hunter, EMI Films/Michael Cimino Film Production; Universal.
Michael Cimino.
Kramer vs. Kramer, Stanley Jaffe Productions; Columbia.
Robert Benton.
Ordinary People, Wildwood Enterprises Inc. Production; Paramount.
Robert Redford.
Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount.
Warren Beatty.
Gandhi, Indo-British Film Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
Richard Attenborough.
Terms of Endearment, James L. Brooks Production; Paramount.
James L. Brooks.
Amadeus, Saul Zaentz Company Production; Orion.
Milos Forman.
Out of Africa, Universal Pictures Limited Production; Universal.
Sydney Pollack.
Platoon, Hemdale Film Production; Orion.
Oliver Stone.
The Last Emperor, Hemdale Film Production; Columbia. (United Kingdom)
Bernardo Bertolucci.
Rain Man, Guber-Peters Company Production; United Artists.
Barry Levinson.
Born on the Fourth of July, A. Kitman Ho & Ixtlan Production; Universal.
Oliver Stone.
The Silence of the Lambs, Strong Heart/Demme Production; Orion.
Jonathan Demme.
Unforgiven, Warner Bros. Production; Warner Bros.
Clint Eastwood.
Schindler’s List, Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment Production; Universal.
Steven Spielberg.
Forrest Gump, Steve Tisch/Wendy Finerman Production; Paramount.
Robert Zemeckis.
Braveheart, Icon Productions/Ladd Company Production; Paramount.
Mel Gibson.
The English Patient, Tiger Moth Production; Miramax Films.
Anthony Minghella.
Titanic, Lightstorm Entertainment Production; 20th Century Fox and Paramount.
James Cameron.
Saving Private Ryan, Amblin Entertainment Production in association with Mutual Film Company; DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures.
Steven Spielberg.
American Beauty, Jinks/Cohen Company Production; DreamWorks.
Sam Mendes.
Traffic, Bedford Falls/Laura Bickford Production; USA Films.
Steven Soderbergh.
A Beautiful Mind, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment Production; Universal and DreamWorks.
Ron Howard.
The Pianist, R. P. Productions, Heritage Films, Studio Babelsberg, Runtime LTD. Production; Focus Features. (France/Poland/Germany/United Kingdom)
Roman Polanski.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Wingnut Films Production; New Line. (U.S.A./New Zealand)
Peter Jackson.
Million Dollar Baby, Warner Bros. Pictures Production; Warner Bros.
Clint Eastwood.
Brokeback Mountain, River Road Entertainment Production; Focus Features.
Ang Lee.
The Departed, Warner Bros. Pictures Production; Warner Bros.
Martin Scorsese.
No Country for Old Men, Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production; Miramax and Paramount Vantage.
Joel Coen and
Ethan Coen.
Slumdog Millionaire, Celador Films Production; Fox Searchlight. (United Kingdom)
Danny Boyle.
The Hurt Locker, Voltage Pictures Production; Summit Entertainment.
Kathryn Bigelow.
The King’s Speech, See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production; The Weinstein Company. (United Kingdom)
Tom Hooper.
The Artist, Le Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe Américaine/JD Prod/France 3 Cinéma/Jouror Productions/uFilm Production; The Weinstein Company. (France)
Michel Hazanavicius.
Life of Pi, Fox 2000 Pictures Production; 20th Century Fox.
Ang Lee.
Gravity, A Warner Bros. UK Services Limited Production; Warner Bros.
Alfonso Cuarón.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), a New Regency/M Productions/LeGrisbi Production; Fox Searchlight.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
The Revenant, a Regency Enterprises Production; 20th Century Fox.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
La La Land, A Black Label Media/TIK Films Limited/Impostor Pictures/Gilbert Films/Marc Platt Productions production; Summit Entertainment.
Damien Chazelle.
The Shape of Water, A Double Dare You Production; Fox Searchlight.
Guillermo del Toro.
Roma, A Netflix/Participant Media/Esperanto-Filmoj Production; Netflix.
Alfonso Cuarón.
Parasite, A Barunson E&A Production; Neon. (South Korea)
Bong Joon Ho.
Nomadland, A Highwayman/Hear/Say Productions/Cor Cordium Production; Searchlight.
Chloé Zhao.
The Power of the Dog, A See-Saw Films/Bad Girl Creek/Max Films in assoc. with Brightstar/The New Zealand Film Commission/Cross City Films/BBC Film Production; Netflix.
Jane Campion.
Oppenheimer, Universal Pictures/Syncopy/Atlas Entertainment Production; Universal.
Christopher Nolan.