Peter Jackson burst onto the scene when he was the surprise choice for the Lord Of The Rings director. He was virtually unknown at the time.

Claim To Fame

The Lord Of The Rings launched his name into mainstream media. An incredibly talented director with a passion for Science Fiction.

Jackson will also be directing The Hobbit, Halo, The Hobbit 2.

There isn’t much more that can be said about Steven Spielberg and his enormous contributions to the movie indsutry, and history.

As a director, his accomplishments are legendary, as a producer, second to none.

Steven Spielberg was born in 1946, he is perhaps the most powerful man in hollywood and commands upwards of 17 Million per movie, plus a percentage of the ticket sales.

Birth Date: December 18, 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Birth Name: Steven Allan Spielberg

Claim To Fame

As a Director, a few of his credits include : “Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” & “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Saving Private Ryan , Schindler’s List , Artificial Intelligence: AI … Hollywood’s first Billionaire Director.

Roland Emmerich is important in our list of the top 100 directors, because he is directing the end of the world, sort of. His movie 2010 due out in Nov 2009, is already frightening people. But don’t worry, the hype about the end of the world in 2010 will probably come to pass, like the YTK doomsday scenario.

Anyways, back to Roland Emmerich. He’s directed some of the biggest science fiction hits in the last 15 years, so he makes our top 100 list. Some call him the Doomsday Director, because two of his films are about the end of the world.

Although I bitch and complain about Roland’s movies for their inacuracies and head scratching plots, he has really done some brilliant work.

Claim To Fame

German director of Stargate, Godzilla and The Patriot, Independence Day , The Day After Tomorrow, 10000 BC. View his full Filmography

Brian De Palma is a badass, a legend and a man who has delivered some of my favorite movies, ever. He’s Director known for psychological suspense thrillers and maffia films. Matter of fact, if you don’t like Brian De Palma’s movies, I probably don’t like you, so you can just leave the site right now.

Claim To Fame

Oh lets see, De Palma only directed Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way and Snake Eyees, bitches.

Filmography

Check out Brian De Palma’s list of movies.

Cecil B. DeMille was a pioneer in the industry, a legend of his day and still celebrated. He directed over 80 Titles, Produced another 85 , wrote 22 films and laid a foundation to generations of future directors.

Check out his impressive list of films.

Birth Date: August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA
Death Date: January 21, 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA from a heart ailment
Birth Name: Cecil Blount DeMille
Sometimes Credited As: Cecil B. De Mille

Claim To Fame

Directed The Ten Commandments , The Greatest Show on Earth , Samson and Delilah

Jan De Bont knew what it would take to get his films out there, and although his films may be mocked to this day, there is no doubting is impact on the action film industry. Although his main talent is a Cinematographer, he is a very capable producer and director.

Claim To Fame

Directed “Speed” , “Twister” and “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”

Honorable Mention

Director of photgraphy for Cujo, All The Right Moves, Ruthless People , Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October .

Andrew Davis makes our list of the top 100 hollywood directors for one simple reason. Andrew Davis gave us two legendary characters who will be with us forever. Nico Toscani and Casey Ryback. For those of you not old enough to know who I’m talking about, those are the main characters from Above the Law and Under Siege.

Claim To Fame

Directed “Above The Law,” “Under Siege” and “The Fugitive”, “A Perfect Murder” and “Collateral Damage”

When you have directed over 173 Movies, including Casablanca, then not only are you a legend, but perhaps one of the most successful Directors of all time.

Michael Curtiz began his directorial career before the golden age of cinema, in 1912. He directed under the name Mihály Kertész, his real name. Curtiz would sometimes direct 5 movies a year, a workaholic by today’s standards. He finished his career with an Oscar.

Check out his legendary filmography here.

Claim To Fame

Digging through his list of movies is fun, and impressive, but Casablance is his claim to fame.

Cameron Crowe makes our list of the 100 best directors of all time, because he has been involved in some of the biggest movies ever. An incredibly talented Writer, Director and Producer, Crowe has given us movies that touched our hearts, made us really feel for the characters and pull us into his world.

Claim To Fame

As a director, it all starts with Singles for me. That wonderful 1992 Crowe movie that brought us into the lives of a misfit cast, all battling that age where we wonder wtf we are doing with our lives. Cameron followed up Singles with Jerry Maguire and Almost Vamous, which with most certainty is his Claim To Fame. As a writer, Crowe wrote Fast Times At Ridgemont High” (1982)… and who hasn’t fallen in love with that as a young teen?

David Cronenberg directs great movies, some of my favorites of all time. His contribution to the movie world is classic horror films, with a nice dose of crime and drama.

Claim To Fame

As a director, his mark on the movie world would have to be Eastern Promises , A History of Violence, The Fly, The Dead Zone and Videodrome. David wrots The Fly and Scanners and has starred in a few of his own films.