Actors are the face of a movie; directors (along with screenwriters) are the people with the vision behind the movie.
Since the silent era, however, there have been numerous examples of the actor and the director being the one and the same. In some cases, wearing two hats has worked beautifully; in others, not so much.
To identify the best and worst movies directed by famous actors, 24/7 Tempo compiled a list of almost six dozen movies helmed by figures better known for their on-screen performances than their behind-the-camera skills. We ranked them by developing an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2022, weighting all ratings equally. Directorial and cast credits are from IMDb.
The equation works the other way, too. These are 20 famous directors who have acted in other people’s movies.
The most prodigious actor-director hyphenate was probably comedy icon Charlie Chaplin, who not only directed most of the movies he starred in but also wrote them and in some cases produced them and wrote their musical scores.
On the other hand, the legendary Charles Laughton, known for his starring roles in such noteworthy mid-20th-century films as “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” “Mutiny on the Bounty,” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” only directed one movie – the 1955 noir thriller “The Night of the Hunter,” in which he did not appear. (Though it initially received a lukewarm reception, it is now considered a classic.)
Click here to see the best and worst movies directed by famous actors
Some films with actors stepping behind the camera have gone on to win Oscars. For example, Kevin Costner both starred in and made his directorial debut with “Dances with Wolves” taking home seven Academy Awards in 1990, including those for best director and best picture. More recently, Bradley Cooper made his own directorial debut in the latest cinematic version of “A Star Is Born,” in which he also starred. It was nominated for eight Oscars, though it won only for Best Original Song. (These are directors who were nominated for an Oscar on their first try.)
69. The Lost Man (Der Verlorene) (1951)
> Directed by: Peter Lorre
> IMDb rating: 7.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: N/A
> RT audience score: 59%
> Starring: Peter Lorre, Karl John, Helmuth Rudolph
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68. Charlie Bubbles (1968)
> Directed by: Albert Finney
> IMDb rating: 6.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: N/A
> RT audience score: 75%
> Starring: Albert Finney, Colin Blakely, Billie Whitelaw
67. Hope Floats (1998)
> Directed by: Forest Whitaker
> IMDb rating: 6.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 27%
> RT audience score: 72%
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands
66. Rambo (2008)
> Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
> IMDb rating: 7.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 37%
> RT audience score: 69%
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden
65. Goin’ South (1978)
> Directed by: Jack Nicholson
> IMDb rating: 6.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 73%
> RT audience score: 50%
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Mary Steenburgen, Christopher Lloyd
64. Unbroken (2014)
> Directed by: Angelina Jolie
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 51%
> RT audience score: 70%
> Starring: Jack O’Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson
63. Appaloosa (2008)
> Directed by: Ed Harris
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 76%
> RT audience score: 55%
> Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger
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62. Don Jon (2013)
> Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 80%
> RT audience score: 58%
> Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
61. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
> Directed by: Marlon Brando
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 61%
> RT audience score: 72%
> Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Pina Pellicer
60. Little Man Tate (1991)
> Directed by: Jodie Foster
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 74%
> RT audience score: 66%
> Starring: Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest, Adam Hann-Byrd
59. Yentl (1983)
> Directed by: Barbra Streisand
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 65%
> RT audience score: 75%
> Starring: Barbra Streisand, Amy Irving, Mandy Patinkin
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58. Animal Factory (2000)
> Directed by: Steve Buscemi
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 83%
> RT audience score: 58%
> Starring: Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Danny Trejo
57. Zoolander (2001)
> Directed by: Ben Stiller
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 63%
> RT audience score: 80%
> Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor
56. Misunderstood (Incompresa) (2014)
> Directed by: Asia Argento
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 80%
> RT audience score: 62%
> Starring: Giulia Salerno, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gabriel Garko
55. Bopha! (1993)
> Directed by: Morgan Freeman
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 82%
> RT audience score: 63%
> Starring: Danny Glover, Malcolm McDowell, Alfre Woodard
54. Sharky’s Machine (1981)
> Directed by: Burt Reynolds
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 86%
> RT audience score: 62%
> Starring: Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman
53. Bulworth (1998)
> Directed by: Warren Beatty
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 76%
> RT audience score: 68%
> Starring: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Kimberly Deauna Adams
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52. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
> Directed by: Sidney Poitier
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 67%
> RT audience score: 81%
> Starring: Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte
51. Little Murders (1971)
> Directed by: Alan Arkin
> IMDb rating: 7.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 69%
> RT audience score: 82%
> Starring: Elliott Gould, Marcia Rodd, Vincent Gardenia
50. The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
> Directed by: Ida Lupino
> IMDb rating: 7.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 93%
> RT audience score: 61%
> Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
49. The War of the Roses (1989)
> Directed by: Danny DeVito
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 85%
> RT audience score: 71%
> Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
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48. Heaven Can Wait (1978)
> Directed by: Warren Beatty
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 88%
> RT audience score: 68%
> Starring: Warren Beatty, James Mason, Julie Christie
47. Booksmart (2019)
> Directed by: Olivia Wilde
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 77%
> Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams
46. Rocky Balboa (2006)
> Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 77%
> RT audience score: 76%
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia
45. Two Days in Paris (2007)
> Directed by: Julie Delpy
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 88%
> RT audience score: 71%
> Starring: Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Daniel Brühl
44. Rocky II (1979)
> Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 71%
> RT audience score: 82%
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
43. Nil by Mouth (1997)
> Directed by: Gary Oldman
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 68%
> RT audience score: 87%
> Starring: Ray Winstone, Kathy Burke, Charlie Creed-Miles
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42. In a World… (2013)
> Directed by: Lake Bell
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 92%
> RT audience score: 71%
> Starring: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Michaela Watkins
41. Police Story 2 (1988)
> Directed by: Jackie Chan
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 83%
> RT audience score: 77%
> Starring: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Kwok-Hung Lam
40. Elf (2003)
> Directed by: Jon Favreau
> IMDb rating: 7.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 85%
> RT audience score: 79%
> Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
39. American Me (1992)
> Directed by: Edward James Olmos
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 73%
> RT audience score: 90%
> Starring: Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez
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38. Wanda (1970)
> Directed by: Barbara Loden
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 92%
> RT audience score: 71%
> Starring: Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes
37. A River Runs Through It (1992)
> Directed by: Robert Redford
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 80%
> RT audience score: 83%
> Starring: Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt
36. The Trouble With Angels (1966)
> Directed by: Ida Lupino
> IMDb rating: 7.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 75%
> RT audience score: 86%
> Starring: Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, Binnie Barnes
35. Antwone Fisher (2002)
> Directed by: Denzel Washington
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 78%
> RT audience score: 86%
> Starring: Denzel Washington, Derek Luke, Joy Bryant
34. Easy Rider (1969)
> Directed by: Dennis Hopper
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 83%
> RT audience score: 82%
> Starring: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson
33. That Thing You Do! (1996)
> Directed by: Tom Hanks
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 93%
> RT audience score: 78%
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron
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32. Fences (2016)
> Directed by: Denzel Washington
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 92%
> RT audience score: 75%
> Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson
31. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
> Directed by: Tommy Lee Jones
> IMDb rating: 7.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 85%
> RT audience score: 81%
> Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam
30. The War Zone (1999)
> Directed by: Tim Roth
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 84%
> RT audience score: 83%
> Starring: Ray Winstone, Annabelle Apsion, Kate Ashfield
29. The Apostle (1997)
> Directed by: Robert Duvall
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 90%
> RT audience score: 79%
> Starring: Robert Duvall, Todd Allen, Paul Bagget
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28. Reds (1981)
> Directed by: Warren Beatty
> IMDb rating: 7.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 89%
> RT audience score: 82%
> Starring: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann
27. A Star is Born (2018)
> Directed by: Bradley Cooper
> IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 90%
> RT audience score: 79%
> Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott
26. Garden State (2004)
> Directed by: Zach Braff
> IMDb rating: 7.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 86%
> RT audience score: 88%
> Starring: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman
25. Braveheart (1995)
> Directed by: Mel Gibson
> IMDb rating: 8.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 79%
> RT audience score: 85%
> Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
24. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
> Directed by: George Clooney
> IMDb rating: 7.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 93%
> RT audience score: 83%
> Starring: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson
23. Hamlet (1948)
> Directed by: Laurence Olivier
> IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 95%
> RT audience score: 80%
> Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi
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22. Dances With Wolves (1990)
> Directed by: Kevin Costner
> IMDb rating: 8.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 83%
> RT audience score: 87%
> Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene
21. Ordinary People (1980)
> Directed by: Robert Redford
> IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 89%
> RT audience score: 88%
> Starring: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch
20. Into the Wild (2007)
> Directed by: Sean Penn
> IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 83%
> RT audience score: 89%
> Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener
19. A Quiet Place (2018)
> Directed by: John Krasinski
> IMDb rating: 7.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 83%
> Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy
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18. Of Mice and Men (1992)
> Directed by: Gary Sinise
> IMDb rating: 7.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 97%
> RT audience score: 82%
> Starring: John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Ray Walston
17. Dead Man Walking (1995)
> Directed by: Tim Robbins
> IMDb rating: 7.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 95%
> RT audience score: 86%
> Starring: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky
16. Quiz Show (1994)
> Directed by: Robert Redford
> IMDb rating: 7.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 87%
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow
15. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 90%
> RT audience score: 90%
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman
14. Argo (2012)
> Directed by: Ben Affleck
> IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 90%
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
13. Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) (1997)
> Directed by: Roberto Benigni
> IMDb rating: 8.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 81%
> RT audience score: 96%
> Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
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12. Little Women (2019)
> Directed by: Greta Gerwig
> IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 95%
> RT audience score: 92%
> Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh
11. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
> Directed by: Charles Laughton
> IMDb rating: 8.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 95%
> RT audience score: 90%
> Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
10. The General (1926)
> Directed by: Buster Keaton
> IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 93%
> RT audience score: 92%
> Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
9. A Bronx Tale (1993)
> Directed by: Robert De Niro
> IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 97%
> RT audience score: 93%
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato
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8. Sling Blade (1996)
> Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton
> IMDb rating: 8.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 92%
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh
7. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
> Directed by: Buster Keaton
> IMDb rating: 8.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 92%
> RT audience score: 95%
> Starring: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton
6. Unforgiven (1992)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> IMDb rating: 8.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 96%
> RT audience score: 93%
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
5. Citizen Kane (1941)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
> IMDb rating: 8.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 99%
> RT audience score: 90%
> Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
4. The Great Dictator (1940)
> Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
> IMDb rating: 8.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 93%
> RT audience score: 95%
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie
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3. The Gold Rush (1925)
> Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
> IMDb rating: 8.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 100%
> RT audience score: 93%
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray
2. Modern Times (1936)
> Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
> IMDb rating: 8.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 98%
> RT audience score: 95%
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
1. City Lights (1931)
> Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
> IMDb rating: 8.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 98%
> RT audience score: 96%
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
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