Actors are used to bringing to life totally different roles in every movie. They portray heroes and villains, lead major productions and even participate in small roles in cameos that often end up granting them prestigious awards. Over time, and with experience, some world-renowned actors discovered a new passion: directing movies. Every once in a while we learn that an actor has decided to go one step further and sit in the director's chair to carry out a personal project. Many of them even starred in their films in addition to directing them.
It is quite true that acting in a film is not the same as directing it: these are roles that are intended to complement each other very well, yet imply different skills and levels of responsibility. However, the years of experience and the day-to-day routine on different sets have left their mark on many of them. Motivated by what they learned from some of the best filmmakers, they decided to try their chances behind the camera. Some of these actors achieved outstanding results and never made it back to the acting world. Take a look at some of the actors who were able to succeed in directing their own films.
Update on January 26, 2024: This article has been updated by Soniya Hinduja with additional directors as well as up to date information on many of the filmmakers recent projects and award nominations.
Rob Reiner
Born to a Jewish family in the Bronx, Rob Reiner first broke out as an endearing and well-meaning Michael “Meathead” Stivik, husband to Gloria and son-in-law to Carroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker in the groundbreaking ‘70s sitcom All in the Family. His role as one of the most educated and progressive people in the family was received with open arms and abundant laughter. He appeared in 174 episodes, Reiner won two Primetime Emmy Awards, and gifted an entire audience with some touching memories.
In the early ‘80s, Rob Reiner steadily transitioned toward his true passion – storytelling. His prolific career as a director first blossomed with the heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984). Following that, the actor earned widespread acclaim for films like The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Stand By Me (1986), and 1992’s A Few Good Men, a film that earned him a nod at the Oscars in the Best Director category. All of his films have become smashing hits and went on to define a decade or two of seemingly effortless filmmaking. His most recent project, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, is a documentary film that honors the comedian and filmmaker.
Robert Redford
Having found work both on stage and in television in the 1950s, Robert Redford was destined for greatness. The actor, like many others, found inspiration in smaller television roles, appearing as a guest star in television dramas like Maverick, Naked City, The Twilight Zone, and more. He made his on-screen debut in 1960 for a minor role in a romantic comedy directed by Joshua Logan, Tall Story. After that, the actor appeared in over twenty other films. From the iconic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Redford has expanded his artistic gifts and lent his talents wherever possible.
He made his directorial debut in 1980 with Ordinary People, which explores the fallout of a wealthy family when they are struck by grief after losing one of their sons. The movie took home four Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Moving forward, Redford directed eight more feature films up until 2012. The actor turned director has been associated with telling stories filled with soulfulness and nuance and he continues to innovate and enlighten the audience even today.
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty made his acting debut in 1961 with Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass, a high school romance about two teenage sweethearts navigating the tribulations of being the age. However, he burst into stardom with Bonnie and Clyde, a movie that changed the course of cinema with its piercing social commentary and an iconic final scene. Knowing the actor has been inspired by films like The Philadelphia Story and Love Affair from a very young age, it was fitting for him to have helmed intimate dramas and inhabited complex characters.
Later in life, Beatty seamlessly wrote, directed, produced and starred in iconic films such as Heaven Can’t Wait (1978), Reds (1981), Dick Tracy (1991), and Burlsworth (1998) to name a fewe. Naturally, the Academy Awards honored Beatty’s unparalleled skill on and off camera, and he became the only actor to have been nominated for over five categories for the same film. His diverse filmography solidified his status and command in the industry as a living legend who came to fame before filmmaking had made technical advancements.
Clint Eastwood
If there is one thing we can say about Clint Eastwood, it is that his talent level is extremely high, both in both acting and in directing. His first cameo was in 1955 in the film Revenge of the Creature, to later be consecrated thanks to his character The Man with No Name in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
In 1967, he founded his own production company, The Malpaso Company, along with his financial advisor, Irving Leonard. Among his most critically acclaimed films like Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, both of which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Other iconic films he has directed include Mystic River, Letters from Iwa Jima, and Gran Torino. Sniper in 2014 became his highest-grossing film of all time. In 2021, his last film to date, Cry Macho, was released, in which he played a washed-up rodeo star on an unexpected journey. Eastwood has won two Oscars as a director for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. He is currently working on his next and rumored final film, Juror No. 2.
Halle Berry
As an actress, we have seen Halle Berry's brilliant performances in the X-Men saga and in films such as Monster's Ball (2001), Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019). Over the past year, she decided to plunge into directing, which her directorial debut Bruised hitting Netflix in 2020. Berry also starred in the film as the role of Jackie Justice. She played an MMA fighter at the worst moment of her professional career. The movie also starred Adriane Lenox, Sheila Atim, Valentina Shevchenko, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, and it received great reviews. However, it became embroiled in controversy with MMA fighter Cat Zingano's complaint against the director.
Berry had a follow-up film, The Mothership, planned to be released on Netflix. Yet recently, the studio announced they were not going to release the almost-finished movie, and there is no word on whether it will find distribution again.
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde has been breaking boundaries as an actress and director. Her first big role was her breakout one, starring in the hit television series The OC. From there, she landed smaller roles in film, video games, and music videos. Wilde was determined to do it all and put her name out there in the world. A recurring role on the TV series House (2004 - 2012) brought her star power to the next level and put the world on notice of what she was capable of. Soon enough, Wilde would star in blockbusters like Tron: Legacy (2010) and Academy Award-winning films like Her (2013). After seeing what it was like in front of the camera, she would try her hand behind it in the director's chair.
Wilde started out small, directing short films and music videos, but soon she was able to make her first feature film. Booksmart (2019) was an immediate success, with the coming-of-age teen comedy establishing Wilde as a credible director. A few years later, she would go on to make the highly anticipated thriller Don't Worry Darling (2022). While there was a whole controversy surrounding the film, it further cemented Wilde's status as a director in the industry. Her next two projects are a film titled Perfect, set to release in 2024, and an Untitled Sony Marvel film rumored to be about Spider-Woman.
Kenneth Branagh
One of the only people on this list who started out as a stage actor, Kenneth Branagh has garnered quite the reputation for his directorial work. After starring in plays such as Henry V and Romeo and Juliet, Branagh formed his own theater production company called the Renaissance Theatre Company. There, they could make a smaller and more intimate company and put on his own plays, like Public Enemy, which he wrote when he was only 25. A short four years later, he would go on to make his directorial debut with a film adaptation of Henry V. His very first film got him the Best Director and Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, along with taking home the Oscar for Best-set Design. Right out of the gate, it was obvious how talented Branagh was as both a performer and director.
Since then, Branagh has continued to direct and star in some of the biggest films today. From directing huge blockbuster movies like Thor (2011) and Cinderella (2015) to starring in and directing the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot murder mystery movies, Branagh has done it all. Just this year, he acted in the hugely successful Christoper Nolan film Oppenheimer, all while also directing and starring in A Haunting in Venice which was released later that year.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck made his screen debut at an early age in the movie The Dark End Of The Street (1981) and later as the protagonist of the series The Voyage Of The Mimi (1984). Well known for his roles in School Ties (1992) and Dazed and Confused (1993), his acting breakthrough was when he starred alongside Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (1997), a film co-written by Affleck and Damon that later earned them a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for best original script of the year.
After starring in Armageddon (1998) and Shakespeare in Love (1998), Affleck made his first steps from behind the camera, and in 2007 he directed Gone Baby Gone, starring his brother Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, and Amy Ryan. He then followed that up with 2010's critically acclaimed and box office hit, The Town, and then in 2012, he directed Argo, a film that won him three Academy Awards, including the trophy for Best Picture. His career continues both in front of and behind the camera as he recently starred and directed Air for Prime Video. Affleck's next directorial effort will be Animals, a new crime thriller for Netflix that will star Matt Damon.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster is one of the most respected and acclaimed actresses of her generation. She made her film debut at a very young age in the movie Napoleon and Samantha (1972), and her first major role arrived in 1976 with Martin Scorsese when he cast her in Taxi Driver. She won an Oscar for The Accused (1988) and Silence of the Lambs (1991), and also starred in films such as Sommersby (1993), Nell (1994), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), Panic Room (2002), Hidden Plan (2006) and A Savage God (2011).
In 1991, Foster amazed everyone by venturing into direction with Little Man Tate, and later she delivered successes such as The Beaver (2011) and Money Monster (2016). She also directed some episodes of series such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Black Mirror. Foster is still an acclaimed actress, as she was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for her role in Nyad.
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller was one of the most well-known actors of the late nineties and early 'oughts, but nowadays you'll find him mostly working as an incredibly successful director and producer. The son of legendary actor Jerry Stiller, Ben got his first role in Stephen Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987). He had attempted to get behind the camera as soon as he could with shows like MTV's Back to Brooklyn and The Ben Stiller Show, but those never got far. Stiller really managed to break out staring in roles like There's Something About Mary (1998) and Zoolander (2001), the latter of which he directed. His star continued to rise as he had iconic performances in films such as The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Night at the Museum (2006), and Tropic Thunder (2008), the movie he wrote, directed, and starred in.
While being both an actor and director, Stiller has made some iconic films that stand the test of time. It isn't just film that he's directing, as he's recently made the jump to TV. Currently, he's producing and directing on the critically beloved AppleTV+ series Severance. The psychological thriller shows a whole other side of Stiller's creativity that he hasn't shown before, and it is one of the most popular TV shows today. With season 2 in production along with a handful of other films, Stiller is going to continue to show his abilities as a director in both film and television.
John Krasinski
John Krasinksi has over twenty years of experience between movies and television, but it wasn't until he released A Quiet Place (2018) that he caught the eye of everyone in the industry. It was an all-time achievement: Krasinski was the leading actor, director, and screenwriter of the movie. From his debut in 2002, he got a job as an intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and eventually established himself in the industry with the opening of The Office (2005), the sitcom led by Steve Carell. John impersonated Jim Halpert, a sales representative of a paper distribution company. This production was so successful that it ran uninterrupted for nine seasons, and Krasinski was given the opportunity to direct a couple episodes.
In 2021, Krasinski premiered the sequel to A Quiet Place in theaters. Another installment of this series is expected, but Krasinski will not return as director. His next directorial film will be the family-comedy IF, set for release on May 17, 2024. That will will reunite Krasinski with his Office co-star Steve Carrell.
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is one of the biggest actors in Hollywood today. Starting out as a comedic actor, Cooper was breaking out in big movies like Wedding Crashers (2005), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), and The Hangover (2009). It was then that he decided to venture into more mainstream dramatic roles and show what he had to offer as an actor. The Silver Linings Playbook (2021) landed him an Academy Award nomination and showed the world how talented he was. With more iconic performances in American Hustle (2013), American Sniper (2014), and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Cooper was a household name and box office draw.
It was then in 2018 when Cooper decided to branch out and try his hand in the remake of the classic film A Star is Born. Not only would he have the tall task of directing the highly anticipated feature, but he would star in it alongside Lady Gaga. The movie was a huge hit and gained immediate acclaim, cementing Cooper as a capable director. His latest film, Maestro, hit Netflix on in December 2023 and has scored seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper.
Jon Favreau
In 1996, Jon Favreau portrayed Pete Becker, Monica Geller's billionaire boyfriend on Friends. His most notable role might be from Swingers, a movie in which he also wrote. Favreau would appear in many beloved films, including The Break-Up (2006) and I Love You, Man (2009). Today he is now one of the most well-regarded filmmakers working. He directed the holiday classic Elf, and his work on Iron Man movies kicked off the MCU. He also plays the role of Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's assistant and driver in several Marvel movies, including Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
The same year he appeared in Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home; he also directed the remake of The Lion King, which went on to gross $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Later that year he would launch his next global hit, The Mandalorian, a series set in the Star Wars universe with Pedro Pascal as the main character. Favreau is now set to bring The Mandalorian to the big screen as the film The Mandalorian & Grogu will be the next big-screen Star Wars outing.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is one of the most successful actors turned directors in recent years. In 2006 she made her acting debut in the comedy-drama LOL, directed by Joe Swanberg, and then participated in films such as Greenberg (2010), No Strings Attached (2011), To Rome With Love (2012) and Frances Ha (2012), a film for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In The Humbling (2014), she portrayed Al Pacino's partner.
Her directing career began in 2008, when she launched a feature film in association with Joe Swanberg entitled Nights And Weekends. In 2017, she made her debut as a solo director when she released Lady Bird, a film starring Saoirse Ronan. Two years later, she directed Little Women (2019), a film that earned her a nomination for an Academy Award. Greta most recently worked on the movie Barbie, inspired by the world-famous doll and starring Margot Robbie, which not only passed one billion dollars at the box office but also landed eight Academy Award nominations. While Gerwig was snubbed for Best Director, she now holds a distinct record in that her three solo directorial films all have been nominated for Best Picture.
Jordan Peele
Nobody could have expected Jordan Peele to be this generation's breakout auteur director, but he's gone on to become one of the most respected directors today. One half of the comedy duo Key and Peele, Jordan made a name for himself on the Comedy Central series named after the duo. It wasn't until his directorial debut, 2017's Get Out, that Peele would make it mainstream with a film that swept the nation and made him the first Black person to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. His career would only take off from there, releasing two more critically acclaimed horror hits in 2019's Us and 2022's Nope. On top of being a successful director, Peele has started his own production company, Monkeypaw Productions, where he's written and produced several more movies, including the Candyman reboot, BlacKkKlansman, and the stop-motion animated film Wendell & Wild.
Peel's ability to tell thrilling stories addressing social issues has redefined his career. He uses these themes to bring light serious issues like race in Get Out, or influencer culture in Nope. Peele's movies are both horror films and event movies they've started to feel like an event. He's a visionary director with the most successful career change in all of Hollywood. He's changed his entire identity from a comedy actor to a respected director whose work is highly anticipated.