Some of the most renowned film directors of all time are from the U.K. Plenty of these names are undoubtedly more familiar than others, but for the most part, their works should be recognized by most film fans across the world, regardless of region.
The filmographies of these creatives span every genre imaginable, with star-studded casts and legendary crew members to boot. Some names featured herein are likely far more recognizable to some audiences than others, but for the most part, these are all A-list directors coming out of the United Kingdom. All that said, these are the 24 best British directors of all time, ranked.
24 Amma Asante
From a commercial standpoint, A United Kingdom (2016) by Amma Asante should go down as one of the more underrated films of the past ten years. Starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, its plot chronicles the real-life romance between Seretse Khama — the heir to the Bangwato Tribe (a chieftaincy of Botswana) — and Ruth Williams Khama, his wife. Of course, those characters are portrayed by the aforementioned performers in Oyelowo (Seretse) and Pike (Ruth).
It was praised for its proper pacing and impressive performances, and justifiably so. But A United Kingdom is far from the only film worth writing home about among Asante’s high-quality oeuvre. Belle (2013) is right up there as her best, while A Way of Life (2004) and Where Hands Touch (2018) only add to her resume. Ultimately, everything resulted in a spot on this list.
23 Tony Richardson
After starting out with both television and theater, director Tony Richardson soon found himself transitioning to film and becoming one of the hottest rising filmmakers in the entire industry. He has dozens of projects under his filmmaking belt, but perhaps the most prominent is the one that garnered a win for Best Director at the Academy Awards: Tom Jones (1963).
An adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling from 1749, this critically acclaimed comedy stars Albert Finney as the titular character, with several other talented performers among its cast. Ultimately, Tom Jones as a whole helped land Richardson near the beginning of the bunch.
22 Andrea Arnold
No matter how many critical hits English director Andrea Arnold pumps out in the 21st century, projects such as Red Road (2006) consistently make splashes instead of waves at the worldwide box office. That psychological thriller remains highly underrated today, along with the majority of Arnold’s other films: Fish Tank (2009), Wuthering Heights (2011), and American Honey (2016).
The last of those three features up-and-coming actress Sasha Lane alongside Hollywood mainstay Shia LeBeouf. It follows the former’s character (named Skye) as she leaves home to join a sales crew who deal in magazine subscriptions across America. Again: highly underrated, and helps land Andrea here at number twenty-two.
21 Lynne Ramsay
Scottish director Lynne Ramsay made her directorial debut at the turn of the century with Ratcatcher (1999), which follows a kid as he traverses through the ever-changing landscape of his scheme in Glasgow. He’s accustomed having no water to run, having nowhere to bathe, and having nowhere to even use the restroom.
And despite unanimously positive reviews from pundits and audiences alike, the latter group of viewers by no means traveled en masse to see Ratcatcher inside movie theaters across the globe. But it’s since gone down as something of a cult classic, resonating fondly with viewers of every ilk just as it did with critics at the turn of the century, and Ramsay has a few other noteworthy films to boot like You Were Never Really Here (2017), for example. She undoubtedly deserves to land here on the list.
20 John Schlesinger
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The filmography of John Schlesinger truly runs the gamut of genre, from romantic comedies and period dramas to psychological thrillers and horror stints. But three of his projects perhaps stand out as his best: Darling (1955), Midnight Cowboy (1969), and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971). And those catch the eye for garnering Schlesinger Best Director nominations at the Academy Awards.
In fact, he even won for Midnight Cowboy, the only X-rated film to ever win Best Picture. But there is one more film worth writing home about with regard to this particular English filmmaker: Marathon Man (1976), a thriller with Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, and Roy Scheider. It holds a great legacy today, and goes down as one of the best films of its decade.
19 Ken Russell
Although he may not hold the contemporary name value of many others on this list, Ken Russell was once among the most talented filmmakers the U.K. had to offer, period. After starting with a few smaller-budget projects, he burst onto the scene with Women in Love (1969), which takes place in an English mining town after the First World War and details the plot of two sisters' relationships with two men.
That project garnered him Best Director nominations at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, without a doubt going down as the definitive project of his career. But Russell released several other critical darlings such as The Boy Friend (1971), Tommy (1975), and Altered States (1980). Few of his projects go down as recognizable today, but he more than earned a spot on this list.
18 Nicolas Roeg
Perhaps the most prominent project throughout the oeuvre of Nicolas Roeg would be Don’t Look Now (1973), a thriller that influenced more creatives than just about any other film from a director on this list. Schindler’s List (1993), Memento (2000), Casino Royale (2006), In Bruges (2008), Hereditary (2018) — the respective directors of those films all drew massive inspiration from Roeg’s definitive movie.
But as with every other filmmaker featured herein, there are of course plenty more titles worth writing home about from this director’s long list of works. Take The Man Who Fell From Earth (1976), Bad Timing (1980), and The Witches (1990), for example. None of these titles are particularly popular today, but that takes nothing away from their quality.
17 Guy Ritchie
The first two films by Guy Ritchie in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) are both so beloved by film fans around the world that this placement might appear confounding off the bat. But aside from those, Ritchie’s oeuvre remains somewhat imbalanced.
Sherlock Holmes (2009), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015), The Gentleman (2019), Wrath of Man (2021), Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) — these were all high-quality projects. But along the well-known way, he’s made a few absolute duds: Swept Away (2002) and Revolver (2005), most notably. Those two projects in particular mar Ritchie's overall placement, but his first and sophomore features warrant one nonetheless.
16 Ken Loach
Although neither his name as a director nor the popularity of his individual projects hold much value for most film fans, Ken Loach is undoubtedly a respected filmmaker for a particular corner of the film industry. And perhaps the most prominent picture of his would be The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), a war film with Cillian Murphy and Pádraic Delaney.
It won the Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was even the highest-grossing independent movie from Ireland at the time of release. But it wasn’t the only Loach film to win the grand prize at the aforementioned festival, as I, Daniel Blake (2006) also received such honors. Those two projects alone warrant him a spot on this list, let alone the rest of his oeuvre.
15 Jim Sheridan
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Not to take anything at all away from the skill of Jim Sheridan as a director, but it's safe to say he’s best known for his collaborations with Daniel Day-Lewis. Often cited by many fans and pundits alike as the greatest actor to ever do it, Day-Lewis gained most of his initial traction in the industry through his projects with Sheridan, particularly with My Left Foot (1989) and In the Name of the Father (1993).
Sheridan picked up Oscar nominations for Best Director with both of those works, and Day-Lewis actually won Best Actor for My Left Foot. The two collaborated again in The Boxer (1997) with Day-Lewis playing the titular pugilist, and Sheridan alone made waves with critics once again thanks to In America (2003). He without a doubt deserves this recognition.
14 Alan Parker
Just off popularity, Bugsy Malone (1976) is likely the most recognizable title throughout the career of Alan Parker. But of course, that musical gangster comedy is far from the only noteworthy entry thereof. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) was a creative force to be reckoned with in itself, along with Crazy Heart (1987) starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro — a tantalizing psychological thriller with tangible elements of neo-noir and a well-executed plot twist to boot.
But both Midnight Express (1978) and Mississippi Burning (1988) put Parker on another level with regard to this list. Although he may not have the name value of the next pick, he’s undoubtedly a talented director.
13 Richard Attenborough
Up to this point in the list, Richard Attenorough is among the most recognizable names for general film fans thanks to his famous biographical projects like Gandhi (1982) and Chaplin (1992). Those both garnered multiple nominations at the Academy Awards — particularly the former, as Gandhi swept the 55th ceremony with eight out of eleven nominations. And yes, one of those victories was for Best Director.
But Attenborough of course has other titles under his directorial belt, such as A Bridge Too Far (1977), a war film, and Cry Freedom (1987), a biographical drama starring Denzel Washington. On any given day, Attenborough could place even higher on the list. But number thirteen will have to suffice.
12 Mike Leigh
Throughout his critically acclaimed yet commercially overlooked career, British filmmaker Mike Leigh received seven total nominations at the Academy Awards: five for Best Original Screenplay and two for Best Director. He came up short with each, but that arguably puts him among the best creatives to never walk away with a golden statuette.
With regard to his individual films: they hold little name value for American audiences, but feature taught plots in tandem with solid performances. Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy Turvy (1999), Vera Drake (2004), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), and Another Year (2010) all received widespread acclaim from pundits of the industry. The talent of Mike Leigh is simply undeniable.
11 Steve McQueen
With Hunger (2008), a historical drama about the Irish hunger strike of 1981, British director Steve McQueen burst onto the scene of critical reverence. The film holds a 90% approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes, and remains highly overlooked from a commercial perspective.
By far and away, the seminal McQueen film is 12 Years a Slave (2013), an adaptation of a slave narrative memoir of the same name, written by Solomon Northup in 1853. The adaptation received widespread acclaim, with a 95% approval rating on the aforementioned website and nine total nominations at the Academy Awards. McQueen came up short for Best Director, but the project as a whole was awarded Best Picture. His most recent project Widows (2018) only solidifies his inclusion herein thanks to a thrilling plot and a star-studded cast.
10 Danny Boyle
While many of these directors appeal to a rather niche portion of film fans, Danny Boyle directs projects of all genres and sizes. Shallow Grave (1994) was among the most respected directorial debuts of the 1990s, and he undoubtedly topped those efforts with his sophomoric follow-up in Trainspotting (1996). This entry could be entirely dedicated to that one film, to be frank.
But that would be an injustice to the rest of his filmography: 28 Days Later (2001), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and 127 Hours (2010) were among the most respected films of their respective years, while Millions (2004), Sunshine (2007), and Trance (2013) remain vastly underrated today. Steve Jobs (2015), T2 Trainspotting (2017), and Yesterday (2019) all bolster Boyle’s spot, but he was ultimately held back from placing higher due to a couple particularly panned projects: A Life Less Ordinary (1997) and The Beach (2000). Definitely avoid those two.
9 Michael Powell
Although American audiences may not recognize Michael Powell or even the names of his most famous films, some of his titles like Peeping Tom (1960) were highly influential in Hollywood. That particular horror movie was a precursor of the slasher genre — popularized by American filmmakers in the following decade — and it’s still the best project of Powell’s portfolio.
But other films from him include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944), and The Red Shoes (1948) — all of which were codirected by Emeric Pressburger. They were quite the famous filmmaking duo, and if it weren’t for the existence of Peeping Tom, Pressburger would have made the list as well. But in the end, Powell directed that horror feature himself, and thus lands here at number nine.
8 Martin McDonough
Recently, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) by British-Irish filmmaker Martin McDonough picked up nine total nominations at the 95th Academy Awards. That’s perhaps McDonough’s masterpiece, with only three other projects throughout his career: In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
But here’s the thing about McDonough’s relatively sparse filmography: each film is nearly perfect in plot and profound in pitch from start to finish, with all but Seven Psychopaths picking up nominations at the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay. Plus, he actually won that same award for those three films at the BAFTAs. Three Billboards and Banshees were also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, while the latter project picked up a Best Director nod for McDonough himself. There’s a solid argument that all of those awards should have gone to the filmmaker at hand.
7 Terry Gilliam
Throughout the 1970s, British filmmaking standout Terry Gilliam made a name for himself by dint of both Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Jabberwocky (1977). The former was made with Terry Jones, and is among the most famous of their careers. But in the following decade, Gilliam separated himself from by making Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).
Then, he reached another level of filmmaking entirely in the 1990s: The Fisher King (1992) picked up five nominations at the Academy Awards, while Twelve Monkeys (1995) garnered Brad Pitt his first Oscar nomination on top of a win at the Golden Globes. Deservedly so. Gilliam’s filmography since that science fiction classic has undoubtedly waned in quality. But luckily for the sake of this list, his legacy has long been set in stone.
6 Sam Mendes
With American Beauty (1999), Sam Mendes burst into the Hollywood stratosphere unlike few first-time filmmakers before him. That directorial debut remains his masterpiece today, winning Best Director off the bat as his career had legitimately just gotten started. But he was by no means done there, returning in valiant fashion with Road to Perdition (2002), a crime film with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman.
After that came Jarhead (2005), an underrated war film with Jake Gyllenhaal, followed by Revolutionary Road (2008) and Away We Go (2009). After that, Mendes directed two James Bond films: Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2017). He then went back to the war genre with 1917 (2019), and frankly, if it weren’t for his most recent project Empire of Light (2022), the quality of his filmography alone would’ve warranted a spot in the top five. But number six will suffice.
5 Ridley Scott
Along with a couple others to follow, Ridley Scott is among the most famous British directors to ever live, if he’s not number one. Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) are two absolute classics of the science fiction genre, and without a doubt hold up today in terms of sheer quality. And he’s only continued the trend of acclaimed science fiction projects into the twenty-first century with titles like Prometheus (2012) and The Martian (2015).
Frankly, his filmography is massive — to list his others outside the aforementioned genre would take too much time, but there are some standouts like Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), and American Gangster (2007). That’s still hardly touching the surface, and his commercial successes are evident. He’s among the best directors ever, regardless of region, and if it weren’t for duds like The Counselor (2013) and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), he could’ve placed even higher.