Academy Awards Best Director Winners

Major Category
87 Winners
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2024
Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Oppenheimer

2022
Jane Campion

Jane Campion

The Power of the Dog (2021)

2021
Nomadland

Nomadland

Nomadland (2021)

2020
Bong Joon Ho

Bong Joon Ho

Parasite (2019)

2019
Alfonso Cuarón

Alfonso Cuarón

Roma (2018)

2018
Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro

The Shape of Water (2017)

2017
Damien Chazelle

Damien Chazelle

La La Land (2016)

2016
Alejandro González Iñárritu

Alejandro González Iñárritu

The Revenant (2015)

2015
Alejandro González Iñárritu

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

2014
Alfonso Cuarón

Alfonso Cuarón

Gravity (2013)

2013
Ang Lee

Ang Lee

Life of Pi (2012)

2011
Tom Hooper

Tom Hooper

The King's Speech (2010)

2010
Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker (2008)

2009
Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

2008
Joel Coen

Joel Coen

No Country for Old Men (2007)

2008
Ethan Coen

Ethan Coen

No Country for Old Men (2007)

2007
Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

The Departed (2006)

2006
Ang Lee

Ang Lee

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

2005
Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

2004
Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

2003
Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski

The Pianist (2002)

2002
Ron Howard

Ron Howard

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

2001
Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh

Traffic (2000)

2000
Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes

American Beauty (1999)

1999
Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

1998
James Cameron

James Cameron

Titanic (1997)

1996
Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

Braveheart (1995)

1995
Robert Zemeckis

Robert Zemeckis

Forrest Gump (1994)

1994
Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

Schindler's List (1993)

1993
Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Unforgiven (1992)

1992
Jonathan Demme

Jonathan Demme

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

1991
Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

Dances with Wolves (1990)

1990
Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

1989
Barry Levinson

Barry Levinson

Rain Man (1988)

1988
Bernardo Bertolucci

Bernardo Bertolucci

The Last Emperor (1987)

1987
Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone

Platoon (1986)

1986
Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack

Out of Africa (1985)

1985
Miloš Forman

Miloš Forman

Amadeus (1984)

1984
James L. Brooks

James L. Brooks

Terms of Endearment (1983)

1983
Richard Attenborough

Richard Attenborough

Gandhi (1982)

1982
Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty

Reds (1981)

1981
Robert Redford

Robert Redford

Ordinary People (1980)

1980
Robert Benton

Robert Benton

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

1978
Woody Allen

Woody Allen

Annie Hall (1977)

1976
Miloš Forman

Miloš Forman

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

1975
Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather Part II (1974)

1974
George Roy Hill

George Roy Hill

The Sting (1973)

1973
Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse

Cabaret (1972)

1970
John Schlesinger

John Schlesinger

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

1969
Carol Reed

Carol Reed

Oliver! (1968)

1968
Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols

The Graduate (1967)

1967
Fred Zinnemann

Fred Zinnemann

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

1966
Robert Wise

Robert Wise

The Sound of Music (1965)

1965
George Cukor

George Cukor

My Fair Lady (1964)

1963
David Lean

David Lean

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

1962
Robert Wise

Robert Wise

West Side Story (1961)

1961
Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder

The Apartment (1960)

1960
William Wyler

William Wyler

Ben-Hur (1959)

1959
Vincente Minnelli

Vincente Minnelli

Gigi (1958)

1958
David Lean

David Lean

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

1957
George Stevens

George Stevens

Giant (1956)

1956
Delbert Mann

Delbert Mann

Marty (1955)

1955
Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan

On the Waterfront (1954)

1954
Fred Zinnemann

Fred Zinnemann

From Here to Eternity (1953)

1953
John Ford

John Ford

The Quiet Man (1952)

1952
George Stevens

George Stevens

A Place in the Sun (1951)

1951
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

All About Eve (1950)

1950
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

1949
John Huston

John Huston

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

1948
Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

1947
William Wyler

William Wyler

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

1946
Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder

The Lost Weekend (1945)

1945
Leo McCarey

Leo McCarey

Going My Way (1944)

1944
Michael Curtiz

Michael Curtiz

Casablanca (1943)

1943
William Wyler

William Wyler

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

1942
John Ford

John Ford

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

1941
John Ford

John Ford

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

1940
Victor Fleming

Victor Fleming

Gone with the Wind (1939)

1939
Frank Capra

Frank Capra

You Can't Take It with You (1938)

1938
Leo McCarey

Leo McCarey

The Awful Truth (1937)

1937
Frank Capra

Frank Capra

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

1936
John Ford

John Ford

The Informer (1935)

1935
Frank Capra

Frank Capra

It Happened One Night (1934)

1934
Frank Lloyd

Frank Lloyd

Cavalcade (1933)

1930
Lewis Milestone

Lewis Milestone

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

1930
Frank Lloyd

Frank Lloyd

The Divine Lady (1928)

1929
Lewis Milestone

Lewis Milestone

Two Arabian Knights (1927)

Other Categories

Best Animated Feature Best Picture Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Original Screenplay Best Adapted Screenplay Best Animated Feature Film Best International Feature Film Best Documentary Feature Best Original Score Best Original Song Best Cinematography Best Film Editing
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