There’s a storied tradition in Hollywood of actors transitioning to the director’s chair. For example, Mel Gibson got his first big break in 1977’s Summer City, acting as an Australian university student; in 1995, he directed his first feature film Braveheart. For this directorial debut, he won Best Picture and Best Director at the 68th Academy Awards. Ron Howard, Sofia Coppola, and Gene Kelly also got their start in front of the camera – long before they found success behind it.
Some actors make the shift due to a lack of roles on offer, while others want to explore a different facet of filmmaking. Whether they’re making the next big summer blockbuster or shooting a micro-budget indie flick, some of cinema’s finest features have come from performers who transitioned from acting to “action.”
Updated February 28, 2023, by Anthony Jeanetta. The upcoming 95th Academy Awards aired Sunday, March 12, 2023. This year's Best Picture nominees included three films helmed by directors who were in front of the camera before stepping behind it. This list is updated to include more actors who later became even better directors.
10 Regina King
Directorial Debut: 2013
Regina King began her acting career in 1985, at 14, playing Brenda Jenkins on the television series 227. Since then, King has accumulated over fifty-five acting credits, starring in films like Ray and If Beale Street Could Talk – the latter of which earned her an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the 91st Academy Awards.
King took to the director’s chair for the first time in 2013 when she directed an episode of the TV show Southland. She then directed episodes of Scandal; This is Us, Shameless, Animal Kingdom, The Good Doctor, and more. Eventually, she made her feature film directorial debut in 2020 with One Night in Miami, which earned three Oscar nominations at the 93rd Academy Award.
9 George Clooney
Directorial Debut: 2002
First appearing in 1984’s short-lived television sitcom E/R, George Clooney transitioned to film acting with Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 horror-comedy, From Dusk Till Dawn. A year later, Joel Schumacher cast him as the lead in the ill-fated ‘Caped-Crusader’ reboot Batman & Robin.
After making a name for himself as ‘the smoothest man in Hollywood’ with films like Ocean’s Eleven, Up in the Air, and Michael Clayton, Clooney took to the director’s chair with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind in 2002. In 2005, he directed Good Night, and Good Luck, which garnered six Oscar nominations at the 78th Academy Awards, including Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year. Since then, Clooney has directed seven films. His latest movie, The Tender Bar, is available on Amazon Prime Video.
8 Angelina Jolie
Directorial Debut: 2007
Angelina Jolie began acting at seven years old in 1982’s Lookin’ to Get Out. Jolie quickly went on to star in Hackers, Without Evidence, Foxfire, and Mojave Moon. By her 16th birthday, she’d accumulated over 20 acting credits. In 2000, Jolie won an Academy Award for her supporting role in 1999’s Girl, Interrupted, and by 2002, she had established herself as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid female actors.
In 2007, Jolie parlayed this acting prowess into her directorial debut, the documentary A Place in Time. In 2011, she released her first feature film, In the Land of Blood and Honey. Then, in 2015, her movie Unbroken (2014) earned three Oscar nominations at the 87th Academy Awards. Jolie’s most recent film, First They Killed My Father (2017), accumulated widespread critical acclaim. Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com described it as “one of the greatest films about war ever made.”
7 Ben Affleck
Directorial Debut: 1993
Ben Affleck debuted on-screen in 1981’s The Dark End of the Street, acting opposite Laura Harrington. From there, he landed roles in various television series before really breaking onto the scene with 1992’s School Ties. A year later, 1993, was a big year for Affleck; he starred in Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age classic, Dazed and Confused, and directed his first project, a short film with what may be the single greatest title of any movie: I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meathook, and Now I have a Three Picture Deal at Disney.
Affleck wouldn’t return to the director’s chair until 2007 with Gone Baby Gone, a critical hit that earned one Oscar nomination. In 2010, Affleck again amassed critical acclaim with his second feature film, The Town. He gained even more praise with 2012’s Argo, which won three Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
6 Greta Gerwig
Directorial Debut: 2008
Greta Gerwig first took to the screen in 2006, acting in the dramedy LOL. Two years later, she starred in four feature films in the same year: Baghead, Yeast, Nights and Weekends, and I Thought You Finally Completely Lost It. It was also the year she directed her first film, pulling double-duty on Nights and Weekends, co-directing it with her on-screen co-star, Joe Swanberg.
Still, Gerwig had to wait almost a decade before stepping behind the camera for her first solo feature film, 2017’s Lady Bird. The movie was a hit and received universal acclaim from audiences and critics alike, garnering five Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Original Screenplay. In 2019, Gerwig followed this striking debut with a remake of Little Women, which earned six Academy Award nominations and won Best Achievement in Costume Design.
5 Robert Redford
Directorial Debut: 1980
Robert Redford is a Hollywood stalwart who entered the scene in a significant way in 1960, debuting his acting chops in the TV series, Maverick before starring in over ten more projects before 1961. After this rollicking start, Redford cemented himself as one of the most charming and charismatic actors during the next 20 years. This run included an Oscar nomination in 1974 for his performance in The Sting.
Then, in 1980, Redford directed his first feature film, Ordinary People, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Redford has since directed eight more future films, which have accumulated nine Oscar nominations and two wins.
4 Clint Eastwood
Directorial Debut: 1971
Clint Eastwood has been one of cinema’s greatest movie stars for over half a century. Beginning his acting career in 1955, Eastwood took on western and contemporary roles. He rose to prominence with films like A Fistful of Dollars, A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. This troika of movies is collectively known as the Man With No Name series, which critics widely regarded as one of the best trilogies in cinema.
After starring in a string of commercial hits, Eastwood made his first foray into directing in 1971 with the thriller Play Misty for Me. This debut was a moderate commercial hit but earned Eastwood newfound critical respect for his competency behind the camera. Thirty-five films later, Eastwood-directed movies have garnered 47 Academy Award nominations. Eastwood won two Best Picture and two Best Director Oscars in 1994 and 2004, for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, respectively. Although some critics and fans considered this latter Oscar win controversial.
3 Todd Field
Directorial Debut: 1992
Todd Field entered Hollywood as an actor in 1986 when he appeared in five episodes of the TV series Lance et Compete. Fields kept working as an actor for decades, garnering praise for roles in large-scale blockbusters like Twister and Eyes Wide Shut.
Eventually, Todd Field moved to the director's chair with the 1992 short film, Too Romantic. He would direct several more shorts and episodes of TV before his feature-length debut in 2001 with In the Bedroom. This familial drama was a critical hit and earned five Oscar nominations. Field's most recent movie, Tár, was nominated for six Academy Awards nominations, including Best Achievement in Directing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
2 Sarah Polley
Directorial Debut: 1999
Sarah Polley started her acting career in 1985 with a supporting role in an episode of Night Heat. Polley only took three years to land her first significant role in a feature film, playing Sally Salt in 1988’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
In 1999, Polley made her directorial debut with the short Don’t Think Twice. She would have to wait seven years before directing her first feature film, Away From Her, which earned two Oscar nominations, including Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay. Her latest film, Women Talking, has also garnered two Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay (for which it won) and Best Motion Picture of the Year for the 2023 Academy Awards.
1 Jordan Peele
Directorial Debut: 2017
Jordan Peele’s first credited acting role was in 2003 as a series regular in the sketch comedy show MADtv, based on the titular magazine. He would then create and star in his own comedic sketch series as one-half of Key and Peele. During the show’s run, Peele cemented himself as one of the brightest comedic minds in Hollywood.
So, it was a bit of a surprise when, in 2017, Jordan Peele announced he’d be stepping behind the camera to make Get Out – a social horror/thriller movie. It was even more surprising when Get Out opened to rave critical reviews and grossed over $250 million on a $4.5 million budget. This superb debut included four Oscar nominations and one win for Best Original Screenplay. Since then, Peele has directed two more movies, each of which has garnered critical and commercial success.