25 Legendary Filmmakers from NY

New York City has served as the backdrop for numerous iconic and successful films throughout Hollywood's history. Additionally, this part of the country has produced exceptionally talented actors, writers, and directors who brought these projects to life.

The top tier of this list includes some of the most renowned filmmakers ever, regardless of region or era. However, for the most part, these individuals have been significant figures in Hollywood across their respective generations, and even if their names aren't familiar, you likely know the titles of their most famous films. With that in mind, here are the twenty-five best film directors born in New York City.

25Charlie Kaufman

Although he’s one of the most unique filmmakers of his generation, Charlie Kaufman doesn’t quite hold the name value that he should, especially compared to the others on his list. But even if you don’t know his name, you’ve undoubtedly seen his movies — reference his scripts to Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for example. He didn’t direct those films, but he established their stories and gave their respective directors everything they needed to see the projects into fruition.

However, he did make his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York (2008), which stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and received rave reviews from critics. In true Kaufman nature, his two other projects — Anomalisa (2015) and I’m Thinking Ending of Things (2020) — are entirely original in concept and execution alike, and land the NYC filmmaker here at the start of the list.

24F. Gary Gray

After getting his start as a director by making music videos for artists such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Outkast, and TLC, the filmmaker at hand made waves in Hollywood with his directorial debut: Friday (1995). That’s still his most famous film, and with good reason: with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker — in the latter’s breakthrough role, no less — as the stars, its comedic value is through the roof even today.

But F. Gary Gray by no means slowed down from there regarding his overall filmmaking output. He followed up with Set It Off (1996), an underrated heist stint, and from there released what is perhaps his best film in terms of sheer quality in The Negotiator, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Most of his twenty-first century are easy to pass up, save for Straight Outta Compton (2016). If one film throughout Gray’s oeuvre gives The Negotiator a run for its money, that’d have to be the one.

23Noah Baumbach

Although he’s been around since the mid-nineties thanks to Kicking and Screaming (1995), the name value of Noah Baumbach only gained traction in the 2010s. Sure, certain projects like The Squid and the Whale (2005) were popular in their own right, with that particular project garnering Baumbach an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. But for the most part, the most notable release up to its point in his career was Frances Ha (2012).

He cowrote the film with American actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig — and in that regard, it’s worth noting he also cowrote two films with Wes Anderson: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). But with regard to his other, more recent directorial stints, The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) is a solid narrative with a star-studded cast, and Marriage Story (2019) is perhaps his masterpiece. Definitely check those out, if you haven’t.

22Aaron Sorkin

Although mostly known for his masterful screenwriting efforts, Aaron Sorkin made his directorial debut with Molly’s Game (2017), a biographical crime drama based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Molly Bloom. The titular character, she’s portrayed to a tee by Jessica Chastain. And Sorkin picked up a nomination at the Oscars for his adapted screenplay, which follows Molly as she’s tracked by the FBI after they learn of her underground poker empire.

From there, Sorkin hasn’t looked back: he’s directed the two other films he’s written since, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) and Being the Ricardos (2021). But really, he’ll mostly be remembered throughout his career for his masterful adaptation of the social media mogul Mark Zuckerberg with The Social Network (2010). Directed by David Fincher, that project goes down as the best from everyone involved. And even then, Sorkin’s script still stands out.

21Penny Marshall

After starting out in the mid-eighties with Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986) — a comedy with a heartfelt performance from Whoopi Goldberg as the lead — director Penny Marshall moved on to greater commercial heights with her sophomoric follow-up: Big (1988), the famous fantasy comedy with Tom Hanks. And in the subsequent decade, Marshall solidified herself among Hollywood’s top-ranking directors.

Awakenings (1990) with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams runs the gamut of emotion and intrigue, while A League of Their Own (1992) saw Marshall reunite with Tom Hanks. The three later films of her career are far less noteworthy than the aforementioned projects. But she had already established herself as one of New York City’s greatest directorial talents.

20Bryan Singer

After reaching critical acclaim in the nineties with The Usual Suspects (1995) — a neo-noir mystery film with a plot twist for the ages — Bryan Singer reached superstar status as a director by making several superhero movies. Most prominent were X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003), along with the more recent X-Men entries like Days of Future Past (2014) and Apocalypse (2016).

But one that flies like a bird or a plane a bit too far under the radar nowadays is Superman Returns (2006) starring Brandon Routh. And even then, superhero stints aren’t the only films under Singer’s directorial belt in the twenty-first century — Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) won five out of six nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, and solidifies the director’s spot on this list.

19Jon Favreau

And coming in at number twenty is another director of modern superhero movies, as Jon Favreau has helmed both Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010). The former goes down as one of the highest-quality projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe even to this day. But like Singer, this director was far from a one-trick pony.

Elf (2003) with Will Ferrell is commonly considered among the funniest films from its decade, and remains a staple in households across America come Christmastime. And while a lot of Favreau’s other titles miss the qualitative mark, The Jungle Book (2016) helps his other successes land him here on the list.

18J.J. Abrams

Divert your attention for a moment away from juggernaut science fiction franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek — more on those in a moment. There are two movies by J.J. Abrams that tend to get thrown by the wayside nowadays in Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Super 8 (2011). The former is of course the third entry of the famous action franchise with Tom Cruise, while the latter goes down as an awesome sci-fi stint inspired by films from the eighties.

But with regard to those sci-fi projects: J.J. hit home with fans around the world with Star Trek (2009), along with its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He then gave a similar treatment to a galaxy far, far away by making Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). And while the anomalous Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) missed the mark, J.J. undoubtedly deserves this spot among the greats of New York City.

17Joss Whedon

Upon seeing his name, old-school fans of Joss Whedon may have thought of his television franchises like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and Firefly (2002). However, with regard to his filmography: the most obvious titles worth noting are within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, The Avengers (2012) was a massive blockbuster success. It was the third highest grossing film ever made at the time of its release, and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) nearly reached the same number of ticket sales.

Several MCU films have now surpassed them both in commercial success, but The Avengers remains among the highest-quality projects the series has seen. With other projects like Serenity (2005) and Much Ado About Nothing (2012) under his directorial belt, he more than deserves this seventeenth spot.

16Nora Ephron

Before ever directing a feature film, Nora Ephron had six screenplays under her belt, and two of them received nominations at the Academy Awards: Silkwood (1983) and When Harry Met Sally… (1989). The latter might be the standout of her career, but in the following decade, she made her directorial debut with This is My Life (1992).

Critics didn’t love it, but they were quite fond of her sophomore follow-up: Sleepless in Seattle (1993). With Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the lead roles, this trio went on to define rom coms for an entire generation of filmgoers not just with that commercial success, but also with You’ve Got Mail (1998). Ephron’s name value has waned into the twenty-first century, but she did manage Julie & Julia (2008) with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. That undoubtedly bolsters her spot.

15James Mangold

On one hand, James Mangold has critical darlings to his name such as 3:10 to Yuma (2007), a western with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. But then, there are the more underrated projects of his career like Identity (2003). A mystery thriller with John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet, it features solid craftsmanship around every well-written corner of its plot. But that’s hardly all to write home about re: Mangold’s acclaimed filmography.

There’s also Heavy (1995), Cop Land (1997), Walk the Line (2005), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). The last of those was a hit at the Oscars, and is easily among his greatest projects to-date. But this entry would be remiss without mentioning The Wolverine (2013) and, more specifically, Logan (2017). The latter is among the greatest superhero movies ever put to the silver screen, and renders Mangold an essential director to mention when discussing those from New York City.

14Jordan Peele

For such a recent name in the industry, fourteen could seem a tad high a spot for Jordan Peele in the minds of some fans. But frankly, he could’ve placed even higher, as he’s one of the most famous comedians of this generation thanks to his partnership with Keegan-Michael Key. They’ve made some iconic skits as a duo, but when Peele transitioned to cinematic direction, he reached his creative peak.

That was called Get Out (2017), still his greatest film six years down the line and two projects later. Of course, both Us (2019) and Nope (2022) are high-quality projects in their own right. But Get Out hit home on different levels of intrigue, tension, and quality overall. He’s undoubtedly earned his spot among the New York City greats.

13Darren Aronofsky

Known for psychological dramas with hard-hitting emotional resonance, Darren Aronofsky burst onto the Hollywood scene with both Pi (1998) and Requiem for a Dream (2000) early in his career. The latter is perhaps his most popular project to-date, while his greatest is arguably Black Swan (2010). Starring Natalie Portman, it garnered five nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards, including one for Best Director.

But aside from those three, his oeuvre runs the gamut of genre with his own psychological twist to each: The Fountain (2006) is romance and science fiction, The Wrestler (2008) is a sports stint, Noah (2014) is a biblical epic, and Mother! (2017) features tangible elements of horror. Of course, Aronofsky recently made critical waves with The Whale (2022) with Brendan Fraser. That one without a doubt bolsters his spot on this list.

12Stanley Kramer

Although more modern film fans may not know Stanley Kramer or the titles of his many, critically acclaimed projects, there’s no denying that he was once a juggernaut of the industry. His legacy is cemented in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with over a dozen feature films to his name and multiple Academy Award nominations to boot.

The Pride and the Passion (1957), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1962), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) — these are some seriously seminal projects of American cinema, with a couple of those even being selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

11Oliver Stone

For the most part, the career of Oliver Stone has run the gamut of success, from money accrued at the worldwide box office to critical reception. Sure, there have been a few duds along the way like Heaven & Earth (1993), U Turn (1997), and most notably Alexander (2004). But he also had two wins at the Academy Awards for Best Director out of three nominations, with even more screenwriting honors to boot.

When it comes to his directorial outings, it’s worth noting that Stone may be the most patriotic director the United States has ever had to offer. He’s shown audiences the September 11 attacks from the perspective of police officers. He’s regaled viewers with gruesome tales of the Vietnam War and greedy stories of Wall Street. He’s detailed the presidencies of JFK, Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush. And despite the controversies that may arise therefrom, it’s safe to say there isn’t a subject that he’s afraid to tackle.

10Mel Brooks

Known for his spoofs, Mel Brooks is by far the most comedically inclined director on the list. He’s been making audiences laugh since the late sixties with The Producers (1967), a seriously funny and impressive debut that even has accolades to its name at the Academy Awards: a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Gene Wilder, and a Best Original Screenplay win for the man of the hour.

And in the following decade, he collaborated with Wilder twice more, and those projects released in the same year: Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974). Those are two absolute icons of Hollywood comedy, and rendered Brooks a household name. Others like Spaceballs (1987) only solidify his placement on this list.

9Sydney Pollack

This marks another entry that may not hold the proper amount of modern name value, as Sydney Pollack was once among the finest directors the country had to offer. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985) — these were all critical darlings that received multiple nominations at their respective Oscars ceremony. Out of Africa basically swept, in fact, with Pollack even winning Best Director.

After that, he only released two other prominent titles: The Firm (1993) and Sabrina (1995). Everything else was decent, if not a qualitative dud. Luckily for Pollack, his legacy had already been written throughout multiple pages of Hollywood history books. He lands here at number nine.

8George A. Romero

Off the bat, there’s an obvious George. A Romero project worth noting: Night of the Living Dead (1968). It’s among the best films about a zombie apocalypse ever realized, and it’s easily the most influential. An independent horror stint, it’s commonly cited by film historians as the first modern movie about zombies. And what’s more is that its quality undoubtedly holds up today.

Romero of course directed the film, but also wrote the script, stood behind the camera, and even sat in the editing room once filming was said and done. But it’s far from the only noteworthy Romero film, as he also directed Dawn of the Dead (1978) — arguably surpassing the quality of the original — and Creepshow (1982). His work warrants this spot for its influence on the horror genre alone.

7Sofia Coppola

Almost on name value alone, Sofia Coppola deserves a spot on this list. She got her start in the industry by acting in her father’s film, The Godfather: Part III (1990). Of course, her role in that Francis Ford stint was universally panned by critics and audiences alike. But at the turn of that same decade, she rebounded with her directorial debut: The Virgin Suicides (1999).

That cult classic kicked her true career into motion as she followed up with her sophomore feature Lost in Translation (2003), with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. At the 76th Academy Awards, the film garnered Coppola nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. She even won in that last category. Although her popularity has waned as of late, the positive responses from critics have yet to slow down.

6David O. Russell

Although his career has been fraught with controversy since the late 1990s, there’s no doubt that David O. Russell has some high-caliber projects worth writing home about. Slapping the Monkey (1994) and Flirting With Disaster (1996) should be far more popular than they are, as they were revered by critics upon release. Three Kings (1999) — a war comedy with George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Mark Wahlberg — put him on the Hollywood map. But in the twenty-first century, O. Russell reached new critical heights.

The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and American Hustle (2013) — those were all among the best and most respected films of their respective years. Again, O. Russell has seen his fair share of controversy, and the quality of his films has undoubtedly waned as of late. But his streaks in the late nineties and early 2010s qualify him for this spot.

5John Cassavetes

Despite his paucity of popularity at awards associations, John Cassavetes is commonly cited by critics, audiences, and film historians as one of the most influential American directors of all time, let alone of his generation. He was also a lauded actor, starring in films like Edge of the City (1957), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and Rosemary’s Baby (1968) throughout his career in front of the camera.

But behind the scenes, Cassavetes led projects such as Faces (1968), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), and Opening Night (1977) to widespread acclaim from critics. His pioneering of independent cinema in the United States qualifies Cassavetes for this list in itself, let alone the care and attention given to each of his expertly crafted movies.

4Woody Allen

Of course, Woody Allen is perhaps the most prominent example of a filmmaker setting his stories within the city at hand, save perhaps for one other director on this list. But with regard to Allen: from a standpoint of sheer popularity, Annie Hall (1977) almost warrants his spot on this list in itself. It’s of course a high-quality film, not just well-known by name, but there’s so much more worth writing home about here, especially with films set in NYC.

Manhattan (1978), obviously — but there’s also Café Society (2006), Blue Jasmine (2013), and A Rainy Day in New York (2020). Those three from the twenty-first century are far less popular as far as Allen films go, but they’re notable, nonetheless. He ultimately solidifies himself a spot on this list thanks to the aforementioned masterworks of his earlier career, with dozens of others that haven’t even been touched on. His filmography is a true spectacle.

3Joseph L. Mankiewicz

For more modern film fans, this name may appear unfamiliar like several others on the list, but with a career spanning forty-eight screenplays and twenty-one stints as a director, Joesph L. Mankiewicz is one of the greatest to ever do it. He’s one of three filmmakers — along with John Ford and Alejandro González Iñárritu — to win consecutive honors for Best Director at the Academy Awards.

The winning projects for Mankiewicz were A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950), and those familiar with them don’t need a list of accolades to understand the quality thereof. Of course, he has several other titles worth noting like The Philadelphia Story (1940), Julias Caesar (1953), Celopatra (1963), and more. His case for this spot is undeniable.

2Martin Scorsese

Sure, Martin Scorsese is known primarily for his gangster stints like Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Departed (2006). But he also has plenty of other famous films under his belt like The Aviator (2004), Shutter Island (2010), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Frankly, to continue listing the masterful projects of Martin Scorsese would take far too much time, as he’s directed nearly thirty feature films throughout his critically acclaimed career.

And his most are actually set in New York City, like Taxi Driver (1976) — perhaps his most revered, which says something — along with Mean Streets (1973), Raging Bull (1980), the aforementioned Goodfellas, and of course Gangs of New York (2002). In the end, there’s no denying Scorsese’s spot on this list from the quality of his films, let alone the fact that they’re mostly set in the city at hand.

1Stanley Kubrick

What can be said about Stanley Kubrick? His popularity and influence stretches far beyond the film industry, with projects like The Shining (1980) going down as a landmark of American popular culture. That particular project is commonly cited among the greatest horror films ever made, and the same can be said for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) regarding the science fiction genre.

He also has Full Metal Jacket (1987), a seminal war film, and A Clockwork Orange (1971), a crime film in a dystopian setting. There’s also Dr. Strangelove (1964), Barry Lyndon (1975), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). And frankly, those are just his most popular titles. There are several other films from director Stanley Kubrick that render him a standout filmmaker from New York City. But his mastery of several genres and his wide-ranging influence ultimately lands him at the top of the list.