callings of the archive
Film director Biographies
Every archived life recorded as film director, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Joseph Poon
b. 1935
Taiwanese film director, screenwriter and producer
Contemporary era
Jean Chalopin
b. May 31, 1950
French film producer and director
Rune Christensen
Historical figure
Modern era
Lennart Meri
March 29, 1929 – March 14, 2006
Estonian writer, filmmaker and politician; President of Estonia in 1992–2001 (1929-2006)
Contemporary era
Jimmy Morales
b. March 18, 1969
Comedian and former President of Guatemala
Contemporary era
Bilal Lashari
b. 4 August 1984
Pakistani filmmaker who directed Waar and The Legend of Maula Jatt, the highest-grossing Pakistani film
Modern era
Samuel Beckett
April 13, 1906 – December 22, 1989
Irish writer (1906–1989)
Modern era
Andy Warhol
August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987
American artist, film director, and producer (1928–1987)
Contemporary era
Banksy
b. 1973
English graffiti artist, political activist, and painter
Modern era
Charlie Chaplin
April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977
Silent-film genius whose Tramp became cinema's first icon
Modern era
Walt Disney
December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966
Animator and showman who industrialized imagination
Modern era
Alfred Hitchcock
August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980
British filmmaker (1899–1980)
Modern era
Orson Welles
May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985
American actor and filmmaker (1915–1985)
Modern era
Stanley Kubrick
July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999
American filmmaker and photographer (1928–1999)
Modern era
Akira Kurosawa
March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998
Japanese filmmaker (1910–1998)
Modern era
Federico Fellini
January 20, 1920 – October 31, 1993
Italian filmmaker (1920–1993)
Modern era
Ingmar Bergman
July 14, 1918 – July 30, 2007
Swedish director and screenwriter (1918–2007)
Modern era
Satyajit Ray
May 2, 1921 – April 23, 1992
Indian filmmaker and writer (1921–1992)
Contemporary era
Steven Spielberg
b. December 18, 1946
American filmmaker (born 1946)
Modern era
Martin Scorsese
b. November 17, 1942
American filmmaker (born 1942)
Modern era
Francis Ford Coppola
b. April 7, 1939
American filmmaker (born 1939)
Contemporary era
Quentin Tarantino
b. March 27, 1963
American filmmaker and actor (born 1963)
Contemporary era
James Cameron
b. August 16, 1954
Canadian filmmaker and explorer (born 1954)
Contemporary era
Christopher Nolan
b. July 30, 1970
English-American filmmaker (born 1970)
Modern era
Hayao Miyazaki
b. January 5, 1941
Japanese animator, film director, and mangaka (born 1941)
Modern era
John Wayne
May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979
American actor (1907–1979)
Modern era
Laurence Olivier
May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989
English actor and director (1907–1989)
Modern era
Clint Eastwood
b. May 31, 1930
American actor and film director (born 1930)
Modern era
Sidney Poitier
February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022
Bahamian and American actor and diplomat (1927–2022)
Modern era
Jack Nicholson
b. April 22, 1937
American actor and filmmaker (born 1937)
Contemporary era
Tom Hanks
b. July 9, 1956
American actor and film producer (born 1956)
Contemporary era
Denzel Washington
b. December 28, 1954
American actor (born 1954)
Modern era
Morgan Freeman
b. June 1, 1937
American actor and producer (born 1937)
Contemporary era
Johnny Depp
b. June 9, 1963
American actor (born 1963)
Contemporary era
Angelina Jolie
b. June 4, 1975
American actress (born 1975)
Contemporary era
Will Smith
b. September 25, 1968
American actor, film producer and rapper (born 1968)
Contemporary era
Bruce Lee
November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973
Martial artist and actor who carried kung fu to the world
Contemporary era
Heath Ledger
April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008
Australian actor (1979–2008)
Modern era
Ravi Shankar
April 7, 1920 – December 11, 2012
Indian sitar player (1920–2012)
Contemporary era
Prince
June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016
American musician (1958–2016)
Modern era
Howard Hughes
December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976
American aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer (1905–1976)
Contemporary era
Alamgir
b. April 3, 1950
Bangladeshi actor
Modern era
Noor Jehan
September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000
Pakistani singer and actress (1920–2000)
Contemporary era
Moin Akhtar
December 24, 1950 – April 22, 2011
Pakistani comedian (1950–2011)
Contemporary era
Umer Sharif
April 19, 1960 – October 2, 2021
Pakistani film director, comedian and actor
Modern era
Gulzar
b. August 19, 1933
Indian poet, lyricist and author (1933- Present)
Contemporary era
Humayun Ahmed
November 13, 1948 – July 19, 2012
Author, poet, dramatist and film director (1948–2012)
Modern era
Ismat Chughtai
August 21, 1911 – October 24, 1991
Indian writer (1911-1991)
Modern era
Rajinder Singh Bedi
September 1, 1915 – November 11, 1984
Indian author, director and screenwriter
Modern era
Inayat Hussain Bhatti
January 12, 1923 – May 31, 1999
Pakistani actor and singer
Modern era
Waheed Murad
October 2, 1938 – November 23, 1983
Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer (1938–1983)
Modern era
Sultan Rahi
June 24, 1938 – January 9, 1996
Pakistani actor (1938–1996)
Contemporary era
Reema Khan
b. October 27, 1971
Pakistani actress and director
Contemporary era
Shaan Shahid
b. April 27, 1971
Pakistani actor, screenwriter and director
Modern era
Rangeela (comedian)
January 1, 1937 – May 24, 2005
Pakistani actor
Contemporary era
Shoaib Mansoor
b. April 4, 1952
Pakistani director, writer and musician
Contemporary era
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
b. November 12, 1978
Pakistani filmmaker and journalist (born 1978)
Contemporary era
Samina Peerzada
b. April 9, 1955
Pakistani actress
Modern era
Shashi Kapoor
March 18, 1938 – December 4, 2017
Indian film actor and producer (1938–2017)
Modern era
Shammi Kapoor
October 21, 1930 – August 14, 2011
Indian actor (1930-2011)