Academy Award for Best Director

The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award for Best Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry.

The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 with the award being split into "Dramatic" and "Comedy" categories; Frank Borzage and Lewis Milestone won for Seventh Heaven and Two Arabian Knights, respectively.^[1] However, these categories were merged for all subsequent ceremonies.^[2] Nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the directors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy.^[3][4][5]

For the first eleven years of the Academy Awards, directors were allowed to be nominated for multiple films in the same year. However, after the nomination of Michael Curtiz for two films, Angels with Dirty Faces and Four Daughters, at the 11th Academy Awards, the rules were revised so that an individual could only be nominated for one film at each ceremony.^[6] That rule has since been amended, although the only director who has received multiple nominations in the same year was Steven Soderbergh for Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000, winning the award for the latter. The Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture have been very closely linked throughout their history. Of the 89 films that have been awarded Best Picture, 63 have also been awarded Best Director.^[7] Since its inception, the award has been given to 69 directors or directing teams. John Ford has received the most awards in this category with four. William Wyler was nominated on twelve occasions, more than any other individual. As of the 2017 ceremony, Damien Chazelle is the most recent winner in this category for his work on La La Land. Chazelle also became the youngest director in history to receive this award, at the age of 32. Two directing teams have shared the award; Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for West Side Story in 1961 and Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men in 2007. The Coen brothers are the only siblings to have won the award.^[8] Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have won the award, for 2009's The Hurt Locker.

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in Los Angeles County, California; the ceremonies are always held the following year.^[9] For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months from August 1 to July 31.^[10] For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932 to December 31, 1933.^[10] Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.^[10]

Table key

Indicates the winner

Frank Borzage won in the "Dramatic" category at the first ceremony.

Lewis Milestone won in the "Comedy" category at the first ceremony and later received a second award for All Quiet on the Western Front.

Frank Capra won three awards in this category, for It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't Take It with You.

Billy Wilder (right) was nominated eight times, winning twice.

Elia Kazan won in 1947 for Gentleman's Agreement and again for On the Waterfront.

John Huston received the award in 1948 for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

George Stevens won twice, five years apart, for A Place in the Sun and Giant.

Fred Zinnemann received two awards (for From Here to Eternity and A Man for All Seasons).

David Lean won for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia and was nominated for five other films.

Robert Wise earned two awards in this category, co-winning for West Side Story and winning for The Sound of Music.

George Cukor won in 1964 for My Fair Lady.

Mike Nichols won for 1967's The Graduate.

William Friedkin won in 1971 for The French Connection.

Bob Fosse won for his direction of Cabaret in 1972.

Francis Ford Coppola earned the award for The Godfather Part II.

Miloš Forman won for both 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and 1984's Amadeus.

Woody Allen received seven nominations in the category, winning only once (for Annie Hall).

Actor Robert Redford won for Ordinary People.

Warren Beatty won in 1981 for directing Reds.

Richard Attenborough won in 1982 for his epic biopic, Gandhi.

James L. Brooks won for his 1983 film Terms of Endearment.

Oliver Stone earned two awards in this category in the 1980s—one for Platoon (1986), and the other for Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

Bernardo Bertolucci won as director of The Last Emperor in 1987.

Kevin Costner earned the award in 1990 for directing Dances with Wolves.

Steven Spielberg, a two-time winner for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

Robert Zemeckis won for his direction of Forrest Gump (1994).

James Cameron received the award for Titanic.

Sam Mendes won in 1999 for his directorial debut—American Beauty.

Ron Howard, 2001 winner for A Beautiful Mind.

Roman Polanski won in 2002 for his direction of The Pianist.

Peter Jackson won for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Ang Lee has won twice in this category—in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain and in 2012 for Life of Pi.

Martin Scorsese has received eight nominations for Best Director, but has only won for The Departed in 2006.

Danny Boyle won for 2008's Slumdog Millionaire.

Kathryn Bigelow is the first and only woman to date to win the award. She won for The Hurt Locker in 2009.

Tom Hooper won this award for The King's Speech in 2010.

Michel Hazanavicius became the first French director to win the award for his work on The Artist.

In 2013, Alfonso Cuarón became the first Mexican director to win the award for his work on Gravity.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu won this award two years in a row becoming the third director to achieve this since 1950 for directing Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015).

Damien Chazelle won this award for directing La La Land (2016), making him the youngest winner of the category.

Year	Director(s)	Film	Ref.
1927/28 (1st)	Borzage !Frank Borzage (Dramatic)	7th Heaven	[11]
	Brenon !Herbert Brenon (Dramatic)	Sorrell and Son
	Vidor !King Vidor (Dramatic)	Crowd !The Crowd
	Milestone !Lewis Milestone (Comedy)	Two Arabian Knights
	Wilde !Ted Wilde (Comedy)	Speedy
1928/1929 (2nd)	Lloyd !Frank Lloyd	Divine !The Divine Lady	[12]
	Barrymore !Lionel Barrymore	Madame X
	Beaumont !Harry Beaumont	Broadway !The Broadway Melody
	Cummings !Irving Cummings	In Old Arizona
	Lloyd !Frank Lloyd	Drag
		Weary River
	Lubitsch !Ernst Lubitsch	Patriot !The Patriot
1929/1930 (3rd)	Milestone !Lewis Milestone	All Quiet on the Western Front	[13]
	Brown !Clarence Brown	Anna Christie
		Romance
	Leonard !Robert Z. Leonard	Divorcee !The Divorcee
	Lubitsch !Ernst Lubitsch	Love !The Love Parade
	Vidor !King Vidor	Hallelujah!
1930/1931 (4th)	Taurog !Norman Taurog	Skippy	[14]
	Brown !Clarence Brown	Free !A Free Soul
	Milestone !Lewis Milestone	Front !The Front Page
	Ruggles !Wesley Ruggles	Cimarron
	Sternberg !Josef von Sternberg	Morocco
1931/1932 (5th)	Borzage !Frank Borzage	Bad Girl	[15]
	Vidor !King Vidor	Champ !The Champ
	Sternberg !Josef von Sternberg	Shanghai Express
1932/1933 (6th)	Lloyd !Frank Lloyd	Cavalcade	[16]
	Capra !Frank Capra	Lady for a Day
	Cukor !George Cukor	Little Women
1934 (7th)	Capra !Frank Capra	It Happened One Night	[17]
	Schertzinger !Victor Schertzinger	One Night of Love
	Van Dyke !W. S. Van Dyke	Thin !The Thin Man
1935 (8th)	Ford !John Ford	Informer !The Informer	[18]
	Hathaway !Henry Hathaway	Lives !The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
	Lloyd !Frank Lloyd	Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 (9th)	Capra !Frank Capra	Mr. Deeds Goes to Town	[19]
	La Cava !Gregory La Cava	My Man Godfrey
	Leonard !Robert Z. Leonard	Great !The Great Ziegfeld
	Van Dyke !W. S. Van Dyke	San Francisco
	Wyler !William Wyler	Dodsworth
1937 (10th)	McCarey !Leo McCarey	Awful !The Awful Truth	[20]
	Dieterle !William Dieterle	Life !The Life of Emile Zola
	Franklin !Sidney Franklin	Good !The Good Earth
	La Cava !Gregory La Cava	Stage Door
	Wellman !William A. Wellman	Star !A Star Is Born
1938 (11th)	Capra !Frank Capra	You Can't Take It with You	[21]
	Curtiz !Michael Curtiz	Angels with Dirty Faces
		Four Daughters
	Taurog !Norman Taurog	Boys Town
	Vidor !King Vidor	Citadel !The Citadel
1939 (12th)	Fleming !Victor Fleming	Gone with the Wind	[22]
	Capra !Frank Capra	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
	Ford !John Ford	Stagecoach
	Wood !Sam Wood	Goodbye, Mr. Chips
	Wyler !William Wyler	Wuthering Heights
1940 (13th)	Ford !John Ford	Grapes !The Grapes of Wrath	[23]
	Cukor !George Cukor	Philadelphia !The Philadelphia Story
	Hitchcock !Alfred Hitchcock	Rebecca
	Wood !Sam Wood	Kitty Foyle
	Wyler !William Wyler	Letter !The Letter
1941 (14th)	Ford !John Ford	How Green Was My Valley	[24]
	Hall !Alexander Hall	Here Comes Mr. Jordan
	Hawks !Howard Hawks	Sergeant York
	Welles !Orson Welles	Citizen Kane
	Wyler !William Wyler	Little !The Little Foxes
1942 (15th)	Wyler !William Wyler	Mrs. Miniver	[25]
	Curtiz !Michael Curtiz	Yankee Doodle Dandy
	Farrow !John Farrow	Wake Island
	LeRoy !Mervyn LeRoy	Random Harvest
	Wood !Sam Wood	Kings Row
1943 (16th)	Curtiz !Michael Curtiz	Casablanca	[26]
	Brown !Clarence Brown	Human !The Human Comedy
	King !Henry King	Song !The Song of Bernadette
	Lubitsch !Ernst Lubitsch	Heaven Can Wait
	Stevens !George Stevens	More !The More the Merrier
1944 (17th)	McCarey !Leo McCarey	Going My Way	[27]
	Hitchcock !Alfred Hitchcock	Lifeboat
	King !Henry King	Wilson
	Preminger !Otto Preminger	Laura
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Double Indemnity
1945 (18th)	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Lost !The Lost Weekend	[28]
	Brown !Clarence Brown	National Velvet
	Hitchcock !Alfred Hitchcock	Spellbound
	McCarey !Leo McCarey	Bells !The Bells of St. Mary's
	Renoir !Jean Renoir	Southerner !The Southerner
1946 (19th)	Wyler !William Wyler	Best !The Best Years of Our Lives	[29]
	Brown !Clarence Brown	Yearling !The Yearling
	Capra !Frank Capra	It's a Wonderful Life
	Lean !David Lean	Brief Encounter
	Siodmak !Robert Siodmak	Killers !The Killers
1947 (20th)	Kazan !Elia Kazan	Gentleman's Agreement	[30]
	Cukor !George Cukor	Double !A Double Life
	Dmytryk !Edward Dmytryk	Crossfire
	Koster !Henry Koster	Bishop !The Bishop's Wife
	Lean !David Lean	Great Expectations
1948 (21st)	Huston !John Huston	Treasure !The Treasure of the Sierra Madre	[31]
	Litvak !Anatole Litvak	Snake !The Snake Pit
	Negulesco !Jean Negulesco	Johnny Belinda
	Olivier !Laurence Olivier	Hamlet
	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	Search !The Search
1949 (22nd)	Mankiewicz !Joseph L. Mankiewicz	Letter !A Letter to Three Wives	[32]
	Reed !Carol Reed	Fallen !The Fallen Idol
	Rossen !Robert Rossen	All the King's Men
	Wellman !William A. Wellman	Battleground
	Wyler !William Wyler	Heiress !The Heiress
1950 (23rd)	Mankiewicz !Joseph L. Mankiewicz	All About Eve	[33]
	Cukor !George Cukor	Born Yesterday
	Huston !John Huston	Asphalt !The Asphalt Jungle
	Reed !Carol Reed	Man !The Third Man
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Sunset Boulevard
1951 (24th)	Stevens !George Stevens	Place !A Place in the Sun	[34]
	Huston !John Huston	African !The African Queen
	Kazan !Elia Kazan	Streetcar !A Streetcar Named Desire
	Minnelli !Vincente Minnelli	American !An American in Paris
	Wyler !William Wyler	Detective Story
1952 (25th)	Ford !John Ford	Quiet !The Quiet Man	[35]
	DeMille !Cecil B. DeMille	Greatest !The Greatest Show on Earth
	Huston !John Huston	Moulin Rouge
	Mankiewicz !Joseph L. Mankiewicz	5 Fingers
	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	High Noon
1953 (26th)	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	From Here to Eternity	[36]
	Stevens !George Stevens	Shane
	Walters !Charles Walters	Lili
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Stalag 17
	Wyler !William Wyler	Roman Holiday
1954 (27th)	Kazan !Elia Kazan	On the Waterfront	[37]
	Hitchcock !Alfred Hitchcock	Rear Window
	Seaton !George Seaton	Country !The Country Girl
	Wellman !William A. Wellman	High !The High and the Mighty
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Sabrina
1955 (28th)	Mann !Delbert Mann	Marty	[38]
	Kazan !Elia Kazan	East of Eden
	Lean !David Lean	Summertime
	Logan !Joshua Logan	Picnic
	Sturges !John Sturges	Bad Day at Black Rock
1956 (29th)	Stevens !George Stevens	Giant	[39]
	Anderson !Michael Anderson	Around the World in 80 Days
	Lang !Walter Lang	King !The King and I
	Vidor !King Vidor	War and Peace
	Wyler !William Wyler	Friendly Persuasion
1957 (30th)	Lean !David Lean	Bridge !The Bridge on the River Kwai	[40]
	Logan !Joshua Logan	Sayonara
	Lumet !Sidney Lumet	12 Angry Men
	Robson !Mark Robson	Peyton Place
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Witness for the Prosecution
1958 (31st)	Minnelli !Vincente Minnelli	Gigi	[41]
	Brooks !Richard Brooks	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
	Kramer !Stanley Kramer	Defiant !The Defiant Ones
	Robson !Mark Robson	Inn !The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
	Wise !Robert Wise	I Want to Live!
1959 (32nd)	Wyler !William Wyler	Ben-Hur	[42]
	Clayton !Jack Clayton	Room at the Top
	Stevens !George Stevens	Diary !The Diary of Anne Frank
	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Some Like It Hot
	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	Nun's !The Nun's Story
1960 (33rd)	Wilder !Billy Wilder	Apartment !The Apartment	[43]
	Cardiff !Jack Cardiff	Sons and Lovers
	Dassin !Jules Dassin	Never on Sunday
	Hitchcock !Alfred Hitchcock	Psycho
	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	Sundowners !The Sundowners
1961 (34th)	Wise !Robert Wise Robbins !Jerome Robbins	West Side Story	[44]
	Fellini !Federico Fellini	La Dolce Vita
	Kramer !Stanley Kramer	Judgment at Nuremberg
	Rossen !Robert Rossen	Hustler !The Hustler
	Thompson !J. Lee Thompson	Guns !The Guns of Navarone
1962 (35th)	Lean !David Lean	Lawrence of Arabia	[45]
	Germi !Pietro Germi	Divorce Italian Style
	Mulligan !Robert Mulligan	To Kill a Mockingbird
	Penn !Arthur Penn	Miracle !The Miracle Worker
	Perry !Frank Perry	David and Lisa
1963 (36th)	Richardson !Tony Richardson	Tom Jones	[46]
	Fellini !Federico Fellini	8½
	Kazan !Elia Kazan	America America
	Preminger !Otto Preminger	Cardinal !The Cardinal
	Ritt !Martin Ritt	Hud
1964 (37th)	Cukor !George Cukor	My Fair Lady	[47]
	Cacoyannis !Michael Cacoyannis	Zorba the Greek
	Glenville !Peter Glenville	Becket
	Kubrick !Stanley Kubrick	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
	Stevenson !Robert Stevenson	Mary Poppins
1965 (38th)	Wise !Robert Wise	Sound !The Sound of Music	[48]
	Lean !David Lean	Doctor Zhivago
	Schlesinger !John Schlesinger	Darling
	Teshigahara !Hiroshi Teshigahara	Woman !Woman in the Dunes
	Wyler !William Wyler	Collector !The Collector
1966 (39th)	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	Man !A Man for All Seasons	[49]
	Antonioni !Michelangelo Antonioni	Blowup
	Brooks !Richard Brooks	Professionals !The Professionals
	Lelouch !Claude Lelouch	Man !A Man and a Woman
	Nichols !Mike Nichols	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1967 (40th)	Nichols !Mike Nichols	Graduate !The Graduate	[50]
	Brooks !Richard Brooks	In Cold Blood
	Jewison !Norman Jewison	In the Heat of the Night
	Kramer !Stanley Kramer	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
	Penn !Arthur Penn	Bonnie and Clyde
1968 (41st)	Reed !Carol Reed	Oliver!	[51]
	Harvey !Anthony Harvey	Lion !The Lion in Winter
	Kubrick !Stanley Kubrick	2001: A Space Odyssey
	Pontecorvo !Gillo Pontecorvo	Battle !The Battle of Algiers
	Zeffirelli !Franco Zeffirelli	Romeo and Juliet
1969 (42nd)	Schlesinger !John Schlesinger	Midnight Cowboy	[52]
	Gavras !Costa Gavras	Z
	Hill !George Roy Hill	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
	Penn !Arthur Penn	Alice's Restaurant
	Pollack !Sydney Pollack	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1970 (43rd)	Schaffner !Franklin J. Schaffner	Patton	[53]
	Altman !Robert Altman	M*A*S*H
	Fellini !Federico Fellini	Fellini Satyricon
	Hiller !Arthur Hiller	Love Story
	Russell !Ken Russell	Women in Love
1971 (44th)	Friedkin !William Friedkin	French !The French Connection	[54]
	Bogdanovich !Peter Bogdanovich	Last !The Last Picture Show
	Jewison !Norman Jewison	Fiddler on the Roof
	Kubrick !Stanley Kubrick	Clockwork !A Clockwork Orange
	Schlesinger !John Schlesinger	Sunday Bloody Sunday
1972 (45th)	Fosse !Bob Fosse	Cabaret	[55]
	Boorman !John Boorman	Deliverance
	Coppola !Francis Ford Coppola	Godfather !The Godfather
	Mankiewicz !Joseph L. Mankiewicz	Sleuth
	Troell !Jan Troell	Emigrants !The Emigrants
1973 (46th)	Hill !George Roy Hill	Sting !The Sting	[56]
	Bergman !Ingmar Bergman	Cries and Whispers
	Bertolucci !Bernardo Bertolucci	Last Tango in Paris
	Friedkin !William Friedkin	Exorcist !The Exorcist
	Lucas !George Lucas	American Graffiti
1974 (47th)	Coppola !Francis Ford Coppola	Godfather !The Godfather Part II	[57]
	Cassavetes !John Cassavetes	Woman !A Woman Under the Influence
	Fosse !Bob Fosse	Lenny
	Polanski !Roman Polanski	Chinatown
	Truffaut !François Truffaut	Day for Night
1975 (48th)	Forman !Miloš Forman	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	[58]
	Altman !Robert Altman	Nashville
	Fellini !Federico Fellini	Amarcord
	Kubrick !Stanley Kubrick	Barry Lyndon
	Lumet !Sidney Lumet	Dog Day Afternoon
1976 (49th)	Avildsen !John G. Avildsen	Rocky	[59]
	Bergman !Ingmar Bergman	Face to Face
	Lumet !Sidney Lumet	Network
	Pakula !Alan J. Pakula	All the President's Men
	Wertmüller !Lina Wertmüller	Seven Beauties
1977 (50th)	Allen !Woody Allen	Annie Hall	[60]
	Lucas !George Lucas	Star Wars
	Ross !Herbert Ross	Turning !The Turning Point
	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Close Encounters of the Third Kind
	Zinnemann !Fred Zinnemann	Julia
1978 (51st)	Cimino !Michael Cimino	Deer !The Deer Hunter	[61]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Interiors
	Ashby !Hal Ashby	Coming Home
	Beatty !Warren Beatty Henry !Buck Henry	Heaven Can Wait
	Parker !Alan Parker	Midnight Express
1979 (52nd)	Benton !Robert Benton	Kramer vs. Kramer	[62]
	Coppola !Francis Ford Coppola	Apocalypse Now
	Fosse !Bob Fosse	All That Jazz
	Molinaro !Édouard Molinaro	La Cage aux Folles
	Yates !Peter Yates	Breaking Away
1980 (53rd)	Redford !Robert Redford	Ordinary People	[63]
	Lynch !David Lynch	Elephant !The Elephant Man
	Polanski !Roman Polanski	Tess
	Rush !Richard Rush	Stunt !The Stunt Man
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Raging Bull
1981 (54th)	Beatty !Warren Beatty	Reds	[64]
	Hudson !Hugh Hudson	Chariots of Fire
	Malle !Louis Malle	Atlantic City
	Rydell !Mark Rydell	On Golden Pond
	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982 (55th)	Attenborough !Richard Attenborough	Gandhi	[65]
	Lumet !Sidney Lumet	Verdict !The Verdict
	Petersen !Wolfgang Petersen	Das Boot
	Pollack !Sydney Pollack	Tootsie
	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983 (56th)	Brooks !James L. Brooks	Terms of Endearment	[66]
	Beresford !Bruce Beresford	Tender Mercies
	Bergman !Ingmar Bergman	Fanny and Alexander
	Nichols !Mike Nichols	Silkwood
	Yates !Peter Yates	Dresser !The Dresser
1984 (57th)	Forman !Miloš Forman	Amadeus	[67]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Broadway Danny Rose
	Benton !Robert Benton	Places in the Heart
	Joffé !Roland Joffé	Killing !The Killing Fields
	Lean !David Lean	Passage !A Passage to India
1985 (58th)	Pollack !Sydney Pollack	Out of Africa	[68]
	Babenco !Héctor Babenco	Kiss of the Spider Woman
	Huston !John Huston	Prizzi's Honor
	Kurosawa !Akira Kurosawa	Ran
	Weir !Peter Weir	Witness
1986 (59th)	Stone !Oliver Stone	Platoon	[69]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Hannah and Her Sisters
	Ivory !James Ivory	Room !A Room with a View
	Joffé !Roland Joffé	Mission !The Mission
	Lynch !David Lynch	Blue Velvet
1987 (60th)	Bertolucci !Bernardo Bertolucci	Emperor !The Last Emperor	[70]
	Boorman !John Boorman	Hope and Glory
	Hallström !Lasse Hallström	My Life as a Dog
	Jewison !Norman Jewison	Moonstruck
	Lyne !Adrian Lyne	Fatal Attraction
1988 (61st)	Levinson !Barry Levinson	Rain Man	[71]
	Crichton !Charles Crichton	Fish !A Fish Called Wanda
	Nichols !Mike Nichols	Working Girl
	Parker !Alan Parker	Mississippi Burning
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Last !The Last Temptation of Christ
1989 (62nd)	Stone !Oliver Stone	Born on the Fourth of July	[72]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Crimes and Misdemeanors
	Branagh !Kenneth Branagh	Henry V
	Sheridan !Jim Sheridan	My Left Foot
	Weir !Peter Weir	Dead Poets Society
1990 (63rd)	Costner !Kevin Costner	Dances with Wolves	[73]
	Coppola !Francis Ford Coppola	Godfather !The Godfather Part III
	Frears !Stephen Frears	Grifters !The Grifters
	Schroeder !Barbet Schroeder	Reversal of Fortune
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Goodfellas
1991 (64th)	Demme !Jonathan Demme	Silence !The Silence of the Lambs	[74]
	Levinson !Barry Levinson	Bugsy
	Scott !Ridley Scott	Thelma & Louise
	Singleton !John Singleton	Boyz n the Hood
	Stone !Oliver Stone	JFK
1992 (65th)	Eastwood !Clint Eastwood	Unforgiven	[75]
	Altman !Robert Altman	Player !The Player
	Brest !Martin Brest	Scent of a Woman
	Ivory !James Ivory	Howards End
	Jordan !Neil Jordan	Crying !The Crying Game
1993 (66th)	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Schindler's List	[76]
	Altman !Robert Altman	Short Cuts
	Campion !Jane Campion	Piano !The Piano
	Ivory !James Ivory	Remains !The Remains of the Day
	Sheridan !Jim Sheridan	In the Name of the Father
1994 (67th)	Zemeckis !Robert Zemeckis	Forrest Gump	[77]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Bullets over Broadway
	Kieślowski !Krzysztof Kieślowski	Three Colors: Red
	Redford !Robert Redford	Quiz Show
	Tarantino !Quentin Tarantino	Pulp Fiction
1995 (68th)	Gibson !Mel Gibson	Braveheart	[78]
	Figgis !Mike Figgis	Leaving Las Vegas
	Noonan !Chris Noonan	Babe
	Radford !Michael Radford	Il Postino: The Postman
	Robbins !Tim Robbins	Dead Man Walking
1996 (69th)	Minghella !Anthony Minghella	English !The English Patient	[79]
	Coen !Joel Coen	Fargo
	Forman !Miloš Forman	People !The People vs. Larry Flynt
	Hicks !Scott Hicks	Shine
	Leigh !Mike Leigh	Secrets & Lies
1997 (70th)	Cameron !James Cameron	Titanic	[80]
	Cattaneo !Peter Cattaneo	Monty !The Full Monty
	Egoyan !Atom Egoyan	Sweet !The Sweet Hereafter
	Hanson !Curtis Hanson	L.A. Confidential
	Van Sant !Gus Van Sant	Good Will Hunting
1998 (71st)	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Saving Private Ryan	[81]
	Benigni !Roberto Benigni	Life Is Beautiful
	Madden !John Madden	Shakespeare in Love
	Malick !Terrence Malick	Thin !The Thin Red Line
	Weir !Peter Weir	Truman !The Truman Show
1999 (72nd)	Mendes !Sam Mendes	American Beauty	[82]
	Hallström !Lasse Hallström	Cider !The Cider House Rules
	Jonze !Spike Jonze	Being John Malkovich
	Mann !Michael Mann	Insider !The Insider
	Shyamalan !M. Night Shyamalan	Sixth !The Sixth Sense
2000 (73rd)	Soderbergh !Steven Soderbergh	Traffic	[83]
	Daldry !Stephen Daldry	Billy Elliot
	Lee !Ang Lee	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
	Scott !Ridley Scott	Gladiator
	Soderbergh !Steven Soderbergh	Erin Brockovich
2001 (74th)	Howard !Ron Howard	Beautiful !A Beautiful Mind	[84]
	Altman !Robert Altman	Gosford Park
	Jackson !Peter Jackson	Lord !The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
	Lynch !David Lynch	Mulholland Drive
	Scott !Ridley Scott	Black Hawk Down
2002 (75th)	Polanski !Roman Polanski	Pianist !The Pianist	[85]
	Almodóvar !Pedro Almodóvar	Talk to Her
	Daldry !Stephen Daldry	Hours !The Hours
	Marshall !Rob Marshall	Chicago
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Gangs of New York
2003 (76th)	Jackson !Peter Jackson	Lord !The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	[86]
	Coppola !Sofia Coppola	Lost in Translation
	Eastwood !Clint Eastwood	Mystic River
	Meirelles !Fernando Meirelles	City of God
	Weir !Peter Weir	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
2004 (77th)	Eastwood !Clint Eastwood	Million Dollar Baby	[87]
	Hackford !Taylor Hackford	Ray
	Leigh !Mike Leigh	Vera Drake
	Payne !Alexander Payne	Sideways
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Aviator !The Aviator
2005 (78th)	Lee !Ang Lee	Brokeback Mountain	[88]
	Clooney !George Clooney	Good Night, and Good Luck
	Haggis !Paul Haggis	Crash
	Miller !Bennett Miller	Capote
	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Munich
2006 (79th)	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Departed !The Departed	[89]
	Eastwood !Clint Eastwood	Letters from Iwo Jima
	Frears !Stephen Frears	Queen !The Queen
	Greengrass !Paul Greengrass	United 93
	Iñárritu !Alejandro G. Iñárritu	Babel
2007 (80th)	Coen !Joel Coen Coen !Ethan Coen	No Country for Old Men	[90]
	Anderson !Paul Thomas Anderson	There Will Be Blood
	Gilroy !Tony Gilroy	Michael Clayton
	Reitman !Jason Reitman	Juno
	Schnabel !Julian Schnabel	Diving !The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2008 (81st)	Boyle !Danny Boyle	Slumdog Millionaire	[91]
	Daldry !Stephen Daldry	Reader !The Reader
	Fincher !David Fincher	Curious !The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
	Howard !Ron Howard	Frost/Nixon
	Van Sant !Gus Van Sant	Milk
2009 (82nd)	Bigelow !Kathryn Bigelow	Hurt !The Hurt Locker	[92]
	Cameron !James Cameron	Avatar
	Daniels !Lee Daniels	Precious
	Reitman !Jason Reitman	Up in the Air
	Tarantino !Quentin Tarantino	Inglourious Basterds
2010 (83rd)	Hooper !Tom Hooper	King's !The King's Speech	[93]
	Aronofsky !Darren Aronofsky	Black Swan
	Coen !Joel Coen Coen !Ethan Coen	True Grit
	Fincher !David Fincher	Social !The Social Network
	Russell !David O. Russell	Fighter !The Fighter
2011 (84th)	Hazanavicius !Michel Hazanavicius	Artist !The Artist	[94]
	Allen !Woody Allen	Midnight in Paris
	Malick !Terrence Malick	Tree !The Tree of Life
	Payne !Alexander Payne	Descendants !The Descendants
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Hugo
2012 (85th)	Lee !Ang Lee	Life of Pi	[95]
	Haneke !Michael Haneke	Amour
	Russell !David O. Russell	Silver Linings Playbook
	Spielberg !Steven Spielberg	Lincoln
	Zeitlin !Benh Zeitlin	Beasts of the Southern Wild
2013 (86th)	Cuarón !Alfonso Cuarón	Gravity	[96]
	McQueen !Steve McQueen	12 Years a Slave
	Payne !Alexander Payne	Nebraska
	Russell !David O. Russell	American Hustle
	Scorsese !Martin Scorsese	Wolf !The Wolf of Wall Street
2014 (87th)	Iñárritu !Alejandro G. Iñárritu	Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)	[97]
	Anderson !Wes Anderson	Grand !The Grand Budapest Hotel
	Linklater !Richard Linklater	Boyhood
	Miller !Bennett Miller	Foxcatcher
	Tyldum !Morten Tyldum	Imitation !The Imitation Game
2015 (88th)	Iñárritu !Alejandro G. Iñárritu	The Revenant	[98]
	Abrahamson !Lenny Abrahamson	Room
	McCarthy !Tom McCarthy	Spotlight
	McKay !Adam McKay	Big !The Big Short
	Miller !George Miller	Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 (89th)	Chazelle !Damien Chazelle	La La Land	[99]
	Gibson !Mel Gibson	Hacksaw Ridge
	Jenkins !Barry Jenkins	Moonlight
	Lonergan !Kenneth Lonergan	Manchester by the Sea
	Villeneuve !Denis Villeneuve	Arrival

Multiple wins and nominations

The following individuals have received multiple Best Director awards: Wins Director 4 John Ford 3 Frank Capra William Wyler 2 Frank Borzage Clint Eastwood Miloš Forman Alejandro G. Iñárritu Elia Kazan David Lean Ang Lee Frank Lloyd Joseph L. Mankiewicz Leo McCarey Lewis Milestone Steven Spielberg George Stevens Oliver Stone Billy Wilder Robert Wise Fred Zinnemann

John Ford has the most Best Director wins with four, winning in 1935, 1940, 1941, and 1952. William Wyler has the most nominations with twelve, winning in 1942, 1946, and 1959. Clarence Brown was nominated six times between 1929 and 1946, but never won the award — the most nominations without a success. The following directors received four or more Best Director nominations (* indicates no wins): Nominations Director 12 William Wyler 8 Martin Scorsese Billy Wilder 7 Woody Allen David Lean Steven Spielberg Fred Zinnemann 6 Clarence Brown* Frank Capra 5 Robert Altman* George Cukor Michael Curtiz John Ford Alfred Hitchcock* John Huston Elia Kazan Frank Lloyd George Stevens King Vidor* 4 Francis Ford Coppola Clint Eastwood Federico Fellini* Stanley Kubrick* Sidney Lumet* Joseph L. Mankiewicz Mike Nichols Peter Weir*

Age superlatives

Clint Eastwood won in 1992 for Unforgiven and became the oldest director to win in the category with Million Dollar Baby in 2004.

See also

• BAFTA Award for Best Direction
• Golden Globe Award for Best Director
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director
• Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film

References

Bibliography

External links

• Oscars.org (official Academy site)
• The Academy Awards Database (official site)
• Oscar.com (official ceremony promotional site)