Film directors from New York (state)

Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Pop", she is known for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. Her works incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes and have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. Madonna has had a significant socio-cultural impact across both the 20th and 21st centuries and is often deemed one of the greatest musicians of all time.

American artist, film director, and producer (1928–1987)

Steven Allan Spielberg is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and he is the second highest-grossing film director of all time. Among other accolades, he has received three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTA Awards, twelve Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary knighthood in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2006, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. According to Forbes, he is one of the world's wealthiest celebrities. He is one of 22 people to achieve EGOT status.

Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic series Mad Max (1979–1985) and as Martin Riggs in the buddy cop series Lethal Weapon (1987–1998).

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, an Actor Award, two Golden Globes, two Silver Bears and a Tony Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2020, The New York Times named Washington the greatest actor of the 21st century. He has also been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2025, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $5.1 billion worldwide.

Jason Kent Bateman is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox / Netflix sitcom Arrested Development (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark (2017–2022), as well as for his work in numerous comedy films. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

American actor (1916–2020)

American actor (born 1949)

Taiwanese film director, screenwriter and producer (born 1954)

American director and actor (1909–2003)

Emilio Estevez is an American actor and filmmaker. The son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen, he made his film debut with an uncredited role in Badlands (1973). He later received his first credited appearance with a supporting role in the coming-of-age film Tex (1982).

Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series House (2007–2012), and appeared in the action films Tron: Legacy (2010) and Cowboys & Aliens (2011), the romantic drama film Her (2013), the comedy film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), and the horror film The Lazarus Effect (2015). She made her Broadway debut playing Julia in 1984 (2017).

American actor and filmmaker (1934–2016)

American filmmaker (1944–2017)

American choreographer, dancer, and director (1927–1987)

American filmmaker, composer and actor (born 1948)

American actor and political activist

American photographer (born 1954)

American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor

American film director

American film director, writer, model, actor and musician

American filmmaker

American actor (1905-1968)

American actor (1904-1981)

American comedian, actor, film director and screenwriter

American film writer, director and producer

American actor (1933–2009)

Taiwanese singer, songwriter, actor

American actor

American film director and producer

American screenwriter (born 1968)

Swiss-American photographer and documentary filmmaker (1924-2019)

American actress and singer

American screenwriter, director and producer

American actor, film director (1864–1946)

American film and theatre director (born 1952)

American director and screenwriter

American animator, director, producer, and writer

American animator (1899–1994)

American scriptwriter and director (born 1943)

American actor and director (born 1943)

American actor

Walter Edward Cox, known professionally as Bud Cort, was an American actor known for his unorthodox starring roles in Robert Altman's Brewster McCloud (1970), for which he was nominated for a Golden Laurel Award, and Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971), for which he was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. He also had supporting roles in films such as M*A*S*H (1970), Electric Dreams (1984), Heat (1995), Dogma (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Pollock (2000), and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

American screenwriter

American film director

American film director and screenwriter (born 1959)

American animator and director

American film director

American actor

American film and television director (1916–1987)

American actor

American film director (born 1950)

American filmmaker

American film director (1925-2012)

American puppeteer (1951-1992)

American animator and filmmaker (1949–2026)

American author, columnist and adult film director

American film director, screenwriter & television director (born 1964)

American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor

American film director, screenwriter, producer, playwright and actor (b. 1963)