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List of Famous Theatre Directors
Updated June 14, 2019 72.3k views 1,413 items
List of famous theatre directors, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top theatre directors in the world? This includes the most prominent theatre directors, living and dead, both in America and abroad. This list of notable theatre directors is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic theatre directors were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned theatre directors.
Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett are a great starting point for your to rank your favorites on this list. Featuring popular Broadway directors, stage directors, foreign theater directors, and more, this list has it all.
From reputable, prominent, and well known theatre directors to the lesser known theatre directors of today, these are some of the best professionals in the theatre director field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous theatre directors ever?" and "What are the names of famous theatre directors?" then you're in the right place.
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian-American actress and theatre director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe ...more
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr.; September 13, 1969) is an American actor, playwright, filmmaker, and comedian. In 2011, Forbes listed him as the highest paid man in entertainment, earning ...more
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor, producer, and singer. Spacey began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles in film and television. ...more
Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews, (born 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer and author. Andrews, a child actress and singer, appeared in the West End in 1948 and made her Broadway debut in The Boy ...more
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954), better known as Kathleen Turner, is an American film and stage actress and director. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Turner has won two Golden ...more
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Rickman trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the ...more
David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director, activist, and producer. Schwimmer began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High ...more
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, writer and producer who is remembered for his innovative work in radio, theatre and film. He is considered ...more
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years, she performed in several ...more
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, writer, and director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, ...more
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor, director, and producer. Best known for his distinctive supporting and character roles–typically lowlifes, ...more
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor and stage director. A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a successful stage career, ...more
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci (born November 11, 1960) is an American actor, writer, producer, and film director. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, and played ...more
David Copperfield
David Seth Kotkin (born September 16, 1956), known professionally as David Copperfield, is an American magician, described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in ...more
Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashād ( fih-LI-shə rə-SHAHD) (née Ayers-Allen; June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and stage director. She is known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ...more
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor and director. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in summer ...more
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of ...more
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English stage and film actor. Laughton was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on ...more
Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise (born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, musician, and philanthropist. He is known for his comedic and dramatic roles in his career. Among other awards, he has won ...more
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a ...more
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou (Greek: Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director, producer, writer and actor, described by The New York ...more
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992), known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor and theatre and film director. He was the first ...more
Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly II (January 13, 1931 – May 25, 2007) was an American actor, comedian, director, and drama teacher known for his comedic roles on stage and in films, television shows, and ...more
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (Spanish pronunciation: [feðeˈɾiko ðel saˈɣɾaðo koɾaˈθon de xeˈsuz ɣaɾˈθi.a ˈloɾka]; 5 June 1898 – 19 August ...more