5 Best Directors Who Started Out As Actors

Filmmaking is big business, and while movies are typically promoted around the biggest stars making up the cast, directors are responsible for bringing the written word to life on the silver screen. Directing is difficult, complex work that is often overshadowed or overlooked by the public. Directors are required to possess a great deal of knowledge about everything from blocking a shot and selecting the right music for a scene to inspiring actors' performances and working with editors to finalize their vision into the best possible movie.

While there are several legendary directors who never went to film school, most spend years learning their trade. On the other hand, numerous actors started out in front of the camera and transitioned to directing as their careers progressed. This kind of on-the-job training has transformed some of Hollywood's greatest performers into its most accomplished directors, whether they started out in television or hit the ground running in feature films.

It makes sense that a great actor would also make an excellent director, but not all of them do as well as others. It takes a lot of talent and industry knowledge to do both well. While some directors throw themselves into their movies, starting without any directing experience and transitioning into it is far more impressive. Each of these five directors started their careers as actors, and they've all made a name for themselves in the industry.

These days, Bradley Cooper is well-known for his work; but, like most actors, he built up his career over time. Cooper started with small roles in movies and television series in the late 1990s and 2000s before landing a prominent part in "Alias" opposite Jennifer Garner. From there, he continued working in film and shot to superstardom via 2009's "The Hangover," which earned him far more attention than his previous work.

Cooper landed several high-profile roles after "The Hangover" with noteworthy and award-winning performances in "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle," and "American Sniper." He also voiced Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and hasn't spent much time not working since he got started. In 2018, Cooper made the jump to directing via "A Star Is Born," adapting his remake for modern audiences, where he played Jack alongside Lady Gaga's Ally.

While Cooper's acting in the film is extraordinary, there's no denying his directing prowess in his first attempt, as "A Star Is Born" earned eight Academy Award nominations. Cooper continued directing in the years since, and has earned a total of 12 Oscar noms – with only five of them being for his acting. Cooper's work behind the camera has been groundbreaking, showing he doesn't fear taking risks and is a multi-hyphenate in acting, directing, writing, singing, and producing.

Greta Gerwig is another celebrated director who got her start in acting. She appeared primarily in feature films and shorts, though her career kicked off on the small screen with a single appearance in "Young American Bodies." She turned heads in 2012's "Frances Ha" and received critical acclaim for her work in "20th Century Women." Additionally, Gerwig works behind the microphone, voicing characters in "The Ghost and Molly McGee," "China, IL," and "Isle of Dogs."

Before making the leap into the directing chair, Gerwig started her time behind the camera as a writer, penning the script to "Hannah Takes the Stairs." She also wrote "Nights and Weekends," her directorial debut in 2008. Of course, Gerwig's most notable gigs came in the 2010s when she directed "Lady Bird," "Little Women," and "Barbie," all of which did well with critics and audiences.

While she's yet to claim a statue, Gerwig's four Academy Award nominations are all in directing and writing, with a best achievement in directing for "Lady Bird" being the most notable. One cannot forget the impact "Barbie" had on popular culture when it was released in 2023 alongside "Oppenheimer," spawning the celebratory cinematic portmanteau "Barbenheimer." That pop culture phenomenon brought Gerwig's directing style to a wider audience, as "Barbie" performed better at the box office than any of her other directing efforts and broke the record for female director earnings with over $1.4 billion at the global box office.

Clint Eastwood's over-70-year career can be divided into three parts. The first includes his early work, where he appeared primarily on television with a celebrated 217-episode run on "Rawhide" in the 1950s and '60s. The second part of Eastwood's career includes all of his feature film roles, many of which made him a household name with movies like "A Fistful of Dollars," "Hang 'Em High," "Kelly's Heroes," and "Dirty Harry."

The third part covers his later years, where he predominantly worked as a director with fewer roles in front of the camera. Each of Eastwood's impressive career parts makes him a standout, and while he's one of the key reasons for the success of spaghetti Westerns, his directing work has been absolutely amazing. Eastwood began directing in 1971 with "Play Misty for Me" and continued for decades, building up his directing credits while expanding his knowledge of different genres.

Towards the end of Eastwood's career, he became better known for his directing work, for which he's received numerous accolades. "Unforgiven" was a particularly successful return to the Western form for Eastwood, earning him his first best director statue at the Academy Awards. He's since won another for "Million Dollar Baby" and two others for best picture. Eastwood retired from acting and directing in June 2026, capping off an extravagant career that set the bar high for other actors-turned-directors to follow.

You often hear stories of child actors not turning out well as they mature into adulthood, but that cannot be said of Sarah Polley. Her first role came in 1985 via television's "Night Heat," when she was only six. While she had a few film roles, her first big one came in 1988's "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," and she continued working in Hollywood for years, landing a 67-episode turn on "Avonlea" in 1990.

Polley's acting was highlighted once more when she played Ronna Martin in 1999's "Go," and she never stopped working. Polley began directing shorts in 1999, all of which she wrote; and, in 2006, she scored the director's chair for "Away from Her," which she also wrote. That film proved she had what it took to direct, while earning her a nomination for best writing at the Academy Awards.

Polley then won an Academy Award for writing for 2022's "Women Talking," which came a decade after Polley directed "Stories We Tell." The actor-turned-writer-and-director continues her work behind the camera, and as of this writing, she's working on "The Bell Jar." Given the impressive resume Polley has already built up with her short list of directing credits, odds are she'll continue to create critically acclaimed feature films, as she took to the director's chair quite handily.

One of the most impressive actors-turned-director is Jordan Peele, an improv comic who came out of The Second City. His breakout role came on "Mad TV," and after leaving with his friend and collaborator Keegan-Michael Key, the pair launched their own comedy sketch show, "Key & Peele." Peele has been a writer throughout his career, but he didn't begin directing feature films until 2017.

Peele detailed why he left acting at an awards show. "'The Emoji Movie' actually helped me quit acting," he said (via Vanity Fair). "I was offered the role of Poop." The unflattering offer was eventually picked up by Patrick Stewart, and Peele went on to direct his first movie, "Get Out." He's since followed that film with "Us" and "Nope," all of which received critical acclaim, praising Peele's writing and directing. Peele's signature style has already ensured that several specific things happen in every one of his movies, and his work speaks for itself.

Of course, so too do his awards, and Peele received three Academy Award nominations for "Get Out," winning one for best original screenplay. He also received a fourth nomination for "BlacKkKlansman," which he produced. As of this writing, Peele is working on an untitled project, which is likely to mirror the success from his previous outings. The actor-turned-director quickly proved he knows how to write, produce, and direct an award-worthy and critically acclaimed feature film.