Since 1928, the Oscars’ Best Director category has illuminated the exceptional talents driving memorable and influential cinematic history.
From pioneers like Frank Borzage and Lewis Milestone to visionaries such as Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese, each winner has indelibly marked the art of filmmaking.
Deadline looks back at the directors that took home the Best Directors award:
RELATED: Oscars: Every Best Picture Winner Back To The Beginning In 1929
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Sean Baker – 2025
Image Credit: Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection Sean Baker won Best Director at the 2025 Oscars for his film Anora, which cleaned up nicely winning four other Oscars.
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(Cilian Murphy) And Christopher Nolan – 2024
Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Christopher Nolan won the Best Director Oscar for his Oppenheimer biopic starring Cillian Murphy, who also won Best Actor.
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Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — 2023
Image Credit: Allyson Riggs/A24/Everett Collection Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
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Jane Campion — 2021
Image Credit: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix “The Power of the Dog”
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Chloé Zhao — 2020
Image Credit: Joshua James Richards/Searchlight Pictures/Everett Collection “Nomadland”
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Bong Joon-ho — 2019
Image Credit: Kimberly French/Netflix /Everett Collection “Parasite”
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Alfonso Cuarón – 2018
Image Credit: Carlos Somonte/Netflix “Roma”
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Guillermo Del Toro – 2017
Image Credit: S Giraud/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Shape Of Water”
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Damien Chazelle – 2016
Image Credit: Dale Robinette/Black Label Media/Kobal/Shutterstock “La La Land”
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Alejandro G. Iñárritu – 2015
Image Credit: Kimberley French/20th Century Fox/Regency “The Revenant”
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Alejandro G. Iñárritu – 2014
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight/New Regency/Le Grisbi/Kobal/Shutterstock “Birdman”
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Alfonso Cuarón — 2013
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Gravity”
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Ang Lee – 2012
Image Credit: Dune/Ingenious Media/Haishang/Kobal/Shutterstock “Life Of Pi”
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Michel Hazanavicius – 2011
Image Credit: La Classe Americane/Ufilm/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Artist”
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Tom Hooper – 2010
Image Credit: Weinstein Co/Uk Film Council/See Saw/Kobal/Shutterstock “King’s Speech”
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Kathryn Bigelow – 2009
Image Credit: First Light Prods/Kingsgatefilms/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Hurt Locker”
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Danny Boyle – 2008
Image Credit: Celador Films/Pathe International/Kobal/Shutterstock “Slumdog Millionaire”
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Joel and Ethan Coen – 2007
Image Credit: Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock “No Country For Old Men”
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Martin Scorsese – 2006
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Departed”
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Ang Lee – 2005
Image Credit: Focus/Kobal/Shutterstock “Brokeback Mountain”
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Clint Eastwood – 2004
Image Credit: Merie W Wallace/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock “Million Dollar Baby”
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Peter Jackson – 2003
Image Credit: New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King”
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Roman Polanski – 2002
Image Credit: Guy Ferrandis/Kobal/Shutterstock “The Pianist”
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Ron Howard – 2001
Image Credit: Dreamworks/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock “A Beautiful Mind”
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Steven Soderbergh – 2000
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock “Traffic”
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Sam Mendes – 1999
Image Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock “American Beauty”
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Steven Spielberg – 1998
Image Credit: Steve Connolly/Shutterstock “Saving Private Ryan”
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James Cameron – 1997
Image Credit: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Shutterstock “Titanic”
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Anthony Minghella – 1996
Image Credit: Phil Bray/Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock “The English Patient”
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Mel Gibson – 1995
Image Credit: Daily Mail/Shutterstock “Braveheart”
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Robert Zemeckis – 1994
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock “Forrest Gump”
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Steven Spielberg – 1993
Image Credit: Columbia/Tri-Star/Kobal/Shutterstock “Schindler’s List”
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Clint Eastwood – 1992
Image Credit: Bei/Shutterstock “Unforgiven”
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Jonathan Demme – 1991
Image Credit: Glasshouse Images/Shutterstock “The Silence of the Lambs”
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Kevin Costner – 1990
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock “Dances with Wolves”
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Oliver Stone – 1989
Image Credit: Elisa Leonelli/Shutterstock “Born on the Fourth of July”
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Barry Levinson – 1988
Image Credit: Bei/Shutterstock “Rain Man”
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Bernardo Bertolucci — 1987
Image Credit: Columbia/Everett Collection “The Last Emperor”
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Oliver Stone — 1986
Image Credit: Orion Pictures/Everett Collection “Platoon”
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Sydney Pollack — 1985
Image Credit: Universal/Everett Collection “Out of Africa”
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Miloš Forman — 1984
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection “Amadeus”
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James Brooks — 1983
Image Credit: Getty Images “Terms of Endearment”
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Richard Attenborough — 1982
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Gandhi”
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Warren Beatty — 1981
Image Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images “Reds”
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Robert Redford — 1980
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Ordinary People”
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Robert Benton — 1979
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection “Kramer vs. Kramer”
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Michael Cimino — 1978
Image Credit: Universal/Everett Collection “The Deer Hunter”
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Woody Allen — 1977
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Annie Hall”
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John G. Avildsen — 1976
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Rocky”
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Miloš Forman — 1975
Image Credit: Everett Collection “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
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Francis Ford Coppola — 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Godfather: Part II”
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George Roy Hill — 1973
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Sting”
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Bob Fosse — 1972
Image Credit: Brian Hamill/Getty Images “Cabaret”
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William Friedkin — 1971
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection “The French Connection”
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Franklin J. Schaffner — 1970
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection “Patton”
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John Schlesinger — 1969
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Midnight Cowboy”
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Carol Reed — 1968
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Oliver!”
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Mike Nichols — 1967
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Graduate”
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Fred Zinnemann — 1966
Image Credit: Everett Collection “A Man For All Seasons”
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Robert Wise — 1965
Image Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images “The Sound of Music”
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George Sukor — 1964
Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images “My Fair Lady”
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Tony Richardson — 1963
Image Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images “Tom Jones”
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David Lean — 1962
Image Credit: Columbia TriStar/Getty Images “Lawrence of Arabia”
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Robert Wise/Jerome Robbins — 1961
Image Credit: Everett Collection “West Side Story”
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Billy Wilder — 1960
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Apartment”
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William Wyler — 1959
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Ben-Hur”
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Vincente Minnelli — 1958
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Gigi”
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David Lean — 1957
Image Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images “The Bridge On The River Kwai”
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George Stevens — 1956
Image Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images “Giant”
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Delbert Mann — 1955
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Marty”
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Elia Kazan — 1954
Image Credit: John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images “On The Waterfront”
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Fred Zinnemann — 1953
Image Credit: Everett Collection “From Here To Eternity”
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John Ford — 1952
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Quiet Man”
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George Stevens — 1951
Image Credit: Everett Collection “A Place In The Sun”
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Joseph L. Mankiewicz — 1950
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection “All About Eve”
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Joseph L. Mankiewicz — 1949
Image Credit: Everett Collection “A Letter To Two Wives”
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John Huston — 1948
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre”
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Elia Kazan — 1947
Image Credit: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images “Gentleman’s Agreement”
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William Wyler — 1946
Image Credit: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Image “The Best Years of Our Lives”
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Billy Wilder — 1945
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Lost Weekend”
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Leo McCarey — 1944
Image Credit: John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images “Going My Way”
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Michael Curtiz — 1943
Image Credit: ullstein bild via Getty Images “Casablanca”
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William Wyler — 1942
Image Credit: Universal-International/Getty Images “Mrs. Miniver”
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John Ford — 1941
Image Credit: Getty Images “How Green Was My Valley”
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John Ford — 1940
Image Credit: Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images The Grapes of Wrath”
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Victor Fleming — 1939
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Gone With The Wind”
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Frank Capra — 1938
Image Credit: Everett Collection “You Can’t Take It With You”
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Leo McCarey — 1937
“The Awful Truth”
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Frank Capra — 1936
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Mr. Deeds Goes To Town”
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John Ford — 1935
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Informer”
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Frank Capra — 1934
Image Credit: Everett Collection “It Happened One Night”
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Frank Lloyd — 1933
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Cavalcade”
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Frank Borzage — 1932
Image Credit: Getty Images “Bad Girl”
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Norman Taurog — 1931
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Skippy”
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Lewis Milestone — 1930
Image Credit: Everett Collection “All Quiet On The Western Front”
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Frank Lloyd — 1929
Image Credit: Everett Collection “The Divine Lady”
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Lewis Milestone — 1928 (Comedy)
Image Credit: Everett Collection “Two Arabian Knights”
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Frank Borzage — 1928 (Drama)
Image Credit: Everett Collection “7th Heaven”
