Movies and TV shows and a complex business. Like any large project, they require dedicated effort and collaboration from people across a variety of fields. Among the most prominent of these are the directors and their actors.
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The former guides the production through a unified vision while the latter party brings that vision to life onscreen. As expected, each of these calls for a radically different skillset. Certain artists, however, try their hand at tackling both. This should theoretically be a recipe for disaster, but a surprising number of these performers have made it work.
10 Richard Attenborough
Most audiences likely know Attenborough as John Hammond, the creator of the titular Jurassic Park. However, his career extends much further than that, both behind and in front of the camera.
As an actor, he's appeared in such iconic projects as The Great Escape, Brighton Rock, The Sand Pebbles, 10 Rillington Place, and the Miracle on 34th Street remake. Additionally, he was nearly as prolific as a director. Gandhi comes to mind, but he also helmed A Bridge Too Far, Young Winston, Cry Freedom, and Oh! What a Lovely War. Both paths he took turned into massive success stories, earning huge praise and scores of awards.
9 Sidney Poitier
Poitier was a pioneer in a plethora of areas, breaking new ground for African Americans in Hollywood. Most of this came from his work onscreen. Over his long career, he wowed viewers in such classics as To Sir With Love, The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
Despite having more prominence as a performer, Poitier's directorial exploits can't be discounted. Stir Crazy, Let's Do it Again, and Buck and the Preacher are a few of his high-profile pictures. No one can say that Poitier doesn't have a stacked legacy.
8 Leonard Nimoy
Talk about a turnaround. In the final few minutes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, fan-favorite character Spock sacrifices himself to save his friends. People naturally assumed that was the end of Leonard Nimoy's time in the franchise.
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Just a few years later, however, Nimoy made a two-pronged comeback. Not only did he play the iconic Vulcan again in The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, but he took over directorial duties for those films as well. Thanks in no small part to his sure-handed skill, these became two of the more revered entries in the series. Suffice it to say, they turned out a lot better than William Shatner's directing attempt with The Final Frontier.
7 Sofia Coppola
The operative phrase here is course correction. When Francis Ford Coppola's daughter first popped onto the scene in The Godfather Part III, audiences weren't impressed. Her flat performance stuck out like a sore thumb, making the film look like a blemish next to its acclaimed predecessors.
Luckily, Coppola quickly realized her career lied in following her father's footsteps. Taking the director's chair, she revitalized her reputation with films like The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation. She's widely seen as a trailblazer for female directors, and even today, her projects continue to shine at film festivals the world over.
6 Kenneth Branagh
When adapting Shakespeare, Ken's your man. From his early days, Branagh's works have largely involved him both acting and directing, and many of these are remakes of William Shakespeare's plays. Films like Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet showcase his theatrical style in tribute to the famous playwright. He's also found fame simply as a director in Marvel's Thor and Disney's Cinderella remake.
That said, he's not above acting in projects which he doesn't personally helm. Examples include Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dunkirk, and Wallander. Though he's not as personally involved, his performances never falter as a result.
5 Avery Brooks
This articulate actor was theatrically trained in multiple areas. Not only did he earn experience as a theater performer, but he also accumulated skills as a director. He even became an associate professor of theater arts, so you can't say he's unqualified in either area.
His time on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine offered a chance to stretch both talents. In addition to playing protagonist Benjamin Sisko, Brooks directed a whopping nine episodes. These included some of the most high-profile ones like "Far Beyond the Stars," which still ranks among the most thoughtful and emotional Star Trek tales ever crafted.
4 Kevin Costner
Easily one of the more likable leads of his time, Costner's laid-back soulfulness charmed countless audiences. Works like Field of Dreams, The Untouchables, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves established him as a charismatic presence akin to the classic movie stars. How appropriate that he should make his directorial mark with westerns?
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Costner has always loved the genre and the idea of the American West. This passion prompted projects like Dances with Wolves and Open Range, both of which received rave reviews for their reverent takes. When it comes to reviving the dormant cowboy flicks, few filmmakers have been as successful as Costner.
3 Mel Gibson
With famous films like Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, and Ransom, Gibson was easily one of the most bankable and infectiously energetic stars in Hollywood during the '80s and '90s. He was undeniable leading man material: equal parts charming and intense. Clearly, filmmakers wanted to keep him in front of the camera for as long as they could.
He didn't start helming flicks himself until he was over twenty years into the industry. Even then, his directorial efforts were few and far between. On those rare instances when he has steered the ship, though, his gritty approach has earned tremendous praise and attention. Just look at Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge. In fact, the latter film was such a big hit that it helped him break back into the business after his drunken tirades blacklisted him. Anyone familiar with that controversy knows this was no small feat.
2 Helen Shaver
This Canadian was a solid working actress throughout the '80s and '90s. Although she never quite achieved mainstream attention, she did lend her voice to Littlefoot's mother in The Land Before Time, the subject of the most traumatizing family film death this side of Bambi and The Lion King.
Starting in the late '90s, though, Shaver shifted to directing. To this day, she's helmed numerous TV episodes both big and small. Her most recurring gig in recent years has been Vikings, steering several chapters of this historical epic, including some of the trippy and more visually interesting ones. Whether or not she'll return to acting is anyone's guess. Regardless, she's garnered decades of experience in both fields.
1 Joel Edgerton
This rugged actor's journey to the directing chair is a gradual one. Edgerton worked as a reliable Australian actor for years, going from The Secret Life of Us to Hollywood blockbusters like King Arthur, the Star Wars prequels, and Warrior. He soon started writing–collaborating with his brother Nash and/or friend David Michôd on projects like The Square, The Rover, and The King.
These eventually gave him the clout and confidence to break into directing. His subsequent suspenseful work on The Gift and Boy Erased have laid a solid foundation for further helming duties. Whether he continues this trajectory remains to be seen.
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