When Actors Direct (List in Progress)
Feature (non-documentary) directorial debuts of internationally famous faces (then and now).
It doesn't count if it's a recorded live concert, or when the actor/director doesn't get credit for directing (e.g.: Kurt Russell for Tombstone). One exception (see below).
It doesn't count if it's a recorded live concert, or when the actor/director doesn't get credit for directing (e.g.: Kurt Russell for Tombstone). One exception (see below).
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122 titles
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceJackie CooganThe Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put their relationship in jeopardy.
- DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMargaret LeahyWallace BeeryThe misadventures of Buster in three separate historical periods.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierRobert NewtonLeslie BanksIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorAnthony QuinnStarsYul BrynnerClaire BloomCharles BoyerDuring the War of 1812, Louisiana buccaneer Jean Lafitte assists the Americans in defending New Orleans against the attacking British war fleet.
- DirectorJohn WayneStarsJohn WayneRichard WidmarkLaurence HarveyIn 1836, a small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
- DirectorMarlon BrandoStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenPina PellicerAfter robbing a bank in Mexico, Dad Longworth absconds with the loot leaving his partner Rio to be captured by the Rurales. Rio escapes prison but struggles with his conflicting desires to love Dad's stepdaughter Louise and to get revenge.
- DirectorWoody AllenSenkichi TaniguchiStarsWoody AllenThe Lovin' SpoonfulFrank BuxtonWoody Allen re-dubs the Japanese spy film Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (1965), turning it into a comedy about an agent pursuing the world's greatest egg salad recipe.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsZero MostelGene WilderDick ShawnA stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsPeter FondaDennis HopperJack NicholsonTwo bikers head from L.A. to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands, and along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap of which they had been unaware.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsWendy AllnuttColin FarrellMalcolm McFeeThe working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.
- DirectorJack NicholsonStarsWilliam TepperKaren BlackMichael MargottaThe star player of a college basketball team starts to go off the rails with an illicit love affair and his roommate going crazy to avoid the war draft.
- DirectorPeter FondaStarsPeter FondaWarren OatesVerna BloomHarry returns home to his wife and farm after drifting with his friend Arch and has to make a difficult decision regarding his loyalties.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodJessica WalterDonna MillsThe life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.
- DirectorBruce LeeStarsBruce LeeChuck NorrisNora MiaoA man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
- DirectorGene WilderStarsGene WilderMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanThe younger brother of the consulting detective tries to steal Sherlock's glory by solving an important case assisted by an eccentric Scotland Yard detective and a lovely but suspicious actress.
- DirectorDavid CarradineStarsDavid CarradineRichard Chadbourne IIBobbie Shaw ChanceThe story of the friendship between a biker on the run and a young boy.
- DirectorBurt ReynoldsStarsBurt ReynoldsJack WestonLauren HuttonAgents force a former con man to help them nab a corrupt politician.
- DirectorFred WilliamsonStarsFred WilliamsonJim BrownJim KellyA pair of tough cops go after the mob who rigged the martial arts tournament and injured their buddy.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRon HowardNancy MorganElizabeth RogersA rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungSing ChenHoi-Pang LoA lowly restaurant worker aims to take revenge on the Manchurian thugs who killed his boss by joining a Shaolin temple under the advise from a monk who rescued him from certain death.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneLee CanalitoArmand AssanteThree Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940's New York City, try to help each other with one's wrestling career using one brother's promotional skills and another brother's con-artist tactics to thwart a sleazy manager.
- DirectorJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanJames TienDean ShekA young man whose sickly grandfather has taught him a secret form of Kung Fu, starts to make a living off of his unique fighting style, only to attract the attention of his grandfather's mortal enemy.
- DirectorBeau BridgesStarsSusan Saint JamesBeau BridgesLoretta SwitA single mother is overprotective of her mentally challenged son which has made him angry and difficult, while she denies herself a social life. Things change for the better when the boy gains self-esteem training for the Special Olympics and his mother learns to let go.
- DirectorRobert DuvallStarsAngelo EvansMichael EvansRuthie EvansStep into the world of gypsy life. Come meet Angelo and his family. See the gypsy court system. A gypsy wedding where a boy's family pays for his wife. Come see the gypsy lifestyle, how they live, how they love family.
- DirectorBarbra StreisandStarsBarbra StreisandAmy IrvingMandy PatinkinA Jewish girl disguises herself as a boy to enter religious training.
- DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyAdmiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.
- DirectorJet LiStarsJet LiErkang ZhaoJia SongJet, a young soldier at the end of the second World War must overcome some abusive Americans who are bullying him as well as the Chinese people.
- DirectorRichard PryorStarsRichard PryorDebbie AllenArt EvansAfter severely burning himself in a drug incident, a comedian has a near death experience in which he reviews his life.
- DirectorHenry WinklerStarsDolly PartonLee MajorsBo HopkinsA country-western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman and a witch.
- DirectorRobert TownsendStarsRobert TownsendCraigus R. JohnsonHelen MartinAn actor limited to stereotypical roles because of his ethnicity, dreams of making it big as a highly respected performer. As he makes his rounds, the film takes a satiric look at African American actors in Hollywood.
- DirectorSam ShepardStarsJessica LangeCharles DurningTess HarperAfter generations of being apart, an accident brings a family back together and they begin to cope with their original issues.
- DirectorKeenen Ivory WayansStarsKeenen Ivory WayansBernie CaseyAntonio FargasIn this parody of blaxploitation movies, a black hero wannabe reunites former black heroes from the 70s to help him get revenge on Mr. Big.
- DirectorGary SiniseStarsRichard GerePenelope Ann MillerBrian DennehyTwo brothers who are forced off their farm in the debt stricken mid-west become folk heroes when they begin robbing the banks that have been foreclosing on farmers.
- DirectorEddie MurphyStarsEddie MurphyRichard PryorRedd FoxxDuring the 1930s, a New York City illegal gambling house owner and his associates must deal with strong competition, gangsters, and corrupt cops in order to stay in business.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghDerek JacobiSimon ShepherdIn the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorWilliam ShatnerStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyCaptain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoMaiko KawakamiMakoto AshikawaA violence prone police officer discovers that his colleague is trafficking drugs.
- DirectorMartin SheenStarsCharlie SheenMartin SheenJay BrazeauCharlie Sheen plays a rebellious inmate in an Army stockade.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
- DirectorHoward FranklinBill MurrayStarsBill MurrayGeena DavisRandy QuaidThree thieves successfully rob a New York City bank, but making the escape from the city proves to be almost impossible.
- DirectorSean PennStarsDavid MorseViggo MortensenValeria GolinoA Vietnam vet comes home to his small town and finds himself in conflict with rules that his brother has vowed to uphold.
- DirectorJodie FosterStarsJodie FosterDianne WiestAdam Hann-ByrdA single mother raises a child prodigy on her own, struggling to give him every opportunity he needs to express his gift.
- DirectorMario Van PeeblesStarsWesley SnipesIce-TAllen PayneA crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
- DirectorDan AykroydStarsChevy ChaseDan AykroydJohn CandyA businessman and his friends are captured by a sadistic judge and his equally odd family in a bizarre mansion in the backwoods.
- DirectorTim RobbinsStarsTim RobbinsGiancarlo EspositoAlan RickmanA conservative folk singer turns his hand to politics, running for the US Senate. He is not above dirty tricks and smear campaigns to gain an advantage over his opponent.
- DirectorArnold SchwarzeneggerStarsDyan CannonKris KristoffersonTony CurtisElizabeth, the star of a successful cooking show, is set to do a live show on Christmas, where she'll cook a Christmas dinner. But what no one knows is that she can't cook.
- DirectorJohn TurturroStarsJohn TurturroMichael BadaluccoCarl CapotortoMac is the ambitious, overbearing, irresistible oldest of three brothers who struggle against all odds to scrape together enough money to start their own business in Queens, New York.
- DirectorBilly CrystalStarsBilly CrystalDavid PaymerJulie WarnerThe life of Buddy Young, a comic legend in flashbacks but an old man looking for work in the present.
- DirectorMorgan FreemanStarsDanny GloverMalcolm McDowellAlfre WoodardIn this story of a black policeman during South African apartheid, Danny Glover plays the cop, who believes he's trying to help his people, even while serving as a pawn of the racist government. When his son gets involved in the anti-apartheid movement, he finds himself torn between his family (including long-suffering wife Alfre Woodard) and what he believes is his duty.
- DirectorRobert De NiroStarsRobert De NiroChazz PalminteriLillo BrancatoAn intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonNick StahlMargaret WhittonChuck wants to leave home but can't make the grade for boarding school. Then he finds out the disfigured recluse living nearby is an ex-teacher.
- DirectorForest WhitakerStarsWilliam James Stiggers Jr.Chi AliBokeem WoodbineEx-con attempting to go straight runs accross serious problems. His girlfriend gets arrested for dealing crack to an undercover police officer. In a desperate attempt to get the charges dropped against his woman, he strikes deal with weapons cop(Michael Biehn) to turn in local gun dealers. How ever, the D.A. is not satisfied with the results, resulting in some serious game playing and double crossing.
- DirectorSteven SeagalStarsSteven SeagalMichael CaineJoan ChenA blowout firefighter takes on an environmentally destructive oil corporation by causing many deaths and explosions in Alaska.
- DirectorBen StillerStarsWinona RyderEthan HawkeJaneane GarofaloA documentary filmmaker and her fellow Generation X graduates face life after college, looking for work and love in Houston.
- DirectorEdward BurnsStarsJack MulcahyMichael McGloneEdward BurnsThree Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island struggle to deal with love, marriage, and infidelity.
- DirectorTommy Lee JonesStarsTommy Lee JonesTerry KinneyFrances McDormandAn aging cowboy must choose between his desire to remain free and the responsibilities of maintaining a family.
- DirectorJon VoightGregory GierasStarsTrenton KnightJon VoightAlly SheedyA boy trying to cope with his father's death much-needed guidance when his new toy soldier springs to life. Soon he gets caught in the mixed between two gangs at war with each other.
- DirectorDiane KeatonStarsAndie MacDowellJohn TurturroMichael RichardsWhen a youngster needs a break from the pressures of his parents' household, he moves in with his offbeat uncles and learns some invaluable life lessons.
- DirectorKevin SpaceyStarsMatt DillonFaye DunawayGary SiniseWhile escaping from a foiled robbery attempt, three thieves find themselves surrounded by police at a New Orleans bar--only they're not the people the police are searching for.
- DirectorAnthony HopkinsStarsAnthony HopkinsLeslie PhillipsKate BurtonChekov's Uncle Vanya, transposed to turn-of-the-century North Wales, where the peace and tranquility of a country house is disturbed by the arrival of the estate's tyrannical owner and his American wife.
- DirectorCampbell ScottStanley TucciStarsTony ShalhoubStanley TucciMarc AnthonyNew Jersey, 1950s. Two brothers run an Italian restaurant. Business is not going well as a rival Italian restaurant is out-competing them. In a final effort to save the restaurant, the brothers plan to put on an evening of incredible food.
- DirectorKevin BaconStarsHelen MirrenKyra SedgwickBeau BridgesChase Phillips (Dame Helen Mirren), a lifetime resident of Martha's Vineyard, married Richard (Beau Bridges), and like the area, grew into the upper middle class. Her distaste for artificiality leads her to a wild breakdown, and Richard dutifully tries to restore their family unit as best he knows how by hiring a "Mother's Helper", Elizabeth (Kyra Sedgwick). Chase is broken, and wickedly caustic towards Elizabeth, until they discover each other's similarities. A strong relationship develops, affecting their personal and familial salvation, and destruction.
- DirectorJean-Claude Van DammeStarsJean-Claude Van DammeRoger MooreJames RemarA group of gentlemen of fortune visits a legendary "Lost City", located in Tibet. They plan to steal a priceless statue "Golden Dragon" during the martial arts tournament.
- DirectorBilly Bob ThorntonStarsBilly Bob ThorntonDwight YoakamJ.T. WalshKarl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.
- DirectorJonathan FrakesStarsPatrick StewartJonathan FrakesBrent SpinerThe Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.
- DirectorMartin LawrenceStarsMartin LawrenceLynn WhitfieldRegina KingA fast paced, womanizing nightclub promoter gets paid back in full when he scorns a beautiful woman with psychotic tendencies who will punish him for breaking her heart.
- DirectorSteve BuscemiStarsSteve BuscemiCarol KaneMark Boone JuniorTommy is an unemployed mechanic who spends most of his time in a bar (Trees Lounge) in a small blue collar town. He seems to always be thinking, "If only X then I could stop drinking".
- DirectorJohnny DeppStarsJohnny DeppMarlon BrandoMarshall BellA down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film, the resulting pay of which could greatly help his poverty stricken family.
- DirectorVondie Curtis-HallStarsTupac ShakurTim RothThandiwe NewtonTwo friends try to kick their drug addiction after a friend dies from an overdose, when they try to enroll in a detox program, things quickly go wrong.
- DirectorGoldie HawnStarsChristine LahtiJena MaloneCatherine O'HaraDuring the early 1960s, Kate is faced with a dreary small-town existence, surrounded by her mother, who is a stroke victim, and her bigoted Uncle Ray, who owns a theatre. When a black minister dies in Uncle Ray's theater, Ray is charged with wrongful death.
- DirectorChristopher ReeveStarsGlenn CloseBridget FondaWhoopi GoldbergA loving mother, a son in search of peace, four people separated by more than miles. Now, in the twilight of their time together, reconciliation finally begins for a family who never really knew each other until it was almost too late.
- DirectorDonnie YenStarsDonnie YenCarman LeeDayo WongFung Hin-Man (Donnie Yen) is a legendary warrior who lives now elderly, along with a friend, their memories and their remorse. When a young man comes to him, Fung tells him the story of when he saved the villagers from their oppressors and speaks of the death of the woman he loved. But the young man does not know that it is actually a hit man who wants to kill Fung for the fame that this murder would bring.
- DirectorGary OldmanStarsRay WinstoneKathy BurkeCharlie Creed-MilesA rough, short-tempered patriarch of a working-class family sees his life and the relationships around him slowly unravel.
- DirectorTil SchweigerGranz HenmanStarsTil SchweigerKarina KrawczykBenno FürmannFour characters become involved in one dramatic story: Nico has a mission to drive a car containing a live bomb to a specified destination, park the car and escape as quickly as she can. Leo has become his client's target, having carried out a "contract" that unfortunately had already been cancelled. Fabian and Reza want to enjoy themselves without any money, bringing themselves into contact sooner or later with the police. Sooner or later all four will meet up in dramatic circumstances.
- DirectorIce CubeStarsLisaRaye McCoyDick Anthony WilliamsJudyann ElderA woman must contend with rival strippers and her boss in an attempt to make a legitimate living.
- DirectorAntonio BanderasStarsMelanie GriffithDavid MorseLucas BlackAn abused wife heads to California to become a movie star while her nephew back in Alabama has to deal with a racially-motivated murder involving a corrupt sheriff.
- DirectorTony GoldwynStarsDiane LaneViggo MortensenBobby BorielloThe world of a young housewife is turned upside down when she has an affair with a free-spirited blouse salesman.
- DirectorTim RothStarsRay WinstoneAnnabelle ApsionKate AshfieldAn alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.
- DirectorAl PacinoStarsAl PacinoJerry OrbachSusan FloydHarry and Jake, two unsuccessful writers, spend a cathartic evening arguing about money, aesthetics, their friendship, and Harry's new manuscript.
- DirectorEdward NortonStarsBen StillerEdward NortonJenna ElfmanTwo friends, a priest and a rabbi, fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance.
- DirectorLaurence FishburneStarsEamonn WalkerLaurence FishburneGregory HinesStreet hustler Mike cooks up a drug rip-off with his estranged half-brother Torch. Simple robbery turns fatal bloodbath, so they hide out in a claustrophobic rat hole waiting for Mike's buddy Tony, who's "out of the life," or so he says.
- DirectorEd HarrisStarsEd HarrisMarcia Gay HardenRobert KnottA film about the life and career of the American painter, Jackson Pollock.
- DirectorAsia ArgentoStarsAsia ArgentoJean ShepardHerbert FritschA young Italian actress embarks on a self-destructive spree of sex, drugs and other excess while doing some soul searching to find the path for redemption.
- DirectorDwight YoakamStarsBilly Bob ThorntonLuke AskewDwight YoakamA U.S. Marshal tracks a destructive clan of outlaws, while a government man claims that the Marshal is actually a ghost of his deceased self.
- DirectorAlan CummingJennifer Jason LeighStarsAlan CummingJennifer Jason LeighPhoebe CatesLove is complex and relationships deteriorate.
- DirectorJeff DanielsStarsJeff DanielsHarve PresnellJoey AlbrightA macho man in a family on the eve of deer-hunting season must deal with the eldest son's curse of never having bagged a buck.
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonDerek LukeJoy BryantAntwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.
- DirectorMatt DillonStarsMatt DillonJames CaanNatascha McElhoneA con man (Matt Dillon) travels to Cambodia (also on the run from law enforcement in the U.S.) to collect his share in an insurance scam, but discovers more than he bargained for.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsSam RockwellDrew BarrymoreGeorge ClooneyAn adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.
- DirectorJohn MalkovichStarsJavier BardemLaura MoranteJuan Diego BottoA police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.
- DirectorDanny GloverStarsCarl LumblyRobby BensonAlly SheedyFilm crew arrives in a small town in Nevada desert. Ends up changing the life of a 12-year-old kid and a friend of his, a movie lover.
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsEmily WagnerJulie DelpyBilly WirthAl, a French living in Los Angeles, organized a barbecue for the birthday party of her friend V., whose party is filmed. As Jimmy, Al's boyfriend, does not come and left no news, Al and V. go looking for him.
- DirectorNicolas CageStarsJames FrancoBrenda BlethynMena SuvariAn honorably discharged soldier returns home to New Orleans, hoping to break away from his upbringing as a trained prostitute, but his brothel-madam mother has other expectations.
- DirectorChris RockStarsChris RockBernie MacLynn WhitfieldWhen a presidential candidate dies unexpectedly in the middle of the campaign, Washington, D.C. alderman Mays Gilliam is unexpectedly picked as his replacement.
- DirectorAlec BaldwinStarsAnthony HopkinsJennifer Love HewittAlec BaldwinA down-and-out writer sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for fame and fortune.
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffPeter SarsgaardNatalie PortmanA quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
- DirectorDolph LundgrenStarsDolph LundgrenJerry SpringerShakara LedardLance and his team are bodyguards for NSA's head, who is sent by the President to a secret meeting in an empty hotel outside Bucharest. During the meeting, the hotel is attacked. By whom? And why?
- DirectorLiev SchreiberStarsElijah WoodEugene HutzBoris LyoskinA young Jewish American man, with the help of an eccentric local, endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village that was ultimately razed by the Nazis.
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoVince JolivetteStacey Miller"Finn" Finnegan is a treasure hunter searching for a sunken Spanish galleon, the Aurelia, that was lost at sea with the 1715 Treasure Fleet. During his search to find the galleon and its treasure, his wife Tess divorces him.