# Popular Directors Who Important Work Was Outside of Directing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221 "2020-03-25T01:34:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/1 "2020-03-25T01:34:44Z")
But preferably, still movie related. I was about to turn my computer off, but thought of this while I was finishing up a documentary on George Stevens and it sprung up this idea. I haven’t given it much thought, but the first example was Martin Scorsese’s work on restoring movies. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/2 "2020-03-25T01:40:08Z")
George Miller (_Mad Max_, _Babe: Pig in the City_, _The Witches of Eastwick_, etc.) is actually Dr. George Miller; he was a physician before his filmmaking career took off. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/3 "2020-03-25T02:09:57Z")
I don’t know if it’s too close to directing, but many directors were excellent writers also. The best example being Billy Wilder, who stumbled as a fledgling reporter into screenwriting and became director, one of the greatest, still (co)writing many of his films. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/4 "2020-03-25T02:15:59Z")
Too late to edit: there are of course also some directors who are also great actors: who is Clint Eastwood? A famous actor or director? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/5 "2020-03-25T03:21:53Z")
Jack Cardiff – Outstanding Technicolor cinematographer who became a generally undistinguished director. He returned to his former profession after directing _The Mutations_ (1974), a film curiously unmentioned in the otherwise fine documentary, \*Cameraman: The life and Work of Jack Cardiff \*(2010). Harold Clurman and Max Reinhardt – famous stage directors who (co-)directed one film each. William Cameron Menzies – Art director turned director; first one to win an Oscar in Art Direction (1927). Orson Welles – As well-known in the theater and radio as in cinema. Also helped sell no wine before its time. Woody Allen and Roman Polanski – directors now better known for events in their off-screen lives. Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan – two directing credits, but better known in some other field (stamp collecting?) George Lucas and Steven Spielberg – the film and non-film-related activities of both have long since eclipsed their impacts as directors. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/6 "2020-03-25T04:40:17Z")
Barry Sonnenfeld - a talented cinematographer before he became a mediocre director ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/7 "2020-03-25T05:41:11Z")
Gordon Parks directed The Learning Tree, Shaft, Shaft’s Big Score, and a few other popular movies, but his most important work is as a photographer. He also was a musician and composer, author, and painter. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/8 "2020-03-25T05:52:08Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > George Lucas and Steven Spielberg – the film and non-film-related activities of both have long since eclipsed their impacts as directors. Specifically, in Lucas’s case, even beyond creating one of the industry’s most popular and commercially-successful franchises in Star Wars, he was also responsible for the founding of three companies which had huge impacts on motion picture production: Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar, and THX. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/9 "2020-03-25T12:57:50Z")
Norman Mailer directed a couple of films, but they were in no sense popular. Diane Keaton directed some films, plus TV episodes (including _Twin Peaks_) Ida Lupino was a successful actress of the 40s, best known for her role opposite Bogart in _High Sierra_. She also directed seven films and over 30 TV episodes. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/10 "2020-03-25T13:11:17Z")
Howard Hughes and airplanes ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/11 "2020-03-25T13:55:05Z")
I was going to say George Lucas for the fact that he has help make the home movie watching experience as good as it currently is. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/12 "2020-03-25T14:02:32Z")
[Merian C. Cooper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merian_C._Cooper) Quite accomplished beyond directing a popular monkey movie. > [@](#): > > Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Cooper was the founder of the Kościuszko Squadron during the Polish–Soviet War and was a Soviet prisoner of war for a time. He was a notable movie producer, and got his start with film as part of the Explorers Club, traveling the world and documenting adventures. He was a member of the board of directors of Pan American Airways, but his love of film always took priority. During his film career, he worked for companies such as Pioneer Pictures, RKO Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also credited as co-inventor of the Cinerama film projection process. Cooper’s most famous film was the 1933 movie King Kong. He was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1952 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/13 "2020-03-25T14:15:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Specifically, in Lucas’s case, even beyond creating one of the industry’s most popular and commercially-successful franchises in Star Wars, he was also responsible for the founding of three companies which had huge impacts on motion picture production: Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar, and THX. Huh. I don’t know why, but I always thought that ILM was a pre-existing effects company that Lucas hired to do the effects work on Star Wars. I had no idea that he was directly involved in their creation. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/14 "2020-03-25T14:29:00Z")
I don’t know if it counts as “important work” but my first exposure to Peter Bogdanovich was as Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist’s psychiatrist. For that matter, I don’t know if he counts as a “popular director”, but I just watched _Paper Moon_ for the first time a few days ago and it was very good. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/15 "2020-03-25T14:30:19Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Huh. I don’t know why, but I always thought that ILM was a pre-existing effects company that Lucas hired to do the effects work on Star Wars. I had no idea that he was directly involved in their creation. I recall reading about the production of _Star Wars_, and the fact that, at a certain point, 20th Century Fox was extremely anxious, as Lucas had burned through a large proportion of his budget in setting up ILM, without (at that point) having actually filmed any footage for the movie. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/16 "2020-03-25T14:44:22Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I don’t know if it counts as “important work” but my first exposure to Peter Bogdanovich was as Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist’s psychiatrist. For that matter, I don’t know if he counts as a “popular director”, but I just watched _Paper Moon_ for the first time a few days ago and it was very good. Bogdanovich was a well-respected film critic and wrote critical studies of Orson Welles, John Ford, Howard Hawks, and John Ford before he decided to go into films. He also fits as a popular director, with _The Last Picture Show_ winning several Oscars and having success with _What’s Up Doc?_ and _Paper Moon._ ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/17 "2020-03-25T15:01:22Z")
Albert Lamorisse. A French filmmaker, best known for the short film “The Red Balloon”, which he won an Oscar for. I imagine a lot of people remember this film, as it was a pretty popular school viewing choice in the 70s and 80s at least, but I’m guessing pretty much everyone is at least aware of the boardgame Risk, which he also created. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/18 "2020-03-25T16:17:14Z")
Francois Truffaut is famous for directing films like _The 400 Blows_ (and sequels) \*Jules and Jim, Fahrenheit 451, \* and _Day for Night_ (Best Foreign Film Oscar). Like Bogdanovich, he started out as a film critic and a noted proponent of the auteur theory. Jean-Luc Godard also was a critic promoting the auteur theory before switching to directing. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/19 "2020-03-25T16:23:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t know if it’s too close to directing, but many directors were excellent writers also. And, of course, many directors started out as actors. For example, Ron Howard, Rob Reiner, and Penny Marshall were all sitcom stars before they became acclaimed film directors. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/20 "2020-03-25T16:26:01Z")
Nora Ephron was a well known magazine and newspaper writer before becoming a director. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221.md?page=2)