The greatest actor-director duos in film

Philip Seymour Hoffman & Paul Thomas Anderson - "When I saw him for the first time in 'Scent of a Woman,' I just knew what true love was," the writer/director said on Marc Maron's podcast. "I knew what love at first sight was. It was the strangest feeling sitting in a movie theater and thinking, 'He’s for me and I’m for him.' And that was it."

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Frances McDormand & The Coen Brothers - George Clooney also deserves a part in this relationship, as they're both pictured here in 'Burn After Reading' and he's been in four of their other films as well, but McDormand is actually married to Joel Coen.

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Frances McDormand & The Coen Brothers - The same year they sealed the deal, she starred in 'Blood Simple,' and then five other films, including 'Fargo,' which was a signpost in both her and the Coen Brothers' careers.

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Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg - Their five films to date are 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Catch Me If You Can,' 'The Terminal,' 'Bridge of Spies,' and 'The Post.'

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Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg - Their close relationship smoothed Hanks' transition into a director, producer, and screenwriter on the 2001 miniseries 'Band of Brothers,' and on the HBO miniseries 'The Pacific' in 2010, on which both Spielberg and Hanks were executive producers.

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Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater - The trio of 'Before Sunrise' films with Julie Delpy launched Hawke into fame, but they have numerous other successes together, including 'The Newton Boys,' 'Tape,' 'Waking Life,' 'Fast Food Nation,' and 'Boyhood.'

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Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater - Whether it’s romantic, overtly political, an intense psychodrama, or a project that spans 12 years, their work together has always felt as natural as breathing.

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Molly Ringwald & John Hughes - John Hughes may be better known for his work as a writer, having penned 47 films, but some of his best work was in the classics he made with Molly Ringwald.

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Molly Ringwald & John Hughes - 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Pretty in Pink,' and 'The Breakfast Club' all came out between 1984 and 1986, cementing both of their places in coming-of-age cinema.

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Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder - Within a few years of their partnership, Lemmon transformed from a sidekick to a leading man, producing hits like 'Some Like It Hot.'

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Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder - Their professional relationship was reportedly built on mutual respect and constantly pushing each other.

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Diane Keaton & Woody Allen - Keaton was the perfect mix of New York sophistication and goofball to pull off every role Allen could draw up for her, and she became his muse in many ways as well.

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Diane Keaton & Woody Allen - They made seven films together, the most celebrated of which is, of course, 'Annie Hall.'

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Kurt Russell & John Carpenter - The '80s produced a lot of iconic big-screen action stars, and the duo of Russell and Carpenter is often overlooked, but well-loved.

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Kurt Russell & John Carpenter - 'Elvis,' 'Escape From New York,' 'The Thing,' 'Big Trouble In Little China,' and 'Escape From L.A.' were all examples of Carpenter seeing something in Russell that no one else did.

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John Wayne & John Ford - Including the films in which Wayne was cast as an extra, this pair has made 20 movies together! And the average Rotten Tomatoes score is 90%!

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John Wayne & John Ford - From 'Stagecoach' to 'How the West Was Won,' Ford patiently taught Wayne the basics of acting while on set, and continued molding him throughout his career.

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Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese - Before there was Leo, there was De Niro. 'Goodfellas,' 'Taxi Driver,' and more marked De Niro's presence in Hollywood, and the work he did without Scorsese was never as successful.

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Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese - Scorsese found an honesty in De Niro that was both brilliant and brutal, and the two have made a legacy that's hard to beat.

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Jennifer Lawrence & David O. Russell - Russell's 'Silver Linings Playbook' earned eight Academy Award nominations, and Lawrence walked away with her first Oscar for Best Actress. One year later, 'American Hustle' got Lawrence another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

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Jennifer Lawrence & David O. Russell - Russell then cast Lawrence in 'Joy,' a film that made headlines more for their reported fighting on set, which was later clarified to be part of their creative process. It scored Lawrence another Oscar nomination!

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Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese - These two conquered Hollywood with five successful feature films, a short film, and they're working on the upcoming 'Killers of the Flower Moon.'

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Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese - They first worked together on 2002's 'Gangs of New York,' and saw a lot of success with 'The Aviator,' 'Shutter Island,' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'

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Bill Murray & Wes Anderson - Bill Murray is in eight of Wes Anderson's nine feature-length films, so it's safe to say they like each other.

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Cary Grant & Alfred Hitchcock - All four of their collaborations were financial and critical successes, and they all received Academy Award nominations.

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Johnny Depp & Tim Burton - This dynamic duo has worked on nine films together, from 'Edward Scissorhands' to 'Alice Through the Looking Glass,' crafting some of Depp's best performances.

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Johnny Depp & Tim Burton - At their best, the duo blended all their eccentricities into a macabre cocktail that was dark and surreal, but also animated and vivid.

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Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg - Their five films to date are 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Catch Me If You Can,' 'The Terminal,' 'Bridge of Spies,' and 'The Post.'

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Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater - Whether it’s romantic, overtly political, an intense psychodrama, or a project that spans 12 years, their work together has always felt as natural as breathing.

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Molly Ringwald & John Hughes - John Hughes may be better known for his work as a writer, having penned 47 films, but some of his best work was in the classics he made with Molly Ringwald.

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Molly Ringwald & John Hughes - 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Pretty in Pink,' and 'The Breakfast Club' all came out between 1984 and 1986, cementing both of their places in coming-of-age cinema.

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Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder - Within a few years of their partnership, Lemmon transformed from a sidekick to a leading man, producing hits like 'Some Like It Hot.'

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Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder - Their professional relationship was reportedly built on mutual respect and constantly pushing each other.

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Diane Keaton & Woody Allen - Keaton was the perfect mix of New York sophistication and goofball to pull off every role Allen could draw up for her, and she became his muse in many ways as well.

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Diane Keaton & Woody Allen - They made seven films together, the most celebrated of which is, of course, 'Annie Hall.'

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Kurt Russell & John Carpenter - The '80s produced a lot of iconic big-screen action stars, and the duo of Russell and Carpenter is often overlooked, but well-loved.

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John Wayne & John Ford - Including the films in which Wayne was cast as an extra, this pair has made 20 movies together! And the average Rotten Tomatoes score is 90%!

27 / 33 Fotos

John Wayne & John Ford - From 'Stagecoach' to 'How the West Was Won,' Ford patiently taught Wayne the basics of acting while on set, and continued molding him throughout his career.

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Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese - Scorsese found an honesty in De Niro that was both brilliant and brutal, and the two have made a legacy that's hard to beat.

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The greatest actor-director duos in film

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

13/11/24 | StarsInsider

MOVIES Actor-director duos

It only takes one person to make a movie bad, but it takes heaps to make it really good. That’s why when you find something, or rather someone, that works, you don't let them go. Familiarity on- and off-screen is hugely beneficial for actors and directors, as they don't need to re-establish trust and comfort, and they can then challenge one another to grow and change together.

Check out this gallery to see the directors who kept casting their favorite actors, and the actors whose careers are inextricably tied to their directors.