Film, TV & Theater Directors, MAC-PAR
Although directors are often "invisible" to the audience in plays, shows, and movies (Alfred Hitchcock and his film cameos being one notable exception), they play an important role by controlling the evolution of the theatrical or dramatic performance. When there are actors involved, the director often oversees and shapes their performances as well. Although the auteur theory holds that the director is the major creative force in a performance, the role of the director actually varies a great deal, not only according to the medium in question but also according to the extent to which he works with actors.
Film, TV & Theater Directors Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Macready, William Charles
William Charles Macready was an English actor, manager, and diarist. He was a leading figure in the development......
Malick, Terrence
Terrence Malick is an American filmmaker whose reclusive, sporadic career is marked by films that are celebrated......
Malle, Louis
Louis Malle was a French motion-picture director whose eclectic films were noted for their emotional realism and......
Mamet, David
David Mamet is an American playwright, director, and screenwriter noted for his often desperate working-class characters......
Mamoulian, Rouben
Rouben Mamoulian was a Georgian-born American theatrical and motion-picture director noted for his contribution......
Man Ray
Man Ray was a photographer, painter, and filmmaker who was the only American to play a major role in both the Dada......
Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz was an American producer, director, and screenwriter known for his witty, literary, urbane......
Mann, Anthony
Anthony Mann was an American film director. A poet of action and retribution in the old American West, Mann has......
Mann, Daniel
Daniel Mann was an American director who was best known for his film adaptations of plays, several of which he......
Mann, Delbert
Delbert Mann was an American film and television director who applied the low-budget intimacy of television to......
Mann, Michael
Michael Mann is an American director and screenwriter working in film and television. He has specialized in crime......
Markova, Dame Alicia
Dame Alicia Markova was an English ballerina noted for the ethereal lightness and poetic delicacy of her dancing.......
Marshall, Garry
Garry Marshall was an American producer, writer, and director who created several iconic TV sitcomsânotably the......
Marshall, George
George Marshall was an American film director who, during a career that spanned more than 50 years, proved adept......
Marshall, Penny
Penny Marshall was an American actress, comedian, and director, one of the first women to achieve consistent commercial......
Martins, Peter
Peter Martins is a Danish dancer and choreographer, known principally for his work with the New York City Ballet.......
MartĂnez Sierra, Gregorio
Gregorio MartĂnez Sierra was a poet and playwright whose dramatic works contributed significantly to the revival......
Massey, Raymond
Raymond Massey was a Canadian-American actor, director, and producer. Massey was born into a prominent Toronto......
Maté, Rudolph
Rudolph Maté was a Polish-born filmmaker who was best known for his work as a cinematographer, though he later......
May, Elaine
Elaine May is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director who is known for her sardonic wit, her caustic......
Mayo, Archie
Archie Mayo was an American film director who, during a 20-year career, developed a reputation as an able craftsman.......
Mazursky, Paul
Paul Mazursky was an American actor, writer, and director whose films, which often explored relationships, were......
McCarey, Leo
Leo McCarey was an American director and writer who was perhaps best known for his light comedies, notably the......
McDonagh, Martin
Martin McDonagh is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker whose work blends vibrant dialogue, exceptionally dark......
McGregor, Ewan
Ewan McGregor is a Scottish actor of stage, film, and television who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of......
McKay, Adam
Adam McKay is an American writer, director, producer, and occasional performer who forged a career as one of the......
McLeod, Norman Z.
Norman Z. McLeod was an American film director who was best known for his comedies, especially those with the Marx......
McQueen, Steve
Steve McQueen is a British director, screenwriter, and artist best known to the general public for his feature-length......
Meisner, Sanford
Sanford Meisner was an actor and one of the most influential teachers of acting in the United States after World......
Melville, Jean-Pierre
Jean-Pierre Melville was a French motion-picture director whose early films strongly influenced the directors of......
Mendes, Sam
Sam Mendes is an English film and theater director who is known for his innovative treatments of classic stage......
Menzies, William Cameron
William Cameron Menzies was an American set designer, one of the most influential in filmmaking, whose work on......
Meredith, Burgess
Burgess Meredith was an American actor and director who, in a career that spanned nearly seven decades, played......
Meyerhold, Vsevolod Yemilyevich
Vsevolod Yemilyevich Meyerhold was a Russian theatrical producer, director, and actor whose provocative experiments......
Meyers, Nancy
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer who was best known for her romantic comedies, several......
Micheaux, Oscar
Oscar Micheaux was a prolific African American producer and director who made films independently of the Hollywood......
Mike Nichols in 1965
The following biography appeared in the Britannica Book of the Year published in 1966. Mike Nichols, Broadwayâs......
Milestone, Lewis
Lewis Milestone was a Russian-born American film director who was especially known for his realistic dramas, many......
Milland, Ray
Ray Milland was a Welsh-born American actor. Milland made his film debut in 1929 and moved to Hollywood in 1930.......
Miller, George
George Miller is an Australian director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in a diverse range of genres but......
Miller, Jonathan
Jonathan Miller was an English actor, director, producer, medical doctor, and man of letters noted for his wide-ranging......
Mills, Bertram
Bertram Mills was an English circus entrepreneur who for 18 years (1920â37) staged a circus at Londonâs Olympia......
Minnelli, Vincente
Vincente Minnelli was an American motion-picture director who infused a new sophistication and vitality into filmed......
Miranda, Lin-Manuel
Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer who created and starred in stage productions......
Miyazaki Hayao
Miyazaki Hayao is an influential Japanese anime director whose lyrical and allusive works have won both critical......
Mizoguchi Kenji
Mizoguchi Kenji was a Japanese motion-picture director whose pictorially beautiful films dealt with the nature......
Montgomery, Robert
Robert Montgomery was an American actor and director who won critical acclaim as a versatile leading actor in the......
Moore, Michael
Michael Moore is an American filmmaker, author, and political activist, who is best known for a series of documentariesâoften......
Morley, Robert
Robert Morley was a prolific English actor, director, and playwright whose forte was comedy and comedy-drama. Morley......
Morris, Errol
Errol Morris is an American film director, known for his meticulously researched, engaging documentary portraits......
Morse, Carlton E.
Carlton E. Morse was a U.S. radio writer and producer. He worked as a newspaper reporter before joining NBC radio......
Mortensen, Viggo
Viggo Mortensen is an American actor known for his striking demeanor and understated persuasiveness in roles ranging......
Moskvin, Ivan
Ivan Moskvin was a Russian actor of stage and screen whose career is closely identified with the Moscow Art Theatre,......
Moura, Wagner
Wagner Moura is a Brazilian American actor and filmmaker who first came to the attention of global audiences with......
Mukherjee, Hrishikesh
Hrishikesh Mukherjee was an Indian filmmaker who, in a Bollywood career that spanned more than four decades (1953â98),......
Mulligan, Robert
Robert Mulligan was an American director who was best known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Although his films......
Murnau, F.W.
F.W. Murnau was a German film director who revolutionized the art of cinematic expression by using the camera subjectively......
Murphy, Ryan
Ryan Murphy is a producer, director, and writer of television and film who has built a successful and prolific......
Musidora
Musidora was a French silent-film actress most noted for her roles in Louis Feuilladeâs crime serials Les Vampires......
MéliÚs, Georges
Georges MéliÚs was an early French experimenter with motion pictures, the first to film fictional narratives. (Read......
Nair, Mira
Mira Nair is an Indian-born director known for her documentaries and feature films dealing with controversial subject......
Negulesco, Jean
Jean Negulesco was a Romanian-born artist and director who first gained notice for his film noirs and later made......
Neill, Roy William
Roy William Neill was an Irish-born film director best known for his work with Basil Rathbone on a popular series......
Nelson, Ralph
Ralph Nelson was an American director who first garnered attention for his live television productions and later......
Nemes, LĂĄszlĂł
LĂĄszlĂł Nemes is a Hungarian director whose first feature film, the Holocaust drama Saul fia (2015; Son of Saul),......
Nemirovich-Danchenko, Vladimir
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko was a Russian playwright, novelist, producer, and cofounder of the famous Moscow......
Neshat, Shirin
Shirin Neshat is an Iranian-born American artist whose photography, video, and feature films investigate how women......
Neuber, Caroline
Caroline Neuber was an actress-manager who was influential in the development of modern German theatre. Rebelling......
Newman, Paul
Paul Newman was an American actor and director whose striking good looks, intelligence, and charisma became hallmarks......
Ngema, Mbongeni
Mbongeni Ngema was a South African playwright, composer, choreographer, and theatrical director known largely for......
Nichols, Mike
Mike Nichols was an American motion-picture, television, and stage director whose productions focus on the absurdities......
Nicholson, Jack
Jack Nicholson is one of the most prominent American motion-picture actors of his generation, especially noted......
Nimoy, Leonard
Leonard Nimoy was an American actor known for his portrayal of the stoic, cerebral Mr. Spock in the science fiction......
Nolan, Christopher
Christopher Nolan is a British film director and writer acclaimed for his noirish visual aesthetic and unconventional,......
Normand, Mabel
Mabel Normand was an American film actress who was one of the greatest comedians of the silent era. Known for her......
Norton, Edward
Edward Norton is an American actor known for his intense performances and uncompromising approach to his work.......
Nugent, Elliott
Elliott Nugent was an American actor, writer, and director who was best known for such light film comedies as The......
Nunn, Trevor
Trevor Nunn is an English theatre director who, as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC; 1968â86)......
Nureyev, Rudolf
Rudolf Nureyev was a Soviet-born ballet dancer whose suspended leaps and fast turns were often compared to Vaslav......
Ogunmola, Kola
Kola Ogunmola was a Nigerian actor, mime, director, and playwright who took Yoruba folk opera (drama that combines......
Okhlopkov, Nikolay Pavlovich
Nikolay Pavlovich Okhlopkov was a Soviet experimental-theatrical director and producer. He was one of the first......
Oliveira, Manoel de
Manoel de Oliveira was a Portuguese filmmaker, known for richly meditative and often self-reflexive films that......
Olivier, Laurence
Laurence Olivier was a towering figure of the British stage and screen, acclaimed in his lifetime as the greatest......
Olmi, Ermanno
Ermanno Olmi was an Italian motion-picture director whose early work examined life in the business world and whose......
Omegna, Roberto
Roberto Omegna was a motion picture cameraman, director, and producer of documentaries, and one of the pioneers......
OphĂŒls, Max
Max OphĂŒls was a German motion-picture director whose mastery of fluid camera movement gave his films a characteristic......
Orkin, Ruth
Ruth Orkin was an American photographer and filmmaker known for her explorations of contemporary urban life. Her......
Ozu YasujirĆ
Ozu YasujirĆ was a motion-picture director who originated the shomin-geki (âcommon-peopleâs dramaâ), a genre dealing......
Pabst, G.W.
G.W. Pabst was a German film director whose films were among the most artistically successful of the 1920s. Pabstâs......
Pacino, Al
Al Pacino is an American actor best known for his intense, explosive acting style. After growing up in East Harlem......
Pagliero, Marcello
Marcello Pagliero was an Italian motion picture director, screenwriter, and actor who worked primarily outside......
Pagnol, Marcel Paul
Marcel Paul Pagnol was a French writer and motion-picture producer-director who won both fame as the master of......
Pakula, Alan J.
Alan J. Pakula was an American motion-picture director, producer, and screenwriter who evoked exceptional performances......
Pal, George
George Pal was a Hungarian-born animator, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the science-fiction......
Panahi, Jafar
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian director and screenwriter whose films are critical depictions of Iranian society. Panahiâs......
Pandolfi, Vito
Vito Pandolfi was an Italian critic, theatrical scholar, and director known for his adherence to traditional forms......
Papp, Joseph
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival and......
Paradzhanov, Sergey Yosifovich
Sergey Yosifovich Paradzhanov was an Armenian director of lyrical, visually powerful films whose career was curtailed......
Parker, Alan
Alan Parker was a British director, writer, and producer who worked in a wide range of genres; his notable films......
Parker, Trey
Trey Parker is an American screenwriter, actor, and producer, best known as the cocreator, with Matt Stone, of......