Film, TV & Theater Directors, PAR-SCH
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
Parks, Gordon
Gordon Parks was an American author, photographer, and film director who documented African American life. The......
Pasinetti, Francesco
Francesco Pasinetti was an Italian motion picture director, historian, critic, comedy writer, screenwriter, and......
Pasolini, Pier Paolo
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian motion-picture director, poet, and novelist, noted for his socially critical,......
Pastor, Tony
Tony Pastor was an American impresario and comic singer, considered the father of vaudeville in the United States.......
Pastrone, Giovanni
Giovanni Pastrone was a pioneer Italian motion picture director and producer. As a teenager Pastrone demonstrated......
Patel, Dev
Dev Patel is a multifaceted English actor of Indian descent who rose to international fame after starring in Slumdog......
Pawlikowski, Pawel
Pawel Pawlikowski is a Polish-born British film director and screenwriter whose acclaimed works notably included......
Payne, Alexander
Alexander Payne is an American director, screenwriter, and producer noted for creating films that mix sardonic......
Peckinpah, Sam
Sam Peckinpah was an American motion-picture director and screenwriter who was known for ultraviolent but often......
Peele, Jordan
Jordan Peele is an American comedian, writer, director, and producer who is known for creating both comedy and......
Penn, Arthur
Arthur Penn was an American motion-picture, television, and theater director whose films were noted for their critical......
Penn, Sean
Sean Penn is an American actor and director known for his wide-ranging and intense performances. He has twice won......
Perkins, Anthony
Anthony Perkins was an American actor who was best remembered for his portrayal of the murderous motel owner Norman......
Perry, Antoinette
Antoinette Perry was an American actress and director in whose honour the American theatreâs Tony Awards are named.......
Perry, Frank
Frank Perry was an American director of wide-ranging films who was best known for David and Lisa (1962), Diary......
Perry, Tyler
Tyler Perry is an American playwright, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director whose worksâin which he often......
Petri, Elio
Elio Petri was an Italian motion-picture director and screenwriter. Petriâs formal education was limited; most......
Phalke, Dadasaheb
Dadasaheb Phalke was a film director who is considered the father of Indian cinema. Phalke was credited with making......
Phelps, Samuel
Samuel Phelps was a British actor and manager, one of the most famous actors of the 19th century. Early in life......
Phillips, Irna
Irna Phillips was an American radio and television writer who developed the modern soap opera. She worked as a......
Pichel, Irving
Irving Pichel was an American film actor and director who found success on both sides of the camera, appearing......
Piscator, Erwin
Erwin Piscator was a theatrical producer and director famed for his ingenious Expressionistic staging techniques.......
Pitoëff, Georges
Georges Pitoëff was a Russian-born director and producer, noted for his popularization in France of the works of......
Poehler, Amy
Amy Poehler is an American comedian and actress who was a cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 2001 to......
Poitier, Sidney
Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian American actor, director, and producer who broke the color barrier in the U.S. motion-picture......
Polanski, Roman
Roman Polanski is a French Polish director, scriptwriter, and actor who, through a variety of film genres, has......
Pollack, Sydney
Sydney Pollack was an American director, producer, and actor who helmed a number of popular films, including The......
Polley, Sarah
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer who first won acclaim as a child actor, noted......
Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle was a French opera director and designer who mounted unorthodox and often controversial productions......
Popov, Alexey Dmitriyevich
Alexey Dmitriyevich Popov was a Soviet stage director and prominent exponent of Socialist realism whose monumental......
Porter, Edwin S.
Edwin S. Porter was a pioneer American film director whose innovative use of dramatic editing (piecing together......
Potter, H.C.
H.C. Potter was an American film and stage director who was best known for his comedies, notably The Farmerâs Daughter......
Poulsen, Johannes
Johannes Poulsen was an actor and director with the Royal Danish Theatre and perhaps the primary member of a famous......
Powell, Michael
Michael Powell was a British director of innovative, visually vivid motion pictures. Powell attended Dulwich College,......
Preminger, Otto
Otto Preminger was an Austrian-born American director who defied Hollywoodâs Production Code with a series of controversial......
Pressburger, Emeric
Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian-born screenwriter who wrote and produced innovative and visually striking motion......
Prince, Harold
Harold Prince was an American theatrical producer and director who was recognized as one of the most creative and......
Pudovkin, Vsevolod
Vsevolod Pudovkin was a Soviet film director and theorist who was best known for visually interpreting the inner......
Quayle, Sir Anthony
Sir Anthony Quayle was a British actor and director who was well known for his roles in classic plays on the stage......
Quine, Richard
Richard Quine was an American television and film director who was perhaps best known for his comedic movies from......
Quintero, José
JosĂ© Quintero was a theatrical director and cofounder of Circle in the Square Theatre in New York Cityâs Greenwich......
Rafelson, Bob
Bob Rafelson was an American film director and producer who, as the director of films such as Five Easy Pieces......
Raimi, Sam
Sam Raimi is an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter whose inventive camera techniques......
Rainer, Yvonne
Yvonne Rainer is an American avant-garde choreographer and filmmaker whose work in both disciplines often featured......
Rajamouli, S.S.
S.S. Rajamouli is an Indian film director and screenwriter best known for his spectacular action films Baahubali:......
Ralov, Kirsten
Kirsten Ralov was a Danish dancer, ballet teacher, and, from 1978 to 1988, associate artistic director of the Royal......
Rambert, Dame Marie
Dame Marie Rambert was a ballet producer, director, and teacher who founded Ballet Rambert, the oldest English......
Rapper, Irving
Irving Rapper was a British-born American director from Hollywoodâs âgolden ageâ who was best known for his literary......
Ratnam, Mani
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker noted for his popular films, especially in Tamil- and Hindi-language (commonly......
Ratoff, Gregory
Gregory Ratoff was a Russian-born actor and director who appeared in a number of supporting roles before embarking......
Ray, Nicholas
Nicholas Ray was an American motion-picture writer and director whose reputation as one of the most expressive......
Ray, Satyajit
Satyajit Ray was a Bengali motion-picture director, writer, and illustrator who brought the Indian cinema to world......
Redford, Robert
Robert Redford was an American motion-picture actor and director known for his boyish good looks and diversity......
Reed, Carol
Carol Reed was a British film director noted for his technical mastery of the suspense-thriller genre. He was the......
Reeves, Keanu
...
Reichardt, Kelly
The sound of water trickling in a Pacific Northwest rainforest. World news intruding on a personâs inner thoughts......
Reiner, Carl
Carl Reiner was an American actor, writer, and director who found success in both television and film. After creating......
Reiner, Rob
Rob Reiner was an American actor and director known especially for his role as Michael (âMeatheadâ) Stivic in the......
Reinhardt, Max
Max Reinhardt was one of the first theatrical directors to achieve widespread recognition as a major creative artist,......
Renoir, Jean
Jean Renoir was a French film director and son of the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. His films, in......
Resnais, Alain
Alain Resnais was a French motion-picture director who was a leader of the Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) of unorthodox,......
Reynolds, Burt
Burt Reynolds was an American television and film actor who projected a relaxed masculinity that, combined with......
Rich, John
John Rich was an English theatre manager and actor, the popularizer of English pantomime and founder of Covent......
Richardson, Ralph
Ralph Richardson was a British stage and motion-picture actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was......
Richardson, Tony
Tony Richardson was an English theatrical and motion-picture director whose experimental productions stimulated......
Rickman, Alan
Alan Rickman was a British actor who had a distinguished career portraying a vast array of characters, both virtuous......
Riefenstahl, Leni
Leni Riefenstahl was a German motion-picture director, actress, producer, and photographer who is best known for......
Ritchie, Michael
Michael Ritchie was an American film director who was best known for his comedies, notably The Candidate (1972),......
Ritt, Martin
Martin Ritt was an American motion-picture director noted for his films on socially conscious themes. The main......
Rivette, Jacques
Jacques Rivette was a French film director associated with the New Wave film movement and known for his experimental......
Roach, Hal
Hal Roach was an American motion-picture producer, director, and writer best known for his production of comedies......
Robbe-Grillet, Alain
Alain Robbe-Grillet was a representative writer and leading theoretician of the nouveau roman (ânew novelâ), the......
Robbins, Tim
Tim Robbins is an American actor and director known for his versatility and for his outspoken liberal political......
Robertson, Thomas William
Thomas William Robertson was a British playwright whose realistic social comedies and pioneering work as a producer-director......
Robson, Mark
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born American filmmaker who directed the boxing classics Champion (1949) and The Harder......
Rocha, Glauber
Glauber Rocha was a motion-picture director who was a leading figure in Brazilâs Cinema Novo (âNew Cinemaâ). Rochaâs......
Roeg, Nicolas
Nicolas Roeg was an English filmmaker known for his striking visual style and uncompromising, often controversial,......
Rogen, Seth
Seth Rogen is a Canadian comic actor and screenwriter who won over audiences as a charismatic buffoon in a number......
Rohmer, Ăric
Ăric Rohmer was a French motion-picture director and writer who was noted for his sensitively observed studies......
Romero, George A.
George A. Romero was an American film director, writer, and producer who was best known for his contributions to......
Rosenberg, Stuart
Stuart Rosenberg was an American television and film director who was best known for the 1967 classic Cool Hand......
Ross, Herbert
Herbert Ross was an American dancer and film director who made a significant contribution to the world of dance......
Rossellini, Roberto
Roberto Rossellini was one of the most widely known post-World War II motion-picture directors of Italy. His films......
Rossen, Robert
Robert Rossen was an American writer and director whose careerâalthough highlighted by a number of notable films,......
Rubinstein, Ida
Ida Rubinstein was a dancer, actress, and patron of the performing arts. An orphan of a well-to-do Jewish family,......
Ruffalo, Mark
Mark Ruffalo is an American actor who is a compelling performer in critically acclaimed movies and plays, though......
Ruggles, Wesley
Wesley Ruggles was an American film director who was especially adept at comedies, though his best-known movie......
Russell, David O.
David O. Russell is an American film director and screenwriter whose career spans from quirky, offbeat early films......
Russell, Ken
Ken Russell was a British motion-picture director whose use of shock and sensationalism earned him both praise......
Rydell, Mark
Mark Rydell is an American actor and director who was best known for helming On Golden Pond (1981). Rydell trained......
Rylance, Mark
Mark Rylance is a British theater actor and director recognized not only for his period-specific enactments of......
Saint-Denis, Michel
Michel Saint-Denis was a French director, producer, teacher, and theatrical innovator who was influential in the......
Sandrich, Mark
Mark Sandrich was an American film director who was best known for his Fred AstaireâGinger Rogers musicals, notably......
Satrapi, Marjane
Marjane Satrapi was an Iranian artist, director, and writer whose graphic novels explore the gaps and junctures......
Saura, Carlos
Carlos Saura was a Spanish film director who analyzed the spirit of Spain in tragedies and flamenco-dance dramas.......
Sayles, John
John Sayles is an American motion-picture director, screenwriter, novelist, and actor who since the 1980s has been......
Schaffner, Franklin J.
Franklin J. Schaffner was an American director who worked on a number of well-regarded television programs before......
Schary, Dore
Dore Schary was a U.S. motion-picture producer, screenwriter, playwright, and director whose career included work......
Schikaneder, Emanuel
Emanuel Schikaneder was a prominent German actor, singer, playwright, and theatre manager now chiefly remembered......
Schlesinger, John
John Schlesinger was an English film director known for a wide variety of sensitively told stories set in his homeland......