The 11 Best Actor/Director Duos

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (69)

Honorable Mention: Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi

11. John Goodman and the Coen brothers

Joint Ventures: Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and The Hudsucker Proxy

10. Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder

Joint Ventures: Young Frankenstein, The Producers, and Blazing Saddles

9. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

Joint Ventures: Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland

8. Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney

Joint Ventures: Ocean’s 11-13, Out of Sight, Solaris, and The Good German

7. Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant

Joint Ventures: North by Northwest, Notorious, Suspicion, and To Catch a Thief

6. George Cukor and Katherine Hepburn

Joint Ventures: A Bill of Divorcement, Little Women, Sylvia Scarlett, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, Keeper of the Flame, Adam’s Rib, and Pat and Mike

5. Howard Hawks and Cary Grant

Joint Ventures: Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, I Was a Male War Bride, Monkey Business, and Only Angels Have Wings

4. Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon

Joint Ventures: Avanti, The Front Page, The Apartment, Buddy Buddy, Irma la Douce, Some Like it Hot, and The Fortune Cookie

3. Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart

Joint Ventures: Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rope, and Rear Window

2. John Huston and Humphrey Bogart

Joint Ventures: Across the Pacific, Beat the Devil, Key Largo, The African Queen, The Maltese Falcon, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro

Joint Ventures: Cape Fear; Casino; GoodFellas; Mean Streets; New York, New York; Raging Bull; Taxi Driver; and The King of Comedy

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Comments

Super meh.

Posted by: Christian H. at August 24, 2009 3:08 PM

Hard to argue with #1 on this list. But I know you people better than that, so have at it.

Posted by: Xtreme at August 24, 2009 3:09 PM

While I agree that Depp and Burton have done some wonderful stuff together, that shit's just gotten OLD to me. I think it's both a combination of their projects all looking exactly alike these days, and just that Burton's style isn't that shocking and original anymore. I'm sick to death of the both of them.

I'm also sick of Scorcese and Di Caprio. Glad they aren't on the list.

Posted by: figgy at August 24, 2009 3:11 PM

Hitchcock, Wilder, Hawks and Cukor. Grant, Bogart, Lemmon and Hepburn. I think I just... no, wait, I did. I need a tissue.

Posted by: Spender at August 24, 2009 3:11 PM

I protest Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell being only an honorable mention.

Posted by: MM at August 24, 2009 3:19 PM

No Herzog & Kinski??? My heart just broke.

Posted by: Amanda Marie at August 24, 2009 3:20 PM

I'm also sick of Scorcese and Di Caprio. Glad they aren't on the list.

All two of there films have already gotten old?

***************************************************************************

I personally would have put Hudson/Bogart at #1, but that's just me, other than that, this was perfect. (Although I thought you were more of a Wilder fan than anything, I was expecting Wilder/Lemmon at #1)

Posted by: George at August 24, 2009 3:21 PM

John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat. Sure, both of them are doing junk nowadays, but back in the Hard Boiled / A Better Tomorrow / The Killer Days, that pair was the balls.

Posted by: TK at August 24, 2009 3:24 PM

No Schwarzennegar and Cameron?

Posted by: Andy at August 24, 2009 3:25 PM

I have to agree with both Amanda Marie and MM.

Posted by: TSF at August 24, 2009 3:27 PM

Not quite top 11 material, but Affleck and Kevin Smith seem to bring out the best in each other most of the time. (Jersey Girl never happened, right?)

Good list. Hard to argue with #1.

Posted by: jason at August 24, 2009 3:28 PM

Andy >> Or Bill Paxton and Cameron. :- )

Posted by: DarthCorleone at August 24, 2009 3:28 PM

Yeah. Herzog and Kinski deserve just as much of an honorable mention.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at August 24, 2009 3:30 PM

More Honorable mention:
Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen?

Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford?

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Denzel Washington and the Scott Brothers (Tony and Ridley)?

Samuel Jackson and Quentin Tarantino?

Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman?

John Belushi and John Landis?

Posted by: John W at August 24, 2009 3:32 PM

I found a typo.

Where you wrote "Honorable Mention" I think you meant to write "1." and then put it on the bottom of the page instead of the top.

Posted by: Macafee at August 24, 2009 3:33 PM

Scorsese and DiCaprio: The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, October's Shelter Island, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (announced, 2011).

Not saying they should be on this list, but my guess is they will be within 5 years

Posted by: ed newman at August 24, 2009 3:33 PM

Nice list.

They aren't prolific enough yet, but perhaps down the line PTA and any member of his virtual acting troupe could make this list. John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman...

I wouldn't choose them, but Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott seem to be on the verge of becoming at least contenders for this list.

Amanda Marie >> Good call on Herzog and Kinski.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at August 24, 2009 3:36 PM

Explosions & Michael Bay

Posted by: Three-nineteen at August 24, 2009 3:37 PM

Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel.

Posted by: Cindy at August 24, 2009 3:37 PM

What about John Wayne and John Ford.
The Searchers / Stagecoach / Fort Apache / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Long Voyage Home / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers / The Wings of Eagles.

Posted by: John W at August 24, 2009 3:39 PM

Jack Nicholson and James L Brooks:
Terms of Endearment / Broadcast News / As Good As It Gets.

Posted by: John W at August 24, 2009 3:42 PM

damn your header pic! at first glance, i was all day-um jackie earl haley got hot.

Posted by: gp at August 24, 2009 3:45 PM

Howard Hawks and John Wayne
John Ford and John Wayne

What are you guys--12?

-Ralphie

Posted by: Ralphie at August 24, 2009 3:45 PM

I realize this is a little ancient for most people, but:

F. W. Murnau (director) and Emil Jannings (actor).

Movies: Faust, The Last Laugh, Tartuff, et al.

Posted by: BWeaves at August 24, 2009 3:58 PM

or while you're at it Wayne and Hawks:
Red River / Rio Bravo / Hatari! / El Dorado / Rio Lobo

Posted by: dg at August 24, 2009 4:00 PM

Excellent list. Point of the day: Cary Grant is what most actors of today wish they were...when they aren't wishing they're George Clooney.

(And thank god for some Wilder/Brooks love. I think modern society forgets both of their contributions to comedy too often.)

Posted by: Doctor Controversy at August 24, 2009 4:00 PM

What about Woody Allen and whoever he happened to be fucking at the time? Nah, I didn't think so, either.

Posted by: BWeaves at August 24, 2009 4:01 PM

I was about to chew you out for overlooking sam raimi and bruce campbell but then I noticed the honorable mention. still not good enough, but better than nothing I suppose.

Posted by: snarla at August 24, 2009 4:02 PM

What about Akira Kurosawa and Toshirô Mifune?

Posted by: BWeaves at August 24, 2009 4:04 PM

Oh fuck you Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. That's such a shitty #1 that it corrupts the rest of this list. In fact, the list of movies for that duo, if arranged in sequential order and not some grab-ass order, charts the peaks and valleys of the careers of both men, and the line is clearly in decline.

Gethefuckahddahea'

Posted by: hater from siloam springs at August 24, 2009 4:16 PM

What about Clint Eastwood and Clint Eastwood. They always seem to bring the best out in each other.

Posted by: Continental Almonds at August 24, 2009 4:20 PM

more honorable mentions:

steve buscemi and the coens.
Miller's Crossing / Barton Fink / The Hudsucker Proxy / Fargo / The Big Lebowski / Paris, je t'aime

francis mcdormand and the coens.
Blood Simple / Raising Arizona / Miller's Crossing / Fargo / The Man Who Wasn't There / Burn After Reading

jon polito and the coens.
Miller's Crossing / Barton Fink / The Hudsucker Proxy / The Big Lebowski / The Man Who Wasn't There

Posted by: dg at August 24, 2009 4:22 PM

Quentin Tarantino and Women's Toes

Posted by: Angus at August 24, 2009 4:27 PM

Bill Murray and Wes Anderson

Posted by: Kevin Longrie at August 24, 2009 4:29 PM

ohhh, gotta second the kurosawa/mifune love. that should really be toward the top of the list. as should kurosawa/shimura.

Posted by: dg at August 24, 2009 4:31 PM

Really? No Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese
Shutter Island, The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York

And how about Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe:
Robin Hood, Body of Lies, American Gangster, A Good Year, Gladiator

Posted by: Ryan at August 24, 2009 4:42 PM

werner herzog. klaus kinski. i'm surprised, really.

Posted by: farik at August 24, 2009 4:45 PM

Alfonso Cuaron and Clive Owen: Children of Men

It's just the one filum, I suppose, but c'mon, who else wants more of that?!

Posted by: Angus at August 24, 2009 4:46 PM

David Hewlett and Vincenzo Natali.

It's true and you know it. Or if you don't know it, then you could go and check it out and know it. If you wanted.

I already know it, though.

Posted by: Melodie at August 24, 2009 4:46 PM

Chan-wook Park and Dal-su Oh

Oldboy / Lady Vengeance / Thirst

Posted by: boo at August 24, 2009 4:57 PM

BWeaves you actually have a good point:

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton
Sleeper / Love and Death / Annie Hall / Manhattan

Woody Allen and Mia Farrow
A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy / Zelig / Broadway Danny Rose / Purple Rose of Cairo / Hannah and Her Sisters

Posted by: John W at August 24, 2009 5:34 PM

I totally forgot about Mifune/Kurosawa, yeah, they should have been #1. Look at their resume:

The Seven Samauri, Yojimbo, Rashomon, Throne of Blood, Drunken Angel

Also, Clint Eastwood gives better performances when he casts himself than anyone who has ever cast themselves in a movie ever. The man's a demigod.

Posted by: George at August 24, 2009 5:43 PM

No love for Spike Lee and Denzel Washington

I mean they did do 4 good movies

Posted by: DookieMercury at August 24, 2009 5:53 PM

BWeaves and dg, I hear you both. It should be a tie at #1 between Scorsese/DeNiro and Kurosawa/Mifune

Did somebody mention Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood?

Posted by: Emran at August 24, 2009 6:05 PM

You can't forget about teen classics John Hughes and Anthony Michael Hall.

Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science

Posted by: Daniel at August 24, 2009 6:53 PM

If I see one more JOhnny Depp/Tim Burton project, I am going to PUKE. Just stop already.

Also, I would like to add Neil Jordan/Stephen Rea to that list. Joint Ventures: The Crying Game, Interview With The Vampire, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy,In Dreams, Breakfast On Pluto, and The Brave One.

I also love when Willie Garson appears in Farrelly Brothers movies.

Posted by: bubblegumshoe at August 24, 2009 7:21 PM

DarthCorleone took mine: PT Anderson and John C. Reilley (or Phillip Seymour Hoffman, or Phillip Baker Hall).

How about Danny Trejo and Robert Rodriguez? Maybe after Machete comes out and he gets to expand his badass Mexican character actor part into a leading role.

Posted by: Yossarian at August 24, 2009 7:38 PM

No Mifune/Kurosawa?

This list is shit for that reason alone.

Posted by: ingres77 at August 24, 2009 8:05 PM

How about Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (And Nick Frost). They are responsible for Spaced, one of the best british comedy shows of recent times, and the much loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz!

Posted by: Temet Nosce at August 24, 2009 8:07 PM

Or Wes Anderson and any of the Wilson brothers.

Posted by: Daniel at August 24, 2009 8:37 PM

How the hell are Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell not even on this list when they should be number 1? seems inconsistent when you labelled some of their collaborations the greatest trilogy of all time...

Posted by: Chugga at August 24, 2009 9:06 PM

Just seconding the love for Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, and Edgar Wright and Pegg/Frost.

McKay/Ferrell? They do bring out the best in each other.

Posted by: Daniel Hall at August 24, 2009 9:36 PM

fassbinder and hanna schygulla, because too much kurosawa love reminds me of all the real films

Posted by: furtherbeyond at August 24, 2009 11:20 PM

I love this list, but I would add my boyfriend Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson, if only he was in The Royal Tenenbaums

Posted by: Agente Provocatrice at August 25, 2009 12:41 AM

I adore Johnny Depp. I love Tim Burton films. But to be honest, I'd prefer if these didn't always go hand-in-hand. Apart from Edward Scissorhands, they make movies that are all about being as stylized and quirky as possible, but are lacking in any emotional impact or - dare I utter that hideously cliched word - heart. Alice in Wonderland is the best possible film they could have chosen for their next big project because that bizarre, surreal but very detached tone is exactly how the Lewis Carroll's books read, but in everything else they do I always feel something's wanting.

Posted by: onewing at August 25, 2009 2:05 AM

John Cusack and Savage Steve Holland, in a parallel and more just universe where Cusack stuck around long enough to star in How I Got Into College and complete the trilogy.

Posted by: Bjorn Randolph at August 25, 2009 2:35 AM

The fact that this list doesn't include John Ford/John Wayne, Werner Herzog/Klaus Kinski and especially Akira Kurosawa/Toshiro Mifune makes it completely full of shit. Completely. A good idea for a list, completely mangled.

Posted by: Jason at August 25, 2009 9:45 AM

Oh god, no one here is into cheesy horror comedy fantasy goodness? Cuz I see absolutely no mention of the fabulous, the magnificent:

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. I mean, Big Trouble in Little China? Escape from New York? The Thing? Come on!

Posted by: Emily at August 25, 2009 11:35 AM

No Ingmar Bergman? I'm not sure which actor you'd use, but a number of his stable of greats (Max Von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Bjornstrand, etc.) would have been worthy.

Also, the lack of Kurosawa/Mifune is absurd.

Posted by: Todd at August 25, 2009 12:24 PM

How about Henry Fonda/John Ford ...

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
The Fugitive (1947)
Fort Apache (1948)
Mr. Roberts (1955)
How the West Was Won (1962)

The Grapes of Wrath was depressing as hell, but it was a great movie.

Posted by: Carolina Girl at August 25, 2009 12:37 PM

Jules White/Three Stooges

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at August 25, 2009 2:25 PM

woody allen and diane keaton

Posted by: bob at August 25, 2009 2:55 PM

"You can't forget about teen classics John Hughes and Anthony Michael Hall.

Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science"

Or John Hughes and Molly Ringwald: 16 Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink.

Kind of astonished by the absence of Woody Allen on this list along with his leading ladies Keaton and Farrow. I noticed others pointed it out, but it's glaring.

Posted by: samantha t at August 25, 2009 3:04 PM

peter sellers and kubrick!? no one? really? i'm the first one?

Posted by: Chris at August 25, 2009 5:16 PM

You misspelled it.

It's

K-a-t-h-a-r-i-n-e

Hepburn.

She HATED it when people used the E instead of the A.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at August 25, 2009 11:48 PM

Amd I'm with Dookie -- Spike Lee and Denzel Washington should replace Hawks and Grant. The only true, irreplaceable film on that list of Hawks/Grant films is "His Girl Friday." The others -- even "Bringing Up Baby" -- are too flawed to merit inclusion on a list of films that create perfect duos/groups of actors/directors.

Lee and Washington, on the other hand, made 4 solidly gorgeous films.

And, as if it needed saying, they would be, AGAIN, the only damned black people on the fucking list.

These lists really, REALLY need some rethinking before hitting "post." The vast majority of time they are an Aryan fuckin' dream.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at August 25, 2009 11:55 PM

Someone already got to Murray and Anderson and Buscemi and the Coens, so all I can do is second.

I think there might be an interesting case for George Roy Hill and Newman/Redford if you're willing to take them as a team that didn't always work together.

It's too bad that only white and black people make movies. I bet Latins and Asians could do some good stuff if somebody gave them a camera.

Posted by: Eep at August 26, 2009 7:24 AM

In my twisted universe Van Damme as directed by Seagal is the dogs

Posted by: Colombo at August 26, 2009 8:20 AM

No love for David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan?

Posted by: KC at August 26, 2009 3:15 PM

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The 11 Best Actor/Director Duos

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