Joey Magidson
Well now my friends, the end of this series draws near, as this is one of the final articles for 2026. Alas. Until that moment, however, we press on. Continuing a tradition I’ve been keen on for years, I’m ranking the new crop of Academy Award winners. For nearly all of the Oscar categories, you’ll see me list the top 25 recipients of that prize. Sometimes, our newest winner will appear. Other times, they’ll be relegated to the Honorable Mention category. Who knows, maybe one or two won’t even make the cut? It’s a list series that I’ll do each and every single year, in the weeks after the ceremony concludes. So, while this is a fun way to think about the Oscars in the aftermath of the latest telecast, it’s also a beginning for another column here on the site. Of course, definitely show us your own lists as well, in the comments section below. We’re definitely keen to know what you think!
Another of the biggest categories hits today, as you might imagine…Best Director. The Best Director category has occasionally struggled with being seen as a coattail on the way to Best Picture, but that’s hardly always been the case. One look below will reveal plenty of Director winners that didn’t also take home Picture. For my money, Steven Spielberg has the best win, for Schindler’s List (though his other winner, Saving Private Ryan, isn’t far behind). Other top tier victors include Woody Allen (I know, I know) for Annie Hall, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, Bong Joon Ho for Parasite, and Mike Nichols for The Graduate. Where does one of our recent prior winners, Jane Campion, fall this time for her work on The Power of the Dog? What about The Daniels for Everything Everywhere All At Once four years ago? Three years ago, Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer debuted in the top ten. Does he remain? Two years ago, we had Sean Baker for Anora. Do I keep him in a top position again? Of course, there’s also the little matter of our newest winner, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another. Does he manage to crack the top ten this first time out like Baker? Read on below to find out…
Here now are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Oscar for Best Director, to date:
25. John G. Avildsen – Rocky
24. William Friedkin – The French Connection
23. Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
22. Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity
21. Oliver Stone – Platoon
20. Miloš Forman – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
19. John Ford – The Grapes of Wrath
18. The Daniels – Everything Everywhere All At Once
17. Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather Part II
16. Jonathan Demme – The Silence of the Lambs
15. Elia Kazan – On the Waterfront
14. Billy Wilder – The Apartment
13. Martin Scorsese – The Departed
12. David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia
11. Sean Baker – Anora
10. Damien Chazelle – La La Land
9. Michael Curtiz – Casablanca
8. Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
7. Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
6. Steven Spielberg – Saving Private Ryan
5. Mike Nichols – The Graduate
4. Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
3. Woody Allen – Annie Hall
2. Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
1. Steven Spielberg – Schindler’s List
Honorable Mentions: James Cameron – Titanic, Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water, Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby, Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Sam Mendes – American Beauty, and William Wyler – Ben-Hur
Stay tuned for the penultimate category of the year early next week!
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