Actors Who Direct

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But What I Really Want to Do Is Direct...





When acting in front of the camera doesn't get them enough attention, plenty of celebs step behind the lens to try their hand at directing. Check out which stars have taken a seat in the director's chair.

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1. Angelina Jolie
She's an actress, mother, UN Ambassador and a world-wide sex symbol. Well, now Angelina Jolie can add director to her lost list of accomplishments. In the Land of Blood and Honey had the actress directing in both English and the language of the former Yugoslavia. "We actually shot a full version in their native language and we shot a full version in English," Jolie told a Hungarian news outlet. Okay, now she's just showing off.

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2. Ben Affleck
For a guy who was once one half of "Bennifer," Ben Affleck has carved out a pretty impressive directing career for himself. He directed both Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and Jeremy Renner (The Town) to Oscar nominations in supporting actor categories. Affleck is currently directing and starring in Argo, a film about the CIA resuce of six U.S. embassy workers in Iran.

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3. Madonna
Madonna's directorial debut W.E., which is loosely based on the affair bewteen King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson, was panned by critics when it premiered at Cannes this summer (one critic called it "extraordinarily silly"). Maybe it's time for Madge to go back to the stuff that made her famous in the first place: making music.

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4. George Clooney
It's not enough for George Clooney to be incredibly good looking and to date the world's hottest women. He's also proved himself to be a pretty solid director with films like Leatherheads, Good Night & Good Luck, and the upcoming Ides of March. If we ever get reincarnated, we want to come back as George Clooney.

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5. Clint Eastwood
It's been a long time since Dirty Harry muttered the iconic line, "Go ahead, make my day," but Clint Eastwood hasn't been resting on his gruff laurels. He's directed many critically acclaimed films like Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino. With two Best Director Oscars under his belt, Clint seems to know what he's doing. Up next: J. Edgar with Leonardo DiCaprio.

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6. Kevin Costner
His star has been slowly fading over the years, so it's easy to forget that Kevin Costner once won an Academy Award for his directing work on Dances with Wolves (which also won the Oscar for Best Picture). Then again, he also won a few Razzies for directing Waterworld and The Postman, so the jury's still out on Costner's directing skills.

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7. Jodie Foster
She's been acting in front of the camera since she was 5-years-old, so it makes sense that Jodie Foster would eventually want to try her hand at directing. Little Man Tate was cute and Home for the Holidays was watchable, but The Beaver was just...weird.

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8. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson recently spiraled out of control in a series of very public meltdowns that involved a DUI arrest (complete with anti-semitic remarks) and a slew of horrible phone tirades against ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. But back in the day Gibson was also known for something else: directing movies. He won an Oscar for directing Braveheart and scored a worldwide hit with The Passion of the Christ.

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9. Sean Penn
When he's not building homes in Haiti or having a fling with Scarlett Johansson, Sean Penn is busy directing films like Into the Wild. Fun fact: he also directed a documentary called Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000. Who knew that Penn was a fan of The Boss?

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10. Ben Stiller
We can thank Ben Stiller for "Blue Steel" on a variety of different levels — he not only played the iconic idiot model Zoolander, he also directed the film! Stiller also helmed the indie cult-hit Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, and Tropic Thunder.

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11. Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore used to be a wild child (remember when she flashed David Letterman on live TV?), but in recent years she's calmed down enough to produce hits like Never Been Kissed, Charlie's Angels, and Donnie Darko (who knew?). Barrymore also gave directing a go with Whip It, which explored the rough and tumble world of roller derby.

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12. Tom Hanks
We know there's no crying in baseball, but do you think there's any crying when Tom Hanks sits in the director's chair? Hanks first directed the boppy That Thing You Do!, then later went on to direct the TV mini-series Band of Brothers. Most recently he directed himself and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne.

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13. Denzel Washington
He's got an Oscar and a Tony (half-way to an EGOT!), along with a bunch of other acting awards, but that hasn't stopped Denzel Washington from trying his hand at directing. With only Antwone Fisher (2002) and The Great Debators (2007) under his belt, it's a little early to tell whether Denzel should be giving up his day job.

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14. Ron Howard
As Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, Ron Howard was everyone's favorite child star. Now the ginger-haired former actor is everyone's favorite director, directing big time films like Parenthood, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man. Fellow child star Lindsay Lohan should probably be taking notes...