John Huston

Known for: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

John Huston directed his first film, The Maltese Falcon (1941), with a control of genre and character that remains one of the most accomplished directorial debuts in Hollywood history. He directed more than 35 subsequent features across a career spanning four decades and many countries — The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The African Queen (1951), Chinatown (1974, as an actor), Prizzi's Honor (1985) — with a preference for adaptation and a tolerance for difficult productions. He received the Academy Award for Best Director for Treasure of the Sierra Madre.