List of Academy Award for Best Director winners by age

This is a list of winners of the Academy Award of Merit for Achievement in Directing, presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)[1] to a director who has delivered outstanding direction while working on a particular film within the industry. More popularly known as the Academy Award (or the Oscar) for Best Director, this award was initially presented at the 1st Academy Awards ceremony for 1927 and 1928 and was most recently presented at the 90th Academy Awards ceremony for 2017.[2] Throughout the past 90 years, accounting for shared and repeat winners, AMPAS has presented a total of 93 Best Directing awards to 69 different directors. This list is current as of the 90th Academy Awards ceremony held on March 4, 2018.

As of March 2018, The list below has 20 directors in their 30s, 40 directors in their 40s, 27 directors in their 50s, 5 directors in their 60s and one director in his seventies during the reception of the award. The youngest director being Damien Chazelle aged 32 years and 68 days during the 2017 Academy Awards ceremony and the oldest being Clint Eastwood who was 74 during the 2005 Academy Awards ceremony.

[3]

List of winners

#
 Director
 Film
 Date of birth
 Date of award
 Age upon
receiving award
 Date of death
 Lifespan
 Notes
1 Frank Borzage 7th Heaven April 23, 1894 May 16, 1929 35 years, 23 days June 19, 1962 24,893 days (68 years, 57 days) Dramatic;[4] 1st of 2
Held record as oldest winner for 1 award ceremony (from the 1st to the 2nd, May 1929–April 1930 [11 months])
2 Lewis Milestone Two Arabian Knights September 30, 1895 May 16, 1929 33 years, 228 days September 25, 1980 31,041 days (84 years, 361 days) Comedy;[4] 1st of 2
Held record as youngest winner for 3 award ceremonies (from the 1st to the 4th, May 1929–November 1931 [2 years, 6 months])
3 Frank Lloyd The Divine Lady February 2, 1886 April 3, 1930 44 years, 60 days August 10, 1960 27,217 days (74 years, 190 days) 1st of 2
Held record as oldest winner for 10 award ceremonies (from the 2nd to the 12th, April 1930–February 1940)
4 Lewis Milestone All Quiet on the Western Front September 30, 1895 November 5, 1930 35 years, 36 days September 25, 1980 31,041 days (84 years, 361 days) 2nd of 2
5 Norman Taurog Skippy February 23, 1899 November 10, 1931 32 years, 260 days April 7, 1981 29,993 days (82 years, 43 days) Held record as youngest winner for 85 award ceremonies (from the 4th through the 89th, November 1931–February 2017 [85 years, 3 months])
6 Frank Borzage Bad Girl April 23, 1894 November 18, 1932 38 years, 209 days June 19, 1962 24,893 days (68 years, 57 days) 2nd of 2
7 Frank Lloyd Cavalcade February 2, 1886 March 16, 1934 48 years, 42 days August 10, 1960 27,217 days (74 years, 190 days) 2nd of 2
8 Frank Capra It Happened One Night May 18, 1897 February 27, 1935 37 years, 285 days September 3, 1991 34,440 days (94 years, 108 days)[5] 1st of 3
9 John Ford The Informer February 1, 1894 March 5, 1936 42 years, 33 days August 31, 1973 29,065 days (79 years, 211 days) 1st of 4
10 Frank Capra Mr. Deeds Goes to Town May 18, 1897 March 4, 1937 39 years, 290 days September 3, 1991 34,440 days (94 years, 108 days)[5] 2nd of 3
11 Leo McCarey The Awful Truth October 3, 1898 March 10, 1938 39 years, 158 days July 5, 1969 25,842 days (70 years, 275 days) 1st of 2
12 Frank Capra You Can't Take It with You May 18, 1897 February 23, 1939 41 years, 281 days September 3, 1991 34,440 days (94 years, 108 days)[5] 3rd of 3
13 Victor Fleming Gone with the Wind February 23, 1889 February 29, 1940 51 years, 6 days January 6, 1949 21,866 days (59 years, 318 days)[6] Held record as oldest winner for 4 award ceremonies (from the 12th to the 16th, February 1940–March 1944)
14 John Ford The Grapes of Wrath February 1, 1894 February 27, 1941 47 years, 26 days August 31, 1973 29,065 days (79 years, 211 days) 2nd of 4
15 John Ford How Green Was My Valley February 1, 1894 February 26, 1942 48 years, 25 days August 31, 1973 29,065 days (79 years, 211 days) 3rd of 4
16 William Wyler Mrs. Miniver July 1, 1902 March 4, 1943 40 years, 246 days July 27, 1981 28,881 days (79 years, 26 days) 1st of 3
17 Michael Curtiz Casablanca December 24, 1886 March 2, 1944 57 years, 69 days April 10, 1962 27,500 days (75 years, 107 days) Held record as oldest winner for 9 award ceremonies (from the 16th to the 25th, March 1944–March 1953)
18 Leo McCarey Going My Way October 3, 1898 March 15, 1945 46 years, 163 days July 5, 1969 25,842 days (70 years, 275 days) 2nd of 2
19 Billy Wilder The Lost Weekend June 22, 1906 March 7, 1946 39 years, 258 days March 27, 2002 34,977 days (95 years, 278 days)[7] 1st of 2
20 William Wyler The Best Years of Our Lives July 1, 1902 March 13, 1947 44 years, 255 days July 27, 1981 28,881 days (79 years, 26 days) 2nd of 3
21 Elia Kazan Gentleman's Agreement September 7, 1909 March 20, 1948 38 years, 195 days September 28, 2003 34,354 days (94 years, 21 days)[8] 1st of 2
22 John Huston The Treasure of the Sierra Madre August 5, 1906 March 24, 1949 42 years, 231 days August 28, 1987 29,608 days (81 years, 23 days)
23 Joseph L. Mankiewicz A Letter to Three Wives February 11, 1909 March 23, 1950 41 years, 40 days February 5, 1993 30,675 days (83 years, 360 days) 1st of 2
24 Joseph L. Mankiewicz All About Eve February 11, 1909 March 29, 1951 42 years, 46 days February 5, 1993 30,675 days (83 years, 360 days) 2nd of 2
25 George Stevens A Place in the Sun December 18, 1904 March 20, 1952 47 years, 93 days March 8, 1975 25,647 days (70 years, 80 days) 1st of 2
26 John Ford The Quiet Man February 1, 1894 March 19, 1953 59 years, 46 days August 31, 1973 29,065 days (79 years, 211 days) 4th of 4
Held record as oldest winner for 12 award ceremonies (from the 25th to the 37th, March 1953–April 1965)
27 Fred Zinnemann From Here to Eternity April 29, 1907 March 25, 1954 46 years, 330 days March 14, 1997 32,827 days (89 years, 319 days) 1st of 2
28 Elia Kazan On the Waterfront September 7, 1909 March 30, 1955 45 years, 204 days September 28, 2003 34,354 days (94 years, 21 days)[8] 2nd of 2
29 Delbert Mann Marty January 30, 1920 March 21, 1956 36 years, 51 days November 11, 2007 32,062 days (87 years, 285 days)
30 George Stevens Giant December 18, 1904 March 27, 1957 52 years, 99 days March 8, 1975 25,647 days (70 years, 80 days) 2nd of 2
31 David Lean The Bridge on the River Kwai March 25, 1908 March 26, 1958 50 years, 1 day April 16, 1991 30,337 days (83 years, 22 days) 1st of 2
32 Vincente Minnelli Gigi February 28, 1903 April 6, 1959 56 years, 37 days July 25, 1986 30,463 days (83 years, 147 days)
33 William Wyler Ben-Hur July 1, 1902 April 4, 1960 57 years, 278 days July 27, 1981 28,881 days (79 years, 26 days) 3rd of 3
34 Billy Wilder The Apartment June 22, 1906 April 17, 1961 54 years, 299 days March 27, 2002 34,977 days (95 years, 278 days)[7] 2nd of 2
35 Jerome Robbins West Side Story October 11, 1918 April 9, 1962 43 years, 180 days July 29, 1998 29,146 days (79 years, 291 days) Shared
36 Robert Wise West Side Story September 10, 1914 April 9, 1962 47 years, 211 days September 14, 2005 33,242 days (91 years, 4 days) Shared; 1st of 2
37 David Lean Lawrence of Arabia March 25, 1908 April 8, 1963 55 years, 14 days April 16, 1991 30,337 days (83 years, 22 days) 2nd of 2
38 Tony Richardson Tom Jones June 5, 1928 April 13, 1964 35 years, 313 days November 14, 1991 23,172 days (63 years, 162 days)
39 George Cukor My Fair Lady July 7, 1899 April 5, 1965 65 years, 272 days January 24, 1983 30,516 days (83 years, 201 days) Held record as oldest winner for 38 award ceremonies (from the 37th to the 75th, April 1965–March 2003)
40 Robert Wise The Sound of Music September 10, 1914 April 18, 1966 51 years, 220 days September 14, 2005 33,242 days (91 years, 4 days) 2nd of 2
41 Fred Zinnemann A Man for All Seasons April 29, 1907 April 10, 1967 59 years, 346 days March 14, 1997 32,827 days (89 years, 319 days) 2nd of 2
42 Mike Nichols The Graduate November 6, 1931 April 10, 1968 36 years, 156 days November 19, 2014 30,329 days (83 years, 13 days)
43 Carol Reed Oliver! December 30, 1906 April 14, 1969 62 years, 105 days April 25, 1976 25,319 days (69 years, 117 days)[9]
44 John Schlesinger Midnight Cowboy February 16, 1926 April 7, 1970 44 years, 50 days July 25, 2003 28,283 days (77 years, 159 days)
45 Franklin J. Schaffner Patton May 30, 1920 April 15, 1971 50 years, 320 days July 2, 1989 25,235 days (69 years, 33 days)
46 William Friedkin The French Connection August 29, 1935 April 10, 1972 36 years, 225 days 30,363 days (83 years, 47 days)
47 Bob Fosse Cabaret June 23, 1927 March 27, 1973 45 years, 277 days September 23, 1987 22,007 days (60 years, 92 days)
48 George Roy Hill The Sting December 20, 1921 April 2, 1974 52 years, 103 days December 27, 2002 29,592 days (81 years, 7 days)
49 Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather Part II April 7, 1939 April 8, 1975 36 years, 1 day 29,046 days (79 years, 191 days)
50 Miloš Forman One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest February 18, 1932 March 29, 1976 44 years, 40 days April 14, 2018 31,467 days (86 years, 55 days) 1st of 2
51 John G. Avildsen Rocky December 21, 1935 March 28, 1977 41 years, 97 days June 16, 2017 29,763 days (81 years, 177 days)
52 Woody Allen Annie Hall December 1, 1935 April 3, 1978 42 years, 123 days 30,269 days (82 years, 318 days)
53 Michael Cimino The Deer Hunter February 3, 1939 April 9, 1979 40 years, 65 days July 2, 2016 28,274 days (77 years, 150 days)
54 Robert Benton Kramer vs. Kramer September 29, 1932 April 14, 1980 47 years, 198 days 31,427 days (86 years, 16 days)
55 Robert Redford Ordinary People August 18, 1936 March 31, 1981 44 years, 225 days 30,008 days (82 years, 58 days)
56 Warren Beatty Reds March 30, 1937 March 29, 1982 44 years, 364 days 29,784 days (81 years, 199 days)
57 Richard Attenborough Gandhi August 29, 1923 April 11, 1983 59 years, 225 days August 24, 2014 33,233 days (90 years, 360 days)
58 James L. Brooks Terms of Endearment May 9, 1940 April 9, 1984 43 years, 336 days 28,648 days (78 years, 159 days)
59 Miloš Forman Amadeus February 18, 1932 March 25, 1985 53 years, 35 days April 14, 2018 31,467 days (86 years, 55 days) 2nd of 2
60 Sydney Pollack Out of Africa July 1, 1934 March 24, 1986 51 years, 266 days May 26, 2008 26,993 days (73 years, 330 days)
61 Oliver Stone Platoon September 15, 1946 March 30, 1987 40 years, 196 days 26,328 days (72 years, 30 days) 1st of 2
62 Bernardo Bertolucci The Last Emperor March 16, 1940 April 11, 1988 48 years, 26 days 28,702 days (78 years, 213 days)
63 Barry Levinson Rain Man April 6, 1942 March 27, 1989 46 years, 355 days 27,951 days (76 years, 192 days)
64 Oliver Stone Born on the Fourth of July September 15, 1946 March 26, 1990 43 years, 192 days 26,328 days (72 years, 30 days) 2nd of 2
65 Kevin Costner Dances with Wolves January 18, 1955 March 25, 1991 36 years, 66 days 23,281 days (63 years, 270 days)
66 Jonathan Demme The Silence of the Lambs February 22, 1944 March 30, 1992 48 years, 37 days April 26, 2017 26,727 days (73 years, 63 days)
67 Clint Eastwood Unforgiven May 31, 1930 March 29, 1993 62 years, 302 days 32,279 days (88 years, 137 days) 1st of 2
68 Steven Spielberg Schindler's List December 18, 1946 March 21, 1994 47 years, 93 days 26,234 days (71 years, 301 days) 1st of 2
69 Robert Zemeckis Forrest Gump May 14, 1951 March 27, 1995 43 years, 317 days 24,626 days (67 years, 154 days)
70 Mel Gibson Braveheart January 3, 1956 March 25, 1996 40 years, 82 days 22,931 days (62 years, 285 days)
71 Anthony Minghella The English Patient January 6, 1954 March 24, 1997 43 years, 77 days March 18, 2008 19,795 days (54 years, 72 days)[10]
72 James Cameron Titanic August 16, 1954 March 23, 1998 43 years, 219 days 23,436 days (64 years, 60 days)
73 Steven Spielberg Saving Private Ryan December 18, 1946 March 21, 1999 52 years, 93 days 26,234 days (71 years, 301 days) 2nd of 2
74 Sam Mendes American Beauty August 1, 1965 March 26, 2000 34 years, 238 days 19,433 days (53 years, 75 days)
75 Steven Soderbergh Traffic January 14, 1963 March 25, 2001 38 years, 70 days 20,363 days (55 years, 274 days)
76 Ron Howard A Beautiful Mind March 1, 1954 March 24, 2002 48 years, 23 days 23,604 days (64 years, 228 days)
77 Roman Polanski The Pianist August 18, 1933 March 23, 2003 69 years, 217 days 31,104 days (85 years, 58 days) Held record as oldest winner for 2 award ceremonies (from the 75th to the 77th, March 2003–February 2005)
78 Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King October 31, 1961 February 29, 2004 42 years, 121 days 20,803 days (56 years, 349 days)
79 Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby May 31, 1930 February 27, 2005 74 years, 272 days 32,279 days (88 years, 137 days) 2nd of 2
Has held record as oldest winner for 13 award ceremonies (from the 77th through the 90th, February 2005–March 2018)
80 Ang Lee Brokeback Mountain October 23, 1954 March 5, 2006 51 years, 133 days 23,368 days (63 years, 357 days) 1st of 2
81 Martin Scorsese The Departed November 17, 1942 February 25, 2007 64 years, 100 days 27,726 days (75 years, 332 days)
82 Ethan Coen No Country for Old Men September 21, 1957 February 24, 2008 50 years, 156 days 22,304 days (61 years, 24 days) Shared
83 Joel Coen No Country for Old Men November 29, 1954 February 24, 2008 53 years, 87 days 23,331 days (63 years, 320 days) Shared
84 Danny Boyle Slumdog Millionaire October 20, 1956 February 22, 2009 52 years, 125 days 22,640 days (61 years, 360 days)
85 Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker November 27, 1951 March 7, 2010 58 years, 100 days 24,429 days (66 years, 322 days)
86 Tom Hooper The King's Speech October 1, 1972 February 27, 2011 38 years, 149 days 16,815 days (46 years, 14 days)
87 Michel Hazanavicius The Artist March 29, 1967 February 26, 2012 44 years, 334 days 18,828 days (51 years, 200 days)
88 Ang Lee Life of Pi October 23, 1954 February 24, 2013 58 years, 124 days 23,368 days (63 years, 357 days) 2nd of 2
89 Alfonso Cuaron Gravity November 28, 1961 March 2, 2014 52 years, 94 days 20,775 days (56 years, 321 days)
90 Alejandro González Iñárritu Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) August 15, 1963 February 22, 2015 51 years, 191 days 20,150 days (55 years, 61 days) 1st of 2
91 Alejandro González Iñárritu The Revenant August 15, 1963 February 28, 2016 52 years, 197 days 20,150 days (55 years, 61 days) 2nd of 2
92 Damien Chazelle La La Land January 19, 1985 February 26, 2017 32 years, 38 days 12,322 days (33 years, 269 days) Holds record for youngest winner
93 Guillermo del Toro The Shape of Water October 9, 1964 March 4, 2018 53 years, 146 days 19,729 days (54 years, 6 days)
# Director Film Date of birth Date of award Age upon
receiving award		 Date of death Lifespan Notes
  1. ↑ Official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  2. ↑ Official ceremony promotional website for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  3. ↑ Official database website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archived 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. 1 2 The first Best Directing Oscar was divided between Comedy and Dramatic films.
  5. 1 2 3 Frank Capra (lifespan 94 years, 108 days) is one of three directors (alongside Billy Wilder and Elia Kazan) to have lived over 55 years (56 years, 188 days) after receiving the award.
  6. ↑ Victor Fleming (lifespan 59 years, 318 days) is one of two directors (alongside Carol Reed) to have lived less than 10 years (8 years, 312 days) after receiving the award.
  7. 1 2 Billy Wilder holds the record for longest lifespan (95 years, 278 days). He is one of three directors (alongside Frank Capra and Elia Kazan) to have lived over 55 years (56 years, 20 days) after receiving the award.
  8. 1 2 Elia Kazan (lifespan 94 years, 21 days) is one of three directors (alongside Billy Wilder and Frank Capra) to have lived over 55 years (55 years, 192 days) after receiving the award.
  9. ↑ Carol Reed (lifespan 69 years, 117 days) is one of two directors (alongside Victor Fleming) to have lived less than 10 years (7 years, 11 days) after receiving the award.
  10. ↑ Anthony Minghella holds the record for shortest lifespan (54 years, 72 days).

See also

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