This weekend Alan Rickman stars in A Little Chaos, but while Rickman's been recognized for his career in front of the camera, he's also working behind the camera for this film -- and he's far from the first actor to make that jump.
So in honor of A Little Chaos, here are our top ten actors turned directors:
George Clooney
As an actor, George Clooney has given several great performances in films such as Michael Clayton, The Descendants and Up in the Air, and he has worked with some of the most talented directors in modern cinema. In 2002, Clooney made his directorial debut with the dark comedy Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, establishing him as a unique filmmaker with a strong ability to harness performances. Later, Clooney would go on to direct the politically charged Good Night and Good Luck and The Ides of March, both of which he wrote and co-starred in, receiving numerous Academy-Award nominations.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford was a respected leading actor in the '70s, starring in such films as The Sting and Three Days of the Condor. However, Redford's most important career move was in 1980 when he stepped behind the camera to helm the family drama Ordinary People. Redford proved to be a director with a strong sense of drama and tension, and would go on to direct The Horse Whisperer, The Conspirator and The Company You Keep.
Kenneth Branagh
A veteran stage performer and film actor, Sir Kenneth Branagh is well-known for his devotion to the Shakespearean works. Branagh utilized his acting skills on stage and onscreen to direct several adaptations of Shakespeare plays, including Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and As You Like It, all of which he adapted faithfully while still giving his own spin on the classic source material. However, Branagh has also displayed great diversity in his filmography, including the noir-thriller Dead Again, the Marvel comic book adaptation Thor, the action-thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and the Disney film Cinderella.
Woody Allen
An iconic stand-up comedian and actor, Woody Allen's name has been thrown around as one of the greatest comics of his generation. Though he started his career as an actor, Allen would go on to direct films, beginning with 1966's What's Up Tiger Lily. As a director and writer, Allen has been able to create great characters in equally interesting worlds, directing such classics as Annie Hall, Sleeper, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Midnight in Paris.
Mel Gibson
Just as Woody Allen's name is a staple of comedy, Mel Gibson's has been a staple of the action genre, having starred in such epics as the Lethal Weapon series, the Mad Max films, Edge of Darkness and Ransom. Though Gibson's directorial debut The Man Without a Face was a more dramatic and emotional piece, his most famous directorial work was 1995's Braveheart, a Best Picture-winning masterpiece that featured some of the most invigorating and inspiring action sequences ever put on film. Gibson's other works include Apocalypto, The Passion of the Christ and Complete Savages.
Ron Howard
American Graffiti and The Music Man star Ron Howard was one of the most popular television personalities of the '60s and '70s, but his acting career was only the tip of the iceberg. Though Howard made his directorial debut with the dismissal 1977 film Grand Theft Auto, he would go on to become one of the best and most versatile directors in the business, covering such genres as action (The Da Vinci Code, Ransom, Backdraft), comedy (Nightshift, Parenthood, Splash), fantasy (Willow, Cocoon, How The Grinch Stole Christmas), biography (Rush, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) and dramatic (Cinderella Man, Apollo 13). Howard will return to cinema this year with the Moby Dick inspired In The Heart of the Sea, and next year with the third Robert Langdon adventure Inferno.
Charles Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin is not only one of the most symbolic figures of classic Hollywood, but also one of the most influential comedians and actors in cinematic history. Chaplin began directing comic short films as early as 1914, and would later turn to feature length films, including such classics as Modern Times, The Great Dictator, City Lights, The Gold Rush and The Kid. As a director, Chaplin would inspire generations of comedians, crating touching, hilarious films that were also relevant to the times.
Ben Affleck
Though Ben Affleck was once the butt of a joke, having starred in such flops as Daredevil, Reindeer Games, Jersey Girl, Pearl Harbor and Gigli, he would quickly reform his career through directing crime thrillers. Affleck broke out with the 2007 hit Gone Baby Gone, a morally charged crime saga that announced him as a directorial force to be reckoned with. He would later direct another great film in the action-heist film The Town, as well as the political satire spy thriller Argo, which won the Academy-Award for Best Picture.
Orson Welles
Orson Welles began his career with minor roles in Too Much Johnson and Swiss Family Robinson. He later rose to immeasurable heights in directing arguably the greatest film of all-time, Citizen Kane, the absorbing story of the rise and fall of a newspaper mogul that explored such themes as manipulation, loss of innocence, isolationism and corruption, though it's real message would be debated by film scholars generations hence. Though Citizen Kane definitely stands as the peak of Welles's filmography, he would also go on to direct Touch of Evil and Othello.
Clint Eastwood
Topping the list of the best directors turned actors is Clint Eastwood, an actor known for his skills in classic westerns, and who would become one of cinema's greatest directors. Eastwood begun his directing career in the western genre, directing such films as High Plaines Drifter and The Outlaw Josey Wales, but would slowly draw into more dramatic territory, including Bird, Mystic River, Invictus, Gran Torino, Hereafter, J. Edgar and American Sniper. Eastwood also has honor of directing two films to win Best Picture: the revisionist western Unforgiven and the boxing drama Million Dollar Baby. At 85, Eastwood has an incredibly diverse and iconic filmography, and stands out as one of the most important figures in the film industry.
