Every Best Director Winner In Oscar History
The ’80s
Just two directors managed to break through in the ’80s to snag wins from Best Picture winners. However, the ’80s also had some repeats: Milos Forman came back with Amadeus, and Oliver Stone snagged his first two wins just a few years apart for Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July.
1980: Robert Redford — Ordinary People
- Redford is still acting, by the way.
1981: Warren Beatty — Reds
- Beatty won neither Best Picture nor Best Actor for Reds, but he at least won Best Director, right?
1982: Richard Attenborough — Gandhi
- Attenborough is better-known for his acting to people of a certain age … especially since he’s in Jurassic Park.
1983: James L. Brooks — Terms of Endearment
- This is, in fact, the same James L. Brooks who helps run The Simpsons.
1984: Milos Forman — Amadeus
- Forman only has one more Best Director nomination, for The People vs. Larry Flynt in the ’90s.
1985: Sydney Pollack — Out of Africa
- Pollack later had nominations for his work on movies like Michael Clayton and The Reader.
1986: Oliver Stone — Platoon
- Stone also had a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but didn’t win it for Platoon.
1987: Bernardo Bertolucci — The Last Emperor
- Bertolucci earlier wrote and directed Last Tango in Paris.
1988: Barry Levinson — Rain Man
- Levinson actually directed a TV movie coming out this year: Wizard of Lies.
1989: Oliver Stone — Born on the Fourth of July
- Stone also directed movies like Wall Street in the ’80s.