Oscars: 25 Directors Nominated for First Film

01 of 25

Benh Zeitlin

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild | Nominated for: Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2013 What got Oscar's attention? Beasts was a visual masterpiece, carefully balancing the line between fact and — Jess Pinkham

Nominated for: Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2013
What got Oscar's attention? Beasts was a visual masterpiece, carefully balancing the line between fact and fiction in one girl's fantasy world.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Zeitlin was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay but hasn't yet made another feature. —Jake Perlman

02 of 25

Tony Gilroy

Nominated for: Michael Clayton in 2008
What got Oscar's attention? A career screenwriter, Gilroy impressed the Academy with his tale of business skullduggery that balanced realism with the vibe of a '70s thriller.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Gilroy stuck with the thriller genre, making the disappointing spy romance Duplicity and the less-disappointing-than-it-could've-been franchise offshoot The Bourne Legacy. —Darren Franich

03 of 25

Bennett Miller

Nominated for: Capote in 2006
What got Oscar's attention? As quietly and disarmingly captivating as its eponymous protagonist, Capote was rooted in Miller's skillful merging of a strong screenplay by Dan Futterman with Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winning lead performance.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Miller once again directed a star to Academy recognition with Brad Pitt in 2011's Moneyball. Next up, another true crime story: Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum. —Lanford Beard

04 of 25

Rob Marshall

Nominated for: Chicago in 2003
What got Oscar's attention? Marshall brought his theatrical expertise to show off the razzle dazzle aspect of the musical crime comedy.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Marshall, who got his start working on Broadway, followed up Chicago with the Oscar-winning Memoirs of a Geisha. He also directed Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, went back to his musical roots with Nine, and just completed production on the highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. —Jake Perlman

05 of 25

Stephen Daldry

Nominated for: Billy Elliot in 2001
What got Oscar's attention? Daldry's ebullient direction amid an early-'80s coal miners' strike storyline distinguished this tale of a working-class English boy who just wanted to dance.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Daldry has completed three more features since Billy, all of which were met with multiple Oscar nods (two of them — 2002's The Hours and 2008's The Reader — for his direction). He took Billy Elliot to London's West End and Broadway in 2005 and 2008, respectively, where it won both Olivier and Tony Awards for Best New Musical, and Daldry won the Tony for Best Director. In 2012, he also produced segments for the London Olympics. —Lanford Beard

06 of 25

Spike Jonze

Nominated for: Being John Malkovich in 2000
What got Oscar's attention? Jonze used vivid imagery and surreal storytelling that transcended the word ''imaginative'' (the scenes in Malkovich's subconscious are particularly mesmerizing.)
Did he win? No
What Happened Next? Jonze is selective about his feature films, mostly making video shorts and documentaries, but his picks tends to generate awards-season buzz, including 2002's Adaptation., 2009's Where the Wild Things (a Golden Globe nominee), and 2013's Her (which scored Jonze a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nom). —Andrea Towers

07 of 25

Sam Mendes

Nominated for: American Beauty in 2000
What got Oscar's attention? Mendes coaxed crackerjack performances from Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Chris Cooper, and displayed a sense of zeitgeist-capturing depth from Alan Ball's script.
Did he win? Yes
What happened next? Mendes' films Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, and Skyfall would all receive Oscar nods — although not in the Best Director category. —Clark Collis

08 of 25

Peter Cattaneo

Nominated for: The Full Monty in 1998
What got Oscar's attention? Physical humor with an emotional core, Cattaneo balanced headline-grabbing stripping scenes with deeper psychological undercurrents.
Did he win? No
What happened next? After a string of small-budget films (including the 2008 Rainn Wilson comedy The Rocker) Cattaneo has returned to his TV roots in the U.K. —Lanford Beard

09 of 25

Chris Noonan

Nominated for: Babe in 1996
What got Oscar's attention? As writer and director of the live-action pig tale, Noonan wowed voters with the realism of talking animals. Remember, this was at a time when 2-D animated films dominated and CGI hadn't saturated the market.
Did he win? No
What happened next? After producer and cowriter George Miller took the reins on 1998's Babe: Pig in the City, Noonan kept a relatively low profile, save for the 2006 biopic Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger, plus TV directing gigs in his native Australia. —Lanford Beard

10 of 25

John Singleton

Nominated for: Boyz n the Hood in 1992
What got Oscar's attention? Singleton, who was also nominated for Boyz' Original Screenplay, brought a raw authenticity to the tragic story of four boys growing up in urban Los Angeles at a time when the city's racial conflict and gang warfare were bubbling up in pop culture. He replaced Orson Welles as the youngest-ever Best Director nominee in Oscar history and remains so to this day.
Did he win? No
What happened next? After drawing on his background in music videos to direct Michael Jackson's iconic ''Remember the Time'' in 1992, Singleton continued to infuse his urban sensibility into originals (Poetic Justice, Higher Learning and big-budget action flicks (2000's Shaft reboot, 2 Fast 2 Furious). He found Oscar calling again as a producer of 2005's Hustle & Flow, though the film's Best Original Song victory was soured by litigation with Paramount that Singleton and the studio eventually settled. —Lanford Beard

11 of 25

Kevin Costner

Nominated for: Dances with Wolves in 1991
What got Oscar's attention? Costner captivated audiences for three hours as the story of Union soldier Lt. John Dunbar and his relationship with the Sioux unfolded on an epic Western scale.
Did he win? Yes (Costner also shelved a Best Picture trophy as the film's producer but missed the hat trick when Jeremy Irons won Best Actor for Reversal of Fortune)
What happened next? Costner's directed two more films (1997's The Postman and 2003's Open Range), but has yet to return to the Oscar category. Acting-wise, he's received Golden Globe nominations for 1991's JFK and 1996's Tin Cup, and earned both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for the 2012 History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. —Mandi Bierly

12 of 25

Kenneth Branagh

Nominated for: Henry V in 1990
What got Oscar's attention? Similar to Laurence Olivier's acclaimed 1944 version, but Branagh brought grit and realism.
Did he win? No
What happened next? No Oscar? No problem. Branagh has been a constant presence by directing, writing, and acting in everything from classic adaptations (Hamlet, Frankenstein) to action flicks Thor, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit to shorts. Along the way, he's picked up Academy Award nominations in three additional categories (Actor, Short Film — Live Action, and Adapted Screenplay) and a stack of other trophies. Is there anything this man can't do? —Andrea Towers

13 of 25

Jim Sheridan

Nominated for: My Left Foot in 1990
What got Oscar's attention? Sheridan's honest and intelligent portrayal of a quadriplegic man who develops into a brilliant writer also earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Sheridan has gone on to great success as a director, writer, and producer with a varied résumé (In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Brothers). Though he's added on five more Oscar nominations to his breakout turn, he has yet to claim his first win. —Jodi Walker

14 of 25

Roland Joffé

Roland Joffe, The Killing Fields | Nominated for: The Killing Fields in 1985 What got Oscar's attention? After a steady career as a TV director in Britain, Joffé's directorial debut of — Everett Collection

Nominated for: The Killing Fields in 1985
What got Oscar's attention? After a steady career as a TV director in Britain, Joffé's directorial debut of the harrowing story of a New York Times journalist and his translator took the 1985 Oscars by storm with seven nominations.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Joffé followed up his first nomination with another for The Mission (starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons) two years later, but has had less success in future years, even receiving a Razzie nomination for his adaptation of The Scarlett Letter... you know the one. —Jodi Walker

15 of 25

James L. Brooks

Nominated for: Terms of Endearment in 1984
What got Oscar's attention? Brooks' filmmaking gained attention for the ability to balance highly emotional scenes with equally hilarious ones, all while maintaining a consistent tone.
Did he win? Yes
What happened next? For the next 14 years, Brooks continued to make Oscar-nominated films. Broadcast News, Jerry Maguire (which he produced), and As Good as It Gets all received Best Picture nominations. Currently, Brooks continues to write for The Simpsons. His most recent directing gig was 2010's How Do You Know. —Samantha Highfill

16 of 25

Hugh Hudson

Nominated for: Chariots of Fire in 1982
What got Oscar's attention? Hudson's work was acknowledged for taking a film about running and adding layers of human emotion, often portrayed through memorable close-ups and precise attention to detail.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Since Chariots of Fire, Hudson's career has been a mix of good and bad. He made the acclaimed foreign film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in 1984 before he won a Razzie Award for Worst Director in 1986 for Revolution. —Samantha Highfill

17 of 25

Robert Redford

Nominated for: Ordinary People in 1981
What got Oscar's attention? Redford's film could have become a suburban soap opera but his matter-of-fact style allowed his characters to grow, change, and explore complexities throughout the film.
Did he win? Yes
What happened next? Redford continues to act and direct to this day. He was nominated in 2002 for his directing and producing work on Quiz Show, though a second acting nod — the first was for 1973's The Sting — has eluded him. Behind the camera, Redford's last film was 2013's The Company You Keep. His production company also founded the Sundance Film Festival, which not only netted him an honorary Oscar in 2002 but has been responsible for breaking out dozens of Academy-approved directors, including Benh Zeitlin, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and Spike Jonze, for starters. —Samantha Highfill

18 of 25

Warren Beatty and Buck Henry

Buck Henry, Warren Beatty, ... | Nominated for: Heaven Can Wait in 1979 What got Oscar's attention? Beatty and Henry were praised for their confident reintroduction of the screwball comedy to — Everett Collection

Nominated for: Heaven Can Wait in 1979
What got Oscar's attention? Beatty and Henry were praised for their confident reintroduction of the screwball comedy to Hollywood.
Did they win? No
What happened next? Beatty earned the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2000 — no surprise considering his career haul: Best Director on 1981's Reds, plus six more nods as an actor, producer, and screenwriter. Henry is currently an active actor, recently appearing on the TV show Franklin & Bash in 2013. —Samantha Highfill

19 of 25

Mike Nichols

Nominated for: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1967
What got Oscar's attention? Nichols harnessed the wild energy of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, transforming a powerhouse play into a cinematic cage match.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Nichols won the Best Director Oscar for The Graduate in 1968 and has spent the ensuing half century winning accolades for his work on the big screen, small screen, and the stage. How many accolades? He is a rare recipient of the full EGOT. —Darren Franich

20 of 25

Frank Perry

Nominated for: David and Lisa in 1963
What got Oscar's attention? The low-budget weirdo love story earned praise at a time when low-budget weirdo love stories barely existed.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Perry's idiosyncratic career includes the underrated 1968 Cheever adaptation The Swimmer. But you probably know him best for the 1981 camp classic Mommie Dearest. —Darren Franich

21 of 25

Jerome Robbins

Nominated for: West Side Story in 1962
What got Oscar's attention? Already tapped twice by Tony (including a Best Choreography win for the 1957 original production of West Side Story), Robbins understood visuals and brought a distinctive style of movement that changed the landscape for movie musicals.
Did he win? Yes (Robbins shared the award with Robert Wise and also took home an honorary Oscar in '62 ''for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film'')
What happened next? Robbins returned to his Broadway roots, picking up three more Tonys for his work on Fiddler on the Roof (Best Direction and Best Choreography in 1965) and 1989's Jerome Robbins' Broadway, plus a producing nod in 1963 for Mother Courage and Her Children. He also had a decades-long artistic relationship with the New York City Ballet, for which he and George Balanchine were co-founding choreographers. —Andrea Towers

22 of 25

Jack Clayton

Nominated for: Room at the Top in 1960
What got Oscar's attention? Clayton's social-realist take on the John Braine novel helped inaugurate the cinema verite-inflected era of films known as the British New Wave.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Clayton fitfully directed a series of movies over the next few decades, the most notable and terrible of which was the Robert Redford Great Gatsby in 1974. —Darren Franich

23 of 25

Sidney Lumet

Nominated for: 12 Angry Men in 1958
What got Oscar's attention? Lumet took a low-budget potboiler set essentially in just one room and turned it into a thrilling actor's showcase.
Did he win? No
What happened next? Lumet was nominated three more times for Best Director — for Dog Day Afternoon in 1976, Network (1977), and The Verdict (1983) — as well as for his adapted screenplay for 1981's Prince of the City. He ultimately won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Also, he made some of the best movies of the last 50 years. —Darren Franich

24 of 25

Delbert Mann

Nominated for: Marty in 1955
What got Oscar's attention? A TV director by trade, Mann translated the original TV drama to the big screen, a warm and crowd pleasing delight.
Did he win? Yes
What happened next? He never really made another film as good as Marty. But he worked steadily through the mid-'90s. So, not too shabby. —Darren Franich

25 of 25

Orson Welles

Nominated for: Citizen Kane in 1942
What got Oscar's attention? Who doesn't love sleds? See also: Welles' reinvention of the language of cinema.
Did he win? No
What happened next? More stuff than we have space to even hint at here. Suffice it to say, the man who made the film many claim to be the greatest of all time never troubled the Best Director category again, although he did receive an honorary Oscar for superlative artistry in 1971. —Clark Collis