Greatest Movie Actors Who've Directed Themselves

Team FC

Orson Welles

Right from his first film Citizen Kane, Welles had the penchant to star in the projects he directed, and he went on to play pivotal roles in all but three of his directed works.

Raj Kapoor

Kapoor was among the pioneers of Hindi cinema's Golden Age, and he took to direction at the age of 24, helming Aag, which also established his partnership with Nargis. Of the nine films he directed thereafter, he also starred in the lead role in five and served purely as the director on the others.

Warren Beatty

Beatty became a highly-regarded producer in the New Wave era and eventually ventured into direction with Heaven Can Wait, in which he also played the lead. The film was a major critical and commercial success. He has directed four more films since, and starred in all of them.

Kevin Costner

Towards the end of his first decade as an actor, Costner directed and starred in a film called Dances with Wolves. He has since directed four films, and starred in all of them.

Kamal Haasan

It took Haasan two decades after appearing in front of the camera to take a seat behind it: he directed and starred in the Hindi film Chachi 420, and has acted in and directed four more films since then.

Denzel Washington

Washington ventured into direction with Antwone Fisher, more than two decades into his acting career. He starred in that film as well, and has done so in two more films he has directed, while also serving solely as the director on a fourth production.

Photo Credit: Mark Seliger

Ben Affleck

Affleck first called action on Gone Baby Gone, which starred his younger brother Casey in the lead role. With his second feature - The Town - he also took centre-stage, and has made and starred in three more films since.

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