Some of the most phenomenal and visionary directors have continued dominating the silver screen well into their 80s, proving age is just a number. With many of these filmmakers having careers spanning upwards of six decades, it is both admirable and inspiring to witness such creators remain powerful presences in cinema. These exceptional minds have spoiled audiences with their imagination and innovation, further establishing their reign as Hollywood icons and royalty. From revered film titans like John Huston and Ridley Scott to actor-turned-director icon Clint Eastwood, there have been countless directors who have refused to slow down despite their older age.
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Animation legend and beloved storyteller Hayao Miyazaki is famous for his brilliant movies with Studio Ghibli, touching the hearts of viewers across the world with his cherished pictures like Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Woody Allen remains a major player in the film industry despite all the allegations against him, and has constantly released award-winning works; his most recent project, Rifkin’s Festival, debuted in 2020 when he was 84. Here are some directors who have made movie masterpieces even in their 80s.
Clint Eastwood
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cinema legend and cultural icon Clint Eastwood is a renowned actor and filmmaker who has not only starred in lauded classics like Dirty Harry, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and The Unforgiven but also successfully transitioned to work behind the camera, having helmed numerous revered pictures.
Eastwood made his directorial debut with the 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty for Me and has subsequently directed films like The Outlaw Josey Wales, In the Line of Fire, and Million Dollar Baby. In recent years, the silver screen staple has spearheaded the war drama American Sniper and crime drama The Mule in his 80s, with his most recent 2021 project Cry Macho having been released when Eastwood was 91-years-old.
Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli
Animation mastermind and lauded storyteller Hayao Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and has created some of the most beloved animated films of all time. Having launched the renowned Japanese studio in 1985, Miyazaki is famous for directing visually stunning cinematic treasures such as Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, with his highly-anticipated upcoming project How Do You Live? bringing him out of retirement.
Admired for his reoccurring themes of love, family, and environmentalism, the now 81-year-old filmmaker was inspired to create the animated picture for his grandson as his way of saying, “Grandpa is moving onto the next world soon, but he is leaving behind this film."
Sidney Lumet
ThinkFilm
Regarded as one of the most prolific filmmakers of the modern era, the great Sidney Lumet was heavily considered an actor’s director due to his ability to produce stellar performances from his dazzling stars. Having first made a splash in Tinseltown with the esteemed 1958 Henry Fonda-led courtroom drama 12 Angry Men, Lumet would continue to demonstrate his technical talent and flair for social realism with outstanding pictures like Serpico and Prince of the City.
The brilliant director released the final masterpiece of his career with 2007’s acclaimed crime drama Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, which appeared on countless critics’ top ten lists of the year and was called “superb” by Roger Ebert with Lumet being declared a “living treasure.” The decorated visionary passed away in 2011 at 86.
Woody Allen
Cinerama Releasing Corporation
With an illustrious career spanning more than six decades, Woody Allen was among the talented rising directors to emerge in the New Hollywood wave of filmmakers of the ‘60s and ‘70s, having established his prowess with beloved classics such as Manhattan, Annie Hall and Crimes and Misdemeanors. The filmmaker was a constant silver screen force throughout the latter part of the twentieth century, earning numerous accolades and praise for his experimentation, humor and unique cinematic vision. Allen has remained a presence in Hollywood and in recent years has helmed award-winning pictures like Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine, with his latest project being the 2020 comedy Rifkin’s Festival.
Robert Bresson
Senses of Cinema
Hailed for his exceptional minimalistic approach to storytelling, famed French film director Robert Bresson was the genius mind behind lauded pictures like A Man Escaped, The Trial of Joan of Arc, and The Devil Probably and was the recipient of multiple prestigious honors including Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival and the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Noted for his disciplined style, ellipses, and inclusion of non-professional actors, Bresson was praised by fellow director Jean-Luc Godard as “the French cinema, as Dostoevsky is the Russian novel and Mozart is German music.” His final film endeavor was the 1983 drama L’Argent, which garnered widespread acclaim for the then 82-year-old who later passed away in 1999.
John Huston
Paramount Pictures
Respected and celebrated as a titan in the Hollywood film industry, silver screen directing legend John Huston is the man behind cinematic classics like The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, and The Misfits and went on to have a profound career spanning 46 years. A talented filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter, Huston worked with some of the finest performers of the twentieth century including the great Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, and went on to receive 15 Oscar nominations with two wins.
Huston was also a wonderfully distinctive actor, known for his roles in Chinatown, The Cardinal, and The Other Side of the Wind. His last completed project was the 1987 drama The Dead starring his daughter Anjelica, which was released posthumously shortly after his death at 81; the picture earned him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director.
Jean-Luc Godard
Wild Bunch
A trailblazer of the 1960s French New Wave film movement, the brilliant Jean-Luc Godard is the visionary mind behind cinematic greats such as Breathless, Contempt, and A Woman Is a Woman, with the pioneer director having challenged the code of both French films and the Hollywood industry. His contributions to the cinema are lauded for having “revolutionized the motion picture form” with his experimentation and innovation in regard to concepts like camerawork and narrative, and his career has spanned over 60 years.
Godard has not slowed down a bit despite being 91, creating numerous short and feature length films in recent years; his 2018 avant-garde essay drama The Image Book was chosen to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, instead winning the first and only ‘Special Palme dOr’ in history.
Ridley Scott
Warner Bros.
Revered for his sci-fi masterpieces like Alien and Blade Runner as well as notable Oscar-winning pictures Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott has made tremendous contributions to cinema with his innovative vision. The director has consistently helmed acclaimed pictures since his debut with the 1977 historical drama The Duelists, with some of his most lauded works premiering in the last decade.
Scott has continued to enthrall audiences with riveting films like The Martian, All the Money in the World, and The Last Duel, with 2021’s House of Gucci being his latest cinematic achievement. At 84, the director continues to add to his already spectacular resume, with the upcoming epic historical drama Napoleon set to make its premiere on Apple TV+.
