Movies

101 Director Trivia Questions For Filmmaking Fans

Outside of lead actors, directors are one of the first names you notice when a new movie comes out. People are more likely to see an action movie made by Stephen Spielberg than John Smith, or a romance by Nora Ephron rather than Jane Johnson. Some directors are instantly recognizable by their style, like Tim Burton or Guillermo del Torro, while others add signature effects to their work like David Fincher or Darren Aronofsky. 

Directors that can shape the way we think and feel about our world hold special places in our hearts. But how much do you know about these iconic filmmakers? These movie giants have shaped and influenced the cultural landscape as we know it – and they’ve got the stories to prove it. If you think you know these directors and all their fun facts, check out our director trivia questions and answers. 

Want more movie trivia? Try our wide variety of movie trivia like movie quotes and our Quentin Tarantino. Ready, set, and…action!  

Which Eric Clapton song is used in Martin Scorsese’s movie ‘Goodfellas’ (1990)?

Cocaine’

Wonderful Tonight’

White Room’

Sunshine of Your Love’

Which was Woody Allen’s first film as director?

Take The Money And Run

What’s Up, Tiger Lily?

Bananas

What’s New, Pussycat?

For which movie did Joel Coen win an Academy Award for Best picture?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ (2000)

True Grit’ (2010)

Fargo’ (1996)

No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

Which Italian is the first director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best director?

Pietro Germi

Michelangelo Antonioni

Federico Fellini

Gillo Pontecorvo

How is the actress Ingrid Bergman related to the director Ingmar Bergman?

his wife

not related

his niece

his daughter

For which movie did John Ford win his last Academy Award for Best director?

How Green Was My Valley’ (1941)

The Informer’ (1935)

Gideon of Scotland Yard’ (1958)

The Quiet Man’ (1952)

For which movie did Danny Boyle win The Academy Award, the Golden Globe, Director’s Guild and BAFTA for Best director?

127 Hours’ (2010)

Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008)

Sunshine’ (2007)

The Beach’ (2000)

Who was the director of A Beautiful Mind?

Peter Jackson

Ridley Scott

Ron Howard

David Lynch

Which of these won the Best Director Oscar EARLIER than the others?

Woody Allen

Milos Foreman

Warren Beatty

Oliver Stone

Who was the director of ‘The Hunger Games’?

Gore Verbinski

Steven Spielberg

George Lucas

Gary Ross

Who was the director of Life of Pi?

Ang Lee

Tom Hooper

Danny Boyle

Kathryn Bigelow

Which director famously directed the 1984 Macintosh ad?

Jonathan Ive

James Cameron

Ridley Scott

Steven Spielberg

What is Steven Spielberg’s middle name?

Allan

Mills

George

Bob

Who was the director of Milk?

Gus Van Sant

Steven Spielberg

Quentin Tarantino

David O. Russell

For which of these movies did Quentin Tarantino win an Academy Award for Best writing, original screenplay?

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ (2019)

True Romance’ (1993)

Django Unchained’ (2012)

Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Who directed the film ‘Unforgiven’?

Steven Spielberg

Clint Eastwood

Johnathan Demme

Martin Scorsese

Who was the director of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’?

Christopher Nolan

Gore Verbinski

Steven Spielberg

George Lucas

Which was the last of these Woody Allen movies to be released?

Annie Hall

Hannah and Her Sisters

Sleeper

Bullets Over Broadway

In which of these Peter Jackson’s movies was Cate Blanchett not part of the cast?

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)

Hot Fuzz’ (2007)

The Lovely Bones’ (2009)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

In which of these Sidney Lumet movies was Sean Connery not part of the cast?

The Hill’ (1965)

The Appointment’ (1969)

The Anderson Tapes’ (1971)

Murder on the Orient Express’ (1974)

In which of these George Cukor’s movies was Katharine Hepburn not part of the cast?

A Bill of Divorcement’ (1932)

Pat and Mike’ (1952)

A Star Is Born’ (1954)

The Philadelphia Story’ (1940)

Which of these actors won an Academy Award for his performance in an Elia Kazan’s movie?

Gregory Peck

Rod Steiger

Lee J. Cobb

Marlon Brando

Which of these movies by Martin Scorsese was released Earliest?

Goodfellas

Gangs of New York

Casino

Cape Fear

Which director has won the most Academy Awards for Best director?

Howard Hawks

William Wyler

John Ford

Frank Capra

Which director has been nominated a record 12 times for the Academy Award for best director?

John Ford

William Wyler

Stanley Kubrick

Alfred Hitchcock

Which actress has been married to film directors David Lynch and Martin Scorsese?

Barbara Windsor

Vanessa Redgrave

Isabella Rossellini

Julie Goodyear

Who was the director of The Pianist?

Roman Polanski

Sofia Coppola

George Clooney

Peter Weir

In which of these Ridley Scott movies was Russell Crowe not part of the cast?

Black Hawk Down’ (2001)

A Good Year’ (2006)

American Gangster’ (2007)

Gladiator’ (2000)

Martin Scorsese: Which of these Scorsese movies was released first?

Cape Fear

The Color of Money

Goodfellas

Casino

The action of which Martin Scorsese’s movie is not about the mob?

Goodfellas’ (1990)

Casino’ (1995)

Mean Streets’ (1973)

Raging Bull’ (1980)

Which actor/director was behind the films ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘Manhattan’?

Quentin Tarantino

Clint Eastwood

Woody Allen

Kenneth Brannagh

Who was the director of Mulholland Drive?

David Lynch

Pedro Almodóvar

Ridley Scott

Peter Jackson

Classic TV series Columbo helped launch the career of which of these celebrated directors?

Francis Ford Coppola

Robert Redford

Martin Scorsese

Steven Spielberg

Which movie director has made the video for Madonna’s song ‘Vogue’?

David Fincher

Tony Scott

Danny Boyle

Martin Scorsese

For which movie did Michael Curtiz win an Academy Award for Best director?

Angels with Dirty Faces’ (1938)

Casablanca’ (1942)

Four Daughters’ (1938)

Yankee Doodle Dandy’ (1942)

The 2002 film, ‘The Pianist’, won ‘Best Director’, but who directed it?

David Lynch

Rob Marshall

Roman Polanski

Ang Lee

Where was Ang Lee born?

Japan

Taiwan

China

South Korea

The term ‘paparazzi’ comes from a character named Paparazzo from which Federico Fellini’s movie?

Fellini’s Casanova’ (1976)

Nights of Cabiria’ (1957)

Juliet of the Spirits’ (1965)

La Dolce Vita’ (1960)

Who was the director of Lincoln?

Steven Spielberg

Kathryn Bigelow

Ang Lee

Tom Hooper

Who was the director of the first Spider-Man trilogy?

Shane Black

Alan Taylor

Sam Raimi

J. J. Abrams

What was the name of the character played by Quentin Tarantino in his movie ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)?

Jules Winnfield

Jimmie Dimmick

Vincent Vega

Marsellus Wallace

For which movie did Roman Polanski win the Academy Award for Best director?

The Pianist’ (2002)

Chinatown’ (1974)

Tess’ (1979)

Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)

Which of these won the Best Director Oscar EARLIER than the others?

Ron Howard

Peter Jackson

Sam Mendes

Ang Lee

For which movie was Howard Hawks nominated for the Academy Awards for best director?

Red Line 7000′ (1965)

Sergeant York’ (1941)

Rio Bravo’ (1959)

Red River’ (1948)

Which film director is nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Zombies’?

John Landis

George A. Romero

John Carpenter

David Cronenberg

Which film won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1965?

Stanley Donen

William Wyler

Jerome Robbins

Robert Wise

Where was Roman Polanski born?

Cairo

Beirut

Paris

Warsaw

Who was the director of Talk to Her?

M. Night Shyamalan

John Madden

Pedro Almodóvar

Terrence Malick

Who won the Oscar for Best Director BEFORE the others?

Warren Beatty

Clint Eastwood

Barry Levinson

Oliver Stone

What was the last movie Woody Allen won an Academy Award for?

Blue Jasmine’ (2013)

Deconstructing Harry’ (1997)

Match Point’ (2005)

Midnight in Paris’ (2011)

Which actor produced the 2007 movie ‘Juno’ ?

John Malkovich

John Cusack

Edward Norton

Gabriel Byrne

In which Martin Scorsese movie did David Bowie makes an appearance?

The King of Comedy’ (1982)

The Last Temptation of Christ’ (1988)

The Color of Money’ (1986)

New York, New York’ (1977)

What was Charles Chaplin’s middle name?

Charlie

Spencer

William

Haywood

Which famous actress is Francis Ford Coppola’s sister?

Raquel Welch

Holland Taylor

Charmian Carr

Talia Shire

Who was the director of the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still?

Robert Wise

Richard Fleischer

Bryon Haskin

Henry Levin

Which 2004 film, directed by Mike Nicholls concerns two obsessive couples whose intimacy pushes them further apart?

The Breakfast Club

Closer

Carnal Knowledge

Stranger Than Fiction

Who was the director of Michael Clayton?

Clint Eastwood

Martin Scorsese

Tony Gilroy

Joel and Ethan Coen

Who was the director of ‘Inglourious Basterds’?

David O. Russell

Quentin Tarantino

Steven Spielberg

Ang Lee

Who was the director of ‘Black Hawk Down’?

Peter Jackson

Ridley Scott

John Madden

Pedro Almodóvar

Who directed the film ‘JFK’?

James Cameron

David Lynch

Kevin Costner

Oliver Stone

Who was the director of The Hurt Locker?

Kathryn Bigelow

David Fincher

Paul Thomas Anderson

Danny Boyle

Who was the director of ‘Million Dollar Baby’?

Rob Marshall

Martin Scorsese

Clint Eastwood

Joel and Ethan Coen

For which of his movies did Oliver Stone win the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, Director’s Guild and BAFTA?

Platoon’ (1986)

Nixon’ (1995)

Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989)

JFK’ (1991)

In 2010, which airline removed film director Kevin Smith from a plane because he was too obese to fly?

Delta

AirTran

Continental

Southwest

Which actor plays a role in six consecutive Christopher Nolan’s movies?

Michael Caine

John Lithgow

Liam Neeson

Matthew McConaughey

Who was the director of Chicago?

Peter Weir

Sofia Coppola

Rob Marshall

Roman Polanski

For which of these movies was Ridley Scott not nominated for an Academy Award for Best director?

The Martian’ (2015)

Thelma & Louise’ (1991)

Black Hawk Down’ (2001)

Gladiator’ (2000)

Who directed the Oscar winning film ‘A Beautiful Mind’?

Mel Gibson

Peter Jackson

Clint Eastwood

Ron Howard

In which of these Francis Ford Coppola’s movies was Diane Lane not part of the cast?

Jack’ (1996)

The Outsiders’ (1983)

Gardens of Stone’ (1987)

Rumble Fish’ (1983)

What is the middle name of the director James Cameron?

David

William

Stephen

Francis

Martin Scorsese won his first Golden Globe award for Best director for which movie?

Gangs of New York’ (2002)

Raging Bull’ (1980)

Casino’ (1995)

Goodfellas’ (1990)

Oliver Stone was not nominated for an Academy Award for Best director for which of these movies?

Midnight Express’ (1978)

JFK’ (1991)

Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989)

Platoon’ (1986)

Who was the director of ‘Titanic’?

Rob Marshall

John Lasseter

Jon Favreau

James Cameron

Which of these actors have won an Academy Award for his performance in a William Wyler movie?

James Stephenson

Walter Pidgeon

Anthony Perkins

Walter Brennan

Who was the director of ‘American Beauty’?

David Lynch

Ron Howard

Sam Mendes

Steven Soderbergh

Which song title was also a David Lynch film?

Blue Velvet

Red Red Wine

White Rabbit

Green River

Who directed and played the title role in the 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’?

Greg Wise

Chris Pine

Kevin Kline

Kenneth Branagh

What is the name of Ridley Scott’s brother who is also a movie director?

Andrew

Tony

William

Rory

Who directed the 2009 adaptation of ‘Watchmen’?

Christopher Nolan

Ben Affleck

Frank Miller

Zack Snyder

For which movie did Billy Wilder win his first Academy Award for Best director?

Hold Back the Dawn’ (1941)

Ninotchka’ (1939)

The Lost Weekend’ (1945)

Double Indemnity’ (1944)

For which movie did David Lean win his first Academy Award for Best director?

Summertime’ (1955)

Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)

Doctor Zhivago’ (1965)

The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)

Who directed the cult film ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’?

Stanley Kubrick

Ridley Scott

Ed Wood Jr.

David Cronenberg

Which director has most consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best picture?

Martin Scorsese

William Wyler

Frank Capra

Steven Spielberg

Where was Ingmar Bergman born?

Sweden

Germany

Austria

Denmark

For which of his movies did Steven Spielberg win the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, Director’s Guild and BAFTA?

Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Jaws’ (1975)

Schindler’s List’ (1993)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982)

Which Martin Scorsese movie is first movie to gross over $100 million in the United States?

Goodfellas’ (1990)

The Aviator’ (2004)

The Wolf of Wall Street’ (2013)

Gangs of New York’ (2002)

Which movie directed by Frank Capra is considered as most uplifting movie of all time by the American Film Institute?

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town’ (1936)

It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ (1939)

Meet John Doe’ (1941)

Who was the director of No Country for Old Men?

Sofia Coppola

Roman Polanski

Rob Marshall

Joel and Ethan Coen

Where was Peter Jackson born?

United Kingdom

New Zealand

Australia

Argentina

For which movie was Federico Fellini nominated for an Academy Award for the first time?

Paisà’ (1946)

Variety Lights’ (1950)

Roma città aperta’ (1945)

The White Sheik’ (1952)

The action of which David Fincher’s movie is not centered around finding a serial killer?

Zodiac’ (2007)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)

Fight Club’ (1999)

Se7en’ (1995)

How old was Charles Chaplin when his youngest son Christopher was born?

63

53

83

73

Who was the director of ‘Avatar’?

James Cameron

Gary Ross

Jon Favreau

John Lasseter

Which actress is the spouse of director Paul Thomas Anderson?

Diane Kruger

Maya Rudolph

Rachel McAdams

Katie Holmes

What was Clint Eastwood’s debut film as director?

High Plains Drifter

Play Misty for Me

Million Dollar Baby

Magnum Force

Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam directed which of the folowing films?

Finland

Brazil

Mongolia

Chile

Which actress is the mother of director Sergio Leone?

Bice Valerian

Mirra Principi

Lyda Borelli

Lydia De Roberti

Who directed the film ‘The Silence of the Lambs’?

James Cameron

Johnathan Demme

Tim Burton

David Lynch

How many Academy Awards did Ang Lee’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000) win?

6

3

5

4

How many Golden Globes for Best director has Martin Scorsese won?

2

3

4

1

Who won the Oscar for Best Director BEFORE the others?

Steven Spielberg

Peter Jackson

Sam Mendes

Ron Howard

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