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Famous Female Film Directors
Did you know that onscreen legend Ida Lupino was also one of film's pioneering female directors and producers? Or that visionary French filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché was among the first to create narrative fiction films and experiment with interracial casting? Female film directors amuse, terrify, delight and inspire us with their talent behind the camera for crafting memorable movies. Some began their career as actors, including former child stars Jodie Foster, Drew Barrymore and Laverne & Shirley star Penny Marshall. Other female directors are just as well-known for writing great scripts, including Nora Ephron, famous for the modern-day romantic classics Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Whatever their background, these famous female directors are known for their knack for delivering to the screen just what their audience wants.
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Featured Famous Female Film Directors
Explore Biography.com's collection of featured famous female directors, including Jane Campion (The Piano), Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Julie Taymor (Across the Universe) and Kathryn Bigelow. View full biographies, photos and videos.
See all Famous Female Film Directors (19)
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Jane Campion
- In these groups:
- Best Screenplay Oscar Winners
- Famous Taureans
- Famous Film Directors
Jane Campion
Director, Screenwriter / 1954 -
Jane Campion is a New Zealand film director and writer who won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Piano in 1993. She also directed Bright Star.
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Julie Taymor
- In these groups:
- Famous Puppeteers
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Film Directors
Julie Taymor
Artist, Director, Playwright / 1952 -
Director, playwright and designer Julie Taymor was the creative force behind Broadway’s The Lion King, and is a director of theater, opera and film.
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Sofia Coppola
- In these groups:
- Actors Turned Directors
- Best Screenplay Oscar Winners
- Famous Taureans
Sofia Coppola
Actress, Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1971 -
Sofia Coppola is a film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. She directed The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, winning an Oscar for the latter.
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Jodie Foster
- In these groups:
- Famous Moms
- Loved to Death
- Scream Queens
Jodie Foster
Actress, Director, Producer / 1962 -
Jodie Foster is an award-winning American actress best known for her roles in the films Taxi Driver, The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs.
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Kathryn Bigelow
- In these groups:
- Best Director Oscar Winners
- 2013 Oscar Nominees
- Groundbreaking Women
Kathryn Bigelow
Filmmaker, Screenwriter / 1951 -
Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow has directed films like Point Break and Zero Dark Thirty. In 2009, she became the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director for The Hurt Locker (2008).
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Penny Marshall
- In these groups:
- Actors Turned Directors
- Famous Libras
- Famous Film Directors
Penny Marshall
Director, Producer / 1943 -
Penny Marshall became a successful film director after starring in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley. Her works include Big and Riding in Cars With Boys.
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