Cuarón and Hitchcock and Scorsese, Oh My! The Greatest Directors Of All-Time

15. Billy Wilder

Image Source: The Independent

Probably the most suave and subject-oriented auteur from the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Austrian-born Billy Wilder is credited with having made some of the most influential movies in the period spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s. He found humor (or humanity) in the darkest foibles, a trait that got him into box office trouble with mean-spirited films like Ace in the Hole, starring Kirk Douglas as a cutthroat reporter, and Kiss Me, Stupid, with Ray Walston as a wily composer.

Some of Wilder’s most notable ventures include Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot and The Apartment. Despite his conservative directorial style, his subject matter often pushed the boundaries of mainstream entertainment. Wilder is also widely believed to have kick-started the careers of William Holden and Marilyn Monroe.