Being a good director is one thing. The ability to function as writer, director and actor all on the same film is about being on another level entirely. Not many attempt it: directors sometimes write and writers sometimes direct, but most filmmakers decline to step in front of the camera as well as call the shots behind it. And, those that do aren’t always particularly successful.
There are some actor-writer-directors, however, who can triple threat their way to making not just capable, but downright formidable movies. They’re a rare breed: a specialist in three very different art forms, who somehow have the skill and the patience to do all three at once.
For this list, writer-directors who make cameos as actor don’t count, so Quentin Tarantino doesn’t get a pass here (though considering how poor of an actor he is, QT probably wouldn’t get a pass even if he was the star of his movies). There’ll also only be one film permitted per person.
So, now that the rules are established, here are ten great movies made by actor-writer-directors.