Throughout the 2000s, there were plenty of famous directors who rose to fame with their iconic works that are now considered to be some of the most beloved and recognizable of all time - from auteur cinema to studio blockbusters, the 2000s were ruled by distinctive filmmakers and their visionary projects.

Although many of these directors had been working long before the 2000s began, they maintained their success throughout the decade with one or more recognizable movies that kept their names in the conversation. Ranker has collected them together in their master list of the best Hollywood directors of the early 21st Century.

Joel and Ethan Coen

Josh Brolin wearing a cowboy hat in No Country for Old Men

Best known simply as The Coens, Joel and Ethan have been making movies ever since their debut Blood Simple in 1985. However, the 2000s were arguably their most successful decade to date, as they released six movies that are all considered modern classics to this day.

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The most famous of their 2000s catalog is No Country For Old Men, which even went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards. It's considered one of the best modern Westerns ever made, thanks to their unique script and thrilling direction.

Clint Eastwood

Hilary Swank boxing in Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood has always been one of the biggest names in Hollywood, though his career started out on the acting side of the industry. From behind the director's chair, however, Eastwood was responsible for nine different movies throughout the 2000s - including his Best Picture-winning Million Dollar Baby.

Although not every single one of Eastwood's is a universal hit, the ones that he does succeed with are often considered instant classics of their genre. Both Mystic River and Gran Torino came out during the 2000s, and remain two of his most iconic works even today.

Steven Spielberg

Christopher Walken Catch me if you can (Leonardo Dicaprio)

Spielberg has been making movies long before the 2000s, although the decade was responsible for some of his most memorable and inspired works to date. He released seven films between 2000 and 2010, including his long-awaited Indiana Jones sequel, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

On the more critically-acclaimed side of things, the 2000s saw Spielberg responsible for both Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal, which are both still considered two of Tom Hanks' best movies to date. Spielberg has always been one of the biggest names in Hollywood, and he maintained this momentum throughout the 2000s.

Hayao Miyazaki

Chihiro looking into the distance in Spirited Away

Although his name might be a little less familiar with casual audiences, Miyazaki has been responsible for some of the most acclaimed and beloved animated films of the 2000s. He directed both Spirited Away and Princess Mononoketwo of Studio Ghibli's most successful and prestigious films.

There's an argument to be made that Miyazaki is one of the most underrated directors of all time since his name is often left out of the conversation despite the strong cultural impact of his films. Even the best Hayao Miyazaki films are often overlooked because of their genre, which is a huge shame.

Quentin Tarantino

Uma Thurman in a hoodie, doing martial arts in a scene from Kill Bill.

Tarantino's films all have a hugely distinctive style that's become beloved by all kinds of audiences, making him one of the most popular working directors of this generation. Throughout the 2000s, he made both Kill Bill movies alongside his Oscar-winning Inglourious Basterds.

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Although Tarantino's signature style isn't for everybody, there's no denying that his influence on the cinematic climate has been absolutely huge. Pulp Fiction featured one of the most revolutionary screenplays of all time, and he's carried this on throughout his career.

Peter Jackson

Frodo with the ring in The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the biggest cinematic events of all time, and New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson was responsible for all three of them. There are very few films that have fanbases as expansive and dedicated as Lord of the Rings, which is a testament to Jackson's work.

After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson carried on his career with his adaptation of King Kong - which was also a huge hit with both critics and audiences alike. Despite that, none of his later films were quite as successful as his adaptations of Tolkien's works, all of which were nominated for Best Picture, though they didn't all win.

Martin Scorsese

Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon talking in the Oscar nominated The Departed.

There are very few people that will deny Scorsese's influence on cinema throughout the '70s and '80s, though his works throughout the 2000s are a little less well-known. Despite that, he still provided audiences with some incredible movies: such as The Aviator and The Departed.

Although he's often remembered for his earlier classics like Taxi Driver and GoodfellasMartin Scorsese's more recent catalog is proof that he's still capable of the magic that propelled his career many years ago. He's been one of the industry's most reliable names for a long time, which will hopefully continue to be the case for many years to come.

David Fincher 

Jake-Gyllenhaal-as-Robert-Graysmith-in-Zodiac

David Fincher directed three films throughout the 2000s, and whilst a couple of them were fairly divisive and polarizing (Panic Room and Benjamin Button), the period was also responsible for one of his most beloved and most successful films of all time - Zodiac.

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Not only does Zodiac boast one of the most gripping and compelling stories ever told in this genre, but it's also full of incredible performances and some genuinely chilling moments that stuck with audiences for a long time. Many might say that Fincher peaked in the '90s, but Zodiac is a very strong rebuttal to that.

Ridley Scott

Gladiator Lucilla Maximus

Ridley Scott kicked off the 2000s with Gladiatorwhich instantly took the world by storm and even took home the Academy Award for Best Picture thanks to its epic story and ferocious lead performance. And although none of Scott's later films in the 2000s quite reached that level of prestige, he's been one of the most reliable and consistent directors ever since.

Black Hawk Down and American Gangster are just two examples of the great films that Scott was producing on an almost yearly basis, totaling eight films throughout this decade. The director produced so many movies over the years, that it's almost impossible to believe that so many of Ridley Scott's great ideas stayed unrealized for many years.

Christopher Nolan

Joker holding up a playing card in Dark Knight.

If there's one director whose name has become fairly synonymous with this period in time, it's Christopher Nolan. And not just for his incredible Dark Knight trilogy, but also for his inventive and stylish thrillers such as Memento and The Prestige.

Nolan has been producing fantastic work ever since his debut in the late '90s, but the 2000s was the period that his films really made their way into the mainstream. His films are reliably original and refreshing to watch, always full of new ideas and outstanding direction.

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