Most of the popular Hollywood directors enjoy spacing out their projects. This not only gives them ample time to create quality movies but also gives them an opportunity to take a break and enjoy their success. However, over the years, there have been a number of filmmakers known to have an unrivaled work ethic.
These directors have put out way more projects than their peers, with most of the releases also being good quality-wise. Interestingly, some have also taken up a couple of extra gigs in addition to their directorial work, hence cementing their status as some of the most prolific individuals to ever be involved in the movie business.
Martin Scorsese - 26
Scorsese is most known for his gangster movies, notably, his piece-de-resistance, Goodfellas. While most of his movies tend to be blockbusters, he has directed multiple other movies that were rather underappreciated.
Doing the double work of creating and directing can be tedious and one of the ways Scorsese manages to be so prolific is by not coming up with stories of his own. The filmmaker is responsible for some of the best book-to-movie adaptations. Additionally, Scorsese ensures quality performances in his projects by relying on the same talented actors, notably Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Ridley Scott - 28
Over 40 years since he jumped into the mainstream, Scott is still churning out hit movies. In 2021, he had two critically acclaimed movies, namely House Of Gucci and The Last Duel.
Through Scott's work, the importance of only doing things you are passionate about becomes clear. Over the years, the director has mostly focussed on sci-fi and historical movies. And as expected, most of them have performed incredibly well. The director is also has a reputation for including strong female characters, most notably in Thelma & Louis, which has one of the best freeze-frame shots of all time.
Steven Spielberg - 35
Apart from directing plenty of movies, Spielberg also happens to be the most commercially successful director of all time. The worldwide gross of Jurassic Park ($10.6 billion) is still yet to be topped by any other movie.
Hard work sure does pay in Hollywood and Speilberg has achieved success on all fronts. He has a current net worth of $3.7 billion and is thus one of 2 Hollywood directors to achieve billionaire status (the other being George Lucas), He is also one of few directors to set up a studio, having co-founded Dreamworks. And though he is mostly known for his sci-fi masterpieces, there is hardly a genre that Spielberg hasn't experimented with.
Robert Altman - 35
Starting out as a TV director, Altman directed over 100 episodes of different shows before shifting to movies. He also had a penchant for using ensemble casts.
Altman's insistence on non-interference is what mostly enabled him to do so much. The director would mostly refuse to conform to the wishes of studio heads and as such, he mostly had to make indie movies. Moreover, Altman distinguished himself from his peers by relying on the anti-genre style of filmmaking.
Clint Eastwood - 36
Eastwood is undoubtedly one of the best-ever actors turned directors. Having spent his early career as a star of Western and action movies, he would go on to direct a number of Oscar-winning movies such as American Sniper and Million Dollar Baby.
Employees arent always guaranteed to make the best bosses, so Eastwood's achievements deserve plenty of praise. By summing up his acting and directing credits, Eastwood easily stands out as one of the most prolific people in Hollywood. And for him, it hasn't only been just about cinema. He also served as the mayor of Carmel, California.
Steven Soderbergh - 38
Soderbergh still holds the record of the youngest ever director to win the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. And despite his high output so far, the Oceans trilogy creator is still only 69.
High output can sometimes lead to burnout and over a decade ago, Soderbergh considered retiring, despite his young age. Luckily, he changed his mind after a brief hiatus. With a perfect blend of low-budget movies and blockbusters, Soderbergh always has something new for his fans each year.
Sidney Lumet - 43
Known for hits such as Network and Dog Day Afternoon, Lumet's legacy remained untouched. And apart from directing, he also served as a writer and producer in most of his movies.
While most modern-day directors prefer to skip a year or two before their next project, Lumet made a movie each year since his entry into the scene in 1957. Known as the "actor's director" Lumet worked with more stars than any director in his era, and mostly received praises from everyone he worked with.
Woody Allen - 50
There are multiple directors with roles in their own movies but Allen did it perhaps more than any other. Having started out as a comedian, he often felt the need to do more than just sit on the director's chair.
Anyone looking for work-ethic inspiration can always study Allen. Apart from acting and directing, he also wrote books and released stand-up comedy albums. And for a brief period in his career, he also served as a playwright. And there's an even better statistic - collectively, his movies received a whopping 53 Oscar nominations.
Alfred Hitchcock - 53
Hitchcock is often regarded as the best filmmaker of all time, and for good reason. He made a movie each year during his prime and none ever flopped.
Interestingly, Hitchcock's vast body of work mostly consists of psychological thrillers yet his most popular release is the horror flick, Psycho. By watching his movies, it's easy to see why he was christened the "Master Of Suspense." The twists and turns in Hitchcock's projects, coupled with the slick camera work, are what makes them entertaining.
Roger Corman - 55
Known as "The Pope of Pop Cinema," Corman was able to make multiple indie movies on tight budgets. He is also credited with launching the careers of Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Sylvester Stallone.
By mostly focussing on independent movies, Corman was able to avoid the studio restrictions that the majority of filmmakers have to contend with. And like Scorsese, he was also able to make a lot of projects by adapting tales from popular writers. A number of his movies, such as Death Race 2000, would later be remade.