9. George Clooney
With four directing credits to his name, two of which have seen him nominated for Academy Aards (one for direction and one for an adapted screenplay), George Clooney's character-driven films, the highlights of which include 2011 political drama The Ides Of March (in which he also stars), and 2005 period piece Good Night And Good Luck, sit well in his filmography, complementing the acting roles in films such as Syriana, Michael Clayton and Oceans Eleven that have seen him recognised as one of the best actors of his generation. 2014 will see him behind the camera once again, in a project currently known as 'The Monuments Men' In a honourable mention, many of Clooneys contemporaries have also produced sterling efforts in their (as yet) limited appearances behind the camera, including Shawshank Redemption star Tim Robbins, whose three directorial outings include the absorbing Dead Man Walking, starring Sean Penn, who himself has received acclaim for some of his outputs, most notably 2007 biopic Into The Wild.