10 Actors Who Became Awesome Directors

Throughout the 1990s, Jon Favreau made a name for himself playing small bit-parts on myriad movies and TV shows, most notably 1996's Swingers - which he also wrote - and a six-episode stint on Friends as Monica's (Courteney Cox) boyfriend Pete Becker.

It wasn't until 2001, however, that Favreau made his directorial debut with the broadly acclaimed crime comedy Made. But Favreau joined the big leagues with his 2003 follow-up Elf, which despite its troubled production was a surprise critical and commercial smash.

Favreau immediately joined the ranks of tentpole filmmakers who producers would have on speed dial, leading to him eventually winning the opportunity to direct the first Iron Man film.

Its enormous success saw him return for the sequel, after which Favreau reminded us all he was still capable of smaller-scale films, delivering the terrific foodie dramedy Chef.

More recently in the big-budget arena he helmed a live-action remake of The Jungle Book that inexplicably surpassed the original, and is the creator of the hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian, of which he's also directed an episode.

It'd be easy to simply consider Favreau a solid hired hand, but he's so much more than that, his experience on low-budget indies ensuring he never loses sight of the humanity in his larger-scale tentpoles.

He may not be as showy as some of his MCU and Star Wars contemporaries, but he's exactly the sort of smart, confident filmmaker you want making the tough tonal and aesthetic choices for massive cinematic universes.