10 Actors Who Became Awesome Directors
4. Tom McCarthy
Tom McCarthy spent the first decade-or-so of his Hollywood career working as one of the quintessential "that guy" actors, playing bit-parts in a host of TV shows and movies, including Spin City, Ally McBeal, Meet the Parents, and Boston Public.
But McCarthy made his directorial debut with 2003's fantastic Peter Dinklage-starring drama The Station Agent, which won him a BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and followed up with The Visitor, which netted star Richard Jenkins a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
The best was yet to come, however, as after directing his indie hit Win Win and his unfortunate stumble The Cobbler, McCarthy delivered his best film to date - 2015's Best Picture-winning journalistic drama Spotlight. McCarthy himself won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his work, in addition to a Best Director nomination.
His most recent film, the family-friendly Disney+ joint Timmy Failure, proved his impressive versatility where tone and genre are concerned, while his next feature is Stillwater, a crime drama starring Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin.