14. Paul Thomas Anderson (42)
Filmography Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012). Its rare for most directors to have released one acclaimed film by the time they reach thirty, but Paul Thomas Anderson, who was voted the greatest working director in the world today by the Guardian last year, had three under his belt by the time he reached that age. These were Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and Magnolia, which earned six Oscar nominations between them and saw the young director help to propel the careers of Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore, amongst others. These were followed in 2002 by Punch Drunk Love, which has the distinction of proving that Adam Sandler can actually act, given the right material. A five year hiatus then followed before Anderson created what has been described as one of the best American films of the modern era in the form of There Will Be Blood, which saw Daniel Day Lewis secure his second Oscar win for Best Actor. His most recent film, The Master, was an early front runner for several Oscars, though it ultimately lost much of its momentum and won none of them. Having given Joaquin Phoenix his first significant acting job in several years with the part of the films lead, Anderson will team up with the actor once again on his next feature, an adaptation of Inherent Vice.