3. Martin Scorsese
Paramount Pictures
Filmography: Gangs of New York (2002); The Aviator (2004); The Departed (2006); Shutter Island (2010); Hugo (2011); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) It's easy to forget now, because Martin Scorsese's name is synonymous with the public consciousness' idea of a director, but out of all the famous auteurs to come out of the 1970's, Scorsese struggled almost more than anyone. Even his films that are now regarded as classics, like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, never made the sort of money that the films of some of his contemporaries made, and despite many critical kudos, Scorsese failed to win an Oscar until late in his career. In the 1980's, Scorsese even had to fight tooth and nail just to get some of his films made. It is a bit ironic then (or perhaps it is because of these difficulties), that among all his peers, Scorsese has seen more success late in his career than anyone else. You will hear from some corners that Scorsese has gone too mainstream, but this is utter hogwash, as proved by the hail storm caused by the nearly NC-17 rated The Wolf of Wall Street. The man is as interested in film as he has ever been and the subject matter he is interested in exploring is still as cutting edge and thought provoking as it was in the 1970s. Scan Scorsese's 21st century filmography, and while some films are definitely better than others, you'll notice there is not a bad film in the bunch. The man is a consummate director, a true American icon, and the fact that, at the age of 71, he is still continuing to test himself as an artist is an incredibly remarkable feat.