17. John Huston
A titanic figure in classic Hollywood, John Huston's movies took his heroes on quests of near-mythic proportions, tackling the biggest questions of his generation with the force and verve of the biggest literary icons of the day. His films were often concerned with noble characters who embark on heroic quests with the best intentions in mind but are slowly brought down by their experiences until they are doomed to destruction. Two of his films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen, are often considered among the best American films ever made and they best represent some of the themes that run throughout Huston's work. Huston was unique among filmmakers in that he rarely, if ever, did editing on his films in post-production, usually shaping the film as he shot it, resulting in cheaper and quicker shoots. His most lasting impact on filmmaking comes from his past as a painter and as a modern renaissance man as he treated his films like works of literature and shot them with the artistry of a painter. His films are often considered some of the best looking of Hollywood's classical era and his 15 Oscar nominations, for directing, screenwriting, and even acting, are representative of the respect he was held in by his peers.