23. David Lynch
There is probably no director in film history who has more readily been identified with the strange and surreal as David Lynch and definitely none who have become as iconic in the mainstream. Originally a painter, Lynch brought the surrealist touch of one to his first projects, short films made at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After studying at the American Film Institute, Lynch's debut film, 1977's Eraserhead, became an instant cult classic and brought him to the attention of film fans everywhere. In the early 1980's he made his most mainstream work such as The Elephant Man in 1980 and an ill-fated adaption of Frank Herbert's Dune a few years later. He returned to his trademark directorial style with 1986's Blue Velvet and has continued to turn out puzzling, cerebral films ever since. Lynch's use of dreams and dreamlike imagery draws from the influence of European directors such as Federico Fellini, and his consistently dark vision of contemporary society has been much copied by modern filmmakers. His films have opened the door for cinematic abstraction in American filmmaking and his unique style has spawned countless imitators.