21. John Cassavetes
Although probably better known to the general public as an actor, John Cassavetes was also an enormously influential film director who helped trail-blaze modern American Independent cinema. His films were largely self-financed and featured characters who, in contrast to many big budget movies, had motivations and desires that were not always made immediately recognizable. He used a very naturalistic filmmaking style that incorporated room for lots of improvisation from his actors and his work is often described as Cinéma Vérité, a style where the camera seems almost to capture real life. Cassavetes helped set the stage for the independent film revolution of the 90's by showing how movies could be effectively made while having a limited budget and unaccomplished actors. Many of his films were shot over a period of several years, using his friends and crew as actors, and a budget from his own bank account. Due to the unmatched artistic freedom he achieved, Cassavetes's films were much more uncompromising than many of his contemporaries, with a sense of realism that was absent from many other films of the era. Both the aesthetic qualities of his films and the way he went about making them have had an enormous influence on the American film industry that has lasted to this day.