15. Werner Herzog
The most important German filmmaker since the silent era, Werner Herzog's films are some of the grandest and most ambitious of all modern films and his style has been called "Wagnerian" on more than one occasion. During the 1970's Herzog embarked on a remarkable run of acclaimed films, beginning with Aguirre, the Wrath of God in 1972 and continuing with The Engima of Kasper Hauser, Stroszek, Nosferatu the Vampyre, and Fitzcarraldo. After the start of the 1980's, Herzog shifted more towards documentary features which were no less ambitious or challenging than his fiction films, which he did continue to make but not as frequently. In addition to his filmmaking, Herzog has acted on occasion and has written several books and directed both operas and theatre productions. Herzog has been called "the most important film director alive" by Francois Truffaut and has been praised by many critics for his uncompromising approach to subject matter. His willingness to put everything on the line to make his films(read about the behind the scenes chaos of Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo) has been inspiring for young directors and his omnipresence across the entire film industry has made him something of a German Martin Scorsese, as well as a living legend.