5. Judd Apatow
We couldn't possibly rank Judd Apatow any lower because we like his work, and frankly, he seems like a nice guy. His insistent casting of his wife Leslie Mann in not only his own directorial works, but even stuff he simply produces, makes him a ripe candidate for the list, though he steers clear of the dangerous end because there isn't that crass feel to his methods, like you're going to get from most everyone else below him. Mann has starred in every single one of Apatow's directorial efforts -
The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People and his upcoming
This Is 40 - as well as the show Apatow created,
Freaks and Geeks, and two films that he produced,
The Cable Guy and
Drillbit Taylor. Though clearly a product of nepotism and quite prolifically so, Mann at least fits the niche of the shrill-voiced wife character exceptionally well, and given her excellent chemistry with Paul Rudd in Knocked Up, we can't wait to see how the follow-up, This Is 40, turns out.