4. David Mamet
David Mamet is an interesting example of a director who loves to work with his spouse, because while he is among the more prolific entries into this list, he is also one of the most consistent and talented. He has not only cast wife Rebecca Pidgeon in a variety of original films he wrote and directed - including
Redbelt, Heist, The Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, Homicide, The Winslow Boy and
Oleanna - as well as several films which he penned either the original play or the script for (
Edmond and
The Water Engine). Add to this some short film collaborations (
Catastrophe, Two Painters) as well as an episode of
Performance, a brief stint on
The Shield and a 14-episode run on Mamet's
The Unit, and you have quite the fruitful partnership indeed. I can't be too harsh on Mamet, though, if only because the acid-tongued scribe scares the Hell out of me. After all, he's among the last of Hollywood's writer-directors one would expect to be held at his wife's whim, and in honesty, I imagine he just loves his wife a lot and thinks she's a good actress, really.