Famous Australian Directors

Award-winning Australian porn actor-director Angela White now mostly works in the US. Part of the AVN Hall of Fame, is a gender studies graduate from the University of Melbourne and has conducted extensive research on pornography. She became the first Fleshlight Girl from Australia and has also been a webcam model.

Best known as Patrick Jane from The Mentalist, Australian actor Simon Baker was an avid surfer in his younger days. He won a Logie Award for his role in the series E Street and had a leading role in The Guardian, too. He has also appeared in films such as L.A. Confidential.

James Wan is an Australian screenwriter, film director, comic book writer, and producer. He is credited with creating or co-creating the popular Insidious, Saw, and The Conjuring Universe franchises. An exponent of the horror genre, James Wan established the Atomic Monster Productions, which produces television and film projects. He is also one of the most successful filmmakers of his generation.

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian writer and filmmaker. Thanks to his deep involvement in the direction, writing, and musical aspects of his work, Luhrmann is cited as an example of an auteur. His involvement often reflects on his work as he is one of the most successful Australian directors of his generation; many of his films are huge commercial successes.

Peter Weir is an Australian former film director. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed and successful films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In 2022, Peter Weir was honored at the Academy Awards with the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement.

English-born Australian actress, director, and screenwriter, Rachel Ward, has been active in the entertainment industry for over 40 years. She attended the Byam Shaw School of Art in London for some time but quit midway to start her career as a model. Following a successful stint as a model, she began acting and screenwriting.

Active in the film industry for over 35 years, Russell Crowe is an actor, film producer, director, and musician. Gaining international fame with his role in the epic historical film Gladiator in 2000, he is the recipient of several awards, including an Academy Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award.

Tilda Cobham-Hervey is an Australian actress known for her work in all three major acting mediums. She is one of the few actresses with a background in physical theatre and circus. Her journey from being an entertainer at a circus, whose specialities involved acrobatic pitching, trapeze, and hula hoop, to becoming a popular actress is quite inspirational.

Best known for his various roles in the American Horror Story media franchise, Cody Fern is an Australian actor-director. He got his major stage breakthrough with the role of Albert in the play War Horse and later won the Heath Ledger Scholarship. He has also appeared in the Netflix drama House of Cards.

Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, actor, producer, and director. He often collaborates with his friend James Wan, and the two have worked together on the movies Saw, Dead Silence, and Insidious. He also wrote the Saw video game. He worked as a reporter and film critic for TV shows before entering the film industry. 

Hugh Keays-Byrne was a British-Australian actor and film director. He is best remembered for playing the antagonist in two Mad Max movies: Toecutter in Mad Max and Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road. Hugh Keays-Byrne is also remembered for his performance in one of the episodes of Rush, which earned him the prestigious Logie Award for Best Actor in 1977.

Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British dancer, choreographer, author, theatre director, conductor, and former drag queen. Also a TV personality, Horwood is best known for appearing as a judge on the British television dance contest, Strictly Come Dancing. Craig Revel Horwood has also released three autobiographies by joining hands with Michael O'Mara Books.

Justin Kurzel is an Australian screenwriter and film director. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films like Snowtown, Macbeth, and Nitram. His films Snowtown and Nitram earned him AACTA Award for Best Direction.

Canadian-Australian actor Aden Young is best known to fans as Daniel Holden from Rectify. Born to a CBC broadcaster father, he participated in theater even as a child. He later also gained fame with films such as I, Frankenstein and The Unseen. He is married to Australian singer Loene Carmen.

Andrew Dominik is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the 2000 crime drama film Chopper, which earned him several awards, including AFI Award and Film Critics Circle of Australia Award. Andrew Dominik's 2012 American crime film Killing Them Softly won the Best Screenplay award at the 2012 Stockholm International Film Festival.

John Jarratt is an Australian actor, director, producer, and TV presenter. He has played important roles in popular films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, We of the Never Never, and Dark Age. John Jarratt is also known for his performance in the Australian drama TV series McLeod's Daughters.

Nash Edgerton is an Australian actor, film director, and stuntman. He is best known for his work as a stuntman in popular films like The Matrix trilogy, Superman Returns, and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Nash Edgerton is also known for directing critically acclaimed short films like Bear and Spider.

Multiple BAFTA award-winning Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger had begun his career working for media houses such as Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror. He is vocal about social issues, such as the treatment of the indigenous community in Australia and the US and UK foreign policies.

Greek-origin and Egyptian-born Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas is known for directing films such as I, Robot, The Crow, and Dark City. Starting his career directing commercials and music videos, he later switched to movies. His films have a signature dark tone and are set in futuristic worlds.

A graduate of the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australian actor-writer-director, Benedict Samuel, has made his mark both on screen and stage. Beginning his career with television series, he debuted on stage with Tis Pity She's A Whore and starred in feature films like Asthma. Playing Mad Hatter in Fox crime series Gotham is the hallmark of his career.

Born to a cattleman father, Storm Keating spent her early years on her family farms. Initially a TV producer, she has been part of shows such as The Apprentice Australia and The Voice UK. Now a luxury fashion designer, she also maintains a fashion blog. She is married to singer Ronan Keating.