British Women Directors

Throughout history, there have been many British women directors who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great British female directors such as Karen Gillan, Bonnie Wright, Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Jordan Scott.
Vote for Your Favourite British Women Directors

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Bonnie Wright
(Actress)
Bonnie Wright
4
Birthdate: February 17, 1991
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London, United Kingdom

Bonnie Wright is an English actress, filmmaker, screenwriter, and activist. She is best known for portraying Ginny Weasley in the popular Harry Potter movie series. Over the years, Wright has been playing a key role in raising awareness about plastic pollution. She also serves as an ambassador for an international non-governmental charity called Lumos.

 2 
Emily Mortimer
(Actress Known for Her Roles in 'Lovely and Amazing' and 'The Newsroom')
Emily Mortimer
4
Birthdate: October 6, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England

Emily Mortimer is an English-American screenwriter and actress. Mortimer, who started her acting career in stage productions, went on to establish herself as a bankable actress in the British film and TV industry. In 2010, she became an American citizen and has since been playing important roles in American films.

 3 
Samantha Morton
(Actress and Director Best Known for Her Role as ‘Agatha’ in the Film ‘Minority Report’)
Samantha Morton
4
Birthdate: May 13, 1977
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Samantha Morton’s journey from growing up in foster care to becoming a Golden Globe-winning actor is truly inspirational. Apart from her appearances in independent films, mostly dramas with dark themes, she is also known for her BAFTA-winning directorial debut, The Unloved. Fans have loved her in Longford and In America.

 4 
Sophie Hunter
(Theatre Director)
Sophie Hunter
4
Birthdate: March 16, 1978
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London

Sophie Hunter is an English playwright, opera director, and former performer. She is credited with co-founding and popularizing a theatre company called Boileroom, which was honored with the Samuel Theatre Trust Award in 2007 for its play The Terrific Electric, which marked Sophie Hunter's directorial debut.

 5 
Sarah Lancashire
(Actress)
Sarah Lancashire
5
Birthdate: October 4, 1964
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK
 6 
Rachel Ward
(Actress and Director)
Rachel Ward
3
Birthdate: September 12, 1957
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom

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.

 7 
Sam Taylor-Johnson
(Director of the Films: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and 'Nowhere Boy')
Sam Taylor-Johnson
4
Birthdate: March 4, 1967
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Croydon, London, England
Sam Taylor-Johnson, a British filmmaker and photographer, belongs to the Young British Artists group. Her notable works include Nowhere Boy, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Love You More. Her film Nowhere Boy was screened at 53rd annual London Film Festival as its closing presentation in 2009. She is known for directing the famous film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
 8 
Samantha Womack
(Actress)
Samantha Womack
3
Birthdate: November 2, 1972
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK
 9 
Ida Lupino
(Actress)
Ida Lupino
3
Birthdate: February 4, 1918
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Camberwell, London, England, UK
Died: August 3, 1995
 10 
Amanda Tapping
(Actress, director best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian–American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe)
Amanda Tapping
3
Birthdate: August 28, 1965
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rochford, Essex, England, United Kingdom
 11 
Kathy Burke
(Actress)
Kathy Burke
3
Birthdate: June 13, 1964
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Camden, London, England, UK
 12 
Sheila Hancock
(Actress)
Sheila Hancock
8
Birthdate: February 22, 1933
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Blackgang, Isle of Wight, England, UK
 13 
Maxine Peake
(Actress)
Maxine Peake
3
Birthdate: July 14, 1974
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK
 14 
Pollyanna McIntosh
(Actress)
Pollyanna McIntosh
3
Birthdate: March 15, 1979
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Scotland, UK
 15 
Julia Davis
(Comedian)
Julia Davis
3
Birthdate: August 25, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lambeth, London, England
 16 
Jessica Hynes
(Actress, Director and Writer Known for Her TV Sitcom ‘Spaced’)
Jessica Hynes
3
Birthdate: October 30, 1972
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lewisham, London, England
BAFTA-winning actor Jessica Hynes, also known as Jessica Stevenson, created, wrote, and appeared in the British sitcom Spaced. She began her career with theater and was nominated for a Tony for The Norman Conquests. Fans also loved her in the series Twenty Twelve and the film Tomorrow La Scala!
 17 
Eve Best
(Actress)
Eve Best
3
Birthdate: July 31, 1971
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
 18 
Barbara Broccoli
(Producer)
Barbara Broccoli
3
Birthdate: June 18, 1960
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
 19 
Lynne Ramsay
(Scottish Film Director, Producer, Writer, and Cinematographer)
Lynne Ramsay
3
Birthdate: December 5, 1969
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Glasgow

Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish film director, producer, writer, and cinematographer. She is best known for directing films like Ratcatcher, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and You Were Never Really Here. A critically-acclaimed filmmaker, Lynne Ramsay has won several important awards, including British Academy Film Awards and Critics Awards.

 20 
Emma Forrest
(Journalists)
Emma Forrest
3
Birthdate: December 26, 1976
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England, UK
 21 
Julia McKenzie
(Actress)
Julia McKenzie
3
Birthdate: February 17, 1941
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Enfield, Middlesex, England, UK
 22 
Mary Nighy
(Actress)
Mary Nighy
2
Birthdate: July 17, 1984
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, England
 23 
Andrea Arnold
(Actor, Film director, Screenwriter)
Andrea Arnold
2
Birthdate: April 5, 1961
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dartford
 24 
Sophie Fiennes
(Film director, Film producer)
Sophie Fiennes
2
Birthdate: February 12, 1967
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ipswich
 25 
Clare Holman
(Actress)
Clare Holman
2
Birthdate: January 12, 1964
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England, UK
 26 
Sally Wainwright
(Creator of the 2019 HBO and BBC One Television Series 'Gentleman Jack')
Sally Wainwright
3
Birthdate: 1963 AD
Birthplace: West Yorkshire, England
 27 
Gurinder Chadha
(Film director)
Gurinder Chadha
3
Birthdate: January 10, 1960
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Nairobi, British Kenya Kenya
 28 
Viv Albertine
(Musician)
Viv Albertine
2
Birthdate: December 1, 1954
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
 29 
Eva Le Gallienne
(Actress)
Eva Le Gallienne
2
Birthdate: January 11, 1899
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 3, 1991
 30 
Suze Randall
(Nurse, Photographer, Model, Director, Glamour model)
Suze Randall
2
Birthdate: May 18, 1946
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Worcester

Suze Randall is an English photographer, model, and pornographer. Randall worked as a staff photographer for Hustler and Playboy, becoming the first woman staff photographer for both the publications. In 1980, she directed a pornographic film titled Kiss and Tell, becoming one of the earliest woman porn film directors. Suze Randall has also modeled for magazines like Hustler and Playboy.

 31 
Jordan Scott
(director, screenwriter, photographer, film director)
Jordan Scott
2
Birthdate: 1977 AD
Birthplace: London
 32 
Joan Littlewood
(Actor)
Joan Littlewood
2
Birthdate: October 6, 1914
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London
Died: September 20, 2002
 33 
Sophie Muller
(Music video director)
Sophie Muller
2
Birthdate: January 31, 1962
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London, England
 34 
Catherine Shepherd
2
Birthdate: September 16, 1975
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London
 35 
Katrine Boorman
(Actress)
Katrine Boorman
1
Birthdate: August 6, 1960
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
 36 
Jill Craigie
(Film director)
Jill Craigie
1
Birthdate: March 7, 1911
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fulham, London, England
Died: December 13, 1999
 37 
Sukki Singapora
(The First International Burlesque Performer from Singapore)
Sukki Singapora
1
Birthdate: October 20, 1989
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Singapore

Sukki Singapora scripted history as the first global burlesque performer from Singapore. Born to a British mother and an Indian father, who were both doctors, Singapora surprised everyone when she chose performing arts as a vocation. A feminist activist, too, she appeared in the Netflix series Singapore Social.

 38 
Julia Smith
(Director)
Julia Smith
1
Birthdate: May 26, 1927
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 19, 1997
 39 
Sarah Gavron
(Film director)
Sarah Gavron
1
Birthdate: April 20, 1970
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: United Kingdom
 40 
Clare Peploe
(Screenwriter)
Clare Peploe
1
Birthdate: 1942 AD
Birthplace: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
 41 
Caroline Alexander
(Writer)
Caroline Alexander
0
Birthdate: March 13, 1956
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Unknown
 42 
Abigail Hopkins
(Singer-songwriter)
Abigail Hopkins
3
Birthdate: August 20, 1968
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Putney, London
 43 
Joy Batchelor
(Animator)
Joy Batchelor
0
Birthdate: May 12, 1914
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Watford, England
Died: May 14, 1991
 44 
Cosima Spender
(Film director, Writer)
Cosima Spender
0
Birthdate: 1972 AD
Birthplace: Siena, Italy
 45 
Ingrid Sinclair
(Director)
Ingrid Sinclair
0
Birthdate: 1948 AD
Birthplace: Rhodesia