The partnership between an actor and director is a sacred bond of trust, respect, and creativity between artists. As two of the leading personalities on any given film set, it is the relationship between these figures which can be the difference between a project ascending to new heights, or simply being an underwhelming delivery of the script.
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Needless to say, there are bad actor/director relationships just as there are good ones, but then there are a rare few which can only be described as a union of creative soulmates. Unsurprisingly, when these fateful collaborations occur, both the actor and director will be eager to work together again, and again, and again. Many of these partnerships have gone on to define a genre, an era, or even the craft itself.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Films:Hard Eight(1996),Boogie Nights(1997),Magnolia(1999),Punch-Drunk Love(2002),The Master(2012)
Good directors excel at casting the right actor in the right roles, something which occurred all five timesPaul Thomas Andersonworked withPhilip Seymour Hoffman.Using him as a scene-stealerrather than a lead, Hoffman brought the perfect weight and tone to every second he spent on screen in his collaborations with Anderson.
After a spree of movies together in the late 90s and early 2000s, fans had to wait ten years to see them in action together again, but they saved their best for last: Hoffman’s performance inThe Master wassimply outstanding. Hoffman’s tragic death in 2014 robbed not just Anderson, but the film industry of one of the modern era’s truly gifted actors. However, sentimental fans would have enjoyed seeing Anderson and the late actor’s son,Cooper Hoffman,work together inLicorice Pizza.
Guillermo del Toro and Doug Jones
Films:Mimic(1997),Hellboy(2004),Pan’s Labyrinth(2006),Hellboy II: The Golden Army(2008),Crimson Peak(2015),The Shape of Water(2017)
While there have been filmmaker/actor collaborations that have been more prolific and more renowned, there are few which have been as instrumental in enabling a director to execute their vision so completely. The man behind the make-up, masks, and mesmerizing costumes,Doug Jones, allowsGuillermo del Toro’swildest fantasy creations to come to life.
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Throughout their six collaborations, Jones has been impactful as terrifying monsters and fantastical lead characters. WhileThe Shape of Waterwon four Oscars including Best Picture, it may bePan’s Labyrinththat the duo is best remembered for with Jones’ portrayal of the Pale Man hauntingly unforgettable.
Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst
Films:The Virgin Suicides(1999),Marie Antoinette(2006),The Bling Ring(2013),The Beguiled(2017)
With eight films over the past 23 years,Sofia Coppolahas proven time and time again that, while her surname’s gravitas proceeded her, her achievements as a director are well and truly her own. Her skill was apparent in her first feature film,The Virgin Suicides, which was also her first collaboration with a then-16-year-oldKirsten Dunst.
Bringing to life Coppola’s strong, distinct directorial visions, Dunst has served the trailblazing filmmaker across a multitude of genres. The partnership is showing no signs of slowing down, withThe Beguiled,their most recent pairing, earning Coppola the Best Director award at Cannes. The pair’s impact on audiences can’t be understated either, representing, and inspiring, young women everywhere with their achievements on both sides of the camera.
Alfred Hitchcock and James Stewart
Films:Rope(1948),Rear Window(1954),The Man Who Knew Too Much(1956),Vertigo(1958)
Heralded as the “Master of Suspense,“Alfred Hitchcockhad a phenomenal career working with some of the best actors Hollywood has produced. He paired withCary Grantfour times andGrace Kellythree, but it was his work withJames Stewartwhich is most incredible.
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Having been used previously as the embodiment of idealism inFrank Capra’smovies, and as a cowboy inAnthony Mann’s, Stewart’s everyman persona was utilized a little differently by Hitchcock. While their first collaboration,Rope, is famous for being an interesting technical experiment,Rear WindowandVertigowere where the duo excelled with both films considered to be among the best crime thrillers ever made. The pair never worked together afterVertigo, marking a short and sweet partnership, but one which has had a significant impact on cinema, particularly the thriller genre.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks
Films:Saving Private Ryan(1998),Catch Me If You Can(2002),The Terminal(2004),Bridge of Spies(2015),The Post(2017)
Where so many other great relationships between director and actor have seen both artists rise to prominence together,Steven SpielbergandTom Hanksmet at the peak of their powers. Having both won Academy Awards earlier in the decade, their pairing on 1998’s brutal WWII masterpieceSaving Private Ryanwas a critical and commercial smash hit that marked the beginning of their partnership.
The pairing of the two sublime talents has, thankfully, produced another four films as a director/actor partnership. Covering a range of genres from romantic-comedy to period-thriller, Hanks’ everyman persona and underrated knack for character acting have fit Spielberg’s classic American blockbuster-style like a glove.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Films:Gangs of New York(2002),The Aviator(2004),The Departed(2006),Shutter Island(2010),The Wolf of Wall Street(2013),Killers of the Flower Moon(2022)
With their first film together in 2002,Martin ScorseseandLeonardo DiCapriohave helped re-shape each other’s careers throughout the 21st century. Scorsese was the key director who oversaw DiCaprio’s evolution from teenage heartthrob to one of the best actors of his generation while DiCaprio played Scorsese’s leading man through period dramas, crime-thrillers, biopics, and dark comedies.
Their collaboration onThe Departedsaw Scorsese win his first-ever Academy Award for Best Director, while DiCaprio earned two of his six acting nominations in Scorsese pictures. Both men will be hoping their ongoing collaboration earns more accolades withKillers of the Flower Moonreleasing later in the year.
Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson
Films:Pulp Fiction(1994),Jackie Brown(1997),Kill Bill Vol. 2(2004),Inglourious Basterds(2009),Django Unchained(2012),The Hateful Eight(2015)
Quentin Tarantinois the “mother” toSamuel L. Jackson’s “fu”… well, the two regularly work well together. Beginning their working relationship with the 1994 classicPulp Fiction(a performance many think Jackson should have won an Oscar for), Tarantino has often reserved the best and most talkative of his characters for Jackson’s flawless delivery.
What makes their partnership so brilliant is they excel at bringing out the best in each other. Jackson is among the most charismatic actors in cinematic history which combine beautifully with Tarantino’s slick dialogue. Regardless of whether Jackson is a hitman, a bounty hunter, or even just narrating, movie magic always occurs when these two team up.
John Ford and John Wayne
Films:Mother Machree (uncredited)(1927),Four Sons (uncredited)(1928),Hangman’s House (uncredited)(1928),Men Without Women (uncredited)(1930),Stagecoach(1939),The Long Voyage Home(1940),They Were Expendable(1945),Fort Apache(1948),Three Godfathers(1948),She Wore A Yellow Ribbon(1949),Rio Grande(1950),The Quiet Man(1952),The Searchers(1956),The Wings of Eagles(1957),The Horse Soldiers(1959),The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance(1962),How the West Was Won(1962),Donovan’s Reef(1963)
One of cinema’s greatest movie stars and the director who mastered the western (among other genres),John WayneandJohn Fordboast a staggering 18 collaborations, including their first four where Wayne went uncredited. It was with Ford though that the iconic leading man did finally find his fame, withStagecoachestablishing Wayne as an A-list actor and setting the platform for their collaborations —and plenty of other Westerns— that followed.
With a partnership built on mutual respect and admiration, they worked together frequently into the early 60s, earning four Best Picture nominations while playing a substantial role in the defining of mid-century Hollywood. While they explored multiple genres over their journey together, the pair is best remembered for their immortal efforts in consolidating the Western among the most prolific and celebrated genres of the 20th century.
Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune
While their throne is starting to be challenged (credit toBong Joon-HoandSong Kang-ho) the Japanese duo remains the greatest director/star partnership seen in international cinema. Appearing in more than half of the legendary director’s films,Toshiro Mifunewas often entrusted with bringing the wildest and most complex ofAkira Kurosawa’scharacters to life.
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A chameleonic scene-stealer, Mifune’s captivating physical performances were used to great effect as both a leading man and a supporting character with Kurosawa an admirer of his talents. It’s a difficult task to identify even a handful of their best collaborations as — while they’re best known for their samurai epics — they transcended genres quite flawlessly.
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
Films:Mean Streets(1973),Taxi Driver(1976),New York, New York(1977),Raging Bull(1980),The King of Comedy(1982),Goodfellas(1990),Cape Fear(1991),Casino(1995),The Irishman(2019),Killers of the Flower Moon(2022)
Ten films. Five different decades. 49 years and counting. Two legends of American cinema recognized all over the world for their contributions to, and excellence in film, the partnership between Martin Scorsese andRobert De Nirois unequaled in terms of longevity, notoriety, and social impact.
The films they have collaborated on have amassed a staggering 31 Oscar nominations, winning three including De Niro’s second Academy Award for his performance inRaging Bull. For many though, it’sTaxi Driver’s Travis Bickle who is the best character born from the pair, or James Conway fromGoodfellas… or Max Cady inCape Fear. Their work together has created a wealth of immortal characters and iconic films, with their partnership instrumental in defining American cinema through the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
