#1John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes was one heck of a director, generally regarded as a pioneer of American cinema verite, making movies like Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), and Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)। He was also a very talented actor, who taught method classes for awhile and even recieved an Academy Award nomination for his work in The Dirty Dozen (1967), although a favorite remains his turn as Guy Woodhouse in Rosemary's Baby in 1968. That's right, the dude who made Gloria (1980) was the same guy who made Mia Farrow birth the child of Satan for a taste of fame and free diapers.
#2Woody Allen
Everbody knows Woody Allen's work - Bananas (1971), Annie Hall (1973), and Sleeper (1977)। And yes, he stars in most of his movies. He's also done some great work for other directors, in Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Front (1976), and...ummmm...Antz (1998). Yes, that Antz, with Sylvester Stallone. And Jennifer Lopez. For a cartoon about ants featuring the vocal "talents" of Sharon Stone it was pretty good. Basically, if you need a neurotic Jewish guy with a very mild stutter, he's your man. It can get a bit repetative, but at least he's reasonable enough to stick to what works.
#3Jacques Tati
Tati came up with a character, Monsieur Hulot, and with the exception of his first and last movies, he played him in the lead role in all of his films, which were incredibly hilarious। They were sort of like old silent comedies, except there was talking. Mon Oncle (1953), Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1958), and Trafic (1971) are all pieces of classic French cinema from a man who knew how to lose his hat.
#4Mel Brooks
If you need a neurotic Jewish other than Woody Allen sounds like he's about to cough something up, consider Mel Brooks। The man responsible for Blazing Saddles (1974), and Young Frankenstein (1974) was also Yogurt and President Skroob in Spaceballs (1987). Frequently performing in his own movies, he has also done some voice work for Robots (2005) and The Prince of Egypt (1998), as well a turn in To Be or Not to Be (1983).
#5Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack, whose films include Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985), and Absence of Malice (1981), managed to direct 12 Academy Award nominated performances and was also a pretty good actor in his own right। He was unfortunately in Made of Honor (2008), but he gave himself roles in some of his own movies, which were significantly less crappy, as most things are. He was especially good as Dustin Hoffman's agent in Tootsie, and does anybody remember that "Turn off your cell phones, please" bit he did that played before movies for a while? That was great. Seriously.
#6Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson is less from the school of acting, and more from the school of hilarious little cameos, like playing the undertaker's assistant in Braindead (1992), or playing a bum outside of a theater in Heavenly Creatures (1994)। Unlike when M. Night Shyamalan does it, we like it. Because he's Peter Jackson. He made the Lord of the Ring movies (2001-2003). And The Frighteners (1996). And he produced District 9. He can do whatever he wants.
#7David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg, or The Reason Why You've Seen James Woods' Dong, started out making gross body-horror films with exploding heads (Scanners [1981]), murderous mutant rage-babies (The Brood [1979]), and abdominal cavities that acted as convenient gun storage (Videodrome [1983])। He has since grown as a filmmaker and can now be referred to as The Reason Why You've Seen Viggo Mortensen's Dong, thanks to Eastern Promises (2007). He hasn't done much acting work of late, but in the 90's he took a lot of work as well-dressed creepy types in movies ranging from Nightbreed (1990) to To Die For (1995) to Extreme Measures (1996). He's not about to win any Oscars, but he is a pretty decent character actor who pretty much does what you'd expect from the guy who thought up giving Michael Ironside the power to make people's heads blow up.
#8Robert Downey, Sr.
The dad of Robert Downey, Jr। just happens to be the guy who made all kinds of whacky "whoa, dude let's freak out" movies with all manner of nonsense a few decades ago. Movies like Pound (1970), and Greaser's Palace (1972), and most importantly, Putney Swope (1969), which is downright hilarious. About 30 years later he popped up playing parts in Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). He thinks he sucks, but Paul Thomas Anderson clearly liked him enough call him a "Prince," in the credits. Maybe he was just grateful Downey Sr. didn't show up completely wasted.
#9Alfred Hitchcock
The master of suspense, whose work included classics such as Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), and The Birds (1963), gave himself small, uncredited roles in 37 of his films। He wasn't acting per se, since he usually just walked around and maybe looked at the camera for a second, but his cameos displayed a great sense of humor...and were enough to put him above Tyler Perry on our list (spoiler alert). Unfortunately, his cameos also spawned an entire generation of filmmakers who think it makes them seem smart to insert themselves into their own movies.
#10Werner Herzog
julien donkey-boy (1999), The Grand (2008), What Dreams May Come (1998) - it isn't that Werner Herzog is a bad actor, he's pretty good: it's that he generally picks horrible movies to be in। You'd be much better off waiting for something he directs, because Grizzly Man (2005) and Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979) were freaking awesome. But if you really need to be that d-bag who shows up at a party talking about how great Herzog's cameo in some piece o' crap was, by all means, go ahead, watch Mister Lonely. Just know that everybody secretly hates you.
#11Roman Polanski
The same genius director who made Chinatown (1974) and Rosemary's Baby (1968) also had roles in The Magic Christian (1969) and Rush Hour 3 (2007), for God's sake। He's a good director, and he actually started his career as an actor, but he doesn't really do too many American movies anymore, ever since he thought it would be a good idea to stick it to a 13-year old and leave the country. Way to stay classy, homeboy. Also, Rush Hour 3? Seriously?
#12John Waters
Cry Baby (1990), Polyester (1981), and Hairspray (1988) are among the King of Trash's more notable films and he's taken a few small, uncredited cameos in his work. But he's also put that dirty, ditry moustache to work playing all types of sleezy people/ people with sleezy moustaches in movies like Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Something Wild (1986), and, of course, Seed of Chucky (2004). He's not really there to act. He's there because he's John Waters, and he's got a moustache.
#13Eli Roth
Eli Roth emade his directorial debut in 2002 with the movie Cabin Fever. Other notable films directed include Hostel (2005) and Hostel: Part Two (2007), which were both gross enough to make Cabin Fever seem like the Halloween episode of "Sesame Street." In addition to cameos in Cabin Fever, Hostel, and Grindhouse (2007), he also had a small part in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000), and an uncredited role in 1996's The Mirror Has Two Faces, which is probably his most terrifying work to date. He's got a big part in this year's Tarantino flick Inglorious Basterds, and so far the entire ensemble is getting rave reviews. He may live down that movie with ol' Babs yet...
#14Quentin Tarantino
Have you ever heard Quentin Tarantino talk? Then you've pretty much heard him act, with the exception of his creepy turn in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), it usually is just him saying "LOOK AT ME! I'm fabulous, you know?! Listen to how smart I am with my clever dialogue." He's like a needy baby on coke – he's both sad and disturbing. But when it comes to directing, he's top notch – Resevoir Dogs, and Kill Bill (I and II), and Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown...if he could just keep his mouth shut or least keep the jibber-jabbering to a minimum it would be much appreciated. Do you remember that scene from Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare when Freddy Kruger takes a Q-tip and jams it into the kid's ear, then gives him a hearing aid and drags his razor claws across a chalkboard? It feels a lot like that.
#15M. Night Shyamalan
This guy is one shitty magician. When will he realize that it's not a surprise if you see it coming? Aside from The Sixth Sense (1999), he's directed nothing but crap. As for his acting, it's hard to tell if he's good or not because once he pops onscreen everybody invariably begins thinking 'there's the a-hole who just robbed me of $12."
#16Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry isn't so much a director who acts as a man who writes really, really awful movies for himself to star in (Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail [2009], Diary of a Mad Black Woman [2005], Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns [2008]), which he also directs. It really says something when a person's entire body of work is inspired by a 1992 episode of "Oprah." What does it say? It says 'for the love of God, do yourself a favor and don't watch these films.'
