20th-century American screenwriters

American filmmaker (born 1961)

American filmmaker

Russian-American film director (1895-1980)

American actress and writer (1896–1985)

American comedian, actress, and writer

American actor, animator and filmmaker (born 1971)

American actor, playwright and screenwriter (1892-1962)

American film producer (1902–1965)

American cartoonist (1901-2000)

American actor, comedian, and filmmaker (1944–2014)

American novelist (b. 1964)

American actor (1905–1994)

American actor and comedian

James Francis Gunn Jr. is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with Tromeo and Juliet (1996). He then began working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006), and moving to the superhero genre with Super (2010), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Suicide Squad (2021), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).

American director and producer (1935–2023)

American comedian, actor (1942–2019)

American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer (1904–1975)

American director, writer, and producer (born 1940)

American actress and comedian (born 1952)

American novelist, short story writer, essayist

American screenwriter (1905–1976)

American film director, screenwriter and producer (1898-1969)

American actor, comedian and filmmaker

American film producer (1899-1936)

American stand-up comedian (1921–2004)

American film director (1939–2016)

American author, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic (1909-1955)

American playwright, writer, academic (1927-2018)

American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer (born 1957)

American film director (1911–2008)

American stand-up comedian and actor (born 1964)

Polish-American novelist

American film director, film producer, and screenwriter (1894-1982)

American actor (1883–1930)

American stunt performer and actor

American filmmaker (born 1968)

American film director, screenwriter and producer

Romanian-born British–American actor and film producer (1902–1988)

American filmmaker and novelist

Justin Paul Theroux is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his partnership with David Lynch on the surrealist art films Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006). He also appeared in films such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), American Psycho (2000), Zoolander (2001), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Miami Vice (2006), The Girl on the Train (2016), Bumblebee (2018), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

American film director (1921–2002)

American writer (1913–1984)

American film director (1899–1981)

American film director, writer and producer (1928–1998)

American actor and comedian

American dramatist and screenwriter (1905-1984)

American comedian and actor

American film director, animator, screenwriter and producer (born 1957)

American filmmaker (1950–2009)

Chinese-born American essayist, novelist, and screenwriter

Willard Tobe Hooper was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time.

American comedian and filmmaker (born 1967)

American screenwriter, playwright, author, actress and television producer (1888-1981)

1909–1983; American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Italian descent

Philip Edward Hartman was a Canadian and American comedian, actor, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he was ten years old. After graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands including Poco and America. In 1975, Hartman joined the comedy group the Groundlings, where he helped Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse.

American novelist (1921-1994)

American stand-up comedian (1947–2024)

British-American actress, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer and director

American animator and filmmaker (1912–2002)