I am using the age at which a filmmaker got his/her first Best Director Oscar nomination as an indicator of peer recognition. Rather than focus on the Best Director winners, I examine all of the Best Director nominees, from 1927-28 to the present.
Borzage, Frank, 34
Milestone, Lewis, 33
Lloyd, Frank, 43
Milestone, Lewis, 33
Taurog, Norman, 32
Borzage, Frank
Lloyd, Frank
Capra, Frank, It Happened One Night, 36
Ford, John, The Informer, 40
Capra, Frank
McCarey, Leo, 39
Fleming, Victor, 50
Ford, John
Ford, John
Wyler, William, 34
Curtiz, Michael, 52
McCarey, Leo
Wilder, Billy, 38
Wyler, William
Kazan, Elia, 37
Huston, John, 42
Mankiewicz, Joseph, 40
Mankiewicz, Joseph
Stevens, George, 39
Ford, John
Zinnemann, Fred, 41
Kazan, Elia
Mann, Delbert, 35
Stevens, George
Anderson, Michael, 36
Lean, David, 38
Minnelli, Vincente, 48
Wyler, William
Wilder, Billy
Wise, Robert, 44
Robbins, Jerome, 43
Lean, David
Richardson, Tony, 35
Cukor, George, 34
Wise, Robert
Nichols, Mike, 35
Reed, Carol, 43
Schlesinger, John, 39
Schaffner, Franklin, 50
Friedkin, William, 36
Fosse, Bob, 45
Hill, George Roy, 48
Coppola, Francis Ford, 33
Forman, Milos, 43
Avildsen, John G., 41
Allen Woody, 42
Cimino, Michael, 39
Benton, Robert, 47
Redford, Robert, 44
Beatty, Warren, 41
Hudson, Hugh, 45
Attenborough, Richard, 59
Brooks, James L., 43
Forman, Milos
Pollack, Sydney, 35
Stone, Oliver, 40
Bertolucci, Bernardo, 33
Levinson, Barry, 46
Stone, Oliver
Costner, Kevin, 35
Demme, Jonathan, 47
Spielberg, Steven, 31
Eastwood, Clint, 62
Campion, Jane, 38
Zemeckis, Robert, 42
Gibson, Mel, 39
Minghella, Anthony, 42
Cameron, James, 43
Spielberg, Steven
Mendes, Sam, 34
Soderbergh, Steven, 37
Howard, Ron, 47
Polanski, Roman, 41
Jackson, Peter, 40
Eastwood, Clint
Lee, Ang, 46
Scorsese, Martin, 38
Coen, Joel, 42
Coen, Ethan, 50
Boyle, Danny, 52
Bigelow, Kathryn, 58
Hooper, Tom, 38
Hazanovicius, Michel, 44
Lee, Ang
Cuaron, Alfonso, 52
Innaritu, Alejandro G., 43
Innaritu
Chazelle, Damien, 32
Del Toro, Guillermo, 53
Bong Joon Ho, 50
Summary:
30-34: 10
35-39; 16
40-44: 22
45-49: 8
50-54: 8
55-59: 2
60+ : 1
Conclusions
Of the winners:
Youngest nominee: Spielberg, 31, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977
Oldest nominee: Eastwood, 62, Unforgiven, 1992
