Steven Spielberg

Spielberg is the most commercially successful director, earning over $10 billion from 35 films since 1971—nearly double the box office of #5 Coppola. Schindler's List (1993) won his first Best Director Oscar, while Jaws (1975) created the summer blockbuster and E.T. (1982) held the all-time box office record for 11 years with $792 million. His work spans genres, outperforming #7 Bergman in global reach.