Rank
|
Age
|
Name
|
Film
|
Annual
|
Year
|
Date of Birth
|
Date of Award
|
Notes
|
1
|
74 years, 272 days |
Clint Eastwood |
Million Dollar Baby |
77th |
2004 |
May 31, 1930 |
February 27, 2005 |
|
2
|
69 years, 217 days |
Roman Polanski |
The Pianist |
75th |
2002 |
August 18, 1933 |
March 23, 2003 |
|
3
|
65 years, 272 days |
George Cukor |
My Fair Lady |
37th |
1964 |
July 7, 1899 |
April 5, 1965 |
|
4
|
64 years, 100 days |
Martin Scorsese |
The Departed |
79th |
2006 |
November 17, 1942 |
February 25, 2007 |
|
5
|
62 years, 302 days |
Clint Eastwood |
Unforgiven |
65th |
1992 |
May 31, 1930 |
March 29, 1993 |
|
6
|
62 years, 105 days |
Carol Reed |
Oliver! |
41st |
1968 |
December 30, 1906 |
April 14, 1969 |
|
7
|
59 years, 346 days |
Fred Zinnemann |
A Man for All Seasons |
39th |
1966 |
April 29, 1907 |
April 10, 1967 |
|
8
|
59 years, 225 days |
Richard Attenborough |
Gandhi |
55th |
1982 |
August 29, 1923 |
April 11, 1983 |
|
9
|
59 years, 46 days |
John Ford |
The Quiet Man |
25th |
1952 |
February 1, 1894 |
March 19, 1953 |
|
10
|
57 years, 278 days |
William Wyler |
Ben-Hur |
32nd |
1959 |
July 1, 1902 |
April 4, 1960 |
|
11
|
57 years, 69 days |
Michael Curtiz |
Casablanca |
16th |
1943 |
December 24, 1886 |
March 2, 1944 |
|
12
|
56 years, 37 days |
Vincente Minnelli |
Gigi |
31st |
1958 |
February 28, 1903 |
April 6, 1959 |
|
13
|
55 years, 14 days |
David Lean |
Lawrence of Arabia |
35th |
1962 |
March 25, 1908 |
April 8, 1963 |
|
14
|
54 years, 299 days |
Billy Wilder |
The Lost Weekend |
33rd |
1960 |
June 22, 1906 |
April 17, 1961 |
|
15
|
53 years, 35 days |
Miloš Forman |
Amadeus |
57th |
1984 |
February 18, 1932 |
March 25, 1985 |
|
16
|
52 years, 103 days |
George Roy Hill |
The Sting |
46th |
1973 |
December 20, 1921 |
April 2, 1974 |
|
17
|
52 years, 99 days |
George Stevens |
A Place in the Sun |
29th |
1956 |
December 18, 1904 |
March 27, 1957 |
|
18
|
52 years, 93 days |
Steven Spielberg |
Saving Private Ryan |
71st |
1998 |
December 18, 1946 |
March 21, 1999 |
|
19
|
51 years, 266 days |
Sydney Pollack |
Out of Africa |
58th |
1985 |
July 1, 1934 |
March 24, 1986 |
|
20
|
51 years, 220 days |
Robert Wise |
The Sound of Music |
38th |
1965 |
September 10, 1914 |
April 18, 1966 |
|
21
|
51 years, 133 days |
Ang Lee |
Brokeback Mountain |
78th |
2005 |
October 23, 1954 |
March 5, 2006 |
|
22
|
51 years, 6 days |
Victor Fleming |
Gone with the Wind |
12th |
1939 |
February 23, 1889 |
February 29, 1940 |
|
23
|
50 years, 320 days |
Franklin Schaffner |
Patton |
43rd |
1970 |
May 30, 1920 |
April 15, 1971 |
|
24
|
50 years, 1 day |
David Lean |
The Bridge on the River Kwai |
30th |
1957 |
March 25, 1908 |
March 26, 1958 |
|
25
|
48 years, 42 days |
Frank Lloyd |
Cavalcade |
6th |
1932 / 1933 |
February 2, 1886 |
March 16, 1934 |
|
26
|
48 years, 37 days |
Jonathan Demme |
The Silence of the Lambs |
64th |
1991 |
February 22, 1944 |
March 30, 1992 |
|
27
|
48 years, 26 days |
Bernardo Bertolucci |
The Last Emperor |
60th |
1987 |
March 16, 1940 |
April 11, 1988 |
|
28
|
48 years, 25 days |
John Ford |
How Green Was My Valley |
14th |
1941 |
February 1, 1894 |
February 26, 1942 |
|
29
|
48 years, 23 days |
Ron Howard |
A Beautiful Mind |
74th |
2001 |
March 1, 1954 |
March 24, 2002 |
|
30
|
47 years, 211 days |
Robert Wise |
West Side Story |
34th |
1961 |
September 10, 1914 |
April 9, 1962 |
Debut
|
31
|
47 years, 198 days |
Robert Benton |
Kramer vs. Kramer |
52nd |
1979 |
September 29, 1932 |
April 14, 1980 |
|
32
|
47 years, 93 days |
Steven Spielberg |
Schindler's List |
66th |
1993 |
December 18, 1946 |
March 21, 1994 |
|
33
|
47 years, 93 days |
George Stevens |
A Place in the Sun |
24th |
1951 |
December 18, 1904 |
March 20, 1952 |
|
34
|
47 years, 26 days |
John Ford |
The Grapes of Wrath |
13th |
1940 |
February 1, 1894 |
February 27, 1941 |
|
35
|
46 years, 357 days |
Barry Levinson |
Rain Man |
61st |
1988 |
April 6, 1942 |
March 29, 1989 |
|
36
|
46 years, 330 days |
Fred Zinnemann |
From Here to Eternity |
26th |
1953 |
April 29, 1907 |
March 25, 1954 |
|
37
|
46 years, 163 days |
Leo McCarey |
Going My Way |
17th |
1944 |
October 3, 1898 |
March 15, 1945 |
|
38
|
45 years, 277 days |
Bob Fosse |
Cabaret |
45th |
1972 |
June 23, 1927 |
March 27, 1973 |
|
39
|
45 years, 204 days |
Elia Kazan |
On the Waterfront |
27th |
1954 |
September 7, 1909 |
March 30, 1955 |
|
40
|
44 years, 364 days |
Warren Beatty |
Reds |
54th |
1981 |
March 30,1937 |
March 29, 1982 |
|
41
|
44 years, 255 days |
William Wyler |
The Best Years of Our Lives |
19th |
1946 |
July 1, 1902 |
March 13, 1947 |
|
42 |
44 years, 225 days |
Robert Redford |
Ordinary People |
53rd |
1980 |
August 18, 1936 |
March 31, 1981 |
Debut
|
43 |
44 years, 60 days |
Frank Lloyd |
The Divine Lady |
2nd |
1928 / 1929 |
February 2, 1886 |
April 3, 1930 |
|
44 |
44 years, 50 days |
John Schlesinger |
Midnight Cowboy |
42nd |
1969 |
February 16, 1926 |
April 7, 1970 |
|
45 |
44 years, 40 days |
Miloš Forman |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
48th |
1975 |
February 18, 1932 |
March 29, 1976 |
|
46 |
43 years, 336 days |
James L. Brooks |
Terms of Endearment |
56th |
1983 |
May 9, 1940 |
April 9, 1984 |
Debut
|
47 |
43 years, 219 days |
James Cameron |
Titanic |
70th |
1997 |
August 16, 1954 |
March 23, 1998 |
|
48 |
43 years, 192 days |
Oliver Stone |
Born on the Fourth of July |
62nd |
1989 |
September 15, 1946 |
March 26, 1990 |
|
49 |
43 years, 180 days |
Jerome Robbins |
West Side Story |
34th |
1961 |
October 11, 1918 |
April 9, 1962 |
Debut
|
50 |
43 years, 77 days |
Anthony Minghella |
The English Patient |
69th |
1996 |
January 6, 1954 |
March 24, 1997 |
|
51 |
42 years, 317 days |
Robert Zemeckis |
Forrest Gump |
67th |
1994 |
May 14, 1952 |
March 27, 1995 |
|
52 |
42 years, 231 days |
John Huston |
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre |
21st |
1948 |
August 5, 1906 |
March 24, 1949 |
|
53 |
42 years, 123 days |
Woody Allen |
Annie Hall |
50th |
1977 |
December 1, 1935 |
April 3, 1978 |
|
54 |
42 years, 121 days |
Peter Jackson |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
76th |
2003 |
October 31, 1961 |
February 29, 2004 |
|
55 |
42 years, 46 days |
Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
All About Eve |
23rd |
1950 |
February 11, 1909 |
March 29, 1951 |
|
56 |
42 years, 33 days |
John Ford |
The Informer |
8th |
1935 |
February 1, 1894 |
March 5, 1936 |
|
57 |
41 years, 281 days |
Frank Capra |
You Can't Take It with You |
11th |
1938 |
May 18, 1897 |
February 23, 1939 |
|
58 |
41 years, 97 days |
John G. Avildsen |
Rocky |
49th |
1976 |
December 21, 1935 |
March 28, 1977 |
|
59 |
41 years, 40 days |
Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
A Letter to Three Wives |
22nd |
1949 |
February 11, 1909 |
March 23, 1950 |
|
60 |
40 years, 246 days |
William Wyler |
Mrs. Miniver |
15th |
1942 |
July 1, 1902 |
March 4, 1943 |
|
61 |
40 years, 196 days |
Oliver Stone |
Platoon |
59th |
1986 |
September 15, 1946 |
March 30, 1987 |
|
62 |
40 years, 82 days |
Mel Gibson |
Braveheart |
68th |
1995 |
January 3, 1956 |
March 25, 1996 |
|
63 |
40 years, 65 days |
Michael Cimino |
The Deer Hunter |
51st |
1978 |
February 3, 1939 |
April 9, 1979 |
|
64 |
39 years, 290 days |
Frank Capra |
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town |
9th |
1936 |
May 18, 1897 |
March 4, 1937 |
|
65 |
39 years, 258 days |
Billy Wilder |
The Lost Weekend |
18th |
1945 |
June 22, 1906 |
March 7, 1946 |
|
66 |
39 years, 158 days |
Leo McCarey |
The Awful Truth |
10th |
1937 |
October 3, 1898 |
March 10, 1938 |
|
67 |
38 years, 209 days |
Frank Borzage |
Bad Girl |
5th |
1931 / 1932 |
April 23, 1894 |
November 18, 1932 |
|
68 |
38 years, 195 days |
Elia Kazan |
Gentleman's Agreement |
20th |
1947 |
September 7, 1909 |
March 20, 1948 |
|
69 |
38 years, 70 days |
Steven Soderbergh |
Traffic |
73rd |
2000 |
January 14, 1963 |
March 25, 2001 |
|
70 |
37 years, 285 days |
Frank Capra |
It Happened One Night |
7th |
1934 |
May 18, 1897 |
February 27, 1935 |
|
71 |
36 years, 225 days |
William Friedkin |
The French Connection |
44th |
1971 |
August 29, 1935 |
April 10, 1972 |
|
72 |
36 years, 156 days |
Mike Nichols |
The Graduate |
40th |
1967 |
November 6, 1931 |
April 10, 1968 |
|
73 |
36 years, 66 days |
Kevin Costner |
Dances with Wolves |
63rd |
1990 |
January 18, 1955 |
March 25, 1991 |
Debut
|
74 |
36 years, 51 days |
Delbert Mann |
Marty |
28th |
1955 |
January 30, 1920 |
March 21, 1956 |
Debut
|
75 |
36 years, 1 day |
Francis Ford Coppola |
The Godfather Part II |
47th |
1974 |
April 7, 1939 |
April 8, 1975 |
|
76 |
35 years, 313 days |
Tony Richardson |
Tom Jones |
36th |
1963 |
June 5, 1928 |
April 13, 1964 |
|
77 |
35 years, 36 days |
Lewis Milestone |
All Quiet on the Western Front |
3rd |
1929 / 1930 |
September 30, 1895 |
November 5, 1930 |
|
78 |
35 years, 23 days |
Frank Borzage |
7th Heaven |
1st |
1927 / 1928 |
April 23, 1894 |
May 16, 1929 |
Dramatic
|
79 |
34 years, 238 days |
Sam Mendes |
American Beauty |
72nd |
1999 |
August 1, 1965 |
March 26, 2000 |
Debut
|
80 |
33 years, 228 days |
Lewis Milestone |
Two Arabian Knights |
1st |
1927 / 1928 |
September 30, 1895 |
May 16, 1929 |
Comedy
|
81 |
32 years, 260 days |
Norman Taurog |
Skippy |
4th |
1930 / 1931 |
February 23, 1899 |
November 10, 1931 |
|