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Sergio Leone (1929–1989) -

Italian director Sergio Leone showing Claudia Cardinale how to aim her rifle in between scenes from the classic Western 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968).

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William Wyler (1902–1981) -

William Wyler (standing, right) and his crew set up a shot during the filming of 'The Heiress' (1949), starring Olivia de Havilland. Co-star Montgomery Clift is seated next to the camera.

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Gordon Parks (1912–2006) -

Director Gordon Parks and actor Richard Roundtree on set of the movie 'Shaft's Big Score!' (1972), the follow-up to 1971's highly successful 'Shaft,' also directed by Parks.

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Federico Fellini (1920–1993) -

The great Italian director Federico Fellini directing the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama 'Roma' (1972) on location in the Italian capital.

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Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) -

Stanley Kubrick checks his shot with a viewfinder as Sterling Hayden and Peter Sellers rehearse their scene on the set of the film 'Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (1963).

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Don Siegel (1912–1991) -

Don Siegel directs Clint Eastwood on the set of the 1971 film 'The Beguiled.' Eastwood worked with Siegel on several movies, including 1971's 'Dirty Harry.'

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Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948) -

Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein directs 'The Battleship Potemkin' (1925) with cinematographers Vladimir Popov and Eduard Tisse, and actor and editor Grigori Aleksandrov. The movie is considered one of the greatest ever made.

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David Lean (1908–1991) -

British director David Lean with Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa on location in Sri Lanka during filming of the war movie 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957).

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John Huston (1906–1987) -

John Huston takes a break from directing 'The Misfits' (1961) in Nevada to chat with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. This was the last completed film for both Gable and Monroe.

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John Ford (1894–1973) -

John Ford, the recipient of five Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director, directing John Wayne and Constance Towers during a scene from 'The Horse Soldiers' (1959).

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Vittorio De Sica (1901–1974) -

Actress Gina Lollobrigida, sitting beside Italian director Vittorio De Sica, looking through the camera on the set of the film 'Anna of Brooklyn' (1958).

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Michael Powell (1905–1990) -

English film director Michael Powell and French ballerina Ludmilla Tchérina on the set of 'The Red Shoes' (1948).

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Anthony Mann (1906–1967) -

Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston go through the script with director Anthony Mann on the set of his movie 'El Cid' (1961).

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Louis Malle (1932–1995) -

French director Louis Malle and actress Brigitte Bardot seated under the camera on the set of the movie 'Viva Maria' (1965), on location in Mexico.

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Luchino Visconti (1906–1976) -

Annie Girardot and Alain Delon being directed by Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti on the set of 'Rocco and His Brothers' (1960).

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Otto Preminger (1905–1986) -

Director Otto Preminger, on camera boom, readies his crew and the crowd for a scene during the making of 'Saint Joan' (1957), which starred Jean Seberg in her big-screen debut.

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Michael Curtiz (1886–1962) -

Elvis Presley chats with producer Hal B. Wallis and director Michael Curtiz on the set of 'King Creole' (1958), one of Presley's most successful and critically acclaimed movies.

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George Cukor (1899–1983) -

Director George Cukor (standing) and crew on the set of the 1939 production 'Zaza.' In front of the cameras is the film's star, Claudette Colbert.

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D.W. Griffith (1875–1948) -

Film director D.W. Griffith (in straw hat, seated) directs a scene from the three-and-a-half-hour epic 'Intolerance' (1916).

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F. W. Murnau (1888–1931) -

German film director F. W. Murnau behind the camera during filming of 'Nosferatu' (1922), an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and considered a masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema.

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Howard Hawks (1896–1977) -

Director Howard Hawks takes a seat and watches actors Carole Lombard and John Barrymore perform a scene on the set of his film 'Twentieth Century' (1934).

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Satyajit Ray (1921–1992) -

The highly respected and influential Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray directing a scene from his 1974 movie 'Sonar Kella' ('The Golden Fortress') in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

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Billy Wilder (1906–2002) -

Billy Wilder gets a view from above while directing Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart on the set of 'Sabrina' (1954).

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Fritz Lang (1890–1976) -

Henry Fonda being directed by Fritz Lang (far left) while shooting a scene for the film noir motion picture 'You Only Live Once' (1937).

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Jean Renoir (1894–1979) -

French actors Claude Brasseur and Jean-Pierre Cassel with director Jean Renoir on the set of 1962's 'Le Caporal Épinglé' ('The Elusive Corporal').

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Frank Capra (1897–1991) -

Frank Capra, in charge of directing 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939), takes a seat during filming.

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Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) -

Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman with his long-time cinematographer Sven Nykvist during the production of 'Through a Glass Darkly' (1960).

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Orson Welles (1915–1985) -

Orson Welles (center with sunglasses) directs then-wife Rita Hayworth in 'The Lady from Shanghai' (1947). Welles also starred in the picture.

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François Truffaut (1932–1984) -

French actors Jean-Pierre Leaud and Claude Jade wait patiently as director François Truffaut sets up his shot on the set of his 1968 movie 'Baisers Volés' ('Stolen Kisses').

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Luis Buñuel (1900–1983) -

Spanish director Luis Buñuel on the set of 'Belle de Jour' (1967), one of his most successful and famous films.

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Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) -

The "Master of Suspense" Alfred Hitchcock lining up a shot during filming of the mystery thriller 'Rear Window' (1954).

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Ida Lupino (1918–1995) -

Ida Lupino, one of the most prominent Hollywood filmmakers of the 1950s, directing 'Outrage' (1950), which costars Mala Powers and Tod Andrews.

See also: Underrated female directors you should definitely watch.

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