Steve McQueen won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2014 for his film "12 Years a Slave."

John Ford has won four Academy Awards for Best Director, for the films "The Informer" (1935), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "How Green Was My Valley" (1941), and "The Quiet Man" (1952).

Damien Chazelle won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2017 for his film "La La Land" at the age of 32.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2014 for "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" and in 2015 for "The Revenant."

Kathryn Bigelow won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2010 for her film "The Hurt Locker."

Steven Spielberg has won the Academy Award for Best Director for "Schindler's List" (1993), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), and "West Side Story" (2021).

Clint Eastwood won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2009 for his film "Million Dollar Baby" at the age of 74.

Bong Joon-ho won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2020 for his film "Parasite", which is a South Korean film.

Michael Moore won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2003 for his documentary film "Bowling for Columbine."

Damien Chazelle won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2017 for his musical film "La La Land."

As of 2023, no African American woman has won an Academy Award for Best Director.

Ryan Coogler won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2019 for his superhero film "Black Panther."

Billy Wilder won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1951 for his film "Sunset Boulevard", which was shot entirely in black and white.

Alfonso Cuarón won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2014 for his film "Gravity", which is set in space.

Sam Raimi won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2008 for his film "Spider-Man 2", which is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man.