Film & Television

Best Director Academy Award Winners Trivia Word Search

74 original clues · new puzzle every time you play

Test your knowledge of Best Director Academy Award Winners with a free trivia word search from thewordfind.com. Read each clue, work out the answer, then find it hidden in the letter grid — every puzzle is freshly generated, so no two plays are ever quite the same. Don't know an answer? Tap the hint button in-game to reveal the first letter, or just scan the grid — every answer is hiding in there somewhere. Between the clues and the full answer key below, this topic doubles as a quick study guide — good for a trivia night, a classroom quiz, or just picking up something new about Best Director Academy Award Winners along the way.

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A few sample clues

Vincente _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1958 for 'Gigi.'

This film's director won the 2006 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Departed.'

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This film's director won the 1935 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Informer.'

_ _ _ _

Mike _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1967 for 'The Graduate.'

This film's director won the 1964 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'My Fair Lady.'

_ _ _ _ _

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All 74 questions in this topic, with answers — use it to study, or just browse. Every actual play of the puzzle only pulls a random handful of these into one game, so knowing them all here won't spoil which ones show up or where they're hidden in the grid. Play it here.

This mostly silent, black-and-white film won Best Director in 2011; it's titled 'The _ _ _ _ _ _.'

ARTIST

This film's director won the 1968 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Oliver!.'

REED

This 1963 Best Director winner about a spirited 18th-century orphan is titled 'Tom _ _ _ _ _.'

JONES

Jonathan _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1991 for 'The Silence of the Lambs.'

DEMME

Joel _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2007 for 'No Country for Old Men.'

COEN

George Roy _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1973 for 'The Sting.'

HILL

This film's director won the 1996 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The English Patient.'

MINGHELLA

Sean _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2024 for 'Anora.'

BAKER

This film's director won the 2010 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The King's Speech.'

HOOPER

This film's director won the 2003 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Return of the King.'

JACKSON

This 2000 Best Director winner about the drug trade is titled simply '_ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

TRAFFIC

This 1969 Best Director winner is titled 'Midnight _ _ _ _ _ _.'

COWBOY

This director won Best Director in 1982 for a biopic titled simply '_ _ _ _ _ _.'

GANDHI

This film's director won the 1928 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Divine Lady.'

LLOYD

Daniel _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2022 for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'

KWAN

Alejandro G. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2014 for 'Birdman.'

INARRITU

Frank _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1927 for '7th Heaven.'

BORZAGE

Guillermo del _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2017 for 'The Shape of Water.'

TORO

Chloe _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2020 for 'Nomadland.'

ZHAO

Ang _ _ _ won Best Director in 2005 for 'Brokeback Mountain.'

LEE

This film's director won the 1930 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Skippy.'

TAUROG

This film's director won the 1990 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Dances with Wolves.'

COSTNER

This 1987 Best Director winner, about China's last monarch, is titled 'The Last _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

EMPEROR

This director won Best Director in both 1949 and 1950, the second time for 'All About _ _ _.'

EVE

This film's director won the 2023 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Oppenheimer.'

NOLAN

This film's director won the 1978 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Deer Hunter.'

CIMINO

This film's director won the 1974 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Godfather Part II.'

COPPOLA

Frank _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1934 for 'It Happened One Night.'

CAPRA

Lewis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1929 for 'All Quiet on the Western Front.'

MILESTONE

This film's director won the 1999 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'American Beauty.'

MENDES

This film's director won the 1943 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Casablanca.'

CURTIZ

Steven _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1993 for 'Schindler's List.'

SPIELBERG

James L. _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1983 for 'Terms of Endearment.'

BROOKS

This film's director won the 1939 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Gone with the Wind.'

FLEMING

This film's director won the 1976 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Rocky.'

AVILDSEN

Milos _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1975 for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.'

FORMAN

Roman _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2002 for 'The Pianist.'

POLANSKI

Delbert _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1955 for 'Marty.'

MANN

This film's director won the 1992 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Unforgiven.'

EASTWOOD

Mel _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1995 for 'Braveheart.'

GIBSON

This film's director won the 1947 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Gentleman's Agreement.'

KAZAN

Kathryn _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 2009 for 'The Hurt Locker.'

BIGELOW

This film's director won the 1994 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Forrest Gump.'

ZEMECKIS

This film's director won the 2008 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Slumdog Millionaire.'

BOYLE

This film's director won the 2025 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'One Battle After Another.'

ANDERSON

This film's director won the 1985 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Out of Africa.'

POLLACK

This film's director won the 2016 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'La La Land.'

CHAZELLE

John _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1948 for 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.'

HUSTON

Oliver _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1986 for 'Platoon.'

STONE

This film's director won the 2021 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Power of the Dog.'

CAMPION

This South Korean director won Best Director in 2019 for 'Parasite.'

BONG

This film's director won the 1953 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'From Here to Eternity.'

ZINNEMANN

This film's director won the 1957 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'The Bridge on the River Kwai.'

LEAN

This film's director won the 1972 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Cabaret.'

FOSSE

Billy _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1945 for 'The Lost Weekend.'

WILDER

This film's director won the 1980 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Ordinary People.'

REDFORD

William _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1942 for 'Mrs. Miniver.'

WYLER

This film's director won the 1961 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'West Side Story.'

WISE

This film's director won the 2001 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'A Beautiful Mind.'

HOWARD

Barry _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1988 for 'Rain Man.'

LEVINSON

This film's director won the 2013 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Gravity.'

CUARON

William _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1971 for 'The French Connection.'

FRIEDKIN

Warren _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1981 for 'Reds.'

BEATTY

Leo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1937 for 'The Awful Truth.'

MCCAREY

This film's director won the 1970 Best Director Oscar; the film is titled 'Patton.'

SCHAFFNER

George _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1951 for 'A Place in the Sun.'

STEVENS

James _ _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1997 for 'Titanic.'

CAMERON

Robert _ _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1979 for 'Kramer vs. Kramer.'

BENTON

Woody _ _ _ _ _ won Best Director in 1977 for 'Annie Hall.'

ALLEN

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