(no original em inglês Academy Award for Best Directing), é uma categoria de premiação do Óscar referente a escolha de melhor direção de uma produção cinematográfica; é um prêmio anual que a Academia de Artes e Ciências Cinematográficas dos Estados Unidos oferece em honra a um diretor que realizou um extraordinário trabalho com a equipe de produção enquanto trabalhava na indústria do cinema, no ano anterior ao da realização da cerimônia.
A cada ano a Academia seleciona o melhor diretor de uma lista de cinco indicados. O prêmio, que vem sendo entregue desde 1929, dá direito ao vencedor de receber a cobiçada estatueta e de fazer um breve discurso. De todos os 80 homenageados com o prêmio até 2008, apenas 21 não ganharam também o Oscar de melhor filme.
Em 1933 não houve entrega dos prêmios Oscar, que foram entregues duas vezes em 1930 (em abril, referente aos filmes produzidos entre 2 de agosto de 1928 e 31 de julho de 1929, e em novembro, referente aos filmes produzidos entre 1º de agosto de 1929 e 31 de julho de 1930); em 1931 (em novembro, referente aos filmes produzidos entre 1.º de agosto de 1930 e 31 de julho de 1931); em 1932 (em novembro, referente aos filmes produzidos entre 1.º de agosto de 1931 e 31 de julho de 1932); e em 1934 (em março, referente aos filmes produzidos entre 1.º de agosto de 1932 e 31 de dezembro de 1933).
John Ford é o maior vencedor da categoria com 4 vitórias, seguido de Frank Capra e William Wyler com 3 vitórias cada.
Clint Eastwood é o mais velho a vencer a categoria, com 74 anos por Million Dollar Baby (2005), e Damien Chazelle é o mais novo, com 32 anos por La La Land (2017).
Apenas 3 diretores conseguiram o feito de vencer duas vezes seguidas o prêmio: John Ford (1941-1942), Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950-1951) e Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (2015-2016).
Até , apenas três mulheres venceram o Oscar de Melhor Direção: Kathryn Bigelow em 2010, por The Hurt Locker; Chloé Zhao em 2021, por Nomadland; Oscars: Chloe Zhao Becomes Second Woman to Win Best Director e Jane Campion em 2022, por The Power of the Dog. O vencedor mais recente é Paul Thomas Anderson pelo filme Uma Batalha após a outra.
Vencedores e indicados Década de 1920 Apenas no primeiro ano, o prêmio foi separado em Direção de Drama e Comédia. 1929: (Drama) Frank Borzage – Seventh Heaven Herbert Brenon – Sorrell and Son King Vidor – The Crowd
1929: (Comédia) Lewis Milestone – Two Arabian Knights Ted Wilde – Speedy
Década de 1930
19301: Frank Lloyd – The Divine Lady Lionel Barrymore – Madame X Harry Beaumont – The Broadway Melody Irving Cummings – In Old Arizona Frank Lloyd – Drag Ernst Lubitsch – The Patriot
19302: Lewis Milestone – All Quiet on the Western Front Clarence Brown – Anna Christie e Romance Robert Z. Leonard – The Divorcee Ernst Lubitsch – The Love Parade King Vidor – Hallelujah
1931: Norman Taurog – Skippy Clarence Brown – A Free Soul Lewis Milestone – The Front Page Wesley Ruggles – Cimarron Josef von Sternberg – Marocco
1932: Frank Borzage – Bad Girl King Vidor – The Champ Josef von Sternberg – Shanghai Express
1934: Frank Lloyd – Cavalcade Frank Capra – Lady for a Day George Cukor – Little Women
1935: Frank Capra – It Happened One Night Victor Schertzinger – One Night of Love W. S. Van Dyke – The Thin Man
1936: John Ford – The Informer Henry Hathaway – The Lives of a Bengal Lancer Frank Lloyd – Munity on the Bounty Michael Curtiz – Captain Blood
1937: Frank Capra – Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Gregory La Cava – My Man Godfrey Robert Z. Leonard – The Great Ziegfeld W. S. Van Dyke – San Francisco William Wyler – Dodsworth
1938: Leo McCarey – The Awful Truth William Dieterle – The Life of Emile Zola Sidney Franklin – The Good Earth Gregory La Cava – Stage Door William A. Wellman – A Star Is Born
1939: Frank Capra – You Can't Take It with You Michael Curtiz – Angels with Dirty Faces Michael Curtiz – Four Daughters Norman Taurog – Boys Town King Vidor – The Citadel
Década de 1940
1940: Victor Fleming – Gone with the Wind Frank Capra – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington John Ford – Stagecoach Sam Wood – Goodbye, Mr. Chips William Wyler – Wuthering Heights
1941: John Ford – The Grapes of Wrath George Cukor – The Philadelphia Story Alfred Hitchcock – Rebecca Sam Wood – Kitty Foyle William Wyler – The Letter
1942: John Ford – How Green Was My Valley Alexander Hall – Here Comes Mr. Jordan Howard Hawks – Sergeant York Orson Welles – Citizen Kane William Wyler – The Little Foxes
1943: William Wyler – Mrs. Miniver Michael Curtiz – Yankee Doodle Dandy John Farrow – Wake Island Mervyn LeRoy – Random Harvest Sam Wood – Kings Row
1944: Michael Curtiz – Casablanca Clarence Brown – The Human Comedy Henry King – The Song of Bernadette Ernst Lubitsch – Heaven Can Wait George Stevens – The More the Merrier
1945: Leo McCarey – Going My Way Alfred Hitchcock – Lifeboat Henry King – Wilson Otto Preminger – Laura Billy Wilder – Double Indemnity
1946: Billy Wilder – The Lost Weekend Clarence Brown – National Velvet Alfred Hitchcock – Spellbound Leo McCarey – The Bells of St. Mary's Jean Renoir – The Southerner
1947: William Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives Clarence Brown – The Yearling Frank Capra – It's a Wonderful Life David Lean – Brief Encounter Robert Siodmak – The Killers
1948: Elia Kazan – Gentleman's Agreement George Cukor – A Double Life Edward Dmytryk – Crossfire Henry Koster – The Bishop's Wife David Lean – Great Expectations
1949: John Huston – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Anatole Litvak – The Snake Pit Jean Negulesco – Johnny Belinda Laurence Olivier – Hamlet Fred Zinnemann – The Search
Década de 1950
1950: Joseph L. Mankiewicz – A Letter to Three Wives Carol Reed – The Fallen Idol Robert Rossen – All the King's Men William A. Wellman – Battleground William Wyler – The Heiress
1951: Joseph L. Mankiewicz – All About Eve George Cukor – Born Yesterday John Huston – The Asphalt Jungle Carol Reed – The Third Man Billy Wilder – Sunset Boulevard
1952: George Stevens – A Place in the Sun John Huston – The African Queen Elia Kazan – A Streetcar Named Desire Vincente Minnelli – An American in Paris William Wyler – Detective Story
1953: John Ford – The Quiet Man Cecil B. DeMille – The Greatest Show on Earth John Huston – Moulin Rouge Joseph L. Mankiewicz – 5 Fingers Fred Zinnemann – High Noon
1954: Fred Zinnemann – From Here to Eternity George Stevens – Shane Charles Walters – Lili Billy Wilder – Stalag 17 William Wyler – Roman Holiday
1955: Elia Kazan – On the Waterfront Alfred Hitchcock – Rear Window George Seaton – The Country Girl William A. Wellman – The High and the Mighty Billy Wilder – Sabrina
1956: Delbert Mann – Marty Elia Kazan – East of Eden David Lean – Summertime Joshua Logan – Picnic John Sturges – Bad Day at Black Rock
1957: George Stevens – Giant Michael Anderson – Around the World in 80 Days Walter Lang – The King and I King Vidor – War and Peace William Wyler – Friendly Persuasion
1958: David Lean – The Bridge on the River Kwai Joshua Logan – Sayonara Sidney Lumet – 12 Angry Men Mark Robson – Peyton Place Billy Wilder – Witness for the Prosecution
1959: Vicente Minnelli – Gigi Richard Brooks – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Stanley Kramer – The Defiant Ones Mark Robson – The Inn of the Sixth Happiness Robert Wise – I Want to Live!
Década de 1960
1960: William Wyler – Ben-Hur Jack Clayton – Room at the Top George Stevens – The Diary of Anne Frank Billy Wilder – Some Like It Hot Fred Zinnemann – The Nun's Story
1961: Billy Wilder – The Apartment Jack Cardiff – Sons and Lovers Jules Dassin – Never on Sunday Alfred Hitchcock – Psycho Fred Zinnemann – The Sundowners
1962: Robert Wise e Jerome Robbins – West Side Story Federico Fellini – La Dolce Vita Stanley Kramer – Judgment at Nuremberg Robert Rossen – The Hustler J. Lee Thompson – The Guns of Navarone
1963: David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia Pietro Germi – Divorzio all'Italiana Robert Mulligan – To Kill a Mockingbird Arthur Penn – The Miracle Worker Frank Perry – David and Lisa
1964: Tony Richardson – Tom Jones Federico Fellini – 8½ Elia Kazan – America, America Otto Preminger – The Cardinal Martin Ritt – Hud
1965: George Cukor – My Fair Lady Michael Cacoyannis – Zorba the Greek Peter Glenville – Becket Stanley Kubrick – Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Robert Stevenson – Mary Poppins
1966: Robert Wise – The Sound of Music David Lean – Doctor Zhivago John Schlesinger – Darling Hiroshi Teshigahara – Suna no onna William Wyler – The Collector
1966: Fred Zinnemann – A Man for All Seasons Michelangelo Antonioni – Blow-Up Richard Brooks – The Professionals Claude Lelouch – Un Homme et une Femme Mike Nichols – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1968: Mike Nichols – The Graduate Richard Brooks – In Cold Blood Norman Jewison – In the Heat of the Night Stanley Kramer – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Arthur Penn – Bonnie and Clyde
1969: Carol Reed – Oliver! Anthony Harvey – The Lion in Winter Stanley Kubrick – 2001: A Space Odyssey Gillo Pontecorvo – La Battaglia di Algeri Franco Zeffirelli – Romeo and Juliet
Década de 1970
1970: John Schlesinger – Midnight Cowboy Costa-Gavras – Z George Roy Hill – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Arthur Penn – Alice's Restaurant Sydney Pollack – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1971: Franklin J. Schaffner – Patton Robert Altman – MASH Federico Fellini – Satyricon Arthur Hiller – Love Story Ken Russell – Women in Love
1972: William Friedkin – The French Connection Peter Bogdanovich – The Last Picture Show Norman Jewison – Fiddler on the Roof Stanley Kubrick – A Clockwork Orange John Schlesinger – Sunday Bloody Sunday
1973: Bob Fosse – Cabaret John Boorman – Deliverance Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather Joseph L. Mankiewicz – Sleuth Jan Troell – Utvandrarna
1974: George Roy Hill – The Sting Ingmar Bergman – Cries and Whispers Bernardo Bertolucci – Last Tango in Paris William Friedkin – The Exorcist George Lucas – American Graffiti
1975: Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather Part II John Cassavetes – A Woman Under the Influence Bob Fosse – Lenny Roman Polanski – Chinatown François Truffaut – La Nuit Américaine
1976: Miloš Forman – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Robert Altman – Nashville Federico Fellini – Amarcord Stanley Kubrick – Barry Lyndon Sidney Lumet – Dog Day Afternoon
1977: John G. Avildsen – Rocky Ingmar Bergman – Face to Face Sidney Lumet – Network Alan J. Pakula – All the President's Men Lina Wertmüller – Pasqualino Settebellezze
1978: Woody Allen – Annie Hall George Lucas – Star Wars Herbert Ross – The Turning Point Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind Fred Zinnemann – Julia
1979: Michael Cimino – The Deer Hunter Woody Allen – Interiors Hal Ashby – Coming Home Warren Beatty e Buck Henry – Heaven Can Wait Alan Parker – Midnight Express
Década de 1980
1980: Robert Benton - Kramer vs. Kramer Francis Ford Coppola - Apocalypse Now Bob Fosse - All That Jazz Édouard Molinaro - La Cage aux Folles Peter Yates - Breaking Away
1981: Robert Redford – Ordinary People David Lynch – The Elephant Man Roman Polanski – Tess Richard Rush – The Stunt Man Martin Scorsese – Raging Bull
1982: Warren Beatty – Reds Hugh Hudson – Chariots of Fire Louis Malle – Atlantic City Mark Rydell – On Golden Pond Steven Spielberg – Raiders of the Lost Ark
1983: Richard Attenborough – Gandhi Sidney Lumet – The Verdict Wolfgang Petersen – Das Boot Sydney Pollack – Tootsie Steven Spielberg – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1984: James L. Brooks – Terms of Endearment Bruce Beresford – Tender Mercies Ingmar Bergman – Fanny och Alexander Mike Nichols – Silkwood Peter Yates – The Dresser
1985: Miloš Forman – Amadeus Woody Allen – Broadway Danny Rose Robert Benton – Places in the Heart Roland Joffé – The Killing Fields David Lean – A Passage to India
1986: Sydney Pollack – Out of Africa Héctor Babenco – O Beijo da Mulher Aranha John Huston – Prizzi's Honor Akira Kurosawa – Ran Peter Weir – Witness