Eastwood's a good pick in that he was never much of an actor, though he showed some depth in some of his later roles, especially "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby." Not coincidentally, his two best films, imho.

Charlie Chaplin was behind the camera almost as soon as he was in front of it, and is one of the true giants. "City Lights" is one of my all-time favorite flicks.

I was pretty impressed with "Gone Baby Gone" by Ben Affleck. Maybe now all the jokes about Matt Damon doing most of the heavy lifting on their Oscar-winning screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" will subside.

Leni Riefenstahl is reviled for her Nazi ties, but no one disputes her as one of the great documentary filmmakers, and one of the first women to be celebrated as a director.

Another person who's become radioactive in recent years, but whose skills as a storyteller are stellar, is Mel Gibson. If it weren't for that drunken anti-Semite shtick...

Woody Allen's an obvious pick, but he really always was a writer who kind of got shoved in front of the camera. I usually think the movies in which he's not in it, or is not the primary character, are his best.