Directors Who Act -- Actors Who Direct Quiz

Answer: Francois Truffaut

Truffaut, a French director, rarely acted in his own films, much less in films by American directors, in this case Spielberg. His first feature was the influential film "The Four Hundred Blows," based on his own life as a boy in Paris.

Answer: Woody Allen

A rarity - a serious role for Woody in somebody else's movie, in this case Martin Ritt. First feature Woody wrote, directed, and starred in was "Bananas," a comedy about a Cuban-style revolution.

Answer: Sidney Pollack

Pollack is practically making a career out of acting, including roles in "Tootsie" (he also directed) and "Eyes Wide Shut," Stanley Kubrick's last film.

Answer: Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino also directed the film, of course, in addition to helming "Reservoir Dogs" and "Jackie Brown." Whatever happened to him, anyway?

Answer: Warren Beatty

Beatty was an early example of a career actor who also succeeded at directing. "Reds" is the story of real-life American Communist John Reed, played by Beatty, whose first big role was in "Splendor in the Grass."

Answer: Penny Marshall

Penny was once married to actor-director Rob Reiner, and of course she starred as Laverne in "Laverne and Shirley." One of her best-known films is "A League of Their Own," source of that immortal Tom Hanks line "Crying? Crying? There's no crying in baseball!" Hanks obviously is not a Cubs or Red Sox fan.

Answer: Clint Eastwood

Eastwood is one of the few who have made a career out of acting and directing. In "Unforgiven," he played William Munny. Early in his career Clint had mercifully uncredited appearances in "Tarantula" and "Revenge of the Creature." His first directing credit was in 1971 for "Play Misty for Me," in which he also co-starred as a DJ with the immortal Jessica Walter as a stalker. (Remember her? I didn't think so.) That same year he also directed the suicide jumper scene in "Dirty Harry," for which he wasn't credited. Of course, he played the title role, but Don Siegel was in charge.

Answer: Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin: a true icon of acting, writing, and directing. In
"Limelight," a 1952 film, he didn't play the Little Tramp for a change; he played Calvero, a washed-up comedian. He was born in London, and his first film, a short, was "Making a Living" in 1914. Some of his features are "The Gold Rush," "City Lights," "Modern Times," and "The Great Dictator."

Answer: Rob Reiner

Rob played Michael, AKA Meathead, on "All in the Family," and of course directed some great films, his best probably "A Few Good Men" ("You can't handle the truth!"), his worst undoubtedly "North."

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock did a brief cameo in most of his movies but never said a word. Moviegoers in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's went to Hitchcock movies trying to spot him. Besides "The Birds," he also of course helmed "Vertigo," "North by Northwest," "Suspicion," and, well, it would take all night to finish this list!