Oscar for bedste instruktør

Oscaren for bedste instruktør, på engelsk Academy Award for Achievement in Directing uddeles ved den årlige Oscar-ceremoni til årets bedste filminstruktør, valgt af medlemmerne af Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Vinderen udvælges blandt fem nominerede, der har instrueret en film i det forløbne kalenderår.

Årstallene i nedenstående liste angiver tidspunktet for filmens premiere (i Californien) og dermed året før selve Oscar-uddelingen.

2010'erne

• 2012 – Ang Lee for Life of Pi
• 2011 – Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
• 2010 – Tom Hooper for Kongens store tale

2000'erne

• 2009 – Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
• 2008 – Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
• 2007 – Joel og Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
• 2006 – Martin Scorsese for The Departed
• 2005 – Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain
• 2004 – Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby
• 2003 – Peter Jackson for Ringenes Herre - Kongen vender tilbage
• 2002 – Roman Polanski for Pianisten
• 2001 – Ron Howard for Et smukt sind
• 2000 – Steven Soderbergh for Traffic

1990'erne

• 1999 – Sam Mendes for American Beauty
• 1998 – Steven Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan
• 1997 – James Cameron for Titanic
• 1996 – Anthony Minghella for Den engelske patient (The English Patient)
• 1995 – Mel Gibson for Braveheart
• 1994 – Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump
• 1993 – Steven Spielberg for Schindlers liste (Schindler's List)
• 1992 – Clint Eastwood for De nådesløse (Unforgiven)
• 1991 – Jonathan Demme for Ondskabens øjne (The Silence of the Lambs)
• 1990 – Kevin Costner for Danser med ulve (Dances With Wolves)

1980'erne

• 1989 – Oliver Stone for Født den 4. juli (Born on the Fourth of July)
• 1988 – Barry Levinson for Rain Man
• 1987 – Bernardo Bertolucci for Den sidste kejser (The Last Emperor)
• 1986 – Oliver Stone for Platoon
• 1985 – Sydney Pollack for Mit Afrika (Out of Africa)
• 1984 – Milos Forman for Amadeus
• 1983 – James L. Brooks for Tid til kærtegn (Terms of Endearment)
• 1982 – Richard Attenborough for Gandhi
• 1981 – Warren Beatty for Reds
• 1980 – Robert Redford for En helt almindelig familie (Ordinary People)

1970'erne

• 1979 – Robert Benton for Kramer mod Kramer (Kramer vs. Kramer)
• 1978 – Michael Cimino for Deer Hunter (The Deer Hunter)
• 1977 – Woody Allen for Annie Hall
• 1976 – John G. Avildsen for Rocky
• 1975 – Milos Forman for Gøgereden (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
• 1974 – Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Part II
• 1973 – George Roy Hill for Sidste stik (The Sting)
• 1972 – Bob Fosse for Cabaret
• 1971 – William Friedkin for Den franske forbindelse (The French Connection)
• 1970 – Franklin J. Schaffner for Patton

1960'erne

• 1969 – John Schlesinger for Midnight Cowboy
• 1968 – Carol Reed for Oliver !
• 1967 – Mike Nichols for Fagre voksne verden (The Graduate)
• 1966 – Fred Zinnemann for Mand til alle tider (A Man for All Seasons)
• 1965 – Robert Wise for The Sound of Music)
• 1964 – George Cukor for My Fair Lady
• 1963 – Tony Richardson for Tom Jones
• 1962 – David Lean for Lawrence af Arabien (Lawrence of Arabia)
• 1961 – Robert Wise og Jerome Robbins for West Side Story
• 1960 – Billy Wilder for Nøglen under måtten (The Apartment)

1950'erne

• 1959 – William Wyler for Ben-Hur
• 1958 – Vincente Minnelli for Gigi
• 1957 – David Lean for Broen over floden Kwai (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
• 1956 – George Stevens for Giganten (Giant)
• 1955 – Delbert Mann for Marty
• 1954 – Elia Kazan for I storbyens havn (On the Waterfront)
• 1953 – Fred Zinnemann for Herfra til evigheden (From Here to Eternity)
• 1952 – John Ford for Den tavse mand (The Quiet Man)
• 1951 – George Stevens for En plads i solen (A Place in the Sun)
• 1950 – Joseph Leo Mankiewicz for Alt om Eva (All about Eve)

1940'erne

• 1949 – Joseph Leo Mankiewicz for A Letter to Three Wives
• 1948 – John Huston for Tre mand søger guld (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
• 1947 – Elia Kazan for Mand og mand imellem (Gentleman's Agreement)
• 1946 – William Wyler for De bedste år (The Best Years of Our Lives)
• 1945 – Billy Wilder for Forspildte dage (The Lost Weekend)
• 1944 – Leo McCarey for Going My Way
• 1943 – Michael Curtiz for Casablanca
• 1942 – William Wyler for Mrs. Miniver (Mrs. Miniver)
• 1941 – John Ford for Grøn var min barndoms dal (How Green Was My Valley)
• 1940 – John Ford for Vredens Druer (The Grapes of Wrath)

1930'erne

• 1939 – Victor Fleming for Borte med blæsten (Gone with the Wind)
• 1938 – Frank Capra for Du kan ikke tage det med dig (You Can't Take It with You)
• 1937 – Leo McCarey for Den frygtelige sandhed (The Awful Truth)
• 1936 – Frank Capra for En gentleman kommer til byen (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town)
• 1935 – John Ford for The Informer
• 1934 – Frank Capra for Det hændte en nat (It Happened One Night)
• 1932/1933 – Frank Lloyd for Cavalcade
• 1931/1932 – Frank Borzage for Bad Girl
• 1930/1931 – Norman Taurog for Skippy

1920'erne

• 1929/1930 – Lewis Milestone for Intet nyt fra Vestfronten (All Quiet on the Western Front)
• 1928/1929 – Frank Lloyd for The Divine Lady