Roland Emmerich

Ah, the irony that a German film director would be responsible for the America-love-fest that is Independence Day. The U.S. has clearly shown Emmerich lots of love in return, thanks to his special talents in writing, directing, and producing epic sci-fi action flicks.

Even if you weren't super-aware of him before now, if you're a fan of sci-fi chances are you've seen his work. He's produced and written lots of blockbusters and high-profile action films, including Stargate, Godzilla, and White House Down.

However, as we mentioned in the "Production Studio" section, he's been known to dip into less CGI-heavy topics and genres—for example, in the 2015 Stonewall, which follows a character's personal journey ahead of the Stonewall riots (history-shaping protests against police treatment of the gay community).

So, in short, Emmerich has a long and impressive history of wearing many hats—kind of like his collaborator, Dean Devlin (see "Screenwriters").