One thing I've noticed is that some directors seem to have a soft spot for certain stars. For example Steven Spielberg casr Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws, Close Encounters Of The First Kind & Always.
I'm sure thare are many more.
James Cameron and Michael Beihn; Scorcessie (sp) and DeNiro; John Ford and John Wayne
Here are some more:
Tim Burton - Johnny Depp
Quintin Tarrantino - Uma Thurman & Harvey Keitel
I think that Quentin likes Michael Madsen as well.
Kevin Smith - Ben Affleck
(Ignoring actors playing the same roles in movie series, such as Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in three Steven Spielberg directed movies, Sean Connery as James Bond in three Terrence Young directed movies, and Roger Moore as James Bond in three John Glen directed movies)
James Cameron directed Bill Paxton in four of his movies - The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), True Lies (1994), and Titanic (1997).
Martin Scorsese directed Joe Pesci in three of his movies - Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and Casino (1995).
Kevin Smith directed Matt Damon (along with Ben Affleck) in several of his movies - Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), and Jersey Girl (2004).
Sydney Pollack directed Robert Redford in several of his movies - Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Electric Horseman (1979), Out of Africa (1985), and Havana (1990).
Spike Lee directed Denzel Washington in three movies - Mo' Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), and He Got Game (1998).
Spike Lee directed Samuel L. Jackson in four movies - School Daze (1988), Do The Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Jungle Fever (1991).
Steven Spielberg directed Tom Hanks in three movies - Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), and The Terminal (2004).
Alfred Hitchcock directed James Stewart in several movies - Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958).
Alfred Hitchcock directed Cary Grant in several movies - Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), North By Northwest (1959).
George Lucas & Harrison Ford (American Grafitti, Star Wars, Indianna Jones)
George Lucas & Harrison Ford (American Grafitti, Star Wars, Indianna Jones)
Officially, George Lucas didn't direct Harrison Ford in any of the Indiana Jones movies.
Hitchcock and The Blond.
Nearly all of Woody Allen's movie had either Keaton or Farrow.
Likewise, Ingmar Bergman's movies feature different combinations of the same pool of actors. Ditto P.T.Andersen's.
Steven Spielberg and "the fat boy".
Jurassic Park -- the kid who snipes at Dr. Grant, "That doesn't look so scary. It looks more like a... turkey."
The Goonies -- Chunk
Hook -- The one who did the Thudball or whatever it was called (in a very bad effect)
Indiana Jones 3 -- The blonde trumpet-blowing kid with young Indy at the beginning.
George Pal casted Sandro Giglio for "War of the Worlds" & "When Worlds Collide". He also used the music of Leith Stevens for "War of the Worlds" and "When Worlds Collide"
David Mamet frequently works with William H. Macy, Mike Nussbaum and sleight-of-hand expert Ricky Jay (bad guy Henry Gupta in the Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies.)
Let's not forget the granddaddy of all director-actor collaborations, Akira Kurasawa and Toshirô Mifune. Mifune has been in sixteen of Kurasawa's films, including Rashômon, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, and The Seven Samurai.
Brian Fitzgerald: James Cameron and Michael Beihn
Luigi Novi: Well yeah, but he only worked twice with Beihn. By contrast, he worked three times with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein.